Sphinx | 1993 Sphinx: SE Ridge

A Japan expedition to Sphinx in 1993 via Sphinx: SE Ridge, led by Yoshio Ogata, Harbhajan Singh. Summit reached on 20th April 1993. 16 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 3047
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID SPHN93101
Peak ID SPHN
Year 1993
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 Sphinx: SE Ridge
Route 2 Pyramid: NE Ridge from Sphinx
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Japan
Leaders Yoshio Ogata, Harbhajan Singh
Sponsor Indo-Japanese Pyramid Expedition
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 3rd
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries India
Approach From Sikkim
Basecamp Date 1993-03-17
Summit Date 1993-04-20
Summit Time -
Summit Days 34
Total Days 45
Termination Date 1993-05-01
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6825
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 1600
Total Members 16
Summit Members 15
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 6
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 Pyramid Peak (PYRM-931-01)
Campsites BC(17/03,4935m),ABC(07/04,5450m),C1(11/04,5600m),C2(19/04,6700m),Smt(20/04)
Route Notes BC at Green Lake on Zemu Glacier ABC at Tent Peak Glacier C1 at Changsang Glacier C2 at just below summit of Sphinx. Note: Sphinx actually was first climbed by a 3-man party led by J. K. Cooke in 1936. The 2nd ascent was by a 3-man party led by Alfred Sutter in 1949. Pathibara (Pyramid) and Pathibara N East (Sphynx). Our joint Indo-Japanese expedition climbed these two peaks for the first time from the Sikkimese side on the northeast. They lie some 12 kilometers north of Kangchenjunga. Swiss led by Ed Wyss-Dunant had attempted them from the Nepalese side in 1949 and reached the northeast summit of Pathibara, but they were unable to reach the main summit. I led five climbers of the Himalayan Association of Japan and Harbhajan Singh led eleven members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Although base camp was first established at Green Lake on Zemu Glacier on March 17, heavy snows prevented all supplies from reaching there until April 13. Advance Base was placed at 5450 meters on the Tent Peak Glacier on April 7 after climbing an ice wall and fixing 250 meters of rope. We crossed the pass to the Changsang Glacier, fixing some rope, and placed Camp I there at 5600 meters on April 11. We climbed a tributary spur that descends to the southeast from Pathibara East and reached the crest of the summit ridge on April 17. On April 19, Camp 2 was placed just four pitches below the summit of Pathibara East (Sphynx: 6824 meters, 22,388 feet). We made the first ascent of this peak on April 20 and continued on along the northeast ridge of Pathibara. On April 22, we extended the fixed line to the col between the northeast top and the main summit. On April 24, Japanese Hiroshi Iwazaki, Nobuhiro Shingo and I and Indians Jot Singh Bhundari, Sunder Sing Martolia, Lopsang Sherpa and Purba Lepcha climbed to the summit of Pathibara (Pyramid; 7123 meters, 23,369 feet), followed on April 26 by Japanese Masanori Suzuki, Kazuaki Hirata and Indian Hira Ram. The route from C2 was a mixture of steep ice slopes and a traverse along a knife-edge that demanded technical skill. We climbed along the Changsang Glacier side of the knife-edged summit ridge. The seven pitches from the northeast peak to the top were the crux of the climb. Also on the 26th, Harbhajan Singh, A. S. Rawat, Chhoda Tshering, Durban Sing and Perna Kumar Gurung followed the first three but due to a sudden change of weather, they could not continue to the main peak. They climbed the northeast peak (c.7000 meters, 22,966 ft). A photograph and a map appear in Iwa To Yuki of August 1993.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route True
Primary Member True
Primary Reference True
Primary ID PYRM93101
Checksum 2452666
Year 1993
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) sphinx: se ridge

Members

16 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Chhodda Tshering M - India Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Durban Singh M - India Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Singh Bhundari M - India Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Lobsang Sherpa M - India Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Hira Ram Singh M 1963 India Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Harbhajan Singh M 1956 India Co-Leader Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India Assistant Commandant Indo-Tibetan Border Police Details Other expeditions
Yoshio Ogata M 1948 Japan Co-Leader Tokyo, Japan Director of The Himalayan Association of Japan Details Other expeditions
Nobuhiro Shingo M 1943 Japan Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Hiroshi Iwazaki M - Japan Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Masanori Suzuki M - Japan Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Kazuaki Hirata M - Japan Climber - - Details Other expeditions
A. S. Rawat M - India Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Sunder Singh Martolia M 1946 India Climber Bageshwar, UP, India ITBP subinspector Details Other expeditions
Purna Kumar Gurung M - India Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Phurba Lepcha M - India Climber - Sikkim Police, Constable Details Other expeditions
R. Mukerji M - India Exp Doctor - - Details Other expeditions

References

0 recorded references.