Nuptse West II | 1997 W Face-NW Smt

A Slovenia expedition to Nuptse West II in 1997 via W Face-NW Smt, led by Tomaz Humar. Summit reached on 31st October 1997. 9 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 9745
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID NUPW97301
Peak ID NUPW
Year 1997
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 W Face-NW Smt
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Slovenia
Leaders Tomaz Humar
Sponsor Slovenian Expedition to Pumori and Nuptse 1997
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 7th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Mexico
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1997-10-26
Summit Date 1997-10-31
Summit Time -
Summit Days 5
Total Days 8
Termination Date 1997-11-03
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes Summited NW Summit (then abandoned due to fatal accident)
High Point (m) 7732
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 3
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 9
Summit Members 2
Member Deaths 1
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 Climbed Lobuche East (LOBE-973-01) and Pumori (PUMO-973-07)
Campsites ABC(26/10,5200m),Biv1(27/10,5900m),Biv2(28/10,6300m),Biv3(29/10,6700m),NW-Smt(31/10)
Route Notes ABC at glacier south of point 5344m on National Geographic map Biv at 5900m on West Face Biv at 6300m on West Face Biv at 6700m on West Face High point at Nuptse West II Peak (top of West Face). 19-25 Oct very bad weather: very strong wind, snowing and avalanching then calm weather. 3 members and sirdar to Nuptse with sirdar to help carry to glacier; Kovac had health problem and return to BC on 27th. Same day Humar and Jeglic started up West Face at 7:00 am and seracs took 4 hours to work way through to bottom face and reached 1st biv at 3:00 pm at 5900m, below which was very hard ice. Had taken food and fuel for 10 days (but fuel did not last). 28th at 11:00 am started again in wind and snow avalanche over them and fog - gained 400 vertical meters and biv in overhanging crevasse but wind battered the tent and again almost no sleep. 29th 8:00 am started up on mixed rock and ice and through small couloir; at 3:30 pm at 6700m and biv there with blocks of thin ice and rocks. All time soloed with no belays just fixed ropes. Again bad weather at night with wind - torn tent and new snow falling. 30th spent day cooking and fixing tent; started climbing 31st at 4:00 am with idea would pust till 2:00 pm and then turn back; very light loads now, some drinks and chocolates; at 7100m at 8:00 - 30 degree C and wind; at 7500m 2 members last met at 11:30 am and very cold and stopped briefly here; Jeglic went up first and new storm of terrible winds and he reached 7742m and had traversed slightly onto south side; very bad sugar snow and when Humar at 2:15 pm reached place where Jeglic had stayed at small place at 7732m from where he would have fallen 2500m in sheer drop on South Face. This place was end of climb because both had reached summit called Nuptse West II (7732m) and by mistake Jeglic had gone on beyond and Humar wanted to call him back. Did not go to main summit (stopped perhaps 300m point to point from main summit). 3:00 pm Humar started descent and reached 7100m when started to be dark and battery almost dead but had to keep moving, went wrong, lost his way but about midnight found tent; at 2:00 am on 1st candle caused fuel to explode; Humar not hurt. 1st 12:15 pm started descent and some ice seracs hit his head (had discarded helmet because of weight) but not seriously injured; down to 5400m hoping Kovak to join him and came at 1:00 am and helped to reach glacier; waited because did not want to risk descent in dark. Porters carried him down with 4 frozen toes (may lose ends). "Very happy" with team and "of course" with this climb which was much more difficult than Bobaye and higher than Bobaye. The 7732m peak reached was same as that reached by Germans in aut 1989 via NW Ridge, which forms left-hand border of Slovenes West Face. 9 Nov 97 - Humar had "dreamt" of summiting main peak of Nuptse and making traverse down either Bonington South Face route on Scott North Face route. Had expected Nuptse to be climbed by 2 pairs of members, Carsolio with Humar and Kovac with Jeglic, but Carsolio thought West Face too dangerous in such weather conditions and Kovac dropped out on last night before push up face because he had pain in a lung, so only 2 men remained for climb. They did no belays because that would have slowed them down too much; on 2000m face you have to quite fast, with avalanching taking place. Jeglic reached peak West II first (Humar found his footprints) and slightly beyond and 2m below it, then apparent by wind belew him off balance and down 2500m of hard ice and overhanging rock. Jeglic was Europe's best ice climber in terms of both speed and technical ability; did 4 new route in Patagonia. Humar was able to descend W Face alone and without fixed ropes in place because he had 2 ice axes and had great concentration and understanding of what had to be done. "If you are pushed and you want to survive, everything is possible." Humar had an "obsession" about Nuptse's West Face, which he describes as "gorgeous." Only walls/faces really interest him except great traverses like Nuptse West II to main summit or like Lhotse-Lhotse Intermediate-Lhotse Shar; he can't explain why walls appeal to him as "something really special" but they clearly do as he looks at photos of Nuptse West Face - and speaks of his idea for scaling Makalu's West Face and for a fast ascent in the month of March up middle of Dhaulagiri I's "gorgeous" South Face. BC-Nepal-Mountaineering Slovenian Climber Dies after Historic Ascent By Elizabeth Hawley Kathmandu, November 3 (Reuters) - A Slovenian mountaineer died on Oct 31 in a fall while descending fom the first ascent of an extremely difficult feature of an Nepalese Himalayan peak, Nepal's tourism ministry announced today. The climber, Janez Jeglic, 36-year-old mountain guide from Domzale, Slovenia, gained the 7855-meter summit of Mt. Nuptse, a close neighbour of Mount Everest, at 2:15 pm. on Oct 31, the ministry reported, and was followed to the top fifteen minutes later by the leader of this small team, Tomaz Humar, 28, an electrician from Kamnik. They had succeeded in reaching Nuptse's summit by a feature that no other mountaineers had ever attempted, its formidable west face. Others who have studied this face have declared it impossible to ascend. During his descent, Jeglic disappeared and is believed by Humar to have been blown off balance by fierce winds and fallen down the south face, another extremely difficult side of Nuptse. Humar himself managed to return safely to base camp at about 5100m on Nov 2. Slovenian mountaineers are well known for succeeding on daring and demanding climbing routes, and a number of their best alpinists have died while doing so. Jeglic was married and had two daughters.
Accidents Kovac slightly sick; Humar frostbitten toes may lose ends, slight head wounds; Jeglic disappeared
Achievement 1st ascent of W Face in 1st attempt
Agency Wilderness Experience
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2452975
Year 1997
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) w face-nw smt

