Kangchenjunga | 1995 SW Face-W Col-NW Ridge

A Switzerland expedition to Kangchenjunga in 1995 via SW Face-W Col-NW Ridge, led by Erhard Loretan. Summit reached on 5th October 1995. 4 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1637
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID KANG95303
Peak ID KANG
Year 1995
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 SW Face-W Col-NW Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Switzerland
Leaders Erhard Loretan
Sponsor Kangchenjunga International Expedition
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 44th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries France
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1995-09-01
Summit Date 1995-10-05
Summit Time 1435
Summit Days 34
Total Days 38
Termination Date 1995-10-09
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8586
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 1
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 4
Summit Members 2
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 1
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent True
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(01/09,5300m),DC(09/09,6000m),C1(15/09,7300m),Biv(04/10,7800m),Smt(05/10)
Route Notes BC at normal site C1 at lower ridge shelf Biv C4 at high on Great Shelf. Early Sept recovering in BC from minor ailments. 15th from BC to 7400m to see route and slept at 7300m; 16th to BC. Then bad weather: snowing, avalanches, wind. 3rd Oct to C3 there 3 Swiss, stayed few hours and 6:00 pm started up; very windy on the plateau and after 3 hours gave up when Georges was very tired so back to C3, slept few hours and again up 7:00 pm of 4th - up to C4 to biv at 7800m. Martini, Chamoux, Royer, Loretan, Troillet, Georges and 3-4 Sherpas from camps French and Italians had made at 7800m and Swiss biv on 5th started up at 2:00 am; were all together to 8200m, others too slow and at that moment one Chamoux Sherpa fell (lost balance sitting down with rucksack on back), so Loretan and Troillet and Martini moved ahead (Georges had turned back at biv too tired to go up). Martini turned back at 8150m after waiting for L & T and getting very cold. L & T reached Col between Kangchenjunga and Yalungkang at 11:00 am, then found easy way up ridge connecting Yalung to Kangchenjunga and were on summit at 2:35 pm - very cold and wind blowing a lot of snow in spiral curls. Left at 3:00 pm; on summit not so strong wind. In descent of ridges met Chamoux and Royer (no Sherpas) at bottom of ridge at about 4:00 pm; C & R still going up, but at about 4:30 said on radio Royer was giving up because tired (carrying camera himself because all Sherpas went down with one's fatal fall). Loretan and Troillet reached biv at 5:30 and down to C3 at 7:30 pm; Loretan slept there with Georges and Ozenda, who had come up there, while Troillet down to BC at midnight; Loretan at BC 6th am. Chamoux gave up at 5:30 pm, he radioed, too exhausted and couldn't find the way on the ridge - was at point 40m below summit, he said - had lost visual contact with Royer; stayed all night on ridge at few meters above Col. From next morning Royer not seen again. Chamoux 8:00 am on radio to Troillet, who told him how to come down; down to Col and seem to disappear down north. Both probably fell down North Face. On 6th Michel Pelle climbed to C4 with a client, saw nothing. On 7th 2 Pelle Sherpas fixed rope to 8200m saw nothing. How does Loretan feel at scaling his 14th 8000er? "It's something done" he says matter of factly. This goal was not a burden; feels no release. Has other projects: would like to climb West Face of Makalu; "it's possible."
Accidents Ozenda stomach upset briefly; slight frostbite by summiters
Achievement Loretan's 14th 8000er
Agency Asian Trekking
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2452531
Year 1995
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) sw face-w col-nw ridge

Members

4 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Andre Georges M 1953 Switzerland Climber Les Hauderes, Valais, Switzerland Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Erhard Loretan M 1959 Switzerland Leader Cresuz, Fribourg, Switzerland Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Pierre Ozenda M 1944 France Climber Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, France Flowershop salesman Details Other expeditions
Jean Fernand Troillet M 1948 Switzerland Climber Orsieres, Valais, Switzerland Alpine guide Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
KANG95303 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 70:260-263 (1996) -
KANG95303 HIGH - - - 157:16-17 (Dec 1995) -
KANG95303 HIGH - - - 161:26-27 (Apr 1996) -
KANG95303 - Georges, Andre Aventures Alpines II La Matze, Sion, Switzerland - -
KANG95303 - Ammann, Jean & Loretan, Erhard Erhard Loretan, Les 8000 Rugissants Editions La Sarine,Fribourg, Switzerland - -
KANG95303 - Ammann, Jean & Loretan, Erhard Erhard Loretan, Den Bergen Verfallen Paulusverlag, Freiburg, Switzerland - -
KANG95303 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199626000/Asia-Nepal-Kangchenjunga-Ascents-and-Tragedy - - -