This British expedition  was led by Martin Moran  with 6 members. They climbed in  May June. Martin Moran has been a consistent  visitor to the Indian Himalaya and almost every year he has made noteworthy ascents and explorations in the range.

The present expedition had the original intention of attempting Trisul. But this was given up due to continuous bad weather.

On 19^th May, the recce of the route on Nanda Ghunti  was undertaken and Camp I was established at 5400 m, on 25^th May. Andrew Nisbet and  Mike Brennan climbed Nanda Ghunti on 2^nd June, via the south face – a new route. This route is steep but follows directly to the summit. They climbed a curving couloir  between two pinnacles (50-55 deg. angle) to gain the upper slopes. They graded the climb as AD+.

Lampak South (6181 m)

Expedition : Indian
Leader : Swaraj Ghosh (7 members)
Period  : August – September

Lampak group of peaks stand on the Lampak glacier near Joshimath. Not many expeditions attempt  these peaks. This team from Howrah, West Bengal climbed Lampak South (or Lampak II). The summiteers were Swaraj Ghosh, Anal Das, Sibrata Banerjee, B. Biswas, N. P. Rao, Gautam Chatterjee and B. Jetty.

Nilkanth  (6596 m)

(A) Expedition :Japanese
Leader :Daisuke Narumi (4 members)
Period  :September

The expedition intended to attempt the north face via the west ridge. They tried to overcome a dangerous icefall on the north face. However, many avalanches stopped their progress. One member was sick and hence they called off the expedition.

(B) Expedition : Korean
Leader : Ja Eok Gook (7 members)
Period  :August

The expedition originally intended to attempt Dunagiri, which is on the outer walls of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. They proceeded with full clearance going towards this peak. However, they were denied permission locally from the state of Uttaranchal. They had to change their objective at the last minute to attempt Nilkanth.

They set up Camp II, but due to stone fall, avalanches and crevasses, the attempt was called off. Their heart was certainly not in it.

(C) Expedition : Slovania
Leader & Members : Marco Prezelj, Matija Jost, and Dr. Zarko Guzej
Period  : October

A strong Slovanian expedition was the only team which successfully climbed Nilkanth this year. They climbed the summit via  the west ridge on 14^th October and they had an excellent spell of weather all throughout. They approached the summit from Hanuman Chatti, Baenakuli along the Khirao Ganga to Panpatia glacier in the north.

Kalanka (6553 m)

Expedition : American
Leader & Member : Carlos Buhlar and  John Roberts
Period   : September

This expedition too faced problems of clearances and delay from Uttaranchal State Government locally. This peak is situated on the rim of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary and they were to attempt from outside the sanctuary. They approached the mountain along the Bagini glacier planning to attempt the stupendous north face. They were delayed due to the bureaucratic hassles. Finally, they made a recce on 11^th September and established Camp 1 at 5660 m. However no attempt was made on the wall and the team also faced problems of acclimatization due to rush tactics.

Kamet (7756 m)

(A) Expedition : Polish
Leader : Jerzy Tillak (8 members)
Period : July – August

The expedition was  attempting the west ridge and this was a team of strong climbers. They reached 7390m on 26^th August having approached this peak from Gamsali and Niti. Among the higher camps, Camp IV was at 6600m and Camp V at 7120m. They encountered very high winds and loose powder snow which forced them to give up the climb.

(B)  Expedition : Indian  (Senior citizen expedition)
Leader : Ashwini Kumar  (67 years)
Period : Sept. – Oct.

This was an expedition of retired police and other officers, organised to climb this high peak. However the leader is reported to have died on reaching the lower slopes of the mountain. No further details are available.

(C) Expedition : Indian – (West Bengal)
Leader : Debasashi Kanji
Period  :  Aug. – Sept.

This team is reported to have attempted this high peak. No further details are available.

