Pumori | 1988 SW Ridge from W

A Iceland expedition to Pumori in 1988 via SW Ridge from W, led by Porsteinn Gudjonsson. Summit reached on 18th October 1988. 4 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 853
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID PUMO88304
Peak ID PUMO
Year 1988
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 SW Ridge from W
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Iceland
Leaders Porsteinn Gudjonsson
Sponsor Anglo-Icelandic Pumori 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 UK
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1988-10-02
Summit Date 1988-10-18
Summit Time -
Summit Days 16
Total Days 20
Termination Date 1988-10-22
Termination Reason 6
Termination Notes Abandoned at 6400m due to disappearance of climbers
High Point (m) 6400
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 1
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 4
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 2
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
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(02/10,5300m),C1(09/10,5800m),xxx(18/10,6400m)
Route Notes BC at west side of Kalapattar above Changri Shar Glacier C1 at plateau in upper Changri Shar Glacier. Planned biv at 6600m with one very long day to this biv on 60-degree ice (no place for camp) and then go for summit next day. Giersson active in load carrying and overdid it: was coughing blood, left expedition 14th Oct and went to Paris hospital, where found had a fractured rib. By now had fixed all ropes they had (400m) from 5850m to 6000m on very steep ice gullies with rock below the 60-degree ice face to ridge. (Aisthorpe went to Pheriche on 16th sick with gastric flu and message sent by him from HRA post to BC saying they should carry on without him). 2 remaining left BC on 17th for summit bid; were seen from BC by sirdar, cook and LO on 18th late morning moving up ice slope above fixed ropes. Last seen 2:00 pm 18th moving together at 6400m, then moved behind serac and never seen again. 19th 8:00 am Aisthorpe arrived at BC and spent day waiting for them to appear. On 20th he got up at 4:00 am and went to C1 to have a look, arrived at C1 expecting find them there but no sign of them there or above on route and did same on 21st. "No doubt bodies are in bergschrund." On 21st also walked around under SE Face to look. Not feasible for him to climb above C1 because of crevasses. Pair must have fallen roped together. Aisthorpe's highest point was about 6000m at top of fixed ropes. No chance others reached summit because route above serac clearly visible from BC (could well have been behind it an hour and then emerged back into view). Highest possible point for them to have reached without having been seen would be 6550m. Australian Jeffery Williams reported seeing pair on summit afternoon of Oct 19 (AAJ). Report Searching the Body Four of us started to searching the bodies on 5th June. We arrived in Lobuche and spend over night there. The next morning we started at 7am and arrived at Gorak Shep within 1 and 1/2 hours. We set our camp at Gorak Shep and make a day tour all around the icefall and crampons. We were searching there for couple of days. Our detail route as given with a rough map. Well first of all we had been to base camp and looking all around the ice fall, same day we climbed Kalapattar. The day was clear so we have had good view of both side of mtns and due icefall and crampons, but there is no sign of bodies, so we came back to camp that day. Next day we had been climbing the black rock which is more higher. Accident Report Anglo-Icelandic Pumori Expedition 1988 The Anglo-Icelandic Pumori Expedition established a base camp at west of Kalapattar, the site used by the 1986 New Zealand Expedition. From 4th to 13th Oct, members established and carried loads to a high camp at approx. 5800m on the Upper Changri Shar Glacier. We also fixed about 400m of rope on steep ice and mixed ground on the West Face. Porsteinn, Gudjonnson, Kristinn Runarsson and Steve Aisthorpe all spent two nights at the high camp and two days fixing ropes. On 4th October Jon Giersson had begun to develop pains in the chest and now, after talking with doctors at the Himalayan Rescue Association post in Pheriche, he decided to return to Paris. He left base camp on 14th Oct and we all spent the night together with Porsteinn. I began to develop sysmtoms of gastric flu. On 16th Oct I descended to Pheriche to speak to the doctor about this. As the doctor suggested that it would be 4-7 days before I would recover. I sent a message with Ang Nuru, our sirdar, suggesting that Porsteinn and Kristinn should continue climbing without me On receiving this message on the morning of the 17th Oct, they left base camp at 10 am with intention of going to high camp that day, leaving the camp at midnight, ascending the fixed ropes, climbing together up ice to reach the SW Ridge at about 6700m, bivouacing there, then going for the summit on the 19th, then descending the West Face by