Photo from Mountainzone magazine.

The summit Lhotse East or Middle (8,414 m) is situated on the ridge between Main summit of Lhotse 8,516 m and summit Lhotse Shar 8,400 m. Any separate ascents up to this summit are practically excluded because of the steep walls and very crossed relief and it is possible to summit it only climbing up to Lhotse Main or Lhotse Shar before and thenmake a traverse of a very crossed ridge with a length about 1000 meters. The ascent up to Lhotse Main by itself or Lhotse Shar is the task of separate expeditionand the additional traverse which requires several days of work on the height more then 8,300 m makes the Lhotse East unclimbed till nowadays. Actually almost all moreor less interesting eightsousanders Faces and ridges in Himalayas were climbed. Last first ascent up to the summit higher then 8 000 m was in 1982.

Plans to be on the summit of Lhotse Middle already had several teams but all attempts were unsuccessful. In 1994 the team from Switzerland tried to make a traverse to Lhotse East but climbed the Lhotse Main summit on 9:10 a.m.had to refuse next climbing because of awful state of the route and wild froze.The Russian team (part of it is now participate in the autumn expedition) also tried to climb this last Himalayan citadel on spring 1997 but the very bad weather in Everest region did not allow to do it. On the descent from the Main Lhotse summit the strongest highaltitude climber of Russia Vladimir Bashkirov was died.

In 1997 one try to summit East top by traverse from main Lhotse. The route of this year is the traverse via Lhotse Shar. The ascentis dedicated to memory of Vladimir Bashkirov.
Photo Chris Boskoff

Statistic and history of Lhotse Shar (8,383 m) ascents

1st ascent

spring 1979 (1970 ?) - Austria - SE ridge - 12/05 Zepp Maierl, Rolf Walter.

2nd ascent

autumn 1981 - Switzerland - 16/10 Jean Hauser, Daniel Brucher.

3rd ascent

spring 1984 - Czeckoslovokay - S. rib (South Pillar - first ascent) - 20/05 Zoltan Demian;21/05 - Yaromir Steigkal, Iosef Raconcaj, Peter Bozhik (no oxygen).

4th ascent

spring 1987 - France-India-Nepal - Yves Tederchi,Eric Gramond.

5th

autumn 1988 - Switzerland - 28/10 Henry Willi+ Victor Imboden (no oxygen).

6th

autumn 19.. - South Korea - SE rib

7th

1989 -

8th

autumn 1990 - Spain - S. side - 8/10 Carles Valles, Manu Badiola.

Totally on the summit of Lhotse Shar were 16 climbers, no women. And 8 mountaineers were died on the ascent.

1965

spring - Japan, headed by Naoro Yoshikawa, 11 persons - to 8,100 m.

From 1970 till 1988 there were 20 expeditions up to Lhotse Shar.

1971

S.Korea, 11 persons - unsuccessful expedition.

1973

unsuccessful expedition.

1979

spring - Austria - SE rib - 12/05 on the summit Zepp Maierl, Rolf Walter.

1980

France, Nikola Gagar - kiled

1981

• pre-monsoon - Spain, head Xavier Frto, 3 persons - South ridge to the South-Eastface - to the height 7,550 m and because of the strong wind they had to turn down.
• Switzerland - head Joseph Fauchere, 14 persons - up to 8,150 m, Joseph Fauchere died after fall, 16/10 on the summit - Jean Hauser, Daniel Brucher (include dr. Francois Gierendanner - science investigation).
• Yugoslavia, up to the height 8 250m.

1982

spring - Switzerland, head Hans Berger + Beda Fuster, Toni Trummer, Alex Clapasson - up to 7450 m.

1983

• Canada, 2 persons + USA, 1 person (Roger Marshall) - 21/10 up to 7,930 m.
• Italy, head Giancarlo Riva + 15 climbers - 26/04 up to 6,985 m.

1984

• Spain, Antoni Sors + 5 persons - 5/04 up to 7,350 m.
• Britain - Canada, Adrian Burgess + 3 - 26/09 up to 6,810 m.
• spring - Czeckoslovokay - S. side, south rib (first climbed) - on the summit 20/05 Zoltan Demian; 21/05 - Yaromir Steigkal, Iosef Raconcaj, Peter Bozhik (no oxygen).

1985

S.Korea, head Heo Young-Ho + 5 - 29/05 up to 8,100 m.

1986

• Britain, head Malcolm Duff, Sandy Allan + 2 - 9/05 up to 7,000 m, among others Alison Hardgreaves to 6,500 m.
• Switzerland, head Toni Spirig + Beda Fuster - 21/10 up to 8,050 m.
• Spain, head Manuel De Casas, 9 - 20/10 up to 7,400 m.

1987

• spring - France-Switzerland, head Eric Escoffier, 4 persons - to6,800 m.
• Yugoslavian expedition, head Vincenc Grilje, 12 persons inc. Silvo Caro - 20/04 up to 7,450 m.
• spring - France-India-Nepal, head Alain Esteve, 11 persons -on the summit: Yves Tedeschi and Eric Gramond.
• Spain, head Antoni Sors Ferrer, 7 persons - 27/09 up to 7,850 m. 4 climbers were swept by the avalanche for 1 500 m: Antoni Sors, Francisco Poras, Serchio R. Escapera, Antonio Ciniones.
• Britain, 2 persons + USA, 2 persons, head Adrian Burgess:plans - traverse Lhotse Shar - Lhotse Middle - Lhotse Main, in fact 27.09. - up to 7,000 m.

1988

• autumn - Spain - Southeast rib up to 7,400 m.
• Switzerland - Henry Willi and Victor Imboden climbed the summit on 28.10. on 12:55 a.m. No oxygen used. There was no attempt to traverse via unclimbed Lhotse Central to Main as planned before.

1990

autumn - Spain - S side - 8/10 on the summit Carles Valles, Manu Badiola.

1998

autumn - Russia. Headed by Vladimir Savkov - SE ridge, 1.11. on the summit: Eugeni Vinogradski, Sergei Timofeev, Alexandr Foigt, Gleb Sokolov. There was no attempt to climb to the direction to Lhotse Midlle.

Literature