by Takashi Amemiya translated by Yoshiko Kato
Dhaulagiri-Ⅰ is a very big mountain. It is part of Dhaulagiri group of peaks in western Nepal which stand out proudly in overwhelming scale as independent peaks. Especially,the south wall of Dhaulagiri-Ⅰas seen from Ghorapani-La shows its ruggedness as if to defy human beings.
We hoped to discover a good route and to challenge the big south wall of Dhaulagiri-Ⅰsome day.
On May 17, 1971, we succeeded in conquering Mt. Manasulu by a new route on the west wall. In this expedition, most of the climb was a struggle with snow and there was less rock climbing than we expected. So we wanted to attempt next time a more difficult rock climbing route in the Himalayas. The south wall of Dhaulagiri-Ⅰ suddenly became appealing to us.
In the spring of 1975, we organized a climbing team called " the Tokyo Metropolitan Mountaineering Association Himalayan Expedition ", the main members of which were consisted with the members of Manasulu West Wall Party, and aimed at the virgin route on the south pillar of Dhaulagiri-Ⅰ.
We found a possible route…the south pillar…in the very big rock zone of 2000m (6,500Feet) high which situate between the 5,500m（18,000feet）level and the 7,500m(24,000feet) level.
Sometime after, several members had scaled the rock wall, an avalanche crushed the C1 and we lost two Japanese members and three Sherpas. After this accident, we stopped our climb and returned to Japan.
But we hoped to climb the same route one more time. We organized climbers group named " Yeti Doujin ", preparing for an expedition. In the spring of 1978, the new party with 13 Japanese members, consisting of the previous members and new members, left Japan in February.
We feared the heavy snow and so we set our start one month later than the previous expedition. But this year in Nepal the weather was unstable and we met a greater a mount of snow than had the previous expedition. Our climb became very difficult. At the end of February, we left Pokhara. After twenty days of caravan along Myangdi Khola, we made our base camp at 3,650m(12,000) altitudes on March 20.We could move only on a few scattered good weather days among the continuoussnowy days. We at last established C1 on March 27 on the snow field over the ice fall at 5,250m（17,000feet） altitude. This was the same place as the C2 of the previous expedition.
The route was made very rapidly and the condition of the members was very good. The C3 was made at the altitude of 5,900m (19,000feet)and we were climbing higher to set the C4 at 6,600m（２6,000feet）altitude. The route from C3 to C4 was the most difficult part of the climb. There was a big rock wall stretches for 300m from 6000m(19,500feet) to 6,300m (20,000feet) altitude.
Sometime after, several members had scaled the rock wall, an avalanche crushed the C1 and we lost two Japanese members and three Sherpas. After this accident, we stopped our climb and returned to Japan.
But we hoped to climb the same route one more time. We organized climbers group named " Yeti Doujin ", preparing for an expedition. In the spring of 1978, the new party with 13 Japanese members, consisting of the previous members and new members, left Japan in February.
We feared the heavy snow and so we set our start one month later than the previous expedition. But this year in Nepal the weather was unstable and we met a greater a mount of snow than had the previous expedition. Our climb became very difficult.
At the end of February, we left Pokhara. After twenty days of caravan along Myangdi Khola, we made our base camp at 3,650m(12,000) altitudes on March 20.
We could move only on a few scattered good weather days among the continuoussnowy days. We at last established C1 on March 27 on the snow field over the ice fall at 5,250m（17,000feet） altitude. This was the same place as the C2 of the previous expedition.
To avoid avalanche accidents, our C1 was constructed on the place 1,600m（5,200feet）higher than the B. C. This was a rare long route in Himalayan climbing history. To carry up 20 kg of supplies at one time from B. C to C1 was difficult for us. We made a deposit place in the middle of the route. Base camp members carried supplies from the B. C to the deposit place, and camp 1 members from the deposit place to C1. Thus we settled this difficult transportation problem.
From C1 we broke through on ice ridge of 60 degrees' inclination, and on April 7, we made up the C2 on the snow ridge at 5,800 m(18,000feet)altitude.
