Gurja Himal | 1985 S Face-SE Ridge (to 6000m)

A Romania expedition to Gurja Himal in 1985 via S Face-SE Ridge (to 6000m), led by Ovidiu Bojor. Summit reached on 17th May 1985. 13 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 166
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID GURJ85102
Peak ID GURJ
Year 1985
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 S Face-SE Ridge (to 6000m)
Route 2 NW Face-W Ridge
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Romania
Leaders Ovidiu Bojor
Sponsor Joint Nepal-Romania Gurja Himal Expedition 1985
Success 1 False
Success 2 True
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 6th,7th
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1985-05-08
Summit Date 1985-05-17
Summit Time 1100
Summit Days 9
Total Days 12
Termination Date 1985-05-20
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 7193
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 4
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 8
Summit Members 3
Member Deaths 1
Total Hired 6
Summit Hired 5
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 Attempted Konaban
Campsites BC(08/05,4150m),C1(11/05,4700m),C2(12/05,5800m),C3(14/05,6300m),C4(15/05,6500m),Smt(17-18/05)
Route Notes BC at Kaphe Khola (same site at Japanese spr 1985) C3 at Japanese did not have this camp and Romanians used it only one night. Exactly same route as Japanese. Fixed ropes about 3 pitches near summit only but used Japanese and others rope elsewhere. Between C1 and C2 steep 500m section avalanche 45-50 degrees. Above 6800m snow slope 45 degrees 250m section and above it loose rock and very short sections of steepness. Above 6800m is on ridge. Frequent fall on the mountain. Three Romanian members and six Nepalese climbed on this route. Romanians were Marcus, Ritisan and Muresan. Leader did botanical works. Expedition split into 2 groups after they could not agree on the route all would climb. Original route was South Face and SE Ridge over Konaban Peak. All but three thought route to be too dangerous, so switched to NW Face to W Ridge route from Kaphe Khola. Ang Karma (co-Leader in name only) - 9 June 85 3 sides no good to climb, not enough rope to fix it. Abandon climb or do something else: recced Konabon South Face to East Ridge left to Gurja. Some thought this possible, others possible but risky. Leader thought better to do Japanese side which earlier. The 3 more enthusiastic wanted to try Kanaban way but only for 10 days as future experience (plus one Romanian support man and no Sherpas; 4 other Romanians and 4 Nepalese members went to Japanese route). 2 May two parties split. Tareja Khola camp was where split: about 2 days before S Face BC, southeast of it. Went on Japanese route and on 17 May 3 Nepalese to top, 18 May 3 Romanians (except Bojor) and 2 Nepalese Tamangs and all down safely. Left BC 20 May. 20 May received letter dated 19 May from Coliban via local porter. Letter reported accident on 15 May. Coliban had swollen tooth at their C1 while Dutescu-Coliban and Vergulescu in good condition and recce separately: she to right from their camp 5600-5700m and he to extreme left of S Face of Konaban. Weather started to deteriorate: fog and perhaps snow and she to their camp. Vergulescu did not return. In evening when weather cleared a Coliban and Dutescu-Coliban searched unsuccessfully until dark. 16 May 3:30 am Coliban and Dutescu-Coliban again searched found Vergulescu's footprints and in daylight saw him in front of serac barrier, badly injured in mid-forehead and guessed bit by rock or serac and had died immediately. He had no crampons, no rucksacks, no helmet. They buried his body where found it. Wrote they had come down to Tareja camp and said they would wait there 2-3 days for response and would go up to clear mountain of equipment (maybe in meantime, maybe later). Bojor and Ang Karma made replies and local man took them 22nd May waiting for snowfall to stop and would be received same day. 21st May porters had arrived at Bojor camp and camp evacuated 22nd May. Reached Pokhara and KTM 28 May without having seen others (Bojor walked more slowly and arrived KTM 3-4 days later). Checked at Beni and post at Arpang before Beni but no information regarding others. Now many days. They should have arrived Pokhara days ago. I hope they haven't gone to Dhaulagiri. Were "different kind of people." "stubborn" - he good team spirit. Bojor - 8 Jun 85 Last news of three members who have not yet arrived KTM is letter dated 19 May. Since then no word at all about them. If still no word by noon tomorrow, will take decision in Ministry of Tourism about sending search party. Ang Karma - 13 Jun 85 Yesterday a Sherpa went by bus to Pokhara, going to missing persons BC, asking locals and police post on the way. Will not go to Dhaulagiri but will return to KTM with any information he collects. May be back in KTM in 8 days, may be danger depending on whether he has to go all the way to their BC. Kunga Sherpa - 11 Jun 85 A Sherpa flies to Baglung tomorrow to try to trace 3 missing Romanians. He carries letters from HMG to police and local authorities. Trio had not good supply of food and now it is almost 4 weeks since letter of 19th May - visas expired 4 June. Taina wanted to climb Dhaulagiri I. Ambitious to climb higher than Romanians who scaled peak in Pamirs higher than Gurja. They may have gone to Dhaulagiri and had accident. Another possibility is they may have sought political asylum. Taina lived for several years in US. Bojor's posting in KTM is finished. Ravin Lama - 9 Jun 85 Only Marcus amongst Romanians actually reached summit of Gurja. They are saying 3 got to the top because leader had to sign papers in Bucharest guaranteeing success and with 1 member dead, they needed more Romanian summiters. Ang Karma has told Ravin all this in detail. Leader is trying to get journalism scholarship for Ang Karma in Romania. Pavel & Taina - 19 May 1985 We are deeply grieved to tell you that, instead of being with you now - a thing which seemed almost certain as things were going - we have to send you the worst news there is. Cesar is dead. It happened on 15 May, in the middle of the Konaban wall. We had set up C2 above the serac field visible from below, a little left of the big icefall, on a flat snowfield. In the morning at 9 o'clock we went to make a reconnaissance, Taina towards the Col at the basis of the ridge on the extreme right, Cesar upwards on the ridge left of the icefall, in order to see where it was better to continue the route. We reckoned to set up one more camp before on on the main ridge. Emil stayed at the tent - he had a swollen tooth and was on antibiotics. Taina came back around noon, the fog had set in already. It continued foggy until 5-6 pm, so we tried in vain to see Cesar, and he did not answer our calls. Towards evening, when it cleared up, Emil started after him, but found no sign before nightfall. In the morning we started at about 3:30, we followed his steps in the snow slopes and after going a little higher, we saw him below as to the right, fallen under the big serac barrier, on the upper part of the dejection cone. We reached him as the sun was rising. He had one terrible blow in the middle of this forehead, and it was he had been lying night. Death must have been instantaneous. We think we had not seen him the night before because of irregularities in the slope. He had no rucksack, no anorack and no crampons on, and we suppose that he either slipped or more probably received a piece of ice or rock as he had stoppd to put on more clothes some time during the afternoon of 15 May. We buried him in the snow where we found him. Everything was going all right, we should have been on the summit in 3 days. We were feeling all right, lacking nothing. We do not think it was recklessness or imprudence. The conditions were good. The route is fairly easy, it presents no special problems in that area, no objective danger on the ridge Cesar took, or was supposed to take. It was terrible bad luck. But, as it happens in the mountains, big or small, anyone at anytime can meet with bad luck. We, Emil and Taina, considered that we must get down as soon as possible to announce the liaison officer who knows what should be done in such cases. We got to Jungle BC on 18th May, were we found Cornel, who had been to our BC (4600m), the day before, but had not seen us because of the fog and the distance. We are sending this message with a Tareja man, who must bring bad news from you. We will do the following thing: - go up again to bring down what we left in C1 - carve an inscription for our Cesar on a rock up there in base camp and try to put up a cross. In the meantime we hope to have an answer from you (3-4 days). As we understand that the LO is back in Kathmandu, we think the official message regarding the accident should be sent to Kunga Sherpa. We will prepare a detailed report. We made some photos at the site of the accident. Mr and Mrs Coliban - 13 Apr 85 Try South Face; establish lower camp about Muria and try Khola west to Myagdi; then go between Gurja and Konaban Peak up Gumma Khola and look at face. Perhaps a possible pillar towards left on face or on SE Ridge from Konaban Peak and its South Ridge; perhaps up face and down ridge and Konaban. Also would like to have a look at "NW Ridge of Dhaulagiri."
Accidents 1 climber killed by rock fall on S Face route
Achievement 1st Romanian Himalayan ascent
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2448548
Year 1985
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) s face-se ridge (to 6000m)

