FIRST ASCENT OF MUKUT PARVAT EAST, 1999

P. M. DAS

MUKUT PARVAT (7242 m) was first climbed in 1951 by its sharp and steep western ridge, by a team from New Zealand. ( See 'New Zealand Expedition to Garhwal Himalaya', 1951, HJ Vol XVII.) Cotter, Pasang Dawa Lama and Riddiford reached its summit from the Dakhini Chamrao glacier which joins the Saraswati from the east.

In 1950, Abi Gamin (7355 m) was climbed from the north by Kenneth Berrill and his Cambridge team. They approached Abi Gamin from Tibet but were able to record their observations of the eastern and northern aspects of the ridge connecting Mukut Parvat (7242 m) and Mukut Parvat East (7130 m) and Abi Gamin (see H.J. Vol. XVII).

When I was invited by Col. Ajit Dutt, the Principal of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (N.I.M.) to join, what he called, an 'in-house' expedition to Mukut Parvat East ( 7130 m / 23,415 ft) in June-July 1999, I accepted and immediately began preparing myself since I had not climbed after 1996. From the Himalayan Journals and IMF records I learnt that :

This peak lies in the Zaskar range which does not receive the direct onslaught of the monsoon. Thus while we on the mountain were literally 'high and dry', the lower reaches around Joshimath and Mana were subjected to heavy rains and land slides. In fact Ajit, who followed the expedition a few days after our departure, was stuck up with landslides and roadblocks and had to content himself later with only a visit to the base camp.

The NIM, being located in Uttarkashi, is well placed to attempt peaks in Garhwal and has excellent logistical back-up. A number of attempts had already been made by NIM on Mukut Parvat from its southern spur but they had reached a cul-de-sac short of the summit on the rock wall, which could be surmounted with bolts which were not available. The entire southern aspect of the Mukut-Abi Gamin ridge is steep, mainly its rock walls and so it would be a good technical climb. The summit of Mukut Parvat East could not be discerned from the south because of the continuity of the ridge from the main peak, but an attempt was made on it by a Korean team in 1998 after ascending a steep ice slope to a col (Slingsby's Col) and then following the broad 'hog's back' ridge eastward to the summit.

Editorial Note : See 'Correspondence' section in this volume for correct position of the Korean team's claim of ascent of this peak in 1998.

Photos 8 to 12

In Ajit's bandobast for an expedition, there is little to complain. Meticulous planning led to the stocking of camps upto Camp 1 and a recce done in advance helped immensely. In fact, half the uncertainty of an expedition's success is logistics which was taken care of. This also meant that the main group of climbers could move fast. With training and other demands of a mountain school, there was not much time and it is not surprising that the expedition was completed in 18 days. Perhaps I was the only plains-lubber who required the normal acclimatisation period and fitness planning. Almost all the others on the team were straight from the training areas and thus superbly fit. We had Ms. Nari Dhami, a woman climber, straight from having climbed the Kangshung face of Everest and Jagmohan, her team mate, who too was superbly fit but took ill at base camp and had to withdraw. The rest were instructors and three girls recently trained by N.I.M. In all, we were 18.

Our route by road from Uttarkashi went up the Alaknanda to Gaucher where we had halted for the night. The next day found us at Badrinath where we had an encounter with a grumpy 'rawal' who went through the motions of blessing the team.

From Mana to Vasudhara falls was an enjoyable 8 km acclimatisation walk over the Bhim Pul (bridge). I reminisced vividly of my expedition 26 years ago on this route to unclimbed Parvati Parvat on the Satopanth glacier, east of Nilkantha.

Leaving the Alaknanda at Mana, we followed the Saraswati river up the natural route towards Mana Pass (5608 m) also known as Chirbitya La, crossing over to its left bank at Ghastoli. Fields of alpine flowers delighted the eye — wine red potentillas, yellow buttercups, anemones, daisies and primulae. A family of Himalayan Rosefinch visited our camp at 4100 m.

29 June was spent doing a load ferry to base camp at 4840 m. It was a grind, ascending 1000 m of vertical height over 5 km. A frightfully swollen nala on our return in the afternoon close to Ghastoli almost saw some of us marooned on the far side, but the temptations of the kitchen and a hot meal did wonders and produced physical feats befitting the feast.

The next day we moved up to base camp and I was going faster. We moved up the Paschmi (west) Kamet glacier and when I looked back, got a good view of the Arwa glacier and a host of beautiful mountains in the direction of Kalindi Khal.

