West-Wall of Manasul

West Wall of MANASLU 1971

by Akira Takahasi

Manaslu 8,156m（26,759feet) was the first eight thousander in the Himalayas climbed by japanese (Japanese Alpine Club) under the leadership of Mr. Y. Maki in 1956 after 2 previous attempts (1953 and 1954) from the East side. Then Japanese mountaineers climbed Himal Chuli (1960), Peak 29 (Dakura, 1970) and Baudhha (1970 and 1971) one by one and once at least they brought the era of the first ascents of the so-called "Manaslu Three Giants" to a period.
But the West side of Manaslu has been considered impossible without wings by Mr. H.W. Tilman who saw it from afar and the Manaslu Reconnaissance Party of japanese Alpine Club (1952) leader by Dr. K. Imanishi.
This year we had planned to find a route on the West-Wall and make the second ascent of the peak, descended the East side which was climbed by the Japanese Expedition in 1956.
The West side face, exactly the North-West Wall is a 3,800m(12,400feet) high precipitous and dangerous wall of ice and rock with inclination of about 50°on the average. We had no definite idea of finding not only our possible routes but also the suitable camping places.
Accordingly we sent a two-man (S. Aoki Y. Takahashi) Reconnaissance party in the autumn of 1970. They were expected to find a way to our Base Camp and collect possible information about further a route to the advanced Base Camp, to Sama village which is situated on the eastern foot of the Mountain and is said to be very threatening especially to foreign Mountaineers. And they accomplished these tasks satisfactorily in 60 days.
Our team was made up of eleven selected climbers joined from 7 Alpine Clubs each of which belongs to the Tokyo Metropolitan Mountaineering Federation.
All the expenses were shared by the members and they were each allotted $1,500. - at the beginning. But when the reconnaissance party returned, they found that a lot of more materials (equipments and provisions) to be needed. The total foreign currency spent by us in Nepal was just $10,000. -. We packed the old and familiar equipments which were used in mountains previously several times by us,. except the newest and first-class climbing gears.
We purchased 10,000 meters(12,000feets) ropes for fixing, 200 snow- bars, were and duralumin ladders as well. After our successful climb, we found only 9- rolls of 300m ropes remained and snow bars were spent up completely. Ice-pitons were useless and we used only screw-haken.s. As the rocks were ~almost slabs, among the haken.s drove in were 20% rock-piton and 80% expansion-bolts.
Our caravan left Pokhara on the 5th of March accompanied by 300 porters and with 12 tons of packages. This was 15 days later than we expected because it took one full month to transport our packages on land through India.
The Government of India annulled unilaterally the Commercial Treaty of passing the border between India and Nepal as of the Its of January and so it became invalid at present. Moreover, the Finance Ministry of India has prohibited com- palely any transportation of trucks for Nepal as of the 17th 0L February. (Note: Nepal-India Trade and Transit Treaty has been signed again on August 13, 1971.)
Accordingly, we changed our plan previously decided. No more, we will not be' able to use 80 days for our activities on the mountain. We will be in monsoon if we don't shorten that period. The distances between camps must be lengthened and cut down the numbers of camps as far as possible. So the differences of the altitudes of each camp became 1,000m(3,200feet).
We expected 7 or 8 camps established on the mountain but by the change of the' plan we kept the camps down at 5, so we could climb to the summit just before the on-coming monsoon. In the end, that was very lucky for us all.
It took 11 days for our caravan to reach the Base Camp (B.C) site previously chosen. Walked up along Domen Khola which flows in Dudh Khola at a point from where it was one day trip to Bimthang. Base Camp was established on the upper limit of forest line at the height of 3,500m(11,500feet).
At the beginning, our B.C was to be set up on the upper plateau with a tiny pokhari some 2 hours distance from here, but as the snow was so deep and porters couldn't carry their packages through them, we had to put our B.C up here on the moraine densely covered with coniferous trees. It was, however, very convenient for we had a lot of fireword near-by and timbers for crevasse bridges.
Camp 1 was established on a plateau 4,500ｍ(15,000feet) after climbing up through 600m (2,000feet)ice-fall with numberless crevasses. This was finished on the 2lst of March after one week since B.C was put up. rightly.
At first, we arranged beforehand our Advance Base Camp (A.B.C) site on the plateau at the end of the North-West ridge and so we dispatched 3 route making parties for reconnaissance. But any way we couldn't find out a suitable transport route for it because they pushed on among search or icefall areas. 3 days later, on the 24th of March, when we heard the radio-news that the Base camps were erected by the International Everest Expedition and French Makalu Expedition teams respectively, one of our reconnaissance parties found a long but good and easily negotiable transporting route which runs directly under the North Peak of Manaslu.
