Lhotse | 1977 W Face

A W Germany expedition to Lhotse in 1977 via W Face, led by Gerhard Schmatz. Summit reached on 8th May 1977. 14 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2167
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID LHOT77101
Peak ID LHOT
Year 1977
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 W Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality W Germany
Leaders Gerhard Schmatz
Sponsor Schwabian Himalaya Expedition Lhotse
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 2nd-4th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Austria, Switzerland
Approach Khumbu Valley
Basecamp Date 1977-03-28
Summit Date 1977-05-08
Summit Time 1200
Summit Days 41
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8516
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 5
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 13
Summit Members 9
Member Deaths 1
Total Hired 15
Summit Hired 1
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(28/03,5200m),C1(29/03,6000m),C2(05/04,6400m),C3(09/04,6700m),C4(16/04,7200m),C5(28/04,7700m),Smt(08-09,11/05)
Route Notes Schmatz - 23 May 77 Schmatz twice in C5 and mild frostbitten fingers and toes; on 11 May oxygen packed up at 8000m while going up with 3rd summit team. Dacher never used oxygen. All others from C5 up only. We don't know exactly what happened to Lutz. We have photos from him. Wastl Woergoetter (WW) waited for him on summit took pictures of him and went down together to rock island in ice couloir (which is last 500m to summit). WW came down late afternoon through island said to Lutz "to go on, I come." WW went on down and Max didn't come. WW waited at end of ice couloir at end of ice couloir from 5:30-6:30. WW returned to C5 and spoke on radio to Schmatz who had reached C2 from C5 200m below ice couloir: look for Max. Urkien at C2 thought he saw something but not right. Schmatz told Urkien to get Sherpas to go from C3 at 4:00 am and and left at 4:30 am. Sherpas said on radio saw blood on fixed ropes and C3 found body at bottom of face on 12th May at about 6600m so must have fallen 1500-1700m. Guess he was sitting on rock island and fell asleep and heavy rucksack pitched him over. His top of head smashed, but arms and legs appeared unbroken; put him in special bed and buried him at Gorak Shep 14 May. Did not follow Swiss route and did not go to Col; went very direct. Luck made success possible and excellent relations with New Zealanders. Jha, MFA - 13 May 77 Death: Max Lutz did not return to camp; early in next morning 12th his body found near C3. Presumed he fell to death having slipped on his very back. Buried at Kalapattar near BC. Jha, MFA - 13 May 77 9 May 3 members left for final assault on summit 7 am. On summit 10:30 am, spent 55 minutes on summit. 1 member Fritz Zintl, reached summit without oxygen for last 200m; while descending Guenter Sturm did not use oxygen and Peter Woergoetter returned to C5 in 45 minutes and this team thus established new record ascending within 3-1/2 hours and descending in 3/4 hour. All members in good health. 4 other members expected to reach summit. 11 May and to return to KTM within 1 week. Jha, MFA - 10 May 77 2 members reached summit 8 May at 12 noon; Sirdar Urkien Tshering reached top first followed by Warth and Johann Von Kaenel. 2nd joint assault on Lhotse by Nepal-German team. Weather was fine; other members of expedition wish to climb; all in good health. R. Messner - 8 May 77 Messner from Pilatus this morning saw 2 figures moving upwards from Lhotse's highest camp this morning. Pandey - 18 April 77 16 April C4 7200m by Sturm, Zintl, Vogler 14 May 73 Gerhard Schmatz asks me to remind Narayan Das Shrestha or his successor regarding his Swabian Himalayan Expedition to Lhotse in spring 1977. Application given in MFA in May 1973; route perhaps via Western Cwm (Schmatz leader of 1973 spring Manaslu expedition) Letter from Gerhard Schmatz - 7 May 1977 At 28 April we erected C5 in about 7800m. We think it should be our last camp. Nevertheless we couldn't climb the summit at 29 April because of a heavy storm and snowfall. We had to descend. Today is the weather better. One group of us will ascend again today, the other tomorrow. Letter from Gerhard - 25 April 1977 Some information about our Lhotse Expedition at 16th of April we reached the place for C4 in the Lhotse face. We erected a tent in about 7200m. The day before yesterday a team of us slept in the camp and stayed there till today. Now we shall try to find a good way to C5 at the beginning of the ice-couloir. After erecting C5 I shall inform you again. Letter from Gerhard - 7 April 1977 All is going well and the relations between us and the New Zealanders are very good. Yesterday we have erected Camp 2 in about 6200m near the bottom of Everest Southwest Face. We found already a good place for C3 in about 6800m. Letter from Gerhard - 4 April 77 Our first camp is erected. Last night three members slept in this camp (height about 6000-6100m). Our second camp will be nearly Southwest Face. We hope to reach the place tomorrow. The day after tomorrow we wish to erect our camp 2 (height about 6300m). Reuters German mountaineer Max Lutz, 25, bachelor medical student from Munich, died on Mt Lhotse 11th or 12th May while descending from 8501m summit, foreign Ministry announced today. Lutz was member of 4-man team who reached top on 11th May, following expedition's earlier successes on 9th and 8th May. Other 11th May summiters were Michel Dacher, Peter Vogler [Woergoetter] and 4th man [Sebastian Woergoetter] whose name was not given in liaison officer's report to ministry. Dacher, Vogler [Woergoetter] and 4th person reached safety of expedition's camps that night, but Lutz did not return and next morning 12th May his body found near Camp 3 at bottom of Lhotse's West Face, which expedition climbed. He fell to his death having slipped while descending. Lhotse face had been reported by Everest climbers as being very icy.
Accidents Lutz killed in fall on descent from summit
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2446059
Year 1977
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) w face