We were located on a green patch with a flowing stream. Buttercups, Rhodiola himalensis, Primula macrophylla and the rare Himalayan Blue Poppy (Mecanopsis aculeata) were the delights of this camp. The southern ramparts of the Paschmi Kamet glacier are formed into an excellent gendarme ridge mainly of black granite and with potential for excellent day-long rock climbs. A separate expedition could be launched for climbing routes on this ridge with just a camp at the bottom. A log hut at our location would also be ideal. Across this ridge on the far side to the south is the Uttari Nagthuni glacier leading to the Gupt Khal through which I had attempted Mana (7272 m) in 1983 and had eventually climbed it in 1995 via the Purvi Kamet glacier.

Some members with C. Norbu moved ahead to get a view of Kamet and the Mukut massif from Pt. 5573. I was content to get a view of the western flanks of Kamet and an attractive rock needle Pt. 5960 m from a little lower height on this acclimatisation walk.

On 2 July, was a long march up the moraine from base to advance base camp at 5300 m. Unladen climbers covered it in 5 hours while laden porters took nearly 10 hours. In the distance to the NW was the Chamrao glacier and I spotted with my field glasses two brown bears, moving on the ridge above us. On reaching camp, I went down with acute diarrhoea which enervated me and sapped all my energy. This, along with a mysterious chest congestion, made me lie low and though I recovered with Capt (Dr.) Sodhi's medication, I was never as fit as the others for the remaining part of the expedition.

On 3 July, I took rest in ABC while Maj Dhami and the others carried out a ferry to Camp 1 at 5800 m and the next day they moved up to Camp 1. I took a walk whilst recuperating with a change of medicines and enjoyed the first view of the majestic Mukut Parvat and the shoulder of Mukut Parvat East. The likeness of the main peak to a crown is probably how the name was derived. I appreciated the rock line attempted by the NIM in 1993 on its southern face and could understand why Rattan Singh gave up the attempt at the smooth, holdless slabs near the summit. I hoped an ascent of this face is made some day. Mukut East can be seen as an extension of the ridge from the main peak to the east and its rocky spurs drop steep and sharp to the glacier. Only at the head of the glacier is a feasible ice and snow route, steep and peppered with stone-fall, but possible. This was the line taken by the Korean team up the southern slopes in 1998 (HJ Vol.55). We intended to use the same to gain access to the ridge linking up to Abi Gamin, west of the col.

On return to camp, I found that the doctor, Laxman and Nari Dhami had joined me and my plunging spirits soared. That and my spartan diet of 'sattu' and 'Khichri' had helped settle my rebellious stomach. The next day, I got onto the ice slopes with Laxman and practised my ice- craft, step cutting, jumaring, fixing ropes and abseiling.

On 6 July, I went up for a load ferry to Camp 1 at 5800 m in the company of Nari Dhami and Laxman. It was the doctor's turn to be sick and he stayed behind in Camp 1. The others with Kulwant Dhami were enjoying a rest day and I strolled in within 4 hours to be welcomed by them. They had done good work in the past two days and fixed 16 ropes from the head of the glacier to a point short of the crest of the ridge adjoining the col where Camp 2 would be located at 6520 m. It was intended that, on the next day, two more ropes would be fixed on the final bit and the others would carry loads. Most of the lead climbing was done by C. Norbu over a route which he graded as 5.6 in terms of alpine difficulty. The gradient in its steepest was 60 to 65 degrees and conditions were good. There was a veneer of snow over the ice but crampons gripped well. The only problem was a traverse of the slope in the initial stage, down which, after sunrise, rocks and stones whizzed past at unpredictable frequency. Helmets were required.

On 7 July, I occupied Camp 1, walking up with the doctor, Laxman and Jagmohan who was slightly unwell. The others had returned after reaching Camp 2. The two teams were selected for the summit. Rattan and I are to be in the second team with two of the girls, Lata and Sarita, Laxman and one Dawa Norbu.

On 8 July, I climbed to 6200 m on jumars before being nearly bombarded off the slopes by increasing rock-fall and stone pellets whistling past my helmet. The first group occupied Camp 2. The next day, with the doctor, I went higher till 6400 m, before descending with Rattan Singh who had gone up in a support ferry with D. Norbu and Laxman. This time I was able to cross the rock-fall area and ascend the gully where C. Norbu had done a good lead, fixing ropes on rock as well as ice. Beyond this is a gentler slope after which it steepens sharply to 65 degrees onto the crest of the ridge to Camp 2 adjoining Slingsby's col.

In the meanwhile, 10 climbers of Dhami's Team A went up the simple 'hog's back' ridge towards the summit. C. Norbu, Subba, and Ranveer spearheaded the route finding and fixed 21 ropes. Back at Camp 1, we had our eyes glued to the summit ridge where the climbers eventually emerged on the 'hump' at 2.00 p.m. The summit was ours.