But when we saw the North-West ridge on the way up, we found that the lower half of the ridge was really an nonnegotiable vertical ice-wall and not suitable for bringing up packages by the shoulders of the Sherpas. Then, after some talking, we decided our route should be made on the North-West Wall in the middle of which a great traversing terrace ran to the middle step of the West ridge.
One week after establishing Camp 1, we could set up( Camp 2 ) A.B.C, 5,500m (18,000feet) on a broad basin-like snow field which was to be said as the west-side Sanctuary of Manaslu. Camp 2 site was an ideal safe place protecting the avalanches which continuously fell from the upper wall, having many enormous step-like crevasses in between. To add more, from here on the western sky-1ine we could command a wonderful view of the Himalayan great ranges: from left to right-Annapurna Himal, Dhaulagiri peaks, Kang Guru, Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal etc. Now, our climbing activities begin from this splendid stronghold. The inclination of the North-West Wall is 45°on the average on which our traversing climbing route lies and frequent avalanches broke off by the corruption of the ice-brocks on the upper slopes. Moreover, once new snow falls, we were always frightened by the ceaseless surface-avalanches.
At times, we must trough waist- or breast-deep snows and consequently the relaying of packages were delayed so much. This year we had generally extremely bad weather and once snow fell, they reached even to I meter in a day.
While we and sherpas have been climbing up and down this great slope on which handrails over 2,500m were fixed jumars and karabiners set, we were all safe from avalanches and even when they sweeped us, the instrument prevented us from the final danger. But when Brock avalanches occurred, our fixed ropes were cut to pieces at a time between 200-300m, snow bars were twisted and knocked off, thus we were at our wit's end to refit and repair.
On the 8th of April, 11 days after establishing the Camp 2 (Advance Base Camp), we were succeeded to put up( Camp 3) 6,500m(21,000feet) on the middle step of the West ridge of ice.
Kasa-Rock (kasa means 'Umbrella, in Japanese), which is confronting against us on the North-West ridge at an altitude of about 7000m(23,000feet),seemed to us the most difficult part of climbing in the whole expedition.
To break through this disagreeable obstacle, we had to strengthen Camp 3 and pile up indispensable materials there. All members were moved out for the lifting tasks on this traversing route, but when we met frequent avalanches, it was impossible to move despite of the fine weather. Once in deep snow, they couldn't often contact even when some members from Camp 2 and Camp 3 moved to each other.
From Camp 2 to Camp 3, it took 7-8 hours for up climbing and 3 hours f0r down in good conditions we. having no plaguing. Accordingly it was not rare to cover this way with over 12 hours. Meanwhile, the route making parties of Camp 3 have been working hard in waves on the ice ridge under the Kasa-Rock, since the follow- ing day of establishing their Camp 3. They reached to the foot of Kasa-Rock in 3 days and completed the fixing of ropes all over the route.
From the 11th of April, Kasa-Rock, 250m(820feet) high overhanging wall which resembles. so much to the half-open Japanese paper umbrella, was attacked waving by the 2-man route-preparing parties.
Through the route between Camp 3 and the foot of Kasa-Rock was satisfactorily made with ropes fixed, it took for them 3 or 4 hours to over. So they had only 4-5 hours a day to do work on this rock face. Accordingly it was not curious that they needed full 20 days to get through this critical point.
As it was not inviting we didn't climb directly to the top of Kasa-Rock but we sought a route in the re-entrant (dieters) which was overhanging from the left. After 20m high vertical ice-wall, we could reach the next rock wall. Taking off the crampons and overshoes, with rubber soles only, they managed to make a route on this reverse-formed smooth rock slab with expansion pitons hanging on the entries.
Later we set a wire-ladder on this wall and succeeded in sending 4 selected Sherpas to above Kasa-Rock. Most of the 100 expansion-pitons which we had in our stock were spent only here. The grade of Kasa-Rock wall is class-6 in places but generally speaking it was class-5. A-II
But the upper part of these dieters was a reverse-formed slab covered with new snow under which a thin layer of virgules plastered. As it was very dangerous here, we made a depot on a slope 20m above with comparatively thick snow on it, driving in some snow bars around. Now we had 2 depots, the other one was in a bergschrund at the foot of Kasa-Rock.
