French climber Alasdair McKenzie, assisted by a team of Sherpa climbers, has made a history summit of Cho Oyu (8,188m) from Nepal side during the spring season.
Gelje Sherpa, who made three previous failed attempts to open route from Nepal side, guided the team to success on the sixth highest peak of the world. Cho Oyu, which stradles Nepal China border, is usually climbed from Tibet side. This historic ascent of the French-Nepali team is expected to open up opportunity for climbers for commercial Cho Oyu expedition from Nepal side.
“We reached the summit of Cho Oyu,” Gelje Sherpa told Everest Chronicle from the top in a satellite phone conversation. The team reached the summit at 8.35PM this evening.
Gelje Sherpa led the rope fixing team, while Chhangba Sherpa, Tenjing Gyaljen Sherpa, Lakpa Temba Sherpa, Lakpa Tenji Sherpa and Ngima Ongda Sherpa were the other climbers of the team.
Rakesh Gurung, Director at the Departmment of Tourism, confirmed the historic summit. “This marks a new era in mountaineering, which opens up opportunity for climbers from Nepal side,” he told Everest Chronicle.
The team climed from South West Ridge or Thame side. According to expedition organizer Seven Summit Treks, the team started at 2 am from Camp IV (7200m). It is about 900m elevation from here to the summit. It took the team over 18 hours to reach the top.
In 2022, Gejle team had also tried climbing Cho Oyu from Gokyo side. The team could not go beyond 7,400m. In his next attempt, he had made it up to 7,600m from Thame side.
Cho Oyu was first summited in 1954 by Herbert Tichy, Sepp Joechler, and Pasang Dawa Sherpa from Tibet side. The last successful climb from Nepal side was in 2009 by Russian climbers Denis Urubko and Boris Dedeshko. It has never been developed as commercial route due to vertical walls rising thousands of meters along the way.
“This route is extremely difficult to climb. This is going to be the route for commecial expedition, but not for all climbers,” Gelje told Everest Chronicle, when he was resting at Lukla.
The team had reached 7,625m on May 30, but were forced to turn back due to shortage of rope. On June 4, with all preparations in place, the team once again set off on their summit push from the base camp.
Seven Summit Treks organised the expedition as Alasdair, who is on a mission to summit all 14 eight-thousanders, did not get visa for China to climb Shishapangma and Cho Oyu. Then the plan changed to attempt summiting Cho Oyu from Nepal side, a challenging but significant undertaking.
Cho Oyu is Alasdair’s 13th eight-thousander. Alasdair is turning 20 on May 20. He has become the youngest climber to summit 13 eight-thousanders.
