Kangchenjunga | 2023 SW Face
A Germany expedition to Kangchenjunga in 2023 via SW Face, led by Luis Stitzinger. Summit reached on 25th May 2023. 22 members recorded.
Expedition Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | 11118 |
| Imported | 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634 |
| Expedition ID | KANG23104 |
| Peak ID | KANG |
| Year | 2023 |
| Season | 1 |
| Host Country | 1 |
| Route 1 | SW Face |
| Route 2 | - |
| Route 3 | - |
| Route 4 | - |
| Nationality | Germany |
| Leaders | Luis Stitzinger |
| Sponsor | Seven Summit Treks (SST) Kangchenjunga Expedition 2023 |
| Success 1 | True |
| Success 2 | False |
| Success 3 | False |
| Success 4 | False |
| Ascent 1 | - |
| Ascent 2 | - |
| Ascent 3 | - |
| Ascent 4 | - |
| Claimed | False |
| Disputed | False |
| Countries | Brazil, China, France, Iran, Japan, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, UK, USA |
| Approach | - |
| Basecamp Date | - |
| Summit Date | 2023-05-25 |
| Summit Time | - |
| Summit Days | 0 |
| Total Days | 0 |
| Termination Date | - |
| Termination Reason | 1 |
| Termination Notes | - |
| High Point (m) | 8586 |
| Traverse | False |
| Ski | False |
| Paraglide | False |
| Camps | 4 |
| Fixed Rope (m) | 0 |
| Total Members | 16 |
| Summit Members | 8 |
| Member Deaths | 1 |
| Total Hired | 16 |
| Summit Hired | 6 |
| 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,C1,C2,C3,C4,Smt(25/05,01/06) |
| Route Notes | Report from Vibeke Sefland: Approach: by heli from KTM BC 21/05 5500m C1 -- 6200m C2 22/05 6200m C3 23/05 6800m C4 24/05 7350m Smt 25/05 by Sefland, Chhepal Sherpa at 7:40 am. Summit team left C4 at 6 pm. The rope-fixing team was in front of them who had been fixing for almost 24 hours. After about three hours climbing, the team received a radio call from the rope-fixing team who said that they had run out of rope about 100m below the summit. When they reached about 8500m at 7 am Chhepal took over and used some old rope to fix to the summit. Vadim Druelle helped him fix the rope. They reached the summit at 7:40 am. They spent about 30 minutes on the summit and descended to C4 where they arrived at 3 pm for a short rest and then continued to C3, where they arrived at 5 pm. On 26/05 back to BC. Left BC on 29/05 heli to Tapletok. Stitzinger: On the descent, Sefland saw Stitzinger at 9:30 am at about 8300m. He seemed tired with glassy eyes. He had blisters on his lips and did not really look himself. He was focused on his target to reach the summit. They chatted and Stitzinger said that he would want to catch up with Cuenca. Now Sefland thinks that he must have been hypoxic by then as there was no way for him to catch up with Cuenca, who was far ahead. Sefland told Stitzinger to leave his skis there as the summit was too rocky to ski so he said he would. He was later seen by Cuenca with ONE ski which he carried up to the summit – maybe for the picture. Report from Flor Cuenca Blas: BC 01/05 5500m C1 6200m C2 05/05 6200m C3 11/05 6900m C4 17/05 7300m Smt 25/05 by Druelle at 7:30 am, Cuenca at noon; Stitzinger at 5 pm. The rope-fixing team reached 6700m on 05/05 when Cuenca was at C2. She ascended to 6700m on 06/05 and returned to BC. On 10/05 Stitzinger and Cuenca started their second rotation and stayed at C3 on 11/05. They wanted to ascend higher, but there was no fixed rope, and it was very windy. They descended to BC on 12/05. 1st summit push: They ascended to C2 on 15/05; C3 16/05; C4 17/05. Team started summit push at 10.30pm on 17/05. The team of five rope fixing Sherpas (2 SST, 2 Arun, 1 Satori) were ahead. Weather was perfect, good conditions. The whole team (including Harila and her Sherpas) ascended the wrong couloirs (they did not go to the left). When the Sherpas realised that they had gone the wrong way, they turned back at about 8,200m. Cuenca thought that everyone had gone back but when they were on the way down, they saw that Harila and her two Sherpa ascended the right route. By the time, they realised that Harila was on her way up, they were at C4. Cuenca descended to C2 on 18/05, Stitzinger to BC. 2nd summit push: Team started summit push on 22/05 to C2; 23/05 C3; 24/5 C4. Cuenca, Druelle and Stitzinger left C4 at 7 pm. The fixing team left C4 at 2 pm on 24/05. They summited at around midnight and descended and destroyed the trail on their way down. During the ascent, Cuenca stayed with Luis until the turned left to the couloirs, where they changed lead. Cuenca