Makalu | 1997 W Face-W Pillar-S Ridge

A Russia expedition to Makalu in 1997 via W Face-W Pillar-S Ridge, led by Sergei Efimov. Summit reached on 21st May 1997. 9 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field	Value
ID	2275
Imported	2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
Host Country	1
Route 1	W Face-W Pillar-S Ridge
Route 2	-
Route 3	-
Route 4	-
Nationality	Russia
Leaders	Sergei Efimov
Sponsor	Russian Makalu Expedition
Success 1	True
Success 2	False
Success 3	False
Success 4	False
Ascent 1	52nd
Ascent 2	-
Ascent 3	-
Ascent 4	-
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Countries	-
Approach	By helicopter from Kathmandu
Basecamp Date	1997-03-27
Summit Date	1997-05-21
Summit Time	-
Summit Days	55
Total Days	62
Termination Date	1997-05-28
Termination Reason	1
Termination Notes	-
High Point (m)	8485
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Camps	5
Fixed Rope (m)	1500
Total Members	9
Summit Members	5
Member Deaths	2
Total Hired	0
Summit Hired	0
Hired Deaths	0
No Hired	True
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	True
O2 Taken	False
O2 Unknown	False
Other Summits	-
Campsites	LowBC(27/03,4600m),ABC(27/03,5300m),C1(30/03,5400m),C2(06/04,6100m),C3(17/04,6500m),C4(20/04,6900m),C5(29/04,7300m),Smt(21/05)
Route Notes	Lower BC Tangmar ABC at south end of Chago Glacier above its junction with Barun Glacier C1 at plateau at north side of West Pillar C2 on West Face just to left of West Pillar C3 on West face just to left of West Pillar C4 on West face just to left of West Pillar C5 on West face just to left of West Pillar. Wall began at about 5800m between C1 and C2 - most fixed rope from C3 to above C5 at 7500m (total 1300m here) on 50 degree avalanche ice. After twice going to 7300-7500m fixing rope and acclimatizing, 3 days rest in lower BC, then 6 members (all except Efimov, Bychkovski and Klepikov) make push for summit, leaving lower BC 9 May, from ABC 11 May with other 3 members 2 days after. 1st 3 members biv at end of fixed rope at 7600m on 14 May. May 16 six members at this biv, now a camp. Biv at 7670m on 17 May. 18 May reached 7750m and biv. 19 May biv 8000m. 20 May 8150m last biv. 21 May 6 men started for summit but at 8200m Khabibulin stopped ascent and body found there by other 5 in their descent (died of exhaustion and altitude). 5 reached summit within half an hour of each other and slept in last biv. Was most difficult climb of their lives with 8 ropes of vertical rock and ice. At 8000m joined top of West Pillar and summited by West Pillar route up South Ridge. This line to right of Kurtyka-Kukuczka-MacIntyre line of 1982. 22nd May descended to 7650m and 23rd 3 men in C5 while Jiline to C3 and Ermatchek would later also C3. 24th 3 from C5 went for C3, but Bougatshevski was struck by falling rock at about 6800m on head and was killed. 2 men from C3 to ABC that day. 25th other 2 reached ABC - all in lower BC 26th. Oxygen: Bougatshevski used on 22 May because of pain near liver - he was only member to use oxygen. This was a good team. Khabibulin was leader of their climbing effort and was very good technical man who was able to lead sections no one else could. He worked so very hard he had no strength left, sat down to rest and never got up.
Accidents	Klepikov left BC 3 May with frostbitten toes; Bougatshevski killed by falling rock; Khabibulin died of exhaustion on summit attempt
Achievement	1st ascent by W Face
Agency	Everest Trekking
Commercial Route	-
Standard Route	-
Primary Route	False
Primary Member	False
Primary Reference	False
Primary ID	-
Checksum	2453622
Year	1997
Summit Success	True
O2 Summary	Used
Route (lowercase)	w face-w pillar-s ridge

Members

Field	Value
ID	18115
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	02
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Alexei
Last Name	Bolotov
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1963
Calculated Age	34
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Climber
Residence	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Occupation	Mechanical engineer
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	True
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	True
Personal High Point (m)	8485
Summit Date 1	1997-05-21
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	52
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	(1963-2013) Died 15 May 2013 in Khumbu Icefall from falling due to broken rope
Summit Bid	5
Summit Term	1
HCN	0
Checksum	2435945
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	alexei bolotov
Year of Birth	1963
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	34
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	18116
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	03
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Igor
Last Name	Bougatshevski
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1962
Calculated Age	35
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Climber
Residence	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Occupation	Engineer/programmer
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	True
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	True
Personal High Point (m)	8485
Summit Date 1	1997-05-21
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	52
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	True
O2 Notes	Because of pain near liver
Death	True
Death Date	1997-05-24
Death Time	-
Death Type	8
Death Height (m)	6800
Death Class	6
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	Hit in head by falling rock
Member Notes	-
Necrology	(1962-1997) Died 24 May 1997 on Makalu from falling rock
Summit Bid	5
Summit Term	1
HCN	0
Checksum	2435690
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	1
Name (lowercase)	igor bougatshevski
Year of Birth	1962
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	35
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	18117
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	04
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Sergei
Last Name	Bychkovski
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1956
Calculated Age	40
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Exp Doctor
Residence	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Occupation	Physician
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	True
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	ABC only
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	17
HCN	0
Checksum	2433770
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	sergei bychkovski
Year of Birth	1956
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	41
Role	BC Only

