BREATHLESS ON BURPHU

An attempt on the virgin peak of Burphu Dhura (6210 m)

Lt. Cdr. SATYABRATA DAM

I JUDGED THE GAP between the two boulders was around 6 feet, took three long strides and leapt into nothingness for all that I was worth. As I sailed over the chasm I realised that if I failed, a very cold and wet refuge awaited my arrival. I did a perfect touchdown at the other end to the thunderous applause from my companions.

'Nice jump!' Aloke remarked, 'Has to be!' I retorted. With 'Kermit-the frog' as the expedition mascot and hum honge kamiyab* our theme song we were a charged lot on our way to the virgin Burphu Dhura.

Our team comprised a financial whiz-kid, a submariner, a flying sage from the national carrier, an idler from Almora, a Manipuri mystery and a dashing brat from Bhagsu—all first-rate mountaineers.

As we climbed carefully in a single file through the debris of a devastating landslide, my mind wandered back to the evening we spent at Harish Kapadia's house, when we had our exordial view of Burphu Dhura and the surrounding area. In hushed silence we absorbed as much as we could. When we left, Harish remarked, 'She will make you sweat.' His team had made the first attempt of the peak in 1979, followed by Vasant Limaye in 1982, both of which ended prematurely. Burphu Dhura remained unattempted till we picked up the challenge, sponsored by IMF.

Our bus sped ferociously towards Munsiari. We had just left Kalamuni temple and day-light was diminishing gradually. All of us stared eagerly at the overcast sky into which nestled the awesome Panch Chuli massif. Suddenly a tiny patch of blue appeared through the white and there stood the proud golden apex of Panch Chuli II. By the time our bus neared the KMVN guesthouse the five Chulis were visible.

* A popular Hindi song : We shall succeed one day...

Colour Plates 4 to 8
Photos 5-6-7

Our porter sirdar Duryodhan or Duru, as we called him, welcomed us. Rapidly we unloaded the bus and did some limbering before retiring for the night. Next morning at our doorsteps stood our support team of the legendary Har Singh (Sr.) and four sturdy lads from Harkot.

While others tackled load sorting, last minute purchases and porter hiring, Divyesh and I went to obtain an inner line permit from the SDM- an absurd exercise since no foreigners needed any permit to travel North of Munsiari. This glaring faux pas was evidently due to a gross oversight from the Ministry of Home Affairs plus the local bureaucrat's expertise at reading between the lines. The bespectacled SDM presumed that we were headed for Tibet across the Kungribingri la. He was also very apologetic that all his helicopters were engaged in election duties, hence were not available for any rescue work. If one of us succumbed to fate in the mountains then the SDM could not be held responsible. Anyway, we finally had in our hand the fragile parchment that strictly forbade the carrying of any kind of camera beyond Munsiari.

On 15 September morning, with a favorable sun and a caravan of 40 porters and six members took to the road. The broad trail descended dizzily, through the lush verdance, towards the sleepy village of Lilam. The thundering Gori Ganga accompanied us all along. After Lilam we crossed to the left bank of Gori Ganga and started climbing sharply towards the tiny settlement of Paton, from where most of our porters hailed. A day later we crossed Liungrani and Kiltham and finally reached Ralam.

Ralam, 3690 m, was a hamlet of 12 to 15 houses with as many families. We had left behind the warm green earth and ahead were bare rocks and cold ice.

We established base camp at 3845 m close to the snout of the Sankalpa glacier. Ralam gad flowed to our right. Our mess tent with its orange dome stood out in the bleak surroundings. A tiny lake nearby served as our water point. The location was extremely windy and the gas cylinders proved their worth. We dispersed all our porters except six sturdy ones whom we planned to use for load ferrying till ABC.