broke trail and Stitzinger fell further behind. Cuenca put some power in as she wanted to summit before 8 am due to the bad weather forecast. She reached the summit at about noon. It was not so windy. She spent about 30 minutes on the summit and started her descent. At about 1:20 pm at about 8480m she saw Stitzinger on his way up and she was surprised to see him as he was still ascending despite his slow pace. They talked for a short while and as Stitzinger seemed Ok she did not urge him to turn back. He had ONE ski on his backpack, but told Cuenca that he would leave his backpack and ski at this point. When he was in the process of doing it, Cuenca started her descent. She arrived at C4 at 5:30 pm. Left BC on 29/05 heli to Tapletok. Oxygen: Not taken, not used. Luis Stitzinger missing: She talked on the radio with Stitzinger when he was on the summit at 5 pm. She told him to be careful on his descent. At about 7 pm, she saw a light that above the couloir and she asked Stitzinger whether it was him. He said yes and that he was in the couloirs but he was obviously above. At 9:30 pm, Stitzinger said that he has now reached 8300m and that he would be at C4 in about 2-½ hours. He said that it was “easier from here”. This was the last contact with Stitzinger. Flor spent the night trying to contact Stitzinger but no response. The next morning at 6 am, she was told by Nuri, the BC manager, that a rescue team was underway and would come in 2 hours. As Cuenca had no epi-gas left and was very tired, she packed the tent and Stitzinger’s gear and left C4 at about 10 am and descended to BC where she arrived at 6:30 pm. No rescue team had arrived on that day and the team tried everything to get a rescue team to go back up to the mountain. They offered the Sherpas money to go back up, but nobody was willing to do so. On 27/05 and 28/05 there were no helis going to BC due to bad weather – so no rescue. Stitzinger was found at an altitude of about 8400m by the search team of 3 Sherpas on 30/05. They Sherpas will bring him down and take him to Kathmandu. Report from Vadim Druelle: Approach: trek from Yampudhin, then via Tortong, Tseram, Ramche, until Kangchenjunga BC at Yalung Glacier. BC 20/04 5540m at 5 pm. C1 27/04 6200m C2 05/05 6200m (C2 was located only 30 min from C1). C3 11/05 6920m C4 17/05 7350m (never slept there, see route notes) Smt 25/05 by Vadim Druelle circa 7 am. • Acclimatization: During the approach march, Vadim Druelle (VD) would join with Luis Stitzinger (LS) from Tseram. Together they would trek until the classic BC, when the rest of the group would take helicopter from Tseram to BC. 25/05: VD went up alone to 6000m, breaking the trail, stopping at the last horizontal section below the last climbing section to C1’s top. 26/05: Puja was held in BC. 27/05: VD went up with LS to C1, sleeping there. 28/05: Yet having great weather conditions, considering his very few provisions and absence of equipment above, instead of staying at C1 doing nothing, VD and LS chose to go back down to BC. “I would go up when route would be prepared”. Some Spanish members slept one more night there. 01/05: VD and LS went back up to C1, since VD had left his light tent there and he didn’t want it to break. VD took the opportunity to make a push to C2 for reconnaissance then came back to C1. When he was back, he met with LS who was just arriving there. Then both went back down to BC. Then some bad weather period occurred. 05/05: VD, LS, and everyone went up. VD broke the trail from BC to C2. The effort was hard, since a certain amount of snow had fallen; snow quality was heavy till C1, then lighter to C2. Most of time he got snow up to half leg, maximum to the knees. Slept at C2 that night. To be mentioned that C1 wouldn’t be much used anymore after that. C1 site would just make a nice stop for doing pictures. 06/05: VD went up to 6700m on good hard snow, yet he was stopped because of the wind. Yet not a very hard section, it’s still a serious one in steep slope, enough to remain cautious: since he likely had wrongly tightened his crampons on, during his descent, he lost balance and lost both crampons, yet the lanières would hold it anyway. Luckily, VD would always on his ice axe rather than fixed ropes, so that even if he didn’t need it that time, he would have had a safety anyway. Slept again at C2 that night. 