Field	Value
ID	18118
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	01
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Sergei Borisovich
Last Name	Efimov
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1944
Calculated Age	52
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Leader
Residence	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Occupation	Travel agency director
Leader	True
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	19
HCN	0
Checksum	2429214
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	sergei borisovich efimov
Year of Birth	1944
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	53
Role	Leader

Field	Value
ID	18119
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	05
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Yuri
Last Name	Ermachek
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1962
Calculated Age	34
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Climber
Residence	Kolpashevo, Siberia, Russia
Occupation	Army alpine guide
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	True
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	True
Personal High Point (m)	8485
Summit Date 1	1997-05-21
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	52
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	5
Summit Term	1
HCN	0
Checksum	2435813
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	yuri ermachek
Year of Birth	1962
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	35
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	18120
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	06
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Nikolai (Nike)
Last Name	Jiline
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1950
Calculated Age	47
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Climber
Residence	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Occupation	Construction worker
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	True
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	True
Personal High Point (m)	8485
Summit Date 1	1997-05-21
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	52
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	5
Summit Term	1
HCN	0
Checksum	2431312
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	nikolai (nike) jiline
Year of Birth	1950
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	47
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	18121
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	07
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Salavat
Last Name	Khabibulin
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1961
Calculated Age	35
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Climber
Residence	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Occupation	Shop manager
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	8200
Summit Date 1	1997-05-21
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	True
Death Date	1997-05-21
Death Time	-
Death Type	2
Death Height (m)	8200
Death Class	4
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	(1961-1997) Died 21 May 1997 on Makalu from exhaustion
Summit Bid	4
Summit Term	7
HCN	0
Checksum	2435401
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	1
Name (lowercase)	salavat khabibulin
Year of Birth	1961
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	36
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	18122
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	08
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Andrei
Last Name	Klepikov
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1947
Calculated Age	49
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Climber
Residence	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Occupation	Engineer
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	True
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	3
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	8
HCN	0
Checksum	2430521
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	andrei klepikov
Year of Birth	1947
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	50
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	18123
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Member ID	09
Peak ID	MAKA
Year	1997
Season	1
First Name	Dmitri
Last Name	Pavlenko
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1968
Calculated Age	28
Citizenship	Russia
Status	Climber
Residence	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Occupation	Building engineer
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	True
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	True
Personal High Point (m)	8485
Summit Date 1	1997-05-21
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	52
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	(1968-2023) Died 19 July 2023 on Pobeda Peak in China from avalanche (?)
Summit Bid	5
Summit Term	1
HCN	0
Checksum	2438095
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	dmitri pavlenko
Year of Birth	1968
Year	1997
Age at Expedition	29
Role	Member

9 recorded members.

Name	Sex	Year of Birth	Citizenship	Status	Residence	Occupation
Alexei Bolotov	M	1963	Russia	Climber	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia	Mechanical engineer	Details Other expeditions
Igor Bougatshevski	M	1962	Russia	Climber	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia	Engineer/programmer	Details Other expeditions
Sergei Bychkovski	M	1956	Russia	Exp Doctor	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia	Physician	Details Other expeditions
Sergei Borisovich Efimov	M	1944	Russia	Leader	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia	Travel agency director	Details Other expeditions
Yuri Ermachek	M	1962	Russia	Climber	Kolpashevo, Siberia, Russia	Army alpine guide	Details Other expeditions
Nikolai (Nike) Jiline	M	1950	Russia	Climber	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia	Construction worker	Details Other expeditions
Salavat Khabibulin	M	1961	Russia	Climber	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia	Shop manager	Details Other expeditions
Andrei Klepikov	M	1947	Russia	Climber	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia	Engineer	Details Other expeditions
Dmitri Pavlenko	M	1968	Russia	Climber	Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia	Building engineer	Details Other expeditions

References

Field	Value
ID	3190
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:36.307770
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Reference ID	01
Year	1997
Type	2
Journal	AAJ
Author	Efimov, Sergei
Title	The West Face of Makalu
Publisher	-
Publication Date	1998
Language	-
Citation	72:11-20 (1998)
Yak 94	-
Notes	-

Field	Value
ID	5075
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:36.307770
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Reference ID	02
Year	1997
Type	3
Journal	HIGH
Author	-
Title	-
Publisher	-
Publication Date	1997
Language	-
Citation	179:21 (Oct 1997)
Yak 94	-
Notes	-

Field	Value
ID	10877
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:36.307770
Expedition ID	MAKA97101
Reference ID	03
Year	1997
Type	5
Journal	-
Author	-
Title	http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199801100/The-West-Face-of-Makalu
Publisher	-
Publication Date	-
Language	-
Citation	-
Yak 94	-
Notes	-

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID	Journal	Author	Title	Publisher	Citation	Yak 94
MAKA97101	AAJ	Efimov, Sergei	The West Face of Makalu	-	72:11-20 (1998)	-
MAKA97101	HIGH	-	-	-	179:21 (Oct 1997)	-
MAKA97101	-	-	http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199801100/The-West-Face-of-Makalu	-	-	-