Members

13 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Ovidiu Bojor M 1924 Romania Leader Bucharest, Romania UNIDO expert, pharmacological lab at Kathmandu Details Other expeditions
Emil Coliban M 1943 Romania Deputy Leader Bucharest, Romania Economist Details Other expeditions
Cornel Coman M 1949 Romania Climber Bucharest, Romania Technician, chemical plant Details Other expeditions
Taina Coliban F 1943 Romania Climber Bucharest, Romania Lecturer, linguistics and English Language Details Other expeditions
Lhakpa Dolma Lama F - Nepal H-A Worker - - Details Other expeditions
Marius Marcos M 1956 Romania Climber Hunedoara, Romania Worker, steel factory Details Other expeditions
Pavel Muresan M 1950 Romania Climber Bucharest, Romania Lecturer, psychology Details Other expeditions
Avel Ritisan M 1940 Romania Climber Hunedoara, Romania Worker, steel factory Details Other expeditions
Ang Karma Sherpa M 1958 Nepal H-A Worker Dhorphu, Salleri, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Phurba Kitar Sherpa M - Nepal H-A Worker - - Details Other expeditions
Bir Bahadur Tamang M - Nepal H-A Worker - - Details Other expeditions
Nima Dorje Tamang M - Nepal H-A Worker - - Details Other expeditions
Cezar Vergulescu M 1958 Romania Climber Busteni, Romania Orthopedic surgeon Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
GURJ85102 AAJ Bojor, Ovidiu - - 60:251 (1986) -
GURJ85102 MM - - - 105:10 (Sep 1985) -
GURJ85102 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198625103/Asia-Nepal-Kagmara-Attempt-Kanjiroba-Himal - - -