Nuptse | 1975 Central Ridge of S Face

A UK expedition to Nuptse in 1975 via Central Ridge of S Face, led by Major Jonathan W. A. Fleming. Summit reached on 9th May 1975. 22 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2295
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID NUPT75101
Peak ID NUPT
Year 1975
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 Central Ridge of S Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality UK
Leaders Major Jonathan W. A. Fleming
Sponsor Joint Army Mountaineering Assoc/Royal Nepalese Exped. to Nuptse
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 Nepal
Approach Khumbu Valley
Basecamp Date 1975-04-02
Summit Date 1975-05-09
Summit Time -
Summit Days 37
Total Days 48
Termination Date 1975-05-20
Termination Reason 6
Termination Notes Abandoned at 7200m due to two fatal accidents
High Point (m) 7200
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 8
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 22
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 4
Total Hired 3
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 Climbed Island Peak
Campsites BC(02/04,5180m),C1(06/04,5485m),C2(10/04,5790m),C3(13/04,6100m),C3A(22/04,6220m),C4(25/04,6400m),C5(01/05,6870m),C6(06/05,7070m),C7(07/05,7160m),xxx(09/05,7200m+)
Route Notes Fleming & Dilly - 23 May 75 Dilly and Tim King leave 31 May. Rest leave KTM 4 June by TG to Singapore and Spanish leave 5 June by RAF to base at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. All now in KTM. Fleming & Dilly Going up to C6 from C5. Snow in bad condition and avalanched on them and fell 200 ft to few feet from 2000 feet sheer drop that night at C5 avalanche hit and squashed tent. Fleming should have been in and would have killed him; had gone into other tent to discuss plans with other. Weather never let up with heavy snow every afternoon and 14th again. Every man one week at acclimatization camp; slow thorough acclimatization paid off very well indeed. Apart from 2 tragedies we had, 3rd tragedy was we were so close to top - was a walk from C7. Nuptse more technically difficult than Everest, perhaps including SW Face of Everest. Most difficult parts on Everest for British will be either Hornbein Couloir or Lhotse and both snow and ice. Problems not of same magnitude: Nuptse = technical and Everest = will-power. Although we failed to extent we didn't climb mountain but succeeded in that number with experience of Himalayas problem. Now have 1/2 of members going to 23,500 ft and above now known area, Sherpas, food and equipment as well as high climbing. This experience invaluable from Everest and this the point of this climb which has been a "rough rehearsal" for Everest. Fleming would like to climb Everest via West Ridge. "I think we're up to it; that Nuptse Ridge is frightful ridge which probably equal to Everest West Ridge." Everest West Ridge via American route; Lho La route too dangerous. West Ridge preferred to South Col because col has been done so often; ridge more of challenge. For Everest expect 25 from UK, 3 Nepal army and 6 climbing Gurkhas. Rope lending from lower body which is visable to other, Pasang in crevasse and not visable. Had weather allowed, Subedar Krishna Bahadur Karlo of RNAC and Pasang would have gotten to top. Brister and Pasang probably fell within 5 minutes of shouts with Stokes and Lavac before crossing rib. Lane - 21 May 75 2nd attempt wasn't arrive on 12th or 13th because of heavy snowfall. We caught all the weather and Everest went Scott free, but there were couple days when we were coming down when all this wind made it hard ice (these would be 14th and 15th). Would have been a long day to summit and back from C6, that's with everything going for you; starting off at 5 and getting back at 4 or 5 pm. Route straight forward from C7 to top. "Slighter chance" of success if not heavy snowfall unmoved pair from C7 on 14 May. Can only surmize 2nd body of 14th in crevasse above visable body. Thought could see rope from visable body upwards. At 4:15 pm Lane and Stokes same altitude as C6 23,200 ft at traverse and clouds lifted and L and S could see Brister and Tamang about 200 ft away (left and up) and shouted all Ok. 1 or 2 minutes lift and closed in and we were back in our own better place and that was it. Couldn't see or hear anything else. Lane and Stokes reached C5 at 8 pm. This when L got frostbite in his feet, one gets frostbite when tired and run down. Lane and Stokes reached C6 at 5:40 pm where one was; glad went on to C5 where people were to come for them. Fleming had tried to get up to C6 on 13th to help summit teams out but route to C6 was not stable and he was avalanched out; had to retreat C5. 