Makalu | 1991 Makalu La-NW Ridge
A USA expedition to Makalu in 1991 via Makalu La-NW Ridge, led by Todd Burleson. Summit reached on 28th April 1991. 3 members recorded.
Expedition Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | 772 |
| Imported | 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634 |
| Expedition ID | MAKA91101 |
| Peak ID | MAKA |
| Year | 1991 |
| Season | 1 |
| Host Country | 1 |
| Route 1 | Makalu La-NW Ridge |
| Route 2 | - |
| Route 3 | - |
| Route 4 | - |
| Nationality | USA |
| Leaders | Todd Burleson |
| Sponsor | 1991 American Makalu Expedition |
| Success 1 | False |
| Success 2 | False |
| Success 3 | False |
| Success 4 | False |
| Ascent 1 | - |
| Ascent 2 | - |
| Ascent 3 | - |
| Ascent 4 | - |
| Claimed | False |
| Disputed | False |
| Countries | - |
| Approach | - |
| Basecamp Date | 1991-03-29 |
| Summit Date | 1991-04-28 |
| Summit Time | - |
| Summit Days | 30 |
| Total Days | 0 |
| Termination Date | - |
| Termination Reason | 4 |
| Termination Notes | Abandoned at 8150m due to winds |
| High Point (m) | 8150 |
| Traverse | False |
| Ski | False |
| Paraglide | False |
| Camps | 3 |
| Fixed Rope (m) | 0 |
| Total Members | 1 |
| Summit Members | 0 |
| Member Deaths | 0 |
| Total Hired | 2 |
| 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(29/03,5000m),ABC(02/04,5300m),C1(06/04,6200m),C2(17/04,6800m),C3(25/04,7600m),xxx(28/04,8150m) |
| Route Notes | April went up to C2 site and left cache and then down to ABC to rest. Then it snowed and down to BC. 11th up to C1, where spent 5 days because of winds. Up to C2 and spent 1 night with howling winds. 13th down to ABC for 3 days. 16th to C1 but only 1 day there because of winds even there; down to BC. 23rd to C1, 24th C2, 25th to 7600m, where spent 2 half days. 28th winds stopped at 6 am and got to 8150m 5 hours later. There winds blew up and Burleson had only 25m of 7mm rope; saw old fixed lines but unusable (pulled right out). Burleson now alone (Sherpas went only as high as C3 and waited there) so turned back and down to C1 knowing this was end of climb. Discouraged by wind, but very happy with the climb because really well, getting fast and not concerned about others. Much easier route than those on north side of Everest. |
| Accidents | None |
| Achievement | - |
| Agency | - |
| Commercial Route | - |
| Standard Route | True |
| Primary Route | False |
| Primary Member | False |
| Primary Reference | - |
| Primary ID | - |
| Checksum | 2451356 |
| Year | 1991 |
| Summit Success | False |
| O2 Summary | None |
| Route (lowercase) | makalu la-nw ridge |
Members
3 recorded members.
| Name | Sex | Year of Birth | Citizenship | Status | Residence | Occupation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Todd Burleson | M | 1960 | USA | Leader | Woodinville, Washington | Alpine guide | Details Other expeditions |
| Man Bahadur (Gopal) Tamang | M | 1959 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Jaidu, Salleri, Solukhumbu | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Lhakpa Rita Sherpa | M | 1966 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Thami, Khumbu | - | Details Other expeditions |
References
3 recorded references.
| Expedition ID | Journal | Author | Title | Publisher | Citation | Yak 94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAKA91101 | AAJ | Prittie, Willi | - | - | 66:191 (1992) | - |
| MAKA91101 | MM | - | - | - | 140:7 (Jul 1991) | - |
| MAKA91101 | - | - | http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199219101/Asia-Nepal-Makalu-Attempt | - | - | - |