Kangchenjunga | 2017 SW Face

A India expedition to Kangchenjunga in 2017 via SW Face, led by Arjun Vajpai. Summit reached on 16th May 2017. 19 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 9420
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID KANG17104
Peak ID KANG
Year 2017
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 SW Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality India
Leaders Arjun Vajpai
Sponsor Seven Summit Treks Kangchenjunga Expedition 2017
Success 1 False
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries China, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Poland, S Korea, Singapore, Switzerland
Approach -
Basecamp Date 2017-01-14
Summit Date 2017-05-16
Summit Time -
Summit Days 122
Total Days 133
Termination Date 2017-05-27
Termination Reason 8
Termination Notes Abandoned at 8010m due to lack of fixed rope
High Point (m) 8010
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 4
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 11
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 8
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb True
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(14/04),C1(6140m),C2(),C3(6900m),C4(15/05,7300m),xxx(16/05,8010m)
Route Notes Seven Summit Treks Kangchenjunga expedition was a combination of several independent teams (1-2 climbers each). Seven Summits provided transportation, base camp facilities and various levels of high altitude support (oxygen, high-altitude porters, tents, etc) as required and contracted for by each team. The individual accounts for each team are given below: Swee Chiow Khoo (Singapore) Appr: Heli to Tseram (3850m), then 3 days trek to BC Camps: BC(19/04,5200m),C1(6140m),C2(23/04,6350m),C3(14/05,6950m) C4(15/05,7300m),xxx(16/05,8010m) Left: 20/05/2016 by helicopter Hired: 1 Term: Abandoned at 8010m due to lack of fixed rope On summit push, Khoo left C4 at 10:15 pm on 15 May. There were about 30 people on the route. Three Sherpas from Himalayan Ascent were fixing the ropes. When they reached 8010m at 9 am the Sherpas had run out of fixed rope. Discussions were going on about what to do and about 10 am they started to descend. They descended to C2, where he reached at 6 pm. On 17 May, back to BC. The problem was that Nuri had already known that they did not have enough rope. Oxygen: Taken and used from 7300m to high point to 7300m by Khoo. Noel Hanna (UK) Sophie Lavaud (Switzerland) Appr: Heli to Ramche, then 3 days trek to BC Camps: BC(19/04,5500m),C1(6140m),C2(30/04,6200m),C3(07/05,6900m) C4(15/05,7300m),xxx(16/05,8010m) Left: 27/05/2016 by helicopter Term: Abandoned at 8010m due to lack of fixed rope On summit push, Hanna and Lavaud left C4 at 10 pm on 15 May. There were about 30 people on the route. Three Sherpas from Himalayan Ascent were fixing the ropes. When they reached 8010m at 9 am the Sherpas had run out of fixed rope. Discussions were going on about what to do and about 10 am they started to descend. They descended to BC, where they arrived at 8 pm. Most climbers left BC on around 20 May, but Hanna, Lavaud, Vajpai and Yehuda stayed at BC hoping for another summit attempt on 26 or 27 May. The Seven Summit Sherpas said that they were not going back up again unless they would be paid. The Sherpas also said that the three Sherpa women (Pasang Lhamu, Dawa and Maya Sherpa) had told them that they would not get paid a summit bonus if they went back up with the other group. The remaining climbers never left BC after that first summit attempt. Lavaud's Sherpa Nima Tshering did not feel well and got to C2 on 30 April. He felt sick at C2, went down on 2 May together with Lavaud, and left the expedition by heli on 3 May. Na Dorji, who was with Hanna, then climbed with Lavaud for the rest of the expedition. Oxygen: Taken and used from 7300m to high point to 7300m by Hanna and Lavaud. Sherpas: Nima Tshering Nga Dorji Herbert Hellmuth (Germany) Appr: Heli to Ramche, then 3 days trek to BC Camps: BC(19/04,5500m),C1(6140m),C2(30/04,6200m),C3(07/05,6900m) C4(15/05,7300m),xxx(16/05,8010m) Left: 18/05/2016 by helicopter Term: Abandoned at 8010m due to lack of fixed rope On summit push, Hellmuth left C4 at 10 pm on 15 May. There were about 30 people on the route. Three Sherpas from Himalayan Ascent were fixing the ropes. When they reached 8010m at 9 am the Sherpas had run out of fixed rope. Discussions were going on about what to do and about 10 am they started to descend. They descended to BC, where they arrived at 8 pm. Hellmuth very upset as it was the perfect summit day; however, the snow was very deep on the way up. Oxygen: Taken and used from 7300m to high point to 7300m by Nuri and Hellmuth. Sherpas: Nuri Sherpa Violetta Pontinen (Poland) Appr: Trek to Tseram (3850m), then helicopter to BC Camps: BC(15/04,5500m),C1(29/04,6140m),C2(30/04,6350m),C3(14/05,6950m) C4(15/05,7300m),xxx(16/05,8010m) Left: 20/05/2016 by helicopter Hired: 1 Term: Abandoned at 8010m due to lack of fixed rope On summit push, Pontinen left C4 at 10:15 pm on 15 May. There were about 30 people on the route. Three Sherpas from Himalayan Ascent were fixing the ropes. When they reached 8010m at 9 am the Sherpas had run out of fixed rope. Discussions were going on about what to do and about 10 am they started to descend. She descended to C2, where she arrived at about 6 pm. On 17 May down to BC, where she arrived at about 10 am. Oxygen: Taken and used from 7300m to high point to 6500m by Pontinen. Arjun Vajpai (India) Appr: Trek to Tseram (3850m), then helicopter to BC Camps: BC(16/04,5425m),C1(6140m),C2(20/04,6130m),xxx Left: 27/05/2016 by helicopter Hired: 1 Term: Abandoned at 6130m due to high winds Vajpai decided not to join the summit push on 16 May as he did not want to follow the rope-fixing team. He wanted to wait for the second weather window, which never arrived. Oxygen: Taken, not used Sherpa: Pasang Norbu (summited Makalu with Vajpai) Naoko Watanabe (Japan) Appr: Trek to Tseram (3850m), then helicopter to BC Camps: BC(16/04,5425m),C1(6140m),C2(26/04,6130m),C3(05/05,6915m), C4(15/05,7300m),xxx(16/05,8010m) Left: 22/05/2016 by helicopter Hired: 1 Term: Abandoned at 8010m due to lack of fixed rope On summit push, Watanabe left C4 at midnight with Gyalje Sherpa. There were about 30 people on the route. Three Sherpas from Himalayan Ascents were fixing the ropes. When they reached 8010m at 9 am the Sherpas had run out of fixed rope. Discussions were going on about what to do and about 10 am she started to descend. She descended to C4, where she arrived in the afternoon. On 17 May, back to BC. Pasang Tenji Sherpa (Sherpa of Pasang Lamu Sherpa) was very sick during the summit push. He only ascended for one hour and turned back to C4. And stayed there the whole night without drink and food. On 17 May, the team dragged him down. Oxygen: Taken and used from C3 to high point to C4 by Watanabe. Sherpa: Gyalje (icefall doctor on winter expedition with Alex Txikon). Nadav Ben Yehuda (Israel) Appr: Trekked to Ramche, then helicopter to BC Camps: BC(16/04,5500m),C1(23/04,6140m),C2(24/04,6200m),C3(14/05,6900m) C4(15/05,7300m),xxx(16/05,8010m) Left: 20/05/2016 by helicopter Hired: 1 Term: Abandoned at 8010m due to lack of fixed rope On summit push, Ben Yehuda left C4 at 10 pm on 15 May. There were about 30 people on the route. Three Sherpas from Himalayan Ascent were fixing the ropes. When they reached 8010m at 9 am the Sherpa had run out of fixed rope. Discussions were going on about what to do and about 10 am they started to descend. While everyone else of the other climbers went down, Ben Yehuda descended to C4, where he arrived at noon. He stayed up there one night without oxygen to acclimatize. On 17 May, he descended to C2. He bumped into some Sherpas coming up who were rescuing a young Sherpa, who was sick between C4 and C3. On 17 May he stayed C2 and on 18 may he went back to BC. He stayed at BC hoping for another summit push bit it never happened due to the Sherpas as they refused to go back up without getting paid. Oxygen: Taken and used from 7300m to high point tby Ben Yehuda. Agent: Satori (Seven Summit Treks permit)
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency Seven Summit Treks
Commercial Route False
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2460447
Year 2017
Summit Success False
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) sw face