On 20 September, braving freezing gale, our heavily laden team left the refuge of BC in search of an ABC that we hoped to find by the end of the day. The trail took us along the left bank of the Sankalp glacier over rock and frozen ice. The steep gradient did not encourage conversation and all our eyes were riveted to the earth below since we were practically enveloped in a milky hue. At the confluence of Sankalpa and Kalabaland glaciers we left the moraines and stepped on the wide expanse of ice. Transverse crevasses riddled the glacier. Looking south we could barel discern through the mist the Yankchar glacier where we knew reposed Suitilla. The continuous snow and the howling wind forced us to stride cautiously. When we failed to find any suitable ABC site by 1430 hrs, we decided to send back the rest of the team to BC after dumping our load at a higher point, while Aloke and I lingered behind to search further. After the rest, we meandered towards the Kalabaland icefall, which by now had started revealing its lower flanks. A couple of hours later we found a slab-rock bed close to a glacial lake, right at the foot of the icefall, that was large enough to accommodate all our tents and gears. We had found our ABC location.

Next morning, a bright blue sky livened our spirits considerably. Rounding off the corner at Kalabaland glacier we had a breathtaking view of our objective. The complete south ridge was discernible. Very soon we would be clawing our way up that route. The two gendarmes, the col and the corniced summit beyond, floated mesmerisingly in the golden sun.

On 22 September we established ABC at 4630 m. After the kitchen got going, we spread our technical equipment for the final checks. We were tired by the evening and after a hot meal retired to our respective tents.

A day was spent in extensive reconnaissance to unravel some access that would take us beyond and above the cascading Burphu Dhura icefall. Our three-pronged probe discovered a boulder and ice filled gully immediately to the south of the icefall that would take us till about 5300 m. We termed it the 'first gully'.

The following day was predictably washed out by incessant snow that piled up to about a foot and half. Next morning, shouldering our heavy sacks we headed for the 'first gully'. Climbing up the tottering boulders and broken stone slabs, all inclined at 50-60 degrees and waiting to tumble like a pack of cards at the slightest vibration, was a lesson in itself. Our heads swathed in 'Camp' helmets we gingerly ascended through the swirling mist and snow till we reached a cul-de-sac. Unexpectedly, the gully instead of reaching beyond the icefall, led us right into the mouth of several huge ice penitents amidst a complete chaos of ice and snow. Negotiating the icefall further would not only be foolhardy but also time consuming. Visibility was very poor. We had exhausted our options in the 'first gully'. Either we descended all the way down or found an escape route from the dungeon at 5380 m. While we secured our loads to some pitons hammered onto a nearby rock, Narender climbed up through a dilapidated rock couloir of about 60 m reaching a firm ledge atop. A rope was fixed, Divyesh and then I followed with a sack of load. Suddenly a sizeable rock dislodged and crashed on my helmet, and glancing a blow on the shoulder disappeared into the void below. As I leaped to my right and clung desperately to a miniscule ledge for dear life, a rain of rocks showered past furiously. It was the first warning Burphu Dhura hurled at us. From the ledge on top we found a snowy slope on the other side that could probably take us higher through reasonably safe grounds. Leaving our loads at the top of the 'first gully' we retreated under a white blanket to the welcoming aroma of Har Singh's piping tea. With dusk, the clouds disappeared and a brilliant moon lit up the whole glacier. The shimmering summits all around looked straight out of Alice's Wonderland. Mercury plummeted well below zero. Our photographer duo Aloke and Divyesh, recorded the dreamy landscape.

On 26 September, Divyesh and Narender parted company below the 'first gully' and travelled further South in search of an access that would take us beyond and above the icefall. The rest of us climbed the first gully. Two and half-hours later, sweating and swearing profusely we panted our way up to the dump point. Luck was with us; Divyesh had indeed discovered another parallel gully and had already reached the previous day's ledge.

We shifted whatever loads possible to the ledge and descended through the second gully, since the weather deteriorated rapidly. The next day, we climbed through the second gully, determined to shift all the equipment from the first gully to the C1 site. The top of the gully ended on an ice wall, where we parted company from Divyesh and Narender who went ahead for route opening up the wall and towards the probable C1. Rest of us shifted the load from the first gully and the ledge and followed the step imprints left by Divyesh and Narender. Through the swirling snow, we kicked hard in the ice and made our way up the two fixed rope lengths and around 1400 hrs, I cleared the ice wall and hauled myself up on the snow rib over which Divyesh waited. The weather had packed up totally and after securing our loads with ice screws and snow stakes, we quickly rappelled off and returned to ABC. The evening was spent merrily as it was Aloke's birthday and we gulped down cakes — thoughtfully packed in by Aloke's wife, though he only received the crumbs, I dare say.

