Lhotse | 1997 W Face

A Italy expedition to Lhotse in 1997 via W Face, led by Sergio Martini. Summit reached on 15th October 1997. 2 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2440
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID LHOT97302
Peak ID LHOT
Year 1997
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 W Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Italy
Leaders Sergio Martini
Sponsor Italian Lhotse Expedition
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 42nd claimed
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed True
Countries -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1997-09-09
Summit Date 1997-10-15
Summit Time 1600
Summit Days 36
Total Days 39
Termination Date 1997-10-18
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes Reached to 50m below top
High Point (m) 8516
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 4
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 2
Summit Members 2
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
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(09/09,5350m),C1(Deposit),C2(16/09,6400m),C3(26/09,7350m),C4(05/10,7750m),Smt(15/10)
Route Notes C2 in Western Cwm C3 at 100m above normal site on West Face. Slept many nights in C4 "because every day wind and very cold." Also waited often in C3 for winds to drop. 13th Oct summit bid from BC to C2. 14th C2 to C4. 15th left C4 7:00 am (earlier too much wind), help sick Japanese fix rope till 9:00 am and then went ahead at bottom of couloir with no fixed rope in Couloir for ascent or descent. On top at 4:00 pm: think very few meters below rock peak (how many can't say because in fog and with goggles off, very difficult to judge distance which they believe was highest peak). Had taken goggles off because wind blowing snow at their faces which was very painful. Slept in C4 since reached camp only at 7:00 pm: couloir very steep, no fixed rope in it, strong wind blowing snow in eyes and had to stop and close them against snow. 16th slept in C2, 17th in BC having to carry 30 kg loads of gear down themselves. "Many winds, many snow, no satisfaction" says Martini. De Stefani say he wishes he has strength to stop with this, his 13th 8000er but already he and Martini are thinking about their 14th: perhaps next autumn they came for De Stefani to guide Martini up north side of Everest and then Martini guide De Stefani up Kangchenjunga. 23 Oct 97 - Park Young-Seok, Korean summiter on 18 Oct: Italians told Park they were stopped by winds 30-40m below top but their footprint in snow's crust (which wind could not erase) stopped 50m below. 26 Oct 97 - Martini (by phone): "for me and my friend we think we reached very near summit. We are convinced that with bad weather and without rope we could not go higher in this condition, for us this is the summit we know we were not at the last point, but for us it is the summit." 1 Nov 97 - Kazuyoshi Kondo, leader of Japanese Lhotse team: the white-haired Italian (Martini) they had reached near the top but not the very top; other Italians said they were on top. Their descent to C4 was done in only 2 hours which would be "difficult" to do from summit that day. 26 April 98 - Simono Moro, Italian climber: Moro saw Martini's Lhotse slide show and Martini clearly not on summit but inside couloir and therefore unable to see ridge to left going to S Col. Highest summit is to left after finally leaving couloir, which opens and closes again several times. There is a lower peak to the right and one can get confused about which is highest point. 25 May 98 - Fausto De Stefani: were at the top - went left from couloir - is satisfied that he reached Lhotse summit and with Kangchenjunga summit this month, has now climbed all 8000ers. Simone Moro - 26 April 98 Moro saw Martini's Lhotse slide and he clearly inside couloir and unable to see ridge to left going to S Col. Definitely not to top which is to left after finally leaving couloir which open and closes again several times. There is a peak to right. Fausto De Stefani - 10 Apr 2001 De Stefani syas that Martini's second ascent in 2000 confirms that they reached the summit in 1997. Martini - 5 Oct 2001 Martini and De Stefani climbed to 3-5m below top in 1997. Last few meters very steep and dangerous from wind and possible misstep when unable to see. (He returned in clear weather and could then see exactly where they had climbed).
Accidents Slight frostbite both summiters
Achievement -
Agency Monterosa Treks
Commercial Route -
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2453589
Year 1997
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) w face

Members

2 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Fausto De Stefani M 1952 Italy Climber Castiglione delle Stiviere, Mantova, Italy Alpinist & school staff Details Other expeditions
Sergio Martini M 1949 Italy Leader Rovereto, Trento, Italy Teacher in middle school Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
LHOT97302 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 72:312-313 (1998) -
LHOT97302 HIGH - - - 188:21-22 (Jul 1998) -
LHOT97302 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199831202/Asia-Nepal-Nepalese-Himalaya-Peak-Bagging-and-Other-Activity-in-the-Post-Monsoon - - -