Gaurishankar | 1984 SW Face (USA 1979 rte)
A USA expedition to Gaurishankar in 1984 via SW Face (USA 1979 rte), led by Wyman Culbreth. Summit reached on 16th May 1984. 2 members recorded.
Expedition Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | 1034 |
| Imported | 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634 |
| Expedition ID | GAUR84101 |
| Peak ID | GAUR |
| Year | 1984 |
| Season | 1 |
| Host Country | 1 |
| Route 1 | SW Face (USA 1979 rte) |
| Route 2 | - |
| Route 3 | - |
| Route 4 | - |
| Nationality | USA |
| Leaders | Wyman Culbreth |
| Sponsor | Gaurishankar American Expedition 1984 |
| Success 1 | True |
| Success 2 | False |
| Success 3 | False |
| Success 4 | False |
| Ascent 1 | 2nd |
| Ascent 2 | - |
| Ascent 3 | - |
| Ascent 4 | - |
| Claimed | False |
| Disputed | False |
| Countries | - |
| Approach | - |
| Basecamp Date | 1984-04-12 |
| Summit Date | 1984-05-16 |
| Summit Time | 1830 |
| Summit Days | 34 |
| Total Days | 38 |
| Termination Date | 1984-05-20 |
| Termination Reason | 1 |
| Termination Notes | - |
| High Point (m) | 7135 |
| Traverse | False |
| Ski | False |
| Paraglide | False |
| Camps | 3 |
| Fixed Rope (m) | 0 |
| Total Members | 1 |
| Summit Members | 1 |
| Member Deaths | 0 |
| Total Hired | 2 |
| Summit Hired | 1 |
| Hired Deaths | 0 |
| No Hired | False |
| O2 Used | False |
| O2 None | True |
| O2 Climb | False |
| O2 Descent | False |
| O2 Sleep | False |
| O2 Medical | False |
| O2 Taken | False |
| O2 Unknown | False |
| Other Summits | - |
| Campsites | BC(12/04,4900m),C1(19/04,5000m),C2(28/04,5890m),C3(06/05,6650m),Smt(16/05) |
| Route Notes | BC west of point 5415m C1 at Tseringma Glacier. Reached summit at 6:30 pm in very good weather including very little wind uniquely. Left C3 at 7:00 am after winds abated and got back to C3 at 2:30 am in pitch dark in slow difficult rappel down to top of from fixed ropes and very cold. Took long time to reach BC because difficult jungle and police stopped them for 4 days while checking permit with Kathmandu (LO had not been with Culbreth at first). Only one safe route on face as far as 21,800 ft which was made by 1979 expedition. Dangerous rockfall elsewhere. Then to right of 1979 route (not making 1979 traverse to left in 1979). Last part of climb was 70-80 degrees ice and then small crevasse on 60 degrees slope, again ice and rock to top. An upper ice field Culbreth fell 45m on 16 May. Ang Kami fell 30m in descent from C3 on 18 May and burned hands on rope. |
| Accidents | Culbreth fell 45 m on 16 May; Ang Kami fell 30 m in descent from C3 on 18 May and burned hands on rope |
| Achievement | - |
| Agency | - |
| Commercial Route | - |
| Standard Route | - |
| Primary Route | False |
| Primary Member | False |
| Primary Reference | - |
| Primary ID | - |
| Checksum | 2448181 |
| Year | 1984 |
| Summit Success | True |
| O2 Summary | None |
| Route (lowercase) | sw face (usa 1979 rte) |
Members
2 recorded members.
| Name | Sex | Year of Birth | Citizenship | Status | Residence | Occupation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyman Culbreth | M | 1963 | USA | Leader | Prescott, Arizona | Auto mechanic | Details Other expeditions |
| Ang Kami Sherpa | M | 1958 | Nepal | Sirdar | Tsermadingma, Solukhumbu | Alpinist | Details Other expeditions |
References
3 recorded references.
| Expedition ID | Journal | Author | Title | Publisher | Citation | Yak 94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAUR84101 | AAJ | Culbreth, Wyman | Gaurishankar's West Face | - | 59:81-83 (1985) | - |
| GAUR84101 | MM | - | - | - | 99:9 (Sep 1984) | - |
| GAUR84101 | - | - | http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198508100/Gaurishankars-West-Face | - | - | - |