asceil. The took from the high camp 2100 ropes, 10 screws, 6 gas cylinders, sleeping bags, down clothing, bivi bags and food. On 18th Oct, while I was still in Pheriche recovering from gastric flu, Ang Nuru and Phu Dorje, watched Porsteinn and Kristinn through a camera with a telephone lens. They made steady program and were moving together. They were last seen at about 2 pm, when they disappeared from view behind a serac at about 6400m. They did not reappear into view the that day. I arrived in base camp at about 8 am on 19th Oct and waited expectantly for the two figures to appear on the ridge and climbed to the summit. Nobody appeared from above the serac that day. On 20th Oct I left base camp at 4:30 am and climbed to the high camp. There was however no sign of them in high camp. From the C1 I had clear view of the route, but there was not sign of life. I went back to base camp and went, in the afternoon, with Ang Nuru around to below the SE Face, but there was nothing to see on the afternoon of 20th Oct. I sent a message to the officer in charge at Namche Bazar police post requesting that he radio the following message to Kathmandu; "To Mountain Travel. Please send helicopter to Gorak Shep immediately - 2 members missing." On 21st Oct I woke at 4 am and again climbed to the high camp. I searched the Upper Changri Shar Glacier as far as possible, but found nothing. I then descended to Gorak Shep and waited for a helicopter. I also spent the 22nd Oct, waiting in Gorak Shep for a helicopter. When it didn't arrive I sent our Liaison Officer, Mr Bal Krishna Shrestha, with the same message as before to Namche Bazar. I spent 23rd Oct waiting expectantly for the helicopter in Gorak Shep. On 24th Oct at 11 am a helicopter arrived in Gorak Shep. The pilot explained that the reason for the delay was that there was a policy of not making helicopters available for searching - only for rescue. After some persuasion, the pilot took me on a search above the Changri Shar Glacier and spiralled up the West Face to about 6000m. We could not safely climb any higher. I could see no traces of Porsteinn, Kristinn or their equipment. It seemed certain that they had fallen from about 6500m on 18th Oct and that there bodies now lay in the complex bergschrund at the foot of the face. As I was the only remaining climber in the area and none of the our base camp Sherpas were equipped or experienced enough to venture serious risk to my own life. The crevasses on the Upper Changri Shar Glacier had opened up considerably during the last week and for me to move around on the glacier after the sun had begun to soften the snow bridges was very dangerous. After six very cold nights and a small snowfall, it seemed certain that any searching was for bodies only and, as such, further searches by myself seemed unjustifiable. I returned to Kathmandu with the helicopter and tried to contact Jon Giersson and Anna Lara Fredrickdottir from the Mountain Travel Office. Eventually, at about 10 pm local time I spoke with Bjorn, Anna's husband and President of the Icelandic Alpine Club. I gave as much information as possible about what had happened to Porsteinn and Kristinn. On 25th Oct I spoke with Kristinn's father on the telephone and related the above incidents in as much detail as possible. In my opinion Porsteinn and Kristinn died on 18th Oct as a result of a fall down the steep rock and ice of the West Face of Pumori. Their bodies lie in the bergschrund at the foot of the face. I am a committed Christian and have committed them into God's care. Note: The bodies of Runarsson and Gudjonsson were discovered at the bottom of a glacier in November 2018 by an American climber.
Accidents Giersson sick and left early
Achievement -
Agency Mountain Travel
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2450881
Year 1988
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) sw ridge from w

Members

4 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Stephen Mark (Steve) Aisthorpe M 1963 UK Climber Kincraig, Inverness, Scotland Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
Jon Geirsson M 1963 Iceland Climber Gardabae, Iceland Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Porsteinn Gudjonsson M 1961 Iceland Leader Reykjavik, Iceland Alpine guide & tour guide Details Other expeditions
Kristinn Runarsson M 1961 Iceland Climber Reykjavik, Iceland Computer programmer Details Other expeditions

References

6 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
PUMO88304 AAJ Aisthorpe, Stephen - - 63:205-206 (1989) -
PUMO88304 HJ Aisthorpe, Steve Anglo-Icelandic Pumori Expedition, 1988 - 46:154-155 (1988-1989) -
PUMO88304 MM - - - 125:12 (Jan 1989) -
PUMO88304 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198920504/Asia-Nepal-Pumori-Tragedy - - -
PUMO88304 - - https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/46/22/expeditions-and-notes-46/ - - -
PUMO88304 - - https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/10/asia/himalayas-iceland-mountaineers-bodies-found-intl/index.html - - -