Members

9 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Tomaz Humar M 1969 Slovenia Leader Kamnik, Slovenia Electrician Details Other expeditions
Vinko Bercic-Cenko M 1959 Slovenia Deputy Leader Kamnik, Slovenia Wood technician Details Other expeditions
Carlos Miguel Carsolio Larrea M 1962 Mexico Climber Mexico City, Mexico Motivational speaker & outdoor leadership trainer Details Other expeditions
Janez Jeglic M 1961 Slovenia Climber Domzale, Slovenia Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Damjan Kocar M 1973 Slovenia Climber Kamnik, Slovenia Carpenter Details Other expeditions
Franc Kokakj M 1959 Slovenia Exp Doctor Straza, Slovenia Physician Details Other expeditions
Marjan Kovac M 1964 Slovenia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia Civil engineer Details Other expeditions
Franc Osolnik M 1947 Slovenia Climber Kamnik, Slovenia Technician Details Other expeditions
Viktor Tersoglav M 1959 Slovenia Climber Blejska Dobrava, Slovenia Veterinarian Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
NUPW97301 AAJ Humar, Tomaz Nuptse's West Face - 72:4-10 (1998) -
NUPW97301 AAJ - - - 72:311 (1998) -
NUPW97301 HIGH - - - 182:32 (Jan 1998) -
NUPW97301 HIGH - - - 188:17-22 (Jul 1998) -
NUPW97301 - McDonald, Bernadette Tomaz Humar Hutchinson, London - -
NUPW97301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199831100/Asia-Nepal-Lobuche-East-Pumori-and-Nuptse-Ascents-and-Tragedy - - -
NUPW97301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199800400/Nuptses-West-Face - - -