High winds forced Marek Holecek and Radoslav Groh of Czechia down from their attempted new route on Cho Oyu.
After two days on the sheltered Southeast Face, the wind turned slightly to the east and began to hit them.
“We suspected we wouldn’t be able to stand it for too long,” Holecek wrote.
The pair retreated back to the glacier, where they had left a tent and had some gear buried in the snow. But everything was gone, and they concluded that it had all been stolen. They had no other choice but to continue through the night back base camp. There, one of the two tents that had not been destroyed in the previous storm was flattened.
“Before fatigue freed me into a sleep coma, my last thoughts were: I’m done with things and I’m done with the Goddess,” Holecek said, referring to Cho Oyu [the Turquoise Goddess].
On the following morning, they hiked back to Gokyo village, leaving their expedition operator to retrieve the remains of their camp.
The climbers admit they lack the energy and motivation for another attempt.
