Himalayan Database (EVER-833-07) The 12-member French team was led by Yannick Seigneur and Patrick Barthe. The strong party intended to traverse Everest via West Ridge (ascent) and NE Ridge (descent). From the Tibetan side, without oxygen and without high altitude camps. Base camp was established on 14th Sept at 5300m on the Central Rongbuk Glacier. The steep firm buttress leading to the W Ridge (7100m) had been fixed with rope. On 8th Oct, the first summit team of Gallet, Fargeas, Seigneur bivouacked at 7100m and 7500m, turning from the W Ridge (Yugoslav route) to the Hornbein Couloir, reaching in 3 days the high point of 8200m (C6 of the last American expedition). Bad weather and exhaustion forced them to retreat. From 14th to 19th Oct Escoffier and Schaffter repeated the attack, sleeping two nights at 8200m. Strong winds made further progress impossible, Thereafter heavy weather made the climb dangerous. However Gallet, Seigneur and Koenig started the last attempt, but they could reach only the height of 8000m. Strong wintery winds, bad weather, exhaustion and frostbite of team members made them abandon the expedition. The conditions during the whole trip were unfavourable. Addendum from Bruno Gallet, February 2022 Patrick Barthe stayed in the BC the whole time of the expedition. Schaffter and Escoffier did most of the task for equipping the route with fixed rope (North spur of the West shoulder, etc…). Bivouac 1 (7100m) was located below the West Shoulder. Bivouac 2 (7500m) was located further up, at a little col down to the West Ridge climbed by the Slovenians in 1979. During the first attempt (from 8 to 13 October), Gallet, Fargeas and Seigneur reached a high point of circa 8200m on the 10th of October, digging in the ice to build a platform for a future campsite. That campsite was roughly located at a pitch length down to the Yellow Band’s start - same as Americans’ C5 (EVER-833-03). As they got taken by a storm during the descent, Seigneur incited them to dig a hole in the snow to get a shelter. The third attempt (the last of the expedition, after the second one of Schaffter and Escoffier) involved Seigneur, Koenig, Fargeas and Gallet. Fargeas and Koenig abandoned above the second bivouac (7500m), at some point in the traverse towards the Hornbein’s start. Only Seigneur and Gallet went further up into the proper Hornbein couloir. As they reached the same high point as the first attempt (8200m), Gallet, still feeling in a good shape, continued. Seigneur not being able to go further up anymore, let Gallet continue up alone for a while. The latter first reached the Yellow Band, then continued alone for a few pitches in there, using the remnants of fixed ropes left by a prior expedition (Japanese?). As he reached about 8360-8380m within the Yellow Band, Seigneur called him from below by his given name (the first time during the whole expedition), begging him to come back down. Knowing his chances alone without oxygen were too scarce, Gallet chose to abandon and joined back his companion, who had started to go down in-between. Late in the afternoon, the duet joined Fargeas and Koenig at the 7500m bivouac, where the quartet would suffer a severe storm during the night. Seigneur and Gallet slept in separate tents of the USA team, whereas the other two slept in the same tent. The next morning, the latter was tattered, since Fargeas and Koenig had imprudently tied their crampons to the tent pole. Seigneur and Gallet found them still lying in their sleeping bags, both rather incoherent and not wanting to come back down. Seigneur, who had already faced a similar situation, forced them to do so, fearing them to die in situ. Helping them to walk back down the fresh powder of the west ridge was a hard task to manage for Seigneur and Gallet. Koenig lost his ice axe 4 or 5 times, which Gallet had each time to take back from 20m below. Fargeas thought to be in a pub, asking Seigneur at some stage “Would you be ok for a beer?”. The arrival of the quatuor in the Base Camp is shown at the end of Afanasieff’s movie.
Himalayan Database (EVER-833-07)
The 12-member French team was led by Yannick Seigneur and Patrick Barthe. The strong party intended to traverse Everest via West Ridge (ascent) and NE Ridge (descent). From the Tibetan side, without oxygen and without high altitude camps. Base camp was established on 14th Sept at 5300m on the Central Rongbuk Glacier. The steep firm buttress leading to the W Ridge (7100m) had been fixed with rope.
On 8th Oct, the first summit team of Gallet, Fargeas, Seigneur bivouacked at 7100m and 7500m, turning from the W Ridge (Yugoslav route) to the Hornbein Couloir, reaching in 3 days the high point of 8200m (C6 of the last American expedition). Bad weather and exhaustion forced them to retreat.
From 14th to 19th Oct Escoffier and Schaffter repeated the attack, sleeping two nights at 8200m. Strong winds made further progress impossible, Thereafter heavy weather made the climb dangerous. However Gallet, Seigneur and Koenig started the last attempt, but they could reach only the height of 8000m. Strong wintery winds, bad weather, exhaustion and frostbite of team members made them abandon the expedition. The conditions during the whole trip were unfavourable.
Addendum from Bruno Gallet, February 2022
Patrick Barthe stayed in the BC the whole time of the expedition.
Schaffter and Escoffier did most of the task for equipping the route with fixed rope (North spur of the West shoulder, etc…).
Bivouac 1 (7100m) was located below the West Shoulder.
Bivouac 2 (7500m) was located further up, at a little col down to the West Ridge climbed by the Slovenians in 1979.
During the first attempt (from 8 to 13 October), Gallet, Fargeas and Seigneur reached a high point of circa 8200m on the 10th of October, digging in the ice to build a platform for a future campsite. That campsite was roughly located at a pitch length down to the Yellow Band’s start - same as Americans’ C5 (EVER-833-03). As they got taken by a storm during the descent, Seigneur incited them to dig a hole in the snow to get a shelter.
The third attempt (the last of the expedition, after the second one of Schaffter and Escoffier) involved Seigneur, Koenig, Fargeas and Gallet. Fargeas and Koenig abandoned above the second bivouac (7500m), at some point in the traverse towards the Hornbein’s start. Only Seigneur and Gallet went further up into the proper Hornbein couloir. As they reached the same high point as the first attempt (8200m), Gallet, still feeling in a good shape, continued. Seigneur not being able to go further up anymore, let Gallet continue up alone for a while. The latter first reached the Yellow Band, then continued alone for a few pitches in there, using the remnants of fixed ropes left by a prior expedition (Japanese?). As he reached about 8360-8380m within the Yellow Band, Seigneur called him from below by his given name (the first time during the whole expedition), begging him to come back down. Knowing his chances alone without oxygen were too scarce, Gallet chose to abandon and joined back his companion, who had started to go down in-between.
Late in the afternoon, the duet joined Fargeas and Koenig at the 7500m bivouac, where the quartet would suffer a severe storm during the night. Seigneur and Gallet slept in separate tents of the USA team, whereas the other two slept in the same tent. The next morning, the latter was tattered, since Fargeas and Koenig had imprudently tied their crampons to the tent pole. Seigneur and Gallet found them still lying in their sleeping bags, both rather incoherent and not wanting to come back down. Seigneur, who had already faced a similar situation, forced them to do so, fearing them to die in situ. Helping them to walk back down the fresh powder of the west ridge was a hard task to manage for Seigneur and Gallet. Koenig lost his ice axe 4 or 5 times, which Gallet had each time to take back from 20m below. Fargeas thought to be in a pub, asking Seigneur at some stage “Would you be ok for a beer?”. The arrival of the quatuor in the Base Camp is shown at the end of Afanasieff’s movie.