14th was normal descent; "weather was bad but you get used to bad weather." Could have fallen at traverse on before it; traverse was only 4 moves protected all the way, nothing difficult about it. Stokes also same frostbite but not black; can't feel. MP Khanal, MFA - 16 May 75 Missing: Lt. David Brister and Pasang Tamang since 14th May as their 2nd summit attempt prevented by heavy snow. All members were coming down to BC to regroup and restocking 4 occupants in C7 (by 12th May presumably) but were when weather tried bad these in 2 pairs started to withdraw to BC in 1st hour interval of 14 May. 1st pair reached C5 on 14th late evening but 2nd pair did not. Believed by others might be resting in C6 which was empty of people but stocked. Heavy clouds prevented observation of descent. Also known that radio with Brister was defective. On 15th, when no movement from C7, search party sent (no names); no trace found on 15th. 16th confirmed no trace of missing men in C6. Assumed dead, no trace. Helicopter for search requested. Climbing abandoned. MP Khanal, MFA - 15 May 75 Bodies buried in crevasse this morning. MP Khanal, MFA - 15 May 75 Heavy snow prevented 2nd summit attempt and expedition withdrawing yesterday to BC. Hope to regroup and restock camps to further summit attempts. Col J Lys, British MA - 12 May 75 Don't know what happened really. 4 in summit party, Owens and Summerton pathfinders. A Nepali and another Briton in support. 4 left high C7 on 9 May at 7:30 am; 10:30 am not seen any more. Waited until that evening to see whether return to camp. 10th May 11:30 got signal hadn't returned and asked for search. 11th May helicopter picked up Peacock at BC and took him up to glacier where dropped him at 19,000 ft and went to BC again and picked up Captain. [Lys breaks off to get his notes and returns to subject at earlier] Recce of glacier and saw one red sack at base of glacier; landed at 18,000 ft and Peacock got out. Then helicopter back to BC picked a Captain and took C1 17,500 feet and picked up rope and equipment for recovery and thence to glacier where joined Peacock and helicopter to BC 1 hour standby. Think may have been struck by falling rock and fell into ravine. Fell 4500 ft below where lit. 1 Nepalese summiter injured and walking to BC. 2 bodies seen from helicopter but unable to recover. Going to try for summit today if conditions permit. Secy, Khatri - 12 May 75 Owens Summerton Gone to conquer peak but never tied up; waited one day and then asked for helicopter; landed at BC and rode 2 from 2 different directions and intended to land on top itself if warranted. 11 May 2 new missing on Nuptse = Bernandette Vasseux from Major Lefloch. Helicopter went to Nuptse and returned today - Lafloch & Haines Names and details not known = Lys at 2 pm Something happened on Nuptse, nothing on Everest= MP Khanal at 2 pm MP Khanal, MFA - 8 May 75 C6 May 6 - 23,000 ft C7 May 7 - 23,500 ft by Summerton, Armstrong, Brister by Krishna Bahadur, Pasang Tamang Kefford - 16 March 75 Doctor arrived today. He and Kefford fly to Lukla Tuesday 18th. Main party left KTM 11:45 am yesterday and drove to Lamosangu. Jon Fleming - 13 March 75 Walking in starting Sat except Kefford, doctor and Gurkha who flies in Monday. On to Dingboche for acclimatization camp. Main party reach Dingboche 28 March for 2 days and make BC on 31st on Nuptse Glacier about 17,300 ft (about east of Nuptse on map). Expect to climb via control route on South Face but haven't seen about 7 high camps yet; summit by mid-May at latest. 