Makalu II | 1985 W Face-S Ridge
A Netherlands expedition to Makalu II in 1985 via W Face-S Ridge, led by Ronald Naar. Summit reached on 11th October 1985. 12 members recorded.
Expedition Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | 208 |
| Imported | 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634 |
| Expedition ID | MAK285301 |
| Peak ID | MAK2 |
| Year | 1985 |
| Season | 3 |
| Host Country | 1 |
| Route 1 | W Face-S Ridge |
| Route 2 | - |
| Route 3 | - |
| Route 4 | - |
| Nationality | Netherlands |
| Leaders | Ronald Naar |
| Sponsor | Kangchungtse Summit Expedition |
| Success 1 | True |
| Success 2 | False |
| Success 3 | False |
| Success 4 | False |
| Ascent 1 | 13th,14th |
| Ascent 2 | - |
| Ascent 3 | - |
| Ascent 4 | - |
| Claimed | False |
| Disputed | False |
| Countries | - |
| Approach | Shipton Pass |
| Basecamp Date | 1985-09-23 |
| Summit Date | 1985-10-11 |
| Summit Time | 1100 |
| Summit Days | 18 |
| Total Days | 21 |
| Termination Date | 1985-10-14 |
| Termination Reason | 1 |
| Termination Notes | - |
| High Point (m) | 7678 |
| Traverse | False |
| Ski | False |
| Paraglide | False |
| Camps | 3 |
| Fixed Rope (m) | 0 |
| Total Members | 10 |
| Summit Members | 4 |
| Member Deaths | 2 |
| Total Hired | 5 |
| Summit Hired | 2 |
| 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(23/09,5400m),C1(25/09,5800m),C2(28/09,6600m),C3(02/10,7400m),Smt(11,13/10) |
| Route Notes | BC at 5400m on ridge west side of south end of Chago Glacier C1 at 5800m middle moraine of Chago Glacier C3 at 7400m at Makalu La. All camps at same sites at Italian early Oct in BC to rest for several days and then up. 9th Oct so bad weather no progress possible and all in C1 and C2. 10th Oct first party went to C3 in heavy snowstorm. 11 Oct good weather till 9:15 am, then snow fall again but went on to top and reached it 11:00 am. 13th Oct clear, beautiful day and all camps cleared and all in BC that evening. 14th Oct left BC and reached KTM 22nd Oct. Between C2 and C3 always deep snow but not difficult route. Two members (Frank Merjenberg and Walter Roos) left expedition on the return trek and attempted to cross over into Khumbu via Sherpani Col, West Col and Amphu Laptsa. An unusually severe storm on Oct 16 trapped them just below Sherpani Col. They suffocated to death when their tents collapsed under the weight of 3 meters of new snow. 2 members failed to return from BC to KTM; it is assumed they perished in the deep snow of West Col-Sherpani Col region. Walter Roos and Frank Merjenberg: 17-19 Oct trekking via Sherpani Col and West Col. Took with them no Sherpas, 3 days food only. Never turned up and now must presumed lost. Were due in KTM 4 weeks ago. Hermann Tollemaar - 18 Nov 1985 All hope of finding them has been abandoned. Naar - 6 May 1986 2 missing climbers were found recently dead in their tent on Sherpani Col. Probably died of suffocation under heavy snowfall. Their bodies were found by a trekking party lead by Richard Salisbury in the following May 1986. The bodies were buried in a collapsed tent on the Barun side of Sherpani Col at about 5500m. |
| Accidents | 2 members failed to return from BC to Kathmandu (they perished in major snowstorm below Sherpani Col; bodies found by trekking group May 1986) |
| Achievement | 1st Dutch ascent |
| Agency | - |
| Commercial Route | - |
| Standard Route | - |
| Primary Route | False |
| Primary Member | False |
| Primary Reference | - |
| Primary ID | - |
| Checksum | 2449235 |
| Year | 1985 |
| Summit Success | True |
| O2 Summary | None |
| Route (lowercase) | w face-s ridge |
Members
12 recorded members.
| Name | Sex | Year of Birth | Citizenship | Status | Residence | Occupation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tilleke Lippmann | F | 1955 | Netherlands | Climber | Hague, Netherlands | Linguist and travel writer | Details Other expeditions |
| Frank Alexander Merjenberg | M | 1954 | Netherlands | Deputy Leader | Eindhoven, Netherlands | Dentist | Details Other expeditions |
| Ronald Naar | M | 1955 | Netherlands | Leader | Hague, Netherlands | Photojournalist & alpine guide | Details Other expeditions |
| Walter Roos | M | 1946 | Netherlands | Climber | Hoorn, Netherlands | French teacher | Details Other expeditions |
| Ang Pasang Sherpa | M | - | Nepal | H-A Worker | - | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Nawang Thile (Pemba Dorje) Sherpa | M | 1953 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Beding, Dolakha | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Wim Teeuwisse | M | 1946 | Netherlands | Climber | Den Bosch, Netherlands | Urban planner | Details Other expeditions |
| Lodewijk (Loek) Vermeulen | M | 1948 | Netherlands | Climber | Hazerswoude, Netherlands | Owner, sporting-goods mfg & importing business | Details Other expeditions |
| Evert Wesker | M | 1952 | Netherlands | Climber | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Chemist & cycle-racer | Details Other expeditions |
| Chris Zwarts | M | 1938 | Netherlands | Climber | Gouda, Netherlands | Photolab owner | Details Other expeditions |
| Ria De Barre | F | 1957 | Netherlands | Climber | Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands | Police officer | Details Other expeditions |
| Pieter De Jong | M | 1945 | Netherlands | Climber | Ryswyk, Netherlands | Builder | Details Other expeditions |
References
4 recorded references.
| Expedition ID | Journal | Author | Title | Publisher | Citation | Yak 94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAK285301 | AAJ | Naar, Ronald | - | - | 60:219 (1986) | - |
| MAK285301 | - | Naar, Ronald | Ijle Horzon | De Toorts, The Hague, Netherlands | - | N02 |
| MAK285301 | MM | - | - | - | 108:11 (Mar 1986) | - |
| MAK285301 | - | - | http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198621902/Asia-Nepal-Kangchungtse-Ascent-and-Tragedy | - | - | - |