On the. 6th of May by 8 o'clock in the afternoon, 8 days after breaking through Kara-Rock and at the same time 28 days after establishing Camp 3, we at last succeeded in putting up( Camp 4 )　7,100m(23,000feet) on the snow-cornice upon Kasa-Rock.
Here, so much so that tremendous snow-cornice formed, was a kind of window through which wind blows incessantly. And even when the other camps were wind- less, this high eagle's nest was always exposed to strong wind. The height of this site was a little higher than or equal to that of the so-called North Col, we decided its altitude as 7100m (23,000feet) tentatively.
Lifting of package on Kasa-Rock was done cooperatively by members of Camp 3 ,and Camp 4. Camp 3 party carried them up to the depot at the foot 0f Kasa-Rock, while 4 sherpas of Camp 4 descended to the upper part of Kasa-Rock by chinning holder adjusting the time each other and lifted the packages up by the cables hanged in air. Then they were carried to the upper depot. When it was fine, lifting work constituted some hours but if was very windy, they could nothing except sleeping in their tiny tents. Though the work has been very severe, they succeeded in bringing up about 1,000kg 0f necessary materials.
Meanwhile at the same time, 2-man route making party. in Camp 4 has been Searching continuously a route on the North_-West ridge without rest. But the rock ridge between Camp 4 and the summit plateau proved to be a series of little over- hanging and reverse formed walls for which we could nothing to do with.
If we took this rock ridge route, it would clear that we had to invest more days in than needed in Kasa-Rock climbing and couldn't let climb sherpas. At the former stages, we were thinking about a possible route might be found on the hanging glacier which was caught in by the West Wall. So we made the final decision to try this glacier.
To begin with, we descended south side about 100m(3,300feet) by chinning the 60° hard ice wall and stood on the end of the hanging glacier. From here the airy fall of 3.500m(11,500feet) to the moraine of Domen Khola could be seen.
The ice here was extremely hard owing to the strong wind blowing up from under. We couldn't cut even one step without swinging more than 30 times. Then we climbed the bottom of the bergschrund between the North-West ridge and the hanging glacier-some time, on the wall or ribs of the North-West ridge side and at other, ice wall of the hanging glacier by using ice-piton and etriers.
On the 12th of May, 6 days later, we got through to the top of the hanging glacier and prepared cable line for lifting up the packages by fixing ropes to 2 screw pitons. We think the grade of the rock here is about Class-4, but it was very difficult climb owing to its high altitude.
But as the hanging glacier was very steep, there might to expected extremely high danger of avalanches, we fixed ropes along the North-West ridge side and climbed up an ice-couloirs which emerged out to the summit plateau.
On the 16th of May at 4 p.m., 10 days after establishing Camp 4, we put up (Camp 5) final camp, 7360m(24,000feet) on the plateau. Here stood 9 climbers-3 route making members 2 summiteers and 4 sherpas- after 2 days' laborious carrying up works. Now they had here 6 oxygen bottles and 4 days' food for 2 members. So only 2 sum miters could be remained and the other 7 descended to Camp 4 praying for the 2 climbers' happy chances.
The forecasting of the All India Radio was: N-W wind, velocity 60 km/hour, temperature minus 22℃ at 7,500m (24,600feet)and W-S-W wind, velocity 90 km/hour, temperature minus 40℃, weather-thunder shower at 9000m.(30,000feet)
It was 2,500m(8,200feet) distance from Camp 5 to the summit and the difference of altitudes was 800m.(2,600feet) We wanted one more advance camp if possible but we had no more materia1s and remaining strength. We decided to try a return trip at a dash and pointed the start time at 3 o'clock in early morning. But it was an almost impossible enterprise without any supporting on such a tremendous height.
In spite of these unfavorable circumstances, the 2 climbers (K. Kohara M. Tanaka) left Camp 5 at 5 am, and went the great sloped plateau of ice and skavra, sinking at times to their knees.
On the 17th 0f May at 0.15p m., when the remaining oxygen seemed very poor. the 2-man summit party could stand at last on the top of Manaslu. Just under the summit they found the ice-piton which was driven in by Mr. T. Imanishi of the J.A.C. and Gyalzen Norbu when they climbed Manaslu for the first time 15 years before.
They drew out this precious piton and brought back a long way to Tokyo with them, as a French National team fetched a Japanese rising sun flag from the top of Makalu in this year.
This memorial piton was later presented to Mr. Y. Maki who led the 3rd J.A.C Manaslu Expedition in 1956.