Mountaineering and related activities in the

INDIAN HIMALAYA

India 1997
HARISH KAPADIA


The year 1997 was declared a year of celebration to commemorate the 50th
Anniversary of Indian Independence. But unfortunately the weather was not
in a celebratory mood and several expeditions had to face the wrath of the
weather Gods. One expedition, specially organised for the occasion, was the
traverse across the entire Himalayan range by a group of ladies.

A walk Across The High Himalaya
A team of eight women traversed the entire Himalayan range from Arunachal
pradesh to the Eastern Karakoram. The team, led by Bachendri Pal, started
from Bombila on 4 February 1997. They trekked through Bhutan, Sikkim,
Nepal, Garhwal, Kinnaur, Spiti, Ladakh and the Karakoram.

Due to major differences which developed after four months on trek, the
team split up at Dharchula, Kumaon. Three ladies left the main group and
continued on a separate trek. They were Vineeta Muni, Sumita Roy and Malika
Virdi. They were sponsored by the Himalayan Club. This group crossed 36
passes above 3000m, covering about 4500km on foot in 198 days (just over 6
months) of trekking. Their trek ended at the Karakoram pass on 20 August
1997. They were accom-panied, in the final stages, by jean Thomas. The
other group ended their trek by reaching the Indira Col on the Siachen
Glacier on 2 September 1997.

Garhwal
Satopanth (7075m) This was a super-fast climb by a very fit party of
well-acclimatised instructors from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering
and led by their Principal, Col. Ajit Dutt. The expedition was organised as
a refresher course for the instructors. Base camp (4680m) was established
at Vasuki Tal on 7July and advanced base camp (5200m) at Sundar Bamak the
same day. Camp 1(5920m) was set up on 8 July and Camp 2 (6400m) on the N
Face five days later. Nine members reached the summit on 14 July following
the traditional route on this 7000er. The round trip from ABC took only
seven days.

Changabang N Face (6864m) A British team, led by Julie-Ann Clyma and Roger
Payne, returned to this peak to complete the route left unfinished in 1996.
The team consisted of several leading climbers from the UK and the US.
After establishing base camp on 10 May, two separate routes were tried.
Finally Brendan Murphy and Andy Cave reached the summit on 1June - by a new
route. Mick Fowler and Steve Sustad reached the summit ridge. As Brendan
Murphy was setting up an abseil, an avalanche swept down, carrying Murphy
away and narrowly missing others. His body was not found. (See articles
‘Changabang: A World Apart’ by Andy Cave, pp3-11, and ‘Mountain of Dreams,
Mountain of Sorrows’ by Julie-Ann Clyma, pp12-17.)

Deoban (6855m) This peak is in the Kamet area. An Indian army team led by
Maj. Anirudh Negi climbed it this year. Base camp was established on 1
September at Thada Udiar. Four camps were established on the mountain. No
19 September the summit was reached at 9.35am by Naik Subedar Dhanjeet Rai
with LNK Topgey Bhutai and RFN Tenzing Sherpa. This difficult peak has not
been climbed for a long time.

Changuch (6322) This unclimbed peak near the Pindari Glacier was attmpted
by a British team consisting of Gay Murray, Brian James and Stephen Ferris.
They attempted the peak from the glacier. Difficulties in crossing seracs
and heavy snow on upper snowfields stopped them. (See MEF Reports, ref.
97/26.)

Bhagat Peak (5650m) and The Garhwal Traverse an Indian expedition from
Bombay led by Harish Kapadia tried the ancient tracks in the badrinath area
of the Garhwal. They were the first to follow the routes picneered by
Shipton and Tilman in 1934.

In the first stage of the expedition the five-member team entered the
Panpatia Valley and reached the icefall its head. The intention was to
cross a high col to madhyamaheshwar to prove an old legend. The icefall
proved too difficult and long and the party gave up.

In the second stage Bhagirath Kharak Glacier was traversed and a high camp
established on Deo Dekhni plateau. Bhagat Peak was climbed by Harish
Kapadia and Nyima Sherpa on 19 June. Two other peaks were climbed the
Following day: Deo Dekhni I (5400m) and Deo Dekhni II (5360m), both by
Kaivan Mistry and Mingma.

Meanwhile Rajesh Gadgil and Monesh Devjani attempted to reach Chaukhamba
Col (6050m) last crossed by C F Meade in 1912. They stopped at 4850m owing
to wet snow conditions. The entire party then crossed two high passes (last
crossed by Shipton and Tilman in 1936) Shrak La (5700m) and Serga Col
(5840m). Finally they returned via the Arwa valley to complete the
exploration. (See article ‘In Famous Footsteps’ by Harish Kapadia, pp
53-58.)

Draupadi Ka Danda (5716m) A 10-member Japanese team led by Kazuyoshi Kowdo
climbed this small but important peak in the Bhilanga Valley. The summit
was reached by the ENE Ridge. The leader and four other members reached the
top on 3 August 1997.