07/05: VD went up to C3, reaching it rather late on purpose, aiming to sleep with Spanish staying there (Dominik was the leader, Oscar...). Like that he wouldn’t have to move his tent, left at C2. But it was so windy that the Spanish came back down, so VD just touched C3 on this day. Since he wasn’t wearing the appropriate gloves, in the wind he would contract minor frostbites whose effect would stand for the rest of the expedition. From that day on he would always wear heaters. Went back to BC on that day. 11/05: preparing his one shot ascent, VD carried his high altitude gear up to C3 and slept there. On this day he felt particularly well, in fact climbing BC to C3 in one shot of 4h40 with a 25-kgs bag. For the annecdote, VD had planned to pitch his tent at C3 with the help of LS and Flor Cuenca (a Peruvian female climbing without oxygen). But before he reached C3, with 80km/h wind gusts, his frostbites took another blow/hit. When landing there, he thus asked in haste to He Jing if she could share some space in her tent (being a large 4-persons North Face), knowing she was alone in it with her Sherpa, but they answered him “no”. Then VD pitched his tent helped by LS. Later in the evening, a Polish climber arrived in a hurry to the camp, and VD left him enter and share it for the night. 12/05: since the deposit of his gear was ready for the summit push, VD went back down to BC. He had planned that, if he would feel well going up at C3 in one shot, it would mean that he would be ready for the summit push. If not feeling well instead, he wouldn’t have tried it in one shot. • 1st summit attempt: 17-18 May 15/05: Most of the other team members left for the first summit push. VD had his own schedule, planning to join the crew at C4 two days later. Kristin Harila would arrived by helicopter to the BC on the 16 May, going up straight to C2 for sleeping, then C4 on the day after. 17/05: VD started from BC at 14h Had to re-break the trail, filled by the wind since the day before. It wasn’t worse: cold snow, not too hard to break (maximum to half the leg). He reached C3 in 3h55 at circa 17h55. In comparison, this time his bag was only 4 kgs. At C3 he would stop for 1h30: changed clothes for the upper part, had a lyophilized food, melted some water for the water bottles. VD started again from C3 at 19h30, reaching C4 2h30 later, at circa 22h30. This section of the trail proved harder to break, with wind-blown or crusted snow, all-in-all heavier. At C4, he shared a short 15 min stop with LS, who was just about to leave. Flor was still there also. As a delicate attention, LS had melted for him some water on purpose, so that he could drink something warm. Straight after they started from C4, VD would quickly distance them, even if he was a bit afraid to go too fast from now on; in that way, he would keep forcing himself to balance his pace, refraining to go too fast. 18/05: During the night in «the gangway», it happens that at circa 8000m the Sherpas fixing the route took the wrong direction, starting on the 2003 route “Luce del Nirvana”. After understanding its mistake when it was stopped down a hard rocky section, the entire group had to abandon and come back down. VD and the group were simply told that it was finished for the summit. The group wouldn’t understand at first, but abandon was decided at circa 5h22. Descending almost back to the «gangway», Druelle made a short video showing him at circa 8000, disappointed, down to the freshly equipped wrong route, circa 50m east to the «Pinnacle 1» of the topographic study. VD was impressed that, from their high point back to C4, because of the fatigue/aftermath, everyone including him would need to make regular stops, almost every 30m, almost falling asleep! Then he was back to C4 at 7h30. VD would make a siesta there until 11h. Then he would go back down to BC, reached at 15h with a stop at C3 to take off his down suit. During that descent, knowing he thought the expedition was over, he also removed his C3 deposit: a shame because he wouldn’t have it for the next successful attempt; in addition he would need to climb up with boots all the way long! Other member account (Catherine from France): https://www.myatlas.com/catherine74/expedition-au-kanchenjunga?fbclid=IwAR2iQyuXWvc2ec67e9g7GGSxBd9DKI10GrD-ibfp9FiaQ_vzS2ofT3fKL7A On that same day, Harila with her two Sherpas would take back the correct normal route to summit at 13:30 on that day. At BC, the following days, VD would rest a maximum. Still he wasn’t sure to stay or not, mostly when seeing everyone leaving, everyone