Members

14 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Joachim Baumuller M 1938 W Germany Climber Marktredwitz, Bavaria, W Germany Engineer Details Other expeditions
Michel Dacher M 1933 W Germany Climber Peiting, Bavaria, W Germany Electrician Details Other expeditions
Johann (Hans) Von Kaenel M 1940 Switzerland Climber Bern, Switzerland Salesman Details Other expeditions
Max Lutz M 1951 W Germany Climber Munich, Bavaria, W Germany Medical student Details Other expeditions
Wolfgang Schaffert M 1948 W Germany Exp Doctor Siegsdorf, Bavaria, W Germany Physician Details Other expeditions
Hannelore Schmatz F 1940 W Germany Climber Neu-Ulm, Bavaria, W Germany Housewife Details Other expeditions
Guenter Sturm M 1940 W Germany Deputy Leader Eichstaett, Bavaria, W Germany Manager of mountain & ski school of German Alpine club Details Other expeditions
Peter Vogler M 1948 W Germany Climber Durach, Bavaria, W Germany Salesman Details Other expeditions
Hermann Warth M 1940 W Germany Climber Kathmandu Director of German Volunteer Service in Nepal Details Other expeditions
Peter Woergoetter M 1941 Austria Climber Saalfelden, Salzburg, Austria Insurance agent Details Other expeditions
Sebastian (Wastl) Woergoetter M 1937 Austria Climber Saalfelden, Salzburg, Austria Salesman Details Other expeditions
Friedrich (Fritz) Zintl M 1932 W Germany Climber Puchheim, Bavaria, W Germany Teacher Details Other expeditions
Urkien Tshering Sherpa M - Nepal Sirdar Khumjung, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Gerhard Schmatz M 1929 W Germany Leader Neu-Ulm, Bavaria, W Germany Attorney Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
LHOT77101 AAJ Schmatz, Gerhard - - 52:590 (1978) -
LHOT77101 HJ Warth, Dr. Hermann The Second Ascent of Lhotse, 1977 - 35:146-149 (1976-78) -
LHOT77101 - Warth, Hermann Tiefe Uberall Rosenheimer Raritaten, Rosenheim, W Germany - W71
LHOT77101 MM - - - 56:11 (Jul 1977) -
LHOT77101 MM Dyhrenfurth, G. O. & Dyhrenfurth, Norman Lhotse - 66:38-42 (Mar 1979) -
LHOT77101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12197859000/Asia-Nepal-Lhotse-Second-Ascent - - -
LHOT77101 - - https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/35/11/the-second-ascent-of-lhotse-1977/ - - -