Members

19 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Swee Chiow Khoo M 1964 Singapore Climber Singapore Adventurer Details Other expeditions
Noel Richmond Hanna M 1967 Ireland Climber Johannesburg, S Africa Close protection officer Details Other expeditions
Herbert Diethelm Hellmuth M 1969 Germany Climber Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany Trader Details Other expeditions
Keisuke Kitamura M 1979 Japan Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Sophie Marie-Therese Jeanne Lavaud F 1968 Switzerland Climber Meinier, Geneva, Switzerland External affairs consultant Details Other expeditions
Violetta Maria Pontinen F 1964 Poland Climber Espoo, Finland Horticulturist Details Other expeditions
Arjun Vajpai M 1993 India Leader Noida, UP, India Alpinist & speaker Details Other expeditions
Naoko Watanabe F 1981 Japan Climber Onojo, Fukaoka, Japan Nurse Details Other expeditions
Nuri Sherpa M 1986 Nepal H-A Worker Goli-7, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Ngima Chhiring Lama Sherpa M 1973 Nepal H-A Worker Yamphudin-3, Taplejung - Details Other expeditions
Nga Dorje (Nga Dorchi) Sherpa M 1975 Nepal H-A Worker Makalu-9, Makalu-Barun - Details Other expeditions
Pasang Nurbu Sherpa M 1990 Nepal H-A Worker Makalu-9, Makalu-Barun - Details Other expeditions
Nadav Ben Yehuda M 1988 Israel Climber Rehovot, Israel Student (of law and government) Details Other expeditions
Hong-Juan Dong F 1980 China Climber Beijing, China Administrative employee Details Other expeditions
Ei-Chul Chung M 1972 S Korea Climber Tokyo, Japan Coffee shop owner Details Other expeditions
Gyalje (Gelje) Sherpa M 1992 Nepal H-A Worker Tapting-3, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Chhepal Sherpa M 1982 Nepal H-A Worker Patle-2, Okhaldhunga - Details Other expeditions
Pemba Thinduk Sherpa M 1989 Nepal H-A Worker Makalu-5, Makalu-Barun - Details Other expeditions
Tenjing (Ang Tenjing) Sherpa M 1987 Nepal H-A Worker Makalu-4, Makalu-Barun - Details Other expeditions

References

0 recorded references.