The upper place of C2 was the previously - mentioned very steep rock wall zone, almost without snow. We used a winch and wire ladders, which were installed by the previous expedition for transportation. Occasionally we had to use the technique A2 . We surpassed the highest arrival point of the previous expedition and we made a higher route.
We supposed that above 6300m there would be a comparatively easy snow wall. But in practice, the ice wall with an inclination of over 60 degrees, and the continued steep rock ridge. They were standing in front of us obstructing our route. We climbed little by little everyday just like a caterpillar. On April 14, we set up a temporary camp 3 at 6350m altitude. We made this camp because it was a difficult climb from C2 to C3, and every afternoon we were slowed down by falling snow. Two more days allowed us to make the route the planned place of C3 at 6,500ms （21,000feet）altitude. On April 17, we set up C3 on the snow clinging to a rock ridge.
Probably you cannot suppose the technical difficulties of the climb from C2 to C3, that is, among the eleven high altitude Sherpas, whom we selected very carefully, only three could climb the wire ladder. So we Japanese members groaned under the burden of transportation.
Compared to the difficulty of transportation between C2 and C3, route making for C4 was carried forward smoothly.
One of the Japanese members, Mr. Naganuma got into C3 on April 18, and made a new route for three days. While descending to C1 for a rest, on April 22, suddenly he fell from the ridge and he died instantly. We could not bring his body down because of the steepness of the route. We were obliged to bury him in an ice crevasse on the rock ridge. The next day, the funeral ceremony. Was performed by the C3 members.
Mr. Naganuma was one of the main members. So his death was a great shock to us. We were in deep grief. At one time we were in no mood for climbing, but we recovered our spirit. On April 26, we resumed climbing for the summit. The members carried supplies with the help of the fix-rope. The route-making party climbed higher and higher, bit by bit steadily. On April 29, we reached the base of the Fist Rock (because seeing from C1 it looked like a fist of a right hand) at 7,000m(23,000feet)altitude. The Fist Rock was only a rock wall of 150m in height, but it was the most dangerouspath along the route of this expedition, Under our feet there was nothing except a very steep rock wall directly to C1 for 1,800m. (59,000feet) Everyday we had to make a continuous acrobatic route making. It taxed the limit of human ability. Occasionally we could gain only 15m a day. But the members were tenacious. At last we rose above it.
On May 3, we could set up C4 on a gentle slope at 7,500m(25,000feet) altitudes. We began route-making for C5 and to carry up the supplies to C4. On descending the Fist Rock,we were obliged to hang free, separated by 4m from the cliff in the air. I guess that would be the first time in the climbing history that such a technique was used at such a high altitude.
Looking up at the rock slab zone above C4 from lower place, it seemed to be a rather gentle slope easy to climb. But in fact the inclination was very steep and its height was greater than we expected. And besides, we were waked by the effect of the altitude. So an unexpected trying fight met us.
We did our best for three days. On May 6, in the evening, we passed through this slab zone and climbed a very steep ice slope for 200m. And we reached the plateau leading to the summit. Thus we ended the south pillar part of the climb. We had only to attack the summit.
We could see the summit from C5. We thought as long as there was not a strong wind and snow day, we would be able to reach the peak. The night before the attack, we had heavy snow with strong wind. The snow lay 20cm deep at C5. Base camp members could sleep not at all due to extreme anxiety about the next day's attack.
On May 10, with dawn, the wind and snow went down. It became a perfect day for the attack. At half past five a.m. Mr. Shigeno and Mr. Kobayashi left C5. Unex- pectedly there were small rock peaks on the plateau. They climbed up and down. The route was very easy as compared with the route till there. They walked removing the ankle-depth snow. Finally at 11:25a,m. they reached the long-awaited summit of Dhau- lagiri-Ⅰ .
Thus we conquered the summit at last with six members as victims. Four yeas passed since we first planned the climb.
On May 11, the second attack party…Mr. Shimizu, Mr. Kato, Mr. Yoshino and Ang-Kami Sherpa…four members, reached the peak. They, on the summit, pulled our a red fix rope of 12-13 m length and a nice Cassin made piton. Probably they were left by the Italian party which made the fouth conquest.
By May 14, we had ended all withdrawal and all members had returned to base camp.