3 Sherpas and 3 Gurkhas training for Everest. Most members this year would come next year. Next year via West Ridge = US route, not French route but up and down ridge only. Letter from J. W. Fleming - 26 Apr 75 C3 at 19,800 ft was established by Cpls Stokes and Lane on the 12th April. The camp site is exceedingly small, being only large enough for two tents. It is a very exposed site perched upon a large block of rock embedded into the ridge. C3A, at 20,400 ft was established by Maj Fleming and Capt Agnew on the 22nd April. We had to set up this intermediate camp between C3 and C4 because the route along the ridge is long and tortuous. By the time a party from C3 had come to the end of the previous day's fixed ropes, it was almost time to turn back again to C3 before nightfall. Thus very little progress was made. The campsite is extremely small, only big enough for one small tent. C4, at 21,000 ft was sited by Maj Fleming and Capt Agnew on the 23rd April. One tent was put there today (26 April) and one will be put there tomorrow by Cpls Lane and Stokes. The camp will be occupied tomorrow (27th April) by Capt Gifford, Capt King, Rfn Pasang Tamang, 7 Gurkha Rifles, and Subedar Krishna Bahadur, Royal Nepalese Army. This camp is of special significance because it marks the end of the very difficult ridge, which gives access to the upper parts of the mountain. The crux of the problem now is to stock C4 and to keep it stocked with stores, food and fuel for the activities on the upper parts of the mountain in early May. The weather conditions have not been good. The mornings generally have been fine and sunny, but the climbing has been hampered by a great deal of powder snow whch has fallen in varying quantities daily in the late afternoons/evenings. At the present rate of progress and provided that we can keep C4 stocked we expect the summit bid to be made around about the 7th to 10th May, weather permitting. The climbing conditions can hardly be described as ideal. The ridge although technically very interesting and demanding is composed of unstable snow and ice and rotten rock. The ridge is even honeycombed in places, so that one can see right through it onto the glaciers on the other side. The snow on the west side of the ridge, access to which is gained by means of a tunnel through the ice of all things, is sugary, unstable and rather dangerous. Major Jon Fleming We have now made the route up the Central Ridge of the South Face of Nuptse. On the 23rd April Agnew and Fleming climbed up the steep 300-foot snow and ice slope which gave out onto a little col. The ridge route had been cracked. Camp 4 had been sited. For a fortnight we had struggled and fought our way from C1 at 18,000 ft at the bottom of the arete to this crevassed, windswept little col at 21,000 ft. To begin with Stokes and Lane led the way with Brister and Armstrong fixing the rope behind them. From C1 to C2 the way led up a very steep snow and ice slope. 700 ft later the way led out onto the arete itself. As one moved over the lip the huge, black, squat mass of Makalu, on which an Austrian-German team are engaged, came magnificently into view. 2000 ft below lay the inhospitable, grey looking West Lhotse Glacier with the moraines winding down towards the valley of Dingboche. Turning left along the ridge and some 20 minutes later, situated under a huge rock block which we call the Mitre lay C2 at 19,200 ft. One of our problems on this ridge is to find flat places for camp sites. Relatively there are still two spaces which have obviously been prepared for tents. We have place two tents on the rock and one on the snow. Fortunately the tents are placed so that they are sheltered from the punishing west wind that we have been experiencing. In addition to the tents there is a certain amount of space for gear. All the equipment, food, fuel and impediments that we shall need for operations higher up the peak. The ridge rears up in front of the camp, narrow, twisty, rotten, whether of rock or snow and steep. C2 can now be stocked by the rest of the expedition. This gets us fit and acclimatises us for the higher altitudes. While this is going on Stokes, Lane, Armstrong and Brister press on to the next higher camp - C3 at 19,800 ft. The way to this site is the steepest part of the ridge. Up hard ice and some good, safe rock. It