Chaukhamba I   (7138 m)

(A) Expedition : Indian (14 members)
Leader : Brijes Dey
Period : May

This team from Calcutta attempted the north face of this high mountain approaching from Badrinath and Mana. They found the huge face very avalanche prone and may large crevasses baring their way. The attempt was given up.

(B) Expedition : Indian
Leader : Ujjwal Ganguly (9 members)
Period : September

This team attempted the normal route on the north face. They were trapped in an avalanche at Camp 3, (6350 m). Two members;  Palash Mukherjee and Serabjit Sadhu were killed and they bodies were not recovered. The expedition was given up.

Bhagat Peak ( 5650 m)

Expedition : Indian
Leader : Rajesh Gadgil (9 members)
Period  : September-October

Result: The original idea of the expedition to attempt Shri Parvat (6175 m) which has been climbed only once before- by Shipton-Tilman in 1934.  The peak rises from the Deo Dekhni Plateau west of Mana-Badrinath.

This  team from Mumbai  established their base camp at Khadu Kharak (4400 m) in the Bhagirath Kharak glacier near Badrinath. They established two more camps at 4950 m and 5350 m respectively on the Dev Dekhni plateau. Their attempt on Shri Parvat (6175 m)  was thwarted due to bad weather. Four members including the leader climbed Bhagat peak (5650 m). In 1997, this peak was climbed by Harish Kapadia. This was the second ascent of the peak.  

Kumaun

Panch    Chuli   IV  (6334m)

Expedition : Indian
Leader : Samir Sengupta (12 members)
Period  : May

The expedition from West Bengal approached this peak from the east side coming from Sobala and Son Duktu. They made two camps on the mountain, but due to bad weather, the summit could not be attempted.

Nanda Devi East (7434 m)

Expedition : Indian
Leader : Mohammed Mamun Rashid (16 members)
Period  : September – October

This large team approached the peak from eastern side which is outside the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. They had major plans of climbing the east peak and traverse to the Nanda Devi main peak. They set up a base camp and one high altitude supporter, Ang Tendi Sherpa died here and the entire expedition was abandoned. For such a serious project, the same experienced team was possibly not well prepared.

Army Climbs Nanda Devi and Dunagiri Peaks and  clears hazardous garbage

The 40-member team of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment successfully scaled the India’s second highest peak, Nanda Devi, and collected the non-biodegradable garbage left behind by previous expeditions in the 2000-sq km bio-reserve. The team scaled the 7816 m  peak in September and also made ascent of Dunagiri peak in the Sanctuary.

This is a very significant step in terms of removing environmental pollution from the biosphere reserve area which is known for its unique diversity and the rich flora and fauna. A total of 83 species of animals and 114 species of plants are found in the biosphere where 14 animals are on the list of near extinct species.

The peak, even though isn’t one of the highest 20 peaks in the world, at one point in time, enjoyed the singular status of being the highest mountain in the British empire — the reason being the Everest lay in Nepal and K2 lay in the princely state of Kashmir. Until 1934, the gorge of the Rishi ganga river around Nanda Devi was one of the least known parts of the Himalaya.

Soon after the first forays into the area, there came a large succession of mountain expeditions which left in their wake piles of junk and garbage on the mountain slopes. Nanda Devi experienced, from 1964 onwards, the indignity of several hush-hush expeditions to place a nuclear spying device on her summit. Ten years later, the sanctuary was thrown open to mountaineers.

The resulting stampede of young Western climbers eager to make their marks on the mountaineering record books led to an environmental disaster. Owing to a short season, forests were hacked to build bridges and provide fodder for animals. Fragile juniper slopes above the tree line were deliberately burnt to provide charcoal for the porters accompanying the expeditions.

“In a few decades, the sanctuary, at its worst, resembled a combination of a garbage dump and a badly-maintained public toilet, the animal life reduced to intruding man, the juniper and undergrowth mercilessly destroyed to provide firewood. Ultimately, the sanctuary was declared a national park,” sources said.

Only recently 4 expeditions have visited the Sanctuary, 2 of them climbing the main peak.