being worn out by the way: this didn’t help him to motivate. But LS convinced him to stay for another attempt. LS told him: the glacier is in good conditions, without too many crevasses; the route general state is not that dangerous, there’s not too many snow; all-in-all a good opportunity for trying it again. This convinced VD to stay. • Second summit attempt: 24-25 May 24/05: VD started from BC at noon. This morning, knowing the crew wanted to start from C4 at 17h and that VD wanted again to take the opportunity of the "aspiration effect" of the crew, he wondered if he wouldn’t be too short to join the crew in time just starting from BC at noon, but he eventually chose to do so anyway. This time he would be slower, needing 4h30 for going up to C3, reaching it at 16h30. Then in opposite to the previous time, he would be much faster between C3 and C4, since the trail would be found in better conditions (yet he had to break trail a bit again in that section). All-in-all, from BC to C3, he had to break the trail up to the knees, in usual heavy snow until C1, then in lighter snow upwards. VD insisted that he would always carry his ice axe, not trusting much the fixed ropes (some of it wrongly fixed in the ice, with many of the crew sometimes pulling on it at the same time!). VD reached C4 at 18h30. There he joined again LS and Flor as they were just starting. The rest of the crew had already left. There VD made a stop, ate a lyophilized food (salmon pasta, "not that great"), made water again for getting all necessary liquid supply for the upper part, all-in-all 3.5 liters of liquid (2.5 liters of water with energetic powder in it; one Red Bull and one Coca Cola planned to be used on return from the summit). Surprisingly, he would develop a beginning of AMS at the camp, starting with a strong headache. So when VD started again from C4, at circa 19h30-20h, instinctively from now on he would keep practicing a strong breathing exercise, forcing himself to breathe strongly while walking slowly (sort of suroxygenation effect?). The result proved excellent, so that after 200m upwards the headache had disappeared; moreover he could keep a clear mind until the top, recitating himself for instance all 14 8000ers names and altitudes or the alphabet in both sense. At circa 7700m/7800m, down the «Gangway»"’s entrance, he met LS and Flor who had started 1:30 before him from C4. Knowing VD had broken his sticks during the approach march, he couldn’t take opportunity of these in the easy sections; there LS kindly lent one of his sticks to VD, just telling him "But you'd better get to the top because I need it for the ski descent." From there, VD would continue up alone in the night. 25/05: Further up in the «Gangway», he would meet with the successful fixing team freshly back from the summit; the fixing team actually hadn’t put much fixed rope on the route, mostly using the old ones. At the exit of the «Gangway», at circa 8250m, the fixing team had chosen a lower variant to the classic one a very few decimeters above, attacking the traverse via a steep mixed chimney. During this final stage of the climb to the top, as those with oxygen would slow him down and that he felt very well, VD would still wonder to regulate his own pace to calm down himself, this in order to avoid any adrenalyn shock or other potentially dangerous body reactions. Thus when at first he would double with oxygen climbers, after a while he stopped doing so. As an intermediate timing point, VD reached the lower traverse part middle rock spot (circa 8350m) at 4h37. VD reached the top at circa 7h by -38°C (without the wind effect), soon after a Sherpa. There he took time making some pictures and videos, enjoying the place for 30 min despite the col (“I had never experienced such a cold” he says afterwards). Most of the crew would reach the summit at the same time, with just Luis and Flor following later without oxygen. Then VD started his descent. 