Cho Oyu
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Access
Summit routes
The Cho Oyu is reached almost exclusively from the Tibetan side, where the normal route runs along the north-west slope following the route of the first climbers in 1954. The base camp, at an altitude of around 5,700 metres, can be reached by jeep from Tingri via the Tibetan track, with only one or two additional days of walking: this is the logistical feature that distinguishes Cho Oyu from other eight-thousanders and contributes significantly to its popularity. From base camp, the route ascends the glacier and faces the north-west face through a series of camps - typically three - with the last installed at around 7,400 to 7,500 metres. The final section, on snow and ice with moderate gradients, leads to the summit. The normal route does not present technical difficulties comparable to those of the other eight-thousanders and does not require rock progression at altitude. On the Nepalese side, the south-east face is a completely different route of high technical difficulty, first climbed in 1978 by a pair of Austrians.
Summer ascent routes
" from Tibetan Base Camp (5,700m), north-west face route - PD - 4-6 weeks (including acclimatisation) - (2.488mD+) (normal route, Tibetan slope)
" from Tibetan Base Camp, southeast face route (1978, Koblmüller and Furtner) - ED - high technical difficulty route on Nepalese slope
" from Tibetan Base Camp Messner route (1983) - D - new route opened by Reinhold Messner during his fourth presence on the mountain)
" from Tibetan Base Camp, new route south-east face (2009, Urubko and Dedeshko) - ED - Piolet d'Or 2010
Winter ascent routes
" normal route (5.700m) - PD - first winter ascent 12 February 1985 (mountaineering, Berbeka and Pawlikowski)
Introduction
At 8,188 metres, Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain on earth. It rises in the central section of the Himalayan range, on the border between Nepal - in the Khumbu region - and Chinese Tibet, about 20 kilometres north-west of Everest, with which it shares the Nangpa La (5,716m), a pass historically traversed by trade caravans between Tibet and Nepal. The Tibetan name Cho Oyu means "goddess of turquoise", referring to the blue-green colour of its ice walls seen from the Tibetan plateau. The first ascent was made on 19 October 1954 by the Austrians Herbert Tichy and Joseph Jöchler with the Sherpa Pasang Dawa Lama, in a small private expedition with a budget of about one-sixteenth of that of the great Italian expedition that had conquered K2 that year: The three climbed without supplementary oxygen up the north-west face, reaching the highest altitude ever reached by human beings without the aid of tanks, a record that would remain unbeaten until Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler's ascent of Everest without oxygen in 1978. Cho Oyu is considered the most accessible of the eight-thousanders due to its relatively moderate normal route and the base camp that can be reached by vehicle from Tibet, features that make it the most frequented mountain above 8,000 metres after Everest and a privileged destination for those approaching extreme high altitude for the first time. The first winter ascent was carried out on 12 February 1985 by Maciej Berbeka and Maciej Pawlikowski, as part of the Polish Winter Himalayan School.
.Description
Geographical context
The Cho Oyu dominates the border area between the Nepalese Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, in a position that gives it distinct geographical and climatic characteristics compared to the easternmost eight-thousanders. To the east, beyond the Nangpa La, the Khumbu valley opens up with the pyramid of Everest clearly visible; to the west, the Himalayan ridge descends towards Gaurishankar (7,134m) and the peaks of central Nepal. The northern slope faces directly onto the Tibetan plateau, characterised by cold and powerful winds that descend from the altitude but - paradoxically - make the Tibetan base camp more stable and accessible than the Nepalese ones. The mountain has a relatively massive shape, with the main summit flanked by a shoulder to the north-west and a series of buttresses descending to the surrounding glaciers.
Geologically speaking, Cho Oyu belongs to the Great Himalayas, with predominantly crystalline rocks - granites, gneisses and mica schists - of Precambrian and Palaeozoic origin, uplifted and metamorphosed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. The upper slopes have a continuous glacial mantle that makes progression on the normal route almost entirely on snow and ice. The Nangpa La, the 5,716 metre pass that separates Cho Oyu from Everest to the east, was for centuries one of the main trade corridors in the Himalayas, travelled by yak caravans carrying salt, wool and Tibetan products to Nepal and back.
The fauna and flora in the Cho Oyu area reflect the dual influence of the Himalayan and Tibetan plateau ecosystems. On the Nepalese side, the forests of rhododendrons, firs and junipers reach up to over 4,000 metres; on the Tibetan side, the vegetation is more steppe-like, with water lentil pastures and dwarf shrubs. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) frequents the slopes at intermediate altitudes on both sides of the border.