Meru Central (6361m) British team led by Owain Jones (with three members)
made two attempts, twice reaching 6100m, on the E Face. Bad weather,
crampon failure and high avalanche risk made them give up. Their route was
the same as the Shark’s Fin.

Thalay Sagar (6904m) This peak, which sees many attempts and few successes,
was climbed by an Australian team (Athol Whimp with three members), who
reached the summit by the N Face on 19 September 1997. The summit was
reached by Athol Whimp and Andrew Lindblade.

Several other popular peaks in the Garhwal were attempted, including
Shivling, Meru, Kamet, Kedarnath, Kedar Dome, Nanda Devi East and others.
Bad weather forced many teams to call off their attempts. On Nandabhanar, a
peak near the Pindari Glacier, an Indian climber, K V Mohan, was killed
when an avalanche hit the party.

Himachal Pradesh
Gya (6794m) This unclimbed peak on the tri-junction of Spiti, Ladakh and
Tibet has been an attraction to climbers for the past few years. This year
no less than three expeditions attempted it from two directions. But the
peak did not yield to any of them, though several other peaks near it were
climbed.

Gya South-East (6680m) and others (from southern approach, Spiti). A
three-member expedition from Bombay approached the unclimbed Gya from the
Lingti valley in April-May 1997. Reaching base camp in near winter
conditions they attempted the E Face of the SSW spur of Gya. They reached
the SE Col. Finding the final ridge of Gya too difficult they turned SE to
climb Gya SE. Dividing into different teams the other three peaks around
the ridge were climbed. The last peak was near base camp. All the peaks
climbed were first ascents and were given names by members of the
expedition.

Gya North (6520m) from the northern approach, Ladakh-Spiti. A young team
from Delhi with three climbers wanted to climb Gya’s NW face in good style.
After an attempt on the face Yousuf and Chaman followed the W Spur to
establish three camps, the third on being almost on Gyasumpa peak, the
point where the W Spur and N Ridge meet. From here, traversing the N Ridge
with difficulties, these two reached the second high point on the ridge, at
about 6520m, which they named Gya North. This was a first ascent of the
peak.

Gyasumpa (6480m) from northern approach, Ladakh-Spiti.This was a large
expedition consisting of climbers from seven countries from Asia and
supported by many strong climbers from India. It was led by the experienced
mountaineer Col H S Chauhan. They crossed Parang La and reached the base
camp in the north. One member was evacuated owing to sickness. Their
intention was to make the first ascent of Gya (6794m). Dividing in two
large teams they climbed the W spur and N Ridges. In all about 32 climbers
reached the summit after fixing many metres of rope. Both the routes were
of high technical calibre and required a good deal of care and effort. One
party climbed to the W Spur from the N and the other party followed the N
Ridge gained from S.

At first the expedition claimed the first ascent of Gya and all concerned
were informed of this achievement. However upon scrutiny of their
photographs, the leader declared that the team had climbed the much lower
Gyasumpa (6480m). Literally meaning thrid peak of Gya, this peak was the
one near which the Delhi group had established their Camp 3 a month before,
climbing there easily from the S. The present expedition had turned in
towards the peak one valley too soon and had mistaken Gyasumpa for Gya.
(See article ‘In Pursuit of Gya’ by Arun Samant, pp36-44.)

Phawrarang (6349m), Kinnaur. A japanese team climbed this remote peak. The
E face to E Ridge route was climbed on 12 September by two members and on
13 September 1997 by a further two members. The team had excellent weather
throughout.

Gepang Goh (6088m), Lahul. This prominent peak can be observed from the
popular Rohtang Pass. It is a group of several peaks and though of moderate
height each of the peaks is difficult to climb. There are two known ascents
in this group. The first was by General Charles Bruce ( with the Swiss
guide Heinrich Fuhrer and 2 Gurkhas) in July 1912. 42 Years later N
Wallaston and R Platts are known to have climbed a peak here in 1954. The
army team from Two JAK Rifles, Indian army, established a base camp near
Khoksar on 6 July 1997. They approached the SE Face. A summit camp was
established on 12 July 1997. They approached the SE Face. A summit camp was
established on 12 July. On 15 July a party left this camp at 5.15am reached
the peak at 12.45pm. Summiters were Gautam Thakur (instructor from Manali
Mountaineering Institute), Rfn. Prem Chetri and Ffn. Dal Bahadur Gurung.
The height of the peak, previously thought to be 5870m, was revised by the
present team as above.

Throne (5840m), S Parvati Valley, Kullu. Though small by Himalayan
standards, this peak is a prominent feature in the S Parvati Valley. A
Scottish expedition climbed it on 12 September 1997 by the NE Face and N
Ridge. The summit was reached by Scott Muir (leader), D Proudfoot, G Lennox
and K Kelly. The peak is situated near Pandu bridge, Manikaran.

