Kangchenjunga | 1987 NE Spur from E

A India expedition to Kangchenjunga in 1987 via NE Spur from E, led by Prem Lal Kukrety. Summit reached on 25th May 1987. 9 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2874
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID KANG87102
Peak ID KANG
Year 1987
Season 1
Host Country 3
Route 1 NE Spur from E
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality India
Leaders Prem Lal Kukrety
Sponsor Indian Army Assam Rifles
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 21st,22nd
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Nepal
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1987-03-15
Summit Date 1987-05-25
Summit Time -
Summit Days 71
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8586
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 7
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 62
Summit Members 6
Member Deaths 4
Total Hired 0
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(15/03,4690m),ABC(24/03,5000m),C1(31/03,5600m),C2(02/04,6000m),C3(20/04,6300m),C4(30/04,6650m),C5(16/05,7250m),C6(22/05,7750m),C7(29/05,8180m),Smt(25,31/05)
Route Notes Indian newspaper - Times of India or Statesman? The team established the BC near Green Lake at an altitude of 4690m while the advance base camps was established on the Zemu Glacier at an elevation of about 5000m. Six more camps were established to reach a height of 7750m in the face of heavy snowfall and blizzards. It was on May 24 that the first party started off to the final assault from C6. It was scheduled to return after scaling the peak on May 26. The party comprised the Everest hero Phu Dorjee, Lance Naik Choten Tsering of the Kamet fame and Lance Naik Phupu Bhutia who had proved his skill during the expedition to the Chomo Yomo peak. The party was, presumably, confronted with a blizzard and it lost contact with C6. A five-member team was sent on May 27 to search for their missing colleagues. They set up a camp at an altitude of 8180m. However, despite a rigorous search of three days, it proved futile. The five-member party was asked to attempt the peak on May 30 but they had to abandon the effort less than 100 ft from the peak owing to a severe snowstorm. Another attempt was made by three members of the team on the next day and at about 1:00 pm Chander Singh, Bhawan Singh and Subhas Limbu tasted success. But one more misfortune was yet to over come the party. The leader of the second party, Chander Singh, after successfully scaling the peak, slipped and fell down towards the Sikkim side of the summit. His colleagues waited for some time for his return though they knew that only a miracle could have saved anyone falling from that particular side. Enroute they had found the prayer flag of Phu Dorjee just about 25 ft below the summit. It was believed that Phu Dorjee and his collegues Choten Tsering and Phupu Bhutia had scaled the peak but had been blown off by a blinding snowstom. As a rule the mountaineers do not climb the last six feet to the peak as the local people worship the mountains and to "conquer a mountain" is considered to be sacrilege. Therefore the discovery of Phu Dorjee's prayer flag a little below the summit signified that they had been able to scale the mountain. Though only six members of the team were finally able to scale the peak, it was the joint effort of the entire group that went into making the expedition a success. During the first assault on the peak by the second team, Ghale was among the five who were within sight of their dream. Suddenly Norden Lepcha slipped and fell. Luckily his snow axe stuck against the mountain sides and he had a providential escape. The sudden jerk had led to a fracture and he could not move without support. Ghale, as the leader of the team, volunteered to escort him back and asked the others to attempt the peak. Ghale brought his injured colleague back to the camp and administered first aid. His other colleagues also arrived in the camp after failing to scale the peak. Next day Ghale asked them to make a fresh attempt while he remained to nurse his injured comrade. The second attempt by the other three proved to be a success. Ghale had seen them nearing the summit from his camp but his vision was blurred due to snowfall. They did not return till the evening. He himself had contracted a throat infection and could not speak. He kept awake the entire night to attend to Lepcha's leg. He decided to look for his colleagues the next morning since he could not shout for them because of his throat. Early in the morning he saw two of them returning to camp. "They kept crying like babies when I asked them about Chander Singh," he recalls. With great pain and amidst sobs they revealed that Chander Singh had fallen off from near the summit after scaling it. They had waited in the open the entire night for him and had themselves suffered frost-bite. Ghale helped them both and Lepcha to climb down to C6.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2449468
Year 1987
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) ne spur from e

Members

9 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Prem Lal Kukrety M - India Leader - Major General, Indian Army Details Other expeditions
Phu Dorjee Sherpa M 1949 India Climber Gangtok, Sikkim, India Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
Choten Tsering M - India Climber - Naik, Assam Rifles Details Other expeditions
Phupu Bhotia M - India Climber - Lance Naik, Assam Rifles Details Other expeditions
Chander Singh M - India Climber - Naik, Assam Rifles Details Other expeditions
Bhawan Singh M - India Climber - Lance Naik, Assam Rifles Details Other expeditions
Subhas Limbu M - India Climber - Rifleman, Assam Rifles Details Other expeditions
Ram Bahadur Ghale M 1963 Nepal Climber Kathmandu Havildar, Assam Rifles Details Other expeditions
Norden Lepcha M - India Climber - Soldier, Assam Rifles Details Other expeditions

References

5 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
KANG87102 AAJ Guha, Kamal K. - - 62:184-186 (1988) -
KANG87102 MM - - - 116:10 (Jul 1987) -
KANG87102 MM - - - 119:9 (Jan 1988) -
KANG87102 IM - - - 20:181 (1987) -
KANG87102 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198818403/Asia-IndiaSikkim-Kangchenjunga-Ascent-and-Tragedy - - -