Tawoche | 1989 NE Pillar (to 5500m)

A UK expedition to Tawoche in 1989 via NE Pillar (to 5500m), led by David Etherington. Summit reached on 11th December 1989. 4 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 406
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID TAWO89401
Peak ID TAWO
Year 1989
Season 4
Host Country 1
Route 1 NE Pillar (to 5500m)
Route 2 N Face (to 5350m)
Route 3 E Ridge up; SE Face down
Route 4 SE Face
Nationality UK
Leaders David Etherington
Sponsor British Winter Taboche Expedition
Success 1 False
Success 2 False
Success 3 True
Success 4 True
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 7th
Ascent 4 8th
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries W Germany
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1989-11-20
Summit Date 1989-12-11
Summit Time 1245
Summit Days 21
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6495
Traverse True
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 0
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 4
Summit Members 4
Member Deaths 0
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 Climbed Lobuche East (LOBE-894-01) and Pokalde
Campsites BC(20/11,4250m),ABC(26/11,5060m),Smt(11,18/12)
Route Notes BC across river from Pheriche at Na Wagla ABC between 5096m and 5110m on Schneider map. Attempted NE Buttress first, got to 5500m on 4th Dec by Etherington and Schneider in 3-day attempt from ABC on 2nd Dec. Abandoned this route because of slow progress in deep powder snow. Back to BC on 5th Dec. At same time other two members made attempts on North Face twice and got to 5350m on 2nd attempt on 6th Dec; turned back by extreme cold and wind slab. 7th Dec Etherington and Schneider from BC to ABC for attempt on E Ridge (same as British 1988 Duff); 9th Dec 3:20 am from ABC and reached 5600m on ridge; 10th to 6140m where bived next to crevasse on glacier. 11th 8:30 am left without gear and got to top via bad wind slab on summit ridge at 12:45 pm and back to last biv 3:30 pm and 12th to BC via SE Face near Japanese Couloir same day. 12th Dec Chippendale and Emerson left BC and went to lake underneath SE Face. 13th back to BC because of heavy snow previous day. 15th to same point 5172m. 16th climbed SE Face to 5700m where biv on ledge too small (Emerson too cramped and moved up). 17th went into Japanese Couloir (climbed Japanese 1985 route probably) and reached Japanese biv at 6140m when found nut from Etherington's ice axe. 18th climbed summit pyramid by slightly different route from others descent route; got to 10m below summit (as did others) via summit ridge (on East Ridge) (didn't go up last 10m because of unnecessary great risk - would have been fatal to climb from wind slab) at 11:30 am and down same route to last biv. 19th to BC. Lobuche East climbed by Etherington and Schneider. Left BC 16th Dec; one night in Lobuche village; 17th to base of E Face couloir; 18th climbed from biv at 5200m up couloir and reached top of mountain at 4:00 pm and to biv at 5300m on normal route; 19th back in BC. 22nd other two left BC to try Lobuche East and got to 5200m; 23rd to bottom of couloir 5400m where exhausted and back down. Pokalde climbed by Etherington; left BC 22nd at 5:15 am and reached 11:00 am via normal on North Ridge and down to Namche where joined Schneider; other 2 arrived 24th Dec in time for Xmas. "Alpine style, clean, fast and light" says Emerson.
Accidents Nothing serious
Achievement 1st ascent of E Ridge; 1st British and German to summit
Agency Unknown
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2451436
Year 1989
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) ne pillar (to 5500m)

Members

4 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Roger Anthony Chippendale M 1965 UK Climber Great Harwood, Lancashire, England Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
Richard Emerson M 1963 UK Climber Haig-Standish, Lancashire, England Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
David Etherington M 1966 UK Leader Blackburn, Lancashire, England Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
Joerg Schneider M 1956 W Germany Exp Doctor Blaustein, Baden-Wuerttemburg, W Germany Physician Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
TAWO89401 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 64:237 (1990) -
TAWO89401 MM - - - 132:10 (Mar 1990) -
TAWO89401 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199023701/Asia-Nepal-Tawoche-Lobuje-East-and-Pokalde-Winter-Ascents - - -