consisted of a crack in the rock about 60 feet high, at the top are overhanging boulders. This is not the sort of thing one expects to find in the Himalayas. It was certainly strenuous work as his crampons scrabbled ineffectively against the granite. In order to make the route porterable we have put a wire ladder up it. C3 is literally perched on a small ledge of snow atop a huge rock block embedded in the ridge. It is just big enough for two small tents and only just. In order to get from one tent to another we have to use a tight rope and even then are forced to walk on the snow valance of one of the tents. Agnew and Fleming with Stokes and Lane fixing the ropes and making the route porterable behind them. Up and up we climb, following the ridge sometimes on its crest, at others some 60-70 ft below the crest. Some of the traverses are awkward and thin. In order to make faster progress we had to put in an intermediate camp, C3 at 20,400 ft. This we placed in the Notch. There was only sufficient room for one small tent in this windy, rocky space. We levelled out the ground as best we could and spent a comfortable night. For the next two days we literally fought our way along the arete to C4, through masses of powder snow which fell every evening, thus blotting out the hard earned footsteps made that day. At last we came to the final snow slope and ascending it came out onto the little col. The site was more crevassed than I had expected, indeed it appears at first sight that the way up the mountain is effectively barred by a huge crevasse stretching the entire width of the col. On closer inspection, however, I believe that it can be turned on the left. Now plans have been made for movements beyond C4 and to the summit. But the crux of the whole problem is to stock C4 sufficiently for these movements and summit bid, and to keep people at that camp to support these activities. At the moment Stokes and Lane are making the route from C3A to C4 porterable. Gifford, King, Pasang Tamang and Krishna Bahadur are carrying stores from C3 to C4, but it is a long way and they have not always managed to get there, while Agnew and Fleming will be moving up to C3A tomorrow, thence to C4 on Monday 28th April. There they will be joined by Owens, Summerton, Gifford, King, Pasang Tamang and Krishna Bahadur for the final summit push. BC - 28th April 1975 We established and occupied C4 on 26/27 April and are now stocking it up before starting out for C5 tomorrow. C4 is at the top of the Nuptse Central Ridge, which is a difficult bottle neck. This it is a most important camp, particularly as it represents the conquest of the most difficult technical climbing of the route. Everyone is now fully fit and going well so we hope to be poised for a summit bid in the next two weeks provided the weather remains favorable. BC Nuptse Exped - 22 April Letter from Neil [Winship] As forecast we established C2 on Thursday 10 April and have since then been battling up the awkward first central ridge. C3 site was reached on Sat 12 but not occupied till the following day. The ridge had proved demanding since then needing a good deal of difficult technical climbing with three different pairs of climbers leading for two days at a time Jon Fleming and Crispin Agnew are now at the front bivouacked between C3 and the intended C4 site. They hope to reach the latter tomorrow, 23 April. The remainder of the expedition are either improving route, ferrying up rations or resting at BC. All our initial minor ailments are finished but we have gained a strained apex muscle and a tooth abcess, the latter needing very minor surgery today. Some pain to the poor patient Charles Walshaw. The weather had remained clement and two minor snow showers have not seriously hampered us although regretably the sky seems to cloud over most days about midday. May 1975 letter from Col JDC Peacock to MR Khanal Accident on Nuptse on 14th May 1975 Following the accident on 9 May, when two members of the expedition fell to their deaths while making the first summit attempt on Nuptse, the remaining two occupants of C7, the top camp, were withdrawn to lower camps and replaced by four fresh climbers in order to make