Major Kulwant Dhami narrated the ascent to the summit by Team A as recorded by Col. Ajit Dutt who was officially the Leader of the expedition :

On 9 July, 3 instructors (Ranveer, C. Norbu, and K. B. Subba) made a head start for route opening above Camp 2 with the rest of them following at their heels, i.e. Maj Dhami, Soban Bhandari, Joginder Paul, Geeta Singh, Raj Singh, Prakash Bhatt, Nari Dhami, and Radha Rana. From Team B, Rattan Singh, Laxman Singh, and D. Norbu, came from Camp 1 with meals and other support items. In all, 21 ropes were carried. In the morning the progress was quick. 400 m from campsite they came across a bergschrund, then traversed left towards a rock band. By 10.30 a.m., 12 ropes had been fixed. The summit seemed to be deceptively near but they ended up fixing another 12 ropes before the Dome could be reached. The weather was clear. It was a perfect day for the summit. The gradient of slope was between 60 and 65 degrees. They were steadily coming close to the summit that seemed like a Dome, exactly as it looked from Camp 1. But edging nearer to it, they realised their mistake. For they came upon a sheer rock face spreading out from the icy walls of the eastern face. They took a detour and shifted the rope fixing to their right, leaving the rock to their left. After crossing the saddle, they took a left turn. After fixing 4 ropes, they eventually found themselves on top of the 'Dome'. They found a snowstake with a carabiner on the eastern edge of the 'Dome' that gave some idea of the possible route taken by the Koreans. While our team had detoured to the right, the Koreans had ascended the rocky patch.

Standing on the 'Dome', on their right appeared another snowfield. One could make a mistake of ignoring this field: the summit lay beyond and not there on the 'Dome'. After walking 80 m to 90 m on the flattish plateau, another 40 m ice-face was climbed. Beyond the 'Dome', no evidence of the Korean's passage could be found, putting us in a slight dilemma. Did the Koreans mistook the 'Dome' for the summit ? The route opening group waited for the remaining 7 members on the 'Dome'. The group decided to move eastwards and climb further 40 m height towering above them. Two more ropes were fixed to reach the true summit. They started reaching the summit of Mukut Parvat East one by one from 12 p.m. onwards. The summit was a sharp ridge 20-25 m approximately in length. They sat in a horse-riding position on the summit, one leg on the Tibetan side and the other on the Indian side. The northeast face of Mukut Parvat Main was visible only from this true summit.

When the climbers descended to the 'Dome', they were amazed to see two figures trudging their way slowly up. It was D. Norbu and Laxman Singh Negi (2 members of Team B) who were to provide logistic support and on pure impulse decided to push on to the summit on that very day. The two reached the summit around 2.30 p.m. and the figure of summiters rose from 10 to 12.

Except Rattan Singh, who dropped out with a sore throat, the remaining members of Team B, including myself, jumared up the 19 ropes, each over 50 m, and I was the last into Camp 2 at 6400 m with clouds closing in behind me. We had met the first summit team descending sans the two instructors of Team B, (Laxman and Dawa Norbu) who had gone for the summit with the first group on 'impulse.' They had been instructed to await us at Camp 2 and repeat or assist the ascent of our group.

The view around Camp 2 was memorable because of the brown shades of Tibet in the north and the clean glacier descending from the direction of Mana pass by which the team in 1950 came up to our right to scale Abi Gamin. South of our camp was Kamet. The 'hog's back' snow and ice ridge leads straight up to the summit of Mukut East to the West.

On 11 July, the ascent to the summit was repeated by the two girls, Sarita and Lata, with Dr. Sodhi and Laxman. Dawa Norbu awaited us at the 'Dome' while I stopped three rope lengths below him, all of a sudden feeling done-in and tired. My mind said it was only noon. However my body was done-in, weakened by loose motions and coughing and I couldn't will myself to chase the others as they disappeared from view. I watched Dawa Norbu as he grabbed the rope and climbed down to where I was and I knew the summit for me must be on another day. We slowly turned and were back in camp by 2.00 p.m. The others rolled in by 3.30 p.m.

The clouds closed in at night and there was light snowfall. It was decided that there would be no more attempts on the summit.

By 17 July, we were back in Uttarkashi and I could not help feeling that the expedition was too rushed. Those of us used to extended periods in the mountains, climbing two or three peaks or returning from the mountain by an exciting new route would have been disappointed on this one. Yet the plus side was that the administrative arrangements were good and the lower camps were stocked in advance before the climbers reached them and they could get on with the technical climbing. Unfortunately, a climber coming up from the plains would be at a disadvantage, as I was, on an expedition using such tactics. The best course would have been a spell of pre-expedition training on heights or another expedition prior to the major one. One learns every time.

SUMMERY

15 members of a team from NIM Uttarkashi made the first ascent of Mukut Parvat East 7130 m. Please see the letter in this issue correcting the position of the earlier ascent by the Korean team in 1998 (H.J. Vol. 55. p. 93).

 

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