Himalchuli West | 1989 SW Ridge
A UK expedition to Himalchuli West in 1989 via SW Ridge, led by Stephen (Steve) Bell. Summit reached on 30th May 1989. 12 members recorded.
Expedition Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | 801 |
| Imported | 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634 |
| Expedition ID | HIMW89101 |
| Peak ID | HIMW |
| Year | 1989 |
| Season | 1 |
| Host Country | 1 |
| Route 1 | SW Ridge |
| Route 2 | - |
| Route 3 | - |
| Route 4 | - |
| Nationality | UK |
| Leaders | Stephen (Steve) Bell |
| Sponsor | International Himalchuli Expedition |
| Success 1 | True |
| Success 2 | False |
| Success 3 | False |
| Success 4 | False |
| Ascent 1 | 2nd,3rd |
| Ascent 2 | - |
| Ascent 3 | - |
| Ascent 4 | - |
| Claimed | False |
| Disputed | False |
| Countries | Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Norway |
| Approach | - |
| Basecamp Date | 1989-05-09 |
| Summit Date | 1989-05-30 |
| Summit Time | 0930 |
| Summit Days | 21 |
| Total Days | 0 |
| Termination Date | - |
| Termination Reason | 1 |
| Termination Notes | - |
| High Point (m) | 7540 |
| Traverse | False |
| Ski | False |
| Paraglide | False |
| Camps | 3 |
| Fixed Rope (m) | 3500 |
| Total Members | 12 |
| Summit Members | 4 |
| Member Deaths | 0 |
| Total Hired | 3 |
| Summit Hired | 0 |
| 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(09/05,4500m),C1(15/05,5800m),C2(26/05,6100m),C3(29/05,6550m),Smt(30/05,01/06) |
| Route Notes | BC at Meme Pokhari C1 at snow flat area on SW Ridge which here was mostly rocky C2 at base of large snow basins C3 at base of ice cliffs. Lots of bad weather between 9th and 15th and again heavy snowfall on 27th, when 3m snow accumulated and was necessary to go down 3m into hole to enter C2's tent; on 29th night fixed ropes through ice cliff in bid to go to top and of these Gangdal and Bayne bived at 7000m, the high point reached in bad weather that day, while others down to C3. On 30th Gangdal and Bayne to summit and down to C2. 31st Brice and Mercer left C3 at midnight in thunder and lightning storm which provided good light and were on top 7:30 am of 1 June and back to C2 at 11:00 am; no more attempts because some not acclimatized and others too tired. SW Ridge is long and somewhat technically difficult route; fixed 3500m rope. Joint commercial expedition by Himalayan Kingdoms (UK) and High Country Expeditions (NZ). |
| Accidents | None |
| Achievement | - |
| Agency | Amtrek/Rover Treks |
| Commercial Route | - |
| Standard Route | - |
| Primary Route | False |
| Primary Member | False |
| Primary Reference | - |
| Primary ID | - |
| Checksum | 2450116 |
| Year | 1989 |
| Summit Success | True |
| O2 Summary | None |
| Route (lowercase) | sw ridge |
Members
12 recorded members.
| Name | Sex | Year of Birth | Citizenship | Status | Residence | Occupation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Bayne | M | 1956 | Australia | Climber | Whale Beach, NSW, Australia | Alpine guide | Details Other expeditions |
| Stephen J. (Steve) Bell | M | 1959 | UK | Leader | Bristol, Avon, England | Tour operator | Details Other expeditions |
| William Bennett | M | 1944 | UK | Climber | Bristol, Avon, England | Managing director of import company | Details Other expeditions |
| Russell Reginald Brice | M | 1952 | New Zealand | Climber | Twizel, Canterbury, New Zealand | Alpine guide | Details Other expeditions |
| Jon Gangdal | M | 1954 | Norway | Climber | Kolsaas, Norway | Journalist | Details Other expeditions |
| Graham F. Hoyland | M | 1957 | UK | Climber | Lower Weare, Somerset, England | Television studio manager | Details Other expeditions |
| Campbell Mercer | M | 1961 | Australia | Climber | Lae, New Guinea | Geologist | Details Other expeditions |
| Bjarne Schmidt | M | 1945 | Norway | Climber | Oslo, Norway | Organization executive | Details Other expeditions |
| Philip Segal | M | 1947 | Australia | Climber | Moree, NSW, Australia | Solicitor | Details Other expeditions |
| Charles Tanner | M | 1944 | UK | Climber | Dunedin, New Zealand | Heating engineer | Details Other expeditions |
| Mark Vallance | M | 1944 | UK | Climber | Exam, Derbyshire, England | Manufacturing company director | Details Other expeditions |
| K. K. Woo | M | 1940 | Hong Kong | Climber | Stanley, Hong Kong | Real estate agent | Details Other expeditions |
References
5 recorded references.
| Expedition ID | Journal | Author | Title | Publisher | Citation | Yak 94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIMW89101 | AAJ | Bell, Stephen | - | - | 64:245-246 (1990) | - |
| HIMW89101 | HJ | Bell, Stephen | The International Himalchuli West Expedition, 1989 | - | 46:35-38 (1988-1989) | - |
| HIMW89101 | MM | - | - | - | 128:15 (Jul 1989) | - |
| HIMW89101 | - | - | http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199024503/Asia-Nepal-Himalchui-West | - | - | - |
| HIMW89101 | - | - | https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/46/7/the-international-himalchuli-west-expedition-1989/ | - | - | - |