a summit bid planned for 12 May. The plan was for all four climbers to take part in this attempt but in fact the second pair of climbers did not reach C7 until 12 May and the attempt on the summit was therefore delayed. Heavy snowfall on the night of 12 May prevented an attempt on 13 May and Major Fleming, the Expedition Leader, decided to withdraw all climbers from the mountain in order to regroup with a view to a possible final summit attempt if conditions improved. Instructions were passed by radio to the climbers at C7 to this effect on the evening of 13 May. The walkie-talkie radio at C7 was not functioning well and these instructions were relayed from the leader at C5 by myself at BC. There is no doubt that the instructions were received and understood because they were acknowledged and in the event, acted on the following day. On the morning of 14 May the four climbers were seen from BC to leave C7 in two pairs, roped together and moving one at a time. The first pair left at approx 1030 hours and the second pair, who were Brister and Pasang Tamang, left C7 at 1145 hours. C6 was not occupied but was stocked with rations and fuel; C5 was occupied; Major Flemings instructions had been first the descending climbers to reach C5 if possible. The first pair succeeded in reaching C5 late on 14 May. Although all four climbers had been seen to leave C7, cloud obscured the face of the mountain for the rest of the day so that their progress could not be followed from BC and when Brister and Pasang Tamang failed to arrive at C5 it was assumed that they had stopped at C6 and that the defective radio had prevented communication with BC or other camps. On 15 May no movement could be seen from C6 and the two tents there appeared to be heavily covered with snow. However, it was assumed at BC that in the circumstances, it waws most probable that the climbers were recuperating before continuing the descent. By mid-day however there had still been no sign of the two climbers at C6 and a search party therefore set off from C5 towards C6. During the afternoon Major Fleming returned to BC, having left C5 on 14 May. Also during the same afternoon I observed through binoculars an object lying on the hanging glacier below the traverse between C6 and C7 at an altitude of about 22,000 ft. I thought that this object could have been a body but it was not possible to confirm this and opinions of various observers was divided. At 1630 hours, on the next radio schedule, I asked observers at C4 and C5 to look at this object. It could not be seen from C5 but it was reported from C4 to be a rock and not a body. Meanwhile the search party had returned to C5, having failed to reach C6 in the limited time available. There had been no response to their shouts but in view of the distance to C6 this was not unlikely. On the evening of May 15 Major Fleming instructed two climbers from C5 to climb to C6 the following day. These two, Captains Walshaw and King, reached C6 shortly after 1600 hours on 16 May and reported that both tents were collapsed and that there was no trace of the missing climbers. It was therefore assumed that they had never reached C6 on 14 May and must have perished on the descent from C7 to C6, for some reason at present unknown. Having still seen no movement from C6 on the morning of 16 May, I made a provisional request for a helicopter to make a search. This request was confirmed as soon as it was established that the missing climbers were not at C6. C6 is at approx 23,200 ft and C7 at approx 23,500 ft. The distance between these two camps is about half mile and is a snow traverse at an average angle of about 45 to 50 degrees. There is one rock outcrop about one third of the way from C6 to C7 which is quite awkward to cross; this is about ten feet across. The traverse between C6 and C7 had been made eight times by various pairs of climbers including the first pair of climbers to leave C7 on 14 May. Brister had made the traverse successfully three times before and Pasang Tamang had made it once before to C7 in company with Brister. 17 May 75: The helicopter search has revealed that the object I saw is indeed a body. We could not find any trace of second body. We could not identify which body it is and it can not be reached one foot or recovered safely. We searched the face below and also photographed it in the hope that photos might reveal something.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2445822
