Bonington's Hard Way in the central part of the south west face is considered to be one of the hardest Mt. Everest routes. First climbed in 1975 in expedition style and that time said by Chris Bonington to be impossible to be climbed in alpine style.[1]
Four Slovak climbers set off in a 1988 expedition to climb the Bonington route in alpine style, without supplementary oxygen and fixed ropes. Three climbers reached the South Summit and one reached the Mt. Everest Main Summit. All four disappeared during the ensuing descent.[2][3] No further alpine style climbs of the route have been attempted.
- ^ Vranka, Milan; Kašpárková Koišová, Katarína (2016). Ztraceni na Everestu : příběh jednoho velkého zapomenutého prvenství (Vydání první ed.). V Brně. p. 7. ISBN 9788074629754. OCLC 960190433.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Nepal 1988" (PDF). Alpine Journal. Retrieved 3 December 2020. pages 4-5
- ^ "Two Czechs Die In Himalayas, Six Other Climbers Missing". AP NEWS.