15 minutes later, after starting to down-scramble the upper traverse section, down to the route VD saw some blood on a stone and lower down to it, at circa 8560m, a dead body wearing classic La Sportiva boots (“I can recognize this type very easily”): that was the one of Rodrigo Vivanco, who died in 2019 after summiting. Continuing further down, VD would see an other dead body, all black, apparently sitting stiff on the ridge down to “5c” (see topographic report). Real body? Or just a black rock? [Afterwards the second option seems the most likely since no one has been reported dead in such awkward location in a recent time, plus many of such black rocks are to be found in the area]. Since he felt cold, he didn’t make much stops and went back down smoothly. Afoot of the intermediate ridge chimney’s access, he met Flor. She told him she would continue alone; knowing it was not too late - circa 8h30, he thought she was fine. So that he resumed his descent. At circa 9h, he then met LS down to the aforementioned mixed chimney. LS was very happy for him and left his skis in situ, at circa 8250m. For Vadim, in his case also, he thought that LS wasn’t especially late, nor he felt concerned for him at all. Meanwhile, LS had found back the stick he had lent to VD: when the latter had left it fall from one of his mitt as he was reaching the footstep of the mixed chimney, luckily the stick slided down straight to LS who could take it back! Despite the lucky outcome of the incident, it was perfect since LS had his stick back and that VD didn’t need it anymore for the final stage of the climb. VD resumed his descent again, from now on sliding nicely most of the time on his bottoms in the «Gangway» then on the “Great Shelf” till C4, the latter reached at circa 11h. He just needed to pay attention on some ice sections to regulate his speed with his ice axe. Back to C4, VD would take care about his Inreach, since the latter had frozen in the night: his summit message in fact hadn’t been sent from there but actually after his meeting with LS downwards. After a siesta at C4, VD would resume again his descent at 14h, reaching BC at 17h23 (picture in front of his tent). VD had left his chronometer working during the whole ascent from BC to summit: he had needed 18h43, in non-optimum conditions and using a heavier strategy (without intermediate deposit to C3), to establish the first known single push/fast ascent time without oxygen of the route and the mountain. The descent time, including the 30 min pause on top plus siesta time at C4 would be 10h23 (7h on top, 17h23 at the BC tent). His round trip time is thus 29h06. To be mentioned as the only known previous unofficial single push ascent the one with oxygen of Pemba Gelje Sherpa in 2018, him carrying a load for clients back then. Vadim left BC on 29 May. Oxygen: Not taken, not used. Records: first known speed ascent of the route (and peak) without oxygen in 18h43 from BC to SMT and 29h06 round trip. Accidents: Slight frostbites beginning to all fingertips. Report from Adrian Laza: Approach: Flight to Bhadrapur, 2 days by Jeep via Ilam, 3 days trekking to BC. BC 20/04 5500m C1 -- did not sleep in C1 C2 30/04 6200m C3 15/05 6900m C4 16/05 7400m Smt 25/05 by Laza, Pemba Sherpa at 7:30 am. First summit push on 17/05, until altitude of 8360m. They took the wrong way. Very dangerous terrain and a lot of rock fall. Back to BC. Waited for 2 days in BC. 2nd summit push: Summit at 7:30 am. Started from C4 at 6 pm on 24/05. Last 200m to the summit ropes not fixed, Laza and others had to help fixing remaining ropes. Took them a lot of time in high altitude. On summit very cold and windy weather. Clear views. On the summit for maybe 15-20 minutes. Back to C4 at 12:30 pm, and down to C2 at 7:30 pm. Spent the night there. Next day to BC. After first summit push, Nima Sherpa and Pasang Dawa Sherpa got sick and had to abandon expedition. Laza continued with Pemba Sherpa after that. Laza met Stitzinger in summit corridor at around 9:30 am (3-4 hours from summit) at 8350m. Stitzinger was moving in normal pace. It was the last time Laza saw him. Very unsatisfied with SST service and with base camp manager. Lack of reaction from SST after Stitzinger’s disappearance. Only 4 days after his disappearance they sent rescue team to look for him. Laza left BC on 29/05 by helicopter to KTM. Oxygen: Taken and used by Laza and Sherpa from C4 to summit and down to C3. Hired: Nima Sherpa (HPt: 8360m) Pasang Dawa Sherpa (HPt: 8360m) Pemba Sherpa (S) Accidents: Laza hit by several rocks on first summit push, only minor bruises. |
| Accidents | - |
| Achievement | - |
| Agency | Seven Summit Treks |
| Commercial Route | False |
| Standard Route | True |
| Primary Route | False |
| Primary Member | False |
| Primary Reference | False |
| Primary ID | - |
| Checksum | 2464498 |
| Year | 2023 |
| Summit Success | True |
| O2 Summary | Used |
| Route (lowercase) | sw face |
Members
22 recorded members.