Unclimbed Arwa Spires (6193 m).

Article 8 (Mick Fowler)
3. Unclimbed Arwa Spires (6193 m).

View from Burphu Dhura: L to R : Chaudhara, Panch Chuli II and Rajrambha.

Article 9 (Divyesh Muni)
4. View from Burphu Dhura: L to R : Chaudhara, Panch Chuli II and Rajrambha.

Nanda Devi Peaks from Burphu Dhura.

Article 9 (Divyesh Muni)
5. Nanda Devi Peaks from Burphu Dhura. (Divyesh Muni)

View from Burphu Dhura : L to R : Hardeol, Unclimbed Tirsuli West and Tirsuli.

Article 9 (Divyesh Muni)
6. View from Burphu Dhura : L to R : Hardeol, Unclimbed Tirsuli West and Tirsuli.

The following day, I decided to establish C1 and occupy the same with Aloke, while the others were given the day off. Right from the morning it was snowing hard and climbing the second gully was a daunting task. Rock and ice chunks crashed randomly on either side. It was a hair- raising experience to say the least. Clinging to the ice and tottering rocks each one of my limbs cried for reprieve. Finally around 1345 hrs I staggered onto the snow rib. Aloke was nearly an hour behind. In near zero visibility, with the snow biting like shrapnel, it took all my will to hack out platform and erect a two-man tent single handedly. There were no means to ascertain what lay beyond the camp ledge. Aloke reached around 1500 hrs and we slumped exhausted in our tent. We were at 5505 m with the snow piling up. Though we were in Burphu Dhura's shadow, the white snow curtain did not allow any glimpse of the peak or of the route that lay ahead. Some well-spaced mugs of steaming soup saw us through the night.

On 29 September the rest of the team except Jinender, who was showing signs of AMS, joined us at C1. Two more tents were pitched in the blinding snow and a deep hole was dug for cooking our food. We also decided that, weather permitting, we would make a bid for Burphu South, a virgin snow covered summit to the south of Burphu Dhura. This would also permit us to study the S ridge, along the two gendarmes, which we would eventually traverse during our summit attempt.

30th morning brought a delightful package of blue sky and sparkling sun, though the barometer showed a decline. We had little time and dividing ourselves into two ropes, we surged ahead through the knee-deep snow. A comparatively easy climb of two hours, brought us to the conical summit of Burphu South at 5815 m. After few moments of pensive admiration at the vista we rushed back to C1 as the weather was rapidly deteriorating.

The following day Narender and I led the way over the vast crevasse-ridden ice field, right below our camp and finally reached the bottom of a wide gully and started step kicking through a mixed field of soft snow, scree and hard ice. The other three followed us at a gentler pace. I led five ice pitches over 60-65° slopes. Very soon the weather closed in and we climbed in extremely poor visibility. Narender opened two more pitches till the base of the leading ridge above. While others deposited their loads after fastening two pitons on the slopes and departed, Narender and I remained clinging to the snow in the forlorn hope that the weather would eventually relent, allowing us to climb further. Even after a couple of hours when nothing altered, we descended to C1. In all we had fixed 100 m of rope on that day. The sky poured snow throughout that day and the next.

On 3 October, we left C1 at around half past 7 and an hour and half s tread brought us to the previous high point. We retrieved the snow stakes and ropes and climbed further. I led the pitch to the ridge and found myself on a knife-edge. Straddling it, I belayed Narender up, from where we opened routes by turn. Several windslab avalanches flew past us on the 70° slopes. Reaching the top of the ridge, we crossed to the right and traversed to a tiny rock ledge below a gigantic ice cave with sword like icicles. We dumped all our loads on the ledge and retreated to C1. It had been a hard and long day. The next day we abandoned any further venture due to the weather. All our previous route openings through the snow were in vain and no signs of the fixed ropes remained.

