Tilicho | 1983 N Face-N Ridge

A S Korea expedition to Tilicho in 1983 via N Face-N Ridge, led by Lee Yong-Ho. Summit reached on 11th December 1983. 4 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 154
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID TILI83401
Peak ID TILI
Year 1983
Season 4
Host Country 1
Route 1 N Face-N Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality S Korea
Leaders Lee Yong-Ho
Sponsor Korean Alpine Guide Association Tilicho Peak Expedition
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 10th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1983-11-26
Summit Date 1983-12-11
Summit Time 1030
Summit Days 15
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 7134
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 0
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 4
Summit Members 2
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 -
Campsites LowBC(26/11,4200m),BC(05/12,4800),Biv1(07/12,5700m),Biv2(08/12,6100m),Biv3(09/12,6500m),Biv4(10/12,7000m),Smt(11/12)
Route Notes Low BC east of Tilicho Lake on west side of lake. On 10 Dec Kim got altitude sickness and Lee descended with him to 6500m biv. On 11 Dec Yoon and Jang 4th biv to top and down to 3rd biv where joined Lee and Kim. On 12 Dec all 4 men to BC. Swiss route too much soft snow and N Ridge very long with broken rock, so went to big steep 900m high couloir of snow and ice. Had little supply of fixed rope and used little if any. Approach to low BC very steep and dangerous. Had to cut steps and some porters refused to go this BC but there is firewood. To high BC difficult to find route and very steep and rolling stones. Tilicho Lake was frozen and could walk across it. Report of Climbing Tilicho by Leader Lee Yong-Ho On November 19, we set out for Tilicho. It was Nov 24 when we passed through the last village of Manang, where we had found all the way from Kanshara to Low BC being destroyed badly as there had been no one who passed the way until we got there. We had to fix them up. It was really hard work and we felt like exhausted all our energy there, moreover we had to have porters move all the way by the help of ropes. We got to Low BC 4200m high on Nov 26. There all the porters gave up and went back. Only seven persons were left, we four alpinishts, a region officer, an old sardar and a kitchen boy. Now what we got to do from now on have to be done by ourselves. On Nov 27 we began to transfer our cargo up to Tilicho Lake. It took five days to cross the lake and to get to the high BC which is very start line of our climbing. It was Dec 5 that we could finish transferring all our cargo. It was really hard work because of no high land porter to help us and even an old sardar and region officer did not give us any help, but only the kitchen boy assisted us for three days before we get to Tilicho Lake. It is in fact really more than we can explain how hard we worked. We were tired and we had to take rest whole day on Dec 6. Next day we left the base camp for climbing the last course. We did not take the route many foreign climbers sued to try, but the virgin route which nobody has ever tried before. It was the route of great couloir, between North Ridge and NW Ridge. We began to climb on Dec 7. Length of the route to the peak is 1100m of 50 degrees slope which was made of ice, snow and rocks and yet must of all were covered with thick snow. We were always facing the very danger of falling rocks and ice. Dec 7 is the first day of our climbing. We bivoucked at the upper part of couloir. Next day we were away from couloir and got to the North Ridge. We went 400m ahead of knife ridge, where we bivouaced again. It is 6100m high there. On Dec 9, we kept on climbing and could get to the crossing point of North Ridge and NW Ridge. It took three days for us to reach there. It was the last place that we bivouacked. On Dec 10, all members tried to attack the peak with light equipments and some clothes, but unfortunately he had to give it up and go down because of mountain sickness. I had to go down together to help him. Only two alpinists, Bong-Wan Jang and Dae-Pyo Yun were left there and kept attacking the peak. They bivouacked at the point of 7000m high. Next morning they went around great cornice to attack the peak. At 10:30 at last they conquered the peak. Team corporation, strong determination and patience brought us the result of success. The peak was rather milder and wider than we thought. They felt as if they could see all the Himalaya in one sight. Wonderful! Wonderful! There is no word to explain. But after thirty minutes severe winter wind forced them to withdraw down to the point of 6600m high, where I and all members were waiting for them. On Dec 12, we withdrew there and got to the high BC on Dec 13. Our expedition was done successfully. During this expedition we have experienced many difficulties because of the limitation of our expenditure, however we were quite satisfied with the fact that we could conqer the virgin peak through the route nobody ever tried before. We called the route as "Korean Couloir."
Accidents No accidents or avalanches; Kim's altitude illness passed quickly
Achievement -
Agency Sherpa Cooperative Trekking (SCT)
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2449283
Year 1983
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) n face-n ridge

Members

4 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Bong-Wan Jang M 1952 S Korea Climber Seoul, S Korea Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Young-Woon Kim M 1963 S Korea Climber Kuke Yeub, Jeollanam, S Korea University student of physical education Details Other expeditions
Yong-Ho Lee M 1952 S Korea Leader Kwang Myung, Seoul, S Korea Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Dae-Pyo Yoon M 1952 S Korea Climber Seoul, S Korea Alpine guide Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
TILI83401 AAJ Guha, Kamal K. - - 58:259-260 (1984) -
TILI83401 MM - - - 96:12 (Mar 1984) -
TILI83401 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198425904/Asia-Nepal-Tilitso-Winter-Ascent - - -