Other peaks attempted or climbed in the area were Chau Chau Kang Nilda
(Spiti), two unnamed 6000ers in the Baspa valley (Kinnaur), Chandra Bhaga
and Koa Rong, both in Lahul.

Ladakh
Ladakh continues to be popular destination. The high peaks of Nun and Kun
were climbed and attempted by several teams. Kang Yissey was another
popular destination.

But the real exploratory climbs were achieved in the Rupshu. The area has
only been opened and known since 1995. I was a member of one of the early
parties to climb in the area. We climbed Lungser Kangri (6666m) and
Chhamser Kangri (6622m). These were the highest peaks in Ladakh. But as
they can be approached easily, they have been climbed at least three times
each year since my first ascent. I do not know whether the mountain is
blessing me or cursing me for opening up this onslaught! This year the
remaining two major peaks in the area were climbed and one was attempted.

Kula (Chalung) (6546m) Rupshu, Ladakh. The peak is situated in Rupshu above
Namshang La. It is known by both names. A Japanese team led by Tsuneo
Suzuki (11 members) climbed it on 11, 13 and 15 July 1997 by the NW Ridge.
This was the first ascent of the peak.

Pologongka (6632m), Rupshu, Ladakh. A British Expedition achieved some
pioneering work in the area. It was led by M Rathy with T willis, R Law, A
Allcock. They climbed Pologongka, rising above the motorable pass of the
same name, by the S Face (Rathy and Law with the Liaison Officer N singh)
on 20 August 1997. This was a first ascent. The expedition also attempted
the S Face main buttress on Chakura, reaching 6000 m. This peak rises from
the road near Chumathang. No wonder they gave the title ‘Roadside Rupshu’
to their article about this climb! (See MEF Reports, ref, 97/34.)

Sara Shua (6250m) Rupshu, Ladakh. The N Ridge was climbed by three members
of an Italian expedition on 14 August, and repeated by three members on 17
August 1997. This is the peak on the western shores of Tso Moriri and was
climbed by the Japanese in 1996 for the first time.

Lungser Kangri (6666m) and (Chhamser Kangri (6622m), Rupshu, Ladakh. This
year it was a German team led by Dr Hans Dietrich Engel Hardt (three
members) that took its turn on these peaks. Both the peaks were climbed.

Chhamser Kangri was climbed on 31 August from SW to NE by all members.
Lungser Kangri was climbed from the SE by all members on 5 September 1997.
Both these peaks are situated on the eastern shores to Tso Moriri Lake,
Rupshu. We have not heard the last of them for sure.

Literature
Like every year many reprints of old classics were available. But of the
original publications. Exploring Kinnaur and Spiti by Deepak Sanan and
Dhanu Swadi fills a void of information about these areas. Sanan was a
District Commissioner in both these areas and knows it first hand. The
second edition of exploring the Hidden Himalaya (Mehta and Kapadia) was
issued as a paperback. It has an updated history of the range (to the end
of 1997) and a set of new pictures.

Deaths
Though Lt. Col. J O M Roberts lived and died in Nepal he was an explorer
well known in India. In fact he was the first visitor to Spiti and later to
the Saser kangri area. His climbs in the Dhaula Dhar were models of
inspiration. Stationed in the Dalhousie Cantonment, he would turn
mountaineer on Friday evenings, climb rocky above Dharamsala and then
report for the Monday morning parade. He was also a pioneer of what is now
known as commercial trekking.

Two Himalayan scholars from Bengal also passed away. Uma Prasad Mukherjee
(Hon. Member of the Himalaya Club) was a well-known writer and inspired a
generation of Himalayan lovers. S N Das was also a scholar of Bengali lores
about the range.

Freedom Walk
As India celebrated its 50th year of Independence on 15 August 1997 we
discovered that there were several extra holidays to celebrate the event.
Many politicians were descending on Bombay, many events were planned and
the celebrations would lead for certain to traffic jams and noise. So what
could be a better way than to spend a week in the mountains? With friends I
set off on a trek to the high Kush Kalyan plateau which contains several
lakes. That prolific Himalayan writer Bill Aitken aptly called it ‘the Lake
District of the Garhwal’.

One evening we camped near a shepherd couple with their old father. I could
not resist asking these nomads what they thought of Indian Independence
today and that historic day exactly fifty years ago.

‘I Came to Kush Kalyan then, ’the old man replied. ‘We used to travel on
foot from the plains, and even today we do the same. We have our flock with
us.’

‘What about the future?’ I asked.

The young shepherd interjected, ‘As long as I am alive I will be here and
the yearly migration will continue in the same style.’

‘But what is the effect of fifty years of Independence?’ I persisted. ‘What
about freedom?’

He thought for a while and replied with a smile, as if it was a state of
mind, ‘We were always free.’