Year 1975
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) central ridge of s face

Members

22 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Crispin Agnew M 1944 UK Climber Edinburgh, Scotland & Zomba, Malawi Operations officer, Royal Highland Fusilers (Captain) Details Other expeditions
Geordie P. Armstrong M 1939 UK Climber Barry, S Glamorgan, Wales Planning Engineer at St. Athan, Royal Air Force Details Other expeditions
David Brister M - UK Climber Topcliffe, N Yorkshire, England Army Intelligence Corps Details Other expeditions
P. N. (Noel) Dilly M 1935 UK Climber Greenwich, London, England Professor of structural biology at St. Georges Hospital Medical Details Other expeditions
Jonathan W. A. (Jon) Fleming M 1936 UK Leader Broadford, Skye, Scotland Major in The Parachute Regiment Details Other expeditions
Nigel Frank Gifford M 1946 UK Climber Bembridge, Isle of Wight Army Catering Corps (Captain) Details Other expeditions
Michael H. (Mike) Kefford M 1946 UK Climber High Wycombe, Buckingham, England & Dharan, Nepal Posted at British Gurkha Centre at Dharan, Nepal (Captain) Details Other expeditions
M. Timothy (Tim) King M 1945 UK Climber Childekeford, Dorset, England Instructor at Army Apprentice College, Chepstow (Captain) Details Other expeditions
Michael Patrick (Bronco) Lane M 1945 UK Climber Hereford, England 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Artillery (Corporal) Details Other expeditions
Khagendra Bahadur Limbu M - Nepal Climber Dhankuta, Kosi Zone Corporal in 7th Duke of Edinburghs Own Gurkha Rifles Details Other expeditions
A. J. (John) Muston M 1934 UK Climber Harrow, London, England Royal Army Ordinance Corps (Major) Details Other expeditions
Gerald F. (Gerry) Owens M 1937 UK Climber Worcestershire & Sherwood Foresters, England Chief instructor (Major), Joint Service Mountain Training Centre, Scot Details Other expeditions
John D. C. Peacock M 1931 UK Climber Cheltenham, Gloucester, England Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Details Other expeditions
Basant Kumar Rai M - Nepal Climber Okhaldhunga Mortar platoon, 7th Duke of Edinburgh Own Gurkha Rifles Details Other expeditions
John Henry (Brummie) Stokes M 1945 UK Climber West Wickham, Kent, England Royal Engineers, just finished as Adjutant of 22 Engineer Regiment Details Other expeditions
Pasang Tamang M - Nepal Climber Mukli Maidal, Solukhumbu 7th Duke of Edinburghs Own Gurkha Rifles Details Other expeditions
C. A. (Charles) Walshaw M - UK Climber Huddersfield, W Yorkshire, England Forward Observation Officer in Royal Artillery (Captain) Details Other expeditions
E. A. N. (Neil) Winship M - UK BC Manager Lulworth, Dorset, England 4th Royal Tank Regiment (Major) Details Other expeditions
Richard A. Summerton M 1945 UK Climber West Wickham, Kent, England Royal Engineers, Adjutant of 22 Engineer Regime (Captain) Details Other expeditions
Bhagirath Narsingh Rana M 1943 Nepal Climber Thamel, Kathmandu Major in RNA Details Other expeditions
Krishna Bahadur Karlo M - Nepal Climber - Subedar in RNA Details Other expeditions
Bishnu Bahadur M - Nepal Climber - Corporal in RNA Details Other expeditions

References

9 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
NUPT75101 AAJ Fleming, Jonathan W. - - 50:513-515 (1976) -
NUPT75101 AJ Fleming, Jon Nuptse 1975 - 81:107-115 (1976) -
NUPT75101 MM - - - 44:10 (Jul 1975) -
NUPT75101 MM Dyhrenfurth, G. O. & Dyhrenfurth, Norman Nuptse - 45:22-28 (Sep 1975) -
NUPT75101 - Stokes, Brummie Soldiers and Sherpas (2nd ed) By author, Hereford - -
NUPT75101 - Stokes, Brummie Soldiers and Sherpas Michael Joseph, London - S766
NUPT75101 DAV Fleming, Jon Nuptse-Expedition 1975 - 101:160-163 (1976) -
NUPT75101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12197651300/Asia-Nepal-Nuptse-Tragedy - - -
NUPT75101 - - https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1976_files/AJ%201976%20107-116%20Fleming%20Nuptse.pdf - - -