| Name | Sex | Year of Birth | Citizenship | Status | Residence | Occupation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Andreas Stitzinger | M | 1968 | Germany | Leader | Fuessen, Bavaria, Germany | Alpine guide | Details Other expeditions |
| Alireza Behpour | M | 1964 | Iran | Climber | Tehran, Iran | Physician | Details Other expeditions |
| Graciela Flor Cuenca Blas | F | 1977 | Peru | Climber | Karlsruhe, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany | Tour guide & Spanish teacher | Details Other expeditions |
| Vadim Pirmin Druelle | M | 2001 | France | Climber | Morzine, Haute-Savoie, France | Slate miner | Details Other expeditions |
| Moeses Fiamoncini | M | 1979 | Brazil | Climber | Sao Paulo, Brazil | CEO at Brave Explorers, UK (trekking agency) | Details Other expeditions |
| Eric Wright Gilbertson | M | 1986 | USA | Climber | - | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Jing He | F | 1988 | China | Climber | Xi’an, Shaanxi, China | Accountant | Details Other expeditions |
| Jonathan James (Jon) Kedrowski | M | 1979 | USA | Climber | Vail, Colorado | Professor, ski-alpinist & Professional ski instructor | Details Other expeditions |
| Waldemar Dominik Kowalewski | M | 1973 | Poland | Climber | Szcezecin, Poland | Property developer | Details Other expeditions |
| Adrian Laza | M | 1963 | Romania | Climber | Piatra Neamt, Romania & New Westminster, British Colombia | Forestry engineer | Details Other expeditions |
| Jiang Long | M | 1963 | China | Climber | Kunming, Yunnan, China | Manager of mining company | Details Other expeditions |
| Jake Julian Barrington Meyer | M | 1984 | UK | Climber | - | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Rui-Jin Ren | M | 1963 | China | Climber | Tianjin, China | Civil servant | Details Other expeditions |
| Vibeke Andrea Sefland | F | 1973 | Norway | Climber | Oslo, Norway | Alpine guide | Details Other expeditions |
| Takayasu Semba | M | 1964 | Japan | Climber | Nihonbashi, Tokyo, Japan | IT business consultant | Details Other expeditions |
| Michal Pawel Sliwinski | M | 1970 | Poland | Climber | - | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Chhiring Bhote | M | 1997 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Bhotkhola-3, Makalu-Barun | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Ang Tezin (Ang Tenji) Sherpa | M | 2002 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Makalu-9, Makalu-Barun | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Chhepal Sherpa | M | 1982 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Patle-2, Okhaldhunga | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Nuri Sherpa | M | 1986 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Goli-7, Solukhumbu | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Pemba Sherpa | M | 1977 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Makalu-5, Makalu-Barun | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Pemba Thinduk Sherpa | M | 1982 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Makalu-9, Makalu-Barun | - | Details Other expeditions |
References
7 recorded references.