Mountaineering history
The first reconnaissance of Cho Oyu dates back to 1951, when the British expedition led by Eric Shipton - with Edmund Hillary, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans among the participants - explored the Nangpa La and the mountain sides. The following year, the same expedition returned with a more direct objective, but failed to find a viable ascent route and had to give up. In 1954, while the great Italian expedition was conquering K2, the Austrian doctor and writer Herbert Tichy organised a small private expedition with a very small budget - around 1,500 dollars at the time - and with a philosophy of minimalism that anticipated the Alpine approach to high altitudes by decades. On 19 October 1954, Tichy, Jöchler and Sherpa Pasang Dawa Lama reached the summit via the north-west face, without supplementary oxygen, setting the highest altitude ever reached without tanks up to that time: 8,188 metres. The feat, recounted by Tichy in the book "Cho Oyu - My Lady of the Turquoise", became a reference text in post-war mountaineering literature.
In 1958, the second ascent was made by an Indian expedition, with Pasang Dawa Lama still a summiter - the second time on the summit of the same eight-thousand metre peak, which was extraordinary at the time. In 1959, an unfortunate international women's winter expedition cost the lives of four mountaineers. In 1978, the Austrians Eduard Koblmüller and Alois Furtner opened a route on the difficult south-east face of Nepal. From 1978 onwards, Reinhold Messner climbed Cho Oyu on several occasions: in 1983, during his fourth presence on the mountain, he opened a new route. In 1984, the first female ascent was made by the Czechoslovaks Věra Komárková - who had already made the first female ascent of Annapurna in 1978 - and Dina Štěrbová.
The first winter ascent was made on 12 February 1985 by Maciej Berbeka and Maciej Pawlikowski, as part of a Polish expedition led by Andrzej Zawada. Three days later, on 15 February, Jerzy Kukuczka and Andrzej Heinrich repeated the ascent, with Kukuczka thus achieving his second winter ascent of two eight-thousanders in the same season - a record that no one would ever equal again. In the same winter, Kukuczka also opened the South Buttress, the first new route opened on an eight-thousander in the winter season.
On 30 September 2006, a dramatic episode marked the recent history of Cho Oyu: on the Nangpa La, the pass between Tibet and Nepal frequented by Tibetan refugees attempting to reach Nepal, a Chinese military patrol opened fire on a group of civilians. The incident was filmed by mountaineers present at the Cho Oyu base camp and the images, which were broadcast internationally, raised a diplomatic case. In 2009, Denis Urubko and Boris Dedeshko opened a new route on the south-east face, an ascent that was awarded the Piolet d'Or 2010. The first complete ski descent from the summit was made on 30 September 2013 by Italian Mario Monaco.
Cultural context
The Nangpa La, which opens up at the foot of Cho Oyu, is one of the most historically charged Himalayan passes: for centuries it was traversed by Tibetan merchants trading with the Sherpa communities of the Khumbu, and in the 20th century it became an escape route for Tibetan refugees. The 2006 incident, in which Chinese soldiers opened fire on Tibetan civilians while mountaineers from all over the world watched from base camp, turned Cho Oyu into not only a mountaineering but also a political landmark. The name "goddess of turquoise" recalls the Tibetan tradition of identifying great mountains as abodes of protective female deities, similar to the conception of Kangchenjunga in Sikkim. The mountain is considered to be one of the most "benevolent" in the Himalayas - as far as this word can apply to an 8,188 metre peak - and this character is reflected in its frequentation, making it a kind of gateway to the world of the eight-thousanders for generations of mountaineers who take the normal route as their first experience of extreme high altitude.
Fruition and attendance
The Cho Oyu is the second most frequented eight-thousander in the world after Everest, with hundreds of mountaineers per season in the spring and autumn. The access from the Tibetan side, the technically moderate normal route and the possibility of reaching base camp by vehicle make it the preferred entry point for those who want to experience the altitude above 8,000 metres. The ascent permit is issued by the Chinese authorities. The main weather windows are in spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October), with autumn being particularly busy. The mortality rate, although present, is significantly lower than that of other eight-thousanders.
Appositions
" Tibetan Base Camp (5,700m) - reached by jeep from Tingri
Information
Height: 8.188m
Alternative name: Cho Oyu = "goddess of the turquoise" (Tibetan)
Mountain group: Central Himalaya - Mahalangur Himal
Alpine chain: Himalaya
Typology: pyramid / main summit
Protected area: Sagarmatha National Park (Nepalese side) / UNESCO heritage site
First ascent: 19 October 1954
First climbers: Herbert Tichy, Joseph Jöchler, Pasang Dawa Lama
First winter ascent: 12 February 1985
First ascenders in winter: Maciej Berbeka, Maciej Pawlikowski
Vice book: absent
Commune(s): Solukhumbu (Nepal) / Tibet (China)
Valley(s): Khumbu Valley (Nepal); Tibetan Plateau (China)
Mountaineering difficulty: PD (normal route); ED (southeast face)
Average elevation gain: 2.488m (from Base Camp)
Recommended period: April-May; September-October
Prevalent exposure: N-W (normal route); S-E (Nepalese side)
Presence of glaciers: yes
Presence of equipped sections: yes (fixed ropes on the normal route)