On the 5th five of us moved up in a bid to establish and occupy C2 above the ice cave from where we planned to make the summit attempt. A 4-hour climb brought us to the dump ledge. Thereafter, Divyesh led a fine rock pitch through a 70° gully right till the corniced ridge beyond which the West slope dropped directly to the Burphu valley. As we followed the fixed rope it kept snowing. From the cornice that Divyesh actually had to break through, we traversed right nearly 30 m and found ourselves on a 50° slope of about 10 m. Beyond the slope the ridge abruptly plummeted into an endless void. We cut out a snow cave and a snow platform at 5930 m. Each one of us had a runner anchored to a fixed rope to arrest, should anyone fall. Every step was fraught with intense danger. In all we had fixed 500 m of rope. The ridge above, corniced alarmingly and could crash down upon us at any moment. Narender and I spent the night in an open Bivouac while the other three squeezed inside the tiny Hell Sport tent. It snowed all night and the cold penetrated right till the bone despite all the clothing we had put on.

On 6 October, we woke up to an ominous morning. Summit attempt was out of the question. Divyesh and I decided to try our luck for one more day and we dispatched the rest back to C1. Then started the most horrifying episode of the entire expedition. A thunderstorm with lightening dropping all around kept our nerves on edge. By 1500 hrs everything had darkened. We squeezed into the tent and discussed our plans for the morrow. Every half-hour or so we had to jump out and clear the snow accumulating on the tent, else we would get crushed. This continued almost throughout the night. We could manage to brew only one packet of soup. Both of us had severe chilblain and were exhausted well beyond our reserve. The following morning we wrapped up the camp and climbed down like blind men, clinging desperately to the fixed ropes that were buried more than a foot in snow. On several occasions we had to bury our face in the slope to avoid our faces from getting ripped by the hail. But for the fixed ropes, we might not have returned at all. We took nearly 3 hours to reach C1. Extreme exhaustion, and the relentless weather made us realise that we were up against something beyond us. With great reluctance we decided to retreat to ABC. Everyone had severe chilblain and two of us showed initial symptoms of frostbite. The fuel and rations were running low and there was little point in waiting any further. We had some outstanding technical climbs and had pushed ourselves to the limit.

The 8th morning brought in some hope as the sky cleared and offered us electrifying sights of the peak. Two of our members, Jinender and Bhupender were unwell and were sent down to ABC while the other 4 rested at C1, as we decided to make one final push for the summit from C1 itself - an ascent of 705 m — the following day.

On 9th we left around 0500 hrs. The temperature was -21°C. Despite the Koflach, my feet felt bare. Switching on the headlamps, we broke a fresh trail up the mountain. Near the top of the first broad gully, a gripping stomach pain suddenly overcame me. Deciding not to delay the others, I waited at the spot to recover, while others climbed steadily. Even after throwing up thrice, when the pain did not subside, I decided to return. After signaling to my companions, I descended with a heavy heart as the sunrays cleared Suli Top and bathed our camp and the mountain in an orange glow. From the camp I kept vigil over the three dots that crawled up on the white snow. Divyesh and Narender roped up and surged ahead. Aloke followed them alone at a gentler pace.

Over to Divyesh...

Satya's sudden ill health and return from the attempt was a severe setback to all of us. Nevertheless we continued pushing up the mountain at a feverish pace. It was to be a long day and we had to cover 700 m of technically demanding ground. By 0730 hrs we were at the summit campsite. Aloke was some distance behind and we hoped he would catch up with us soon.

The route above the campsite required us to traverse the south ridge along its east face for 15 m. We then broke through the cornice to get on top of the ridge and then continued climbing on the west face of the ridge till we reached a prominent shelf on the south ridge. This section was very tricky and Narender did a fine lead. We fixed our last available rope on the section. The rope fell short of the shelf and we carefully belayed each other on the knife-edged south ridge. The section took a long time to negotiate. We waited for Aloke at this point, hoping he would catch up with us soon. However he was not yet in sight and we had to make the decision to continue since we were now running out of time. Our next obstacle was the 'Shark's Fin' a steep icy feature on the ridge of about 150 m. It dominated the route ahead. We soloed up the first 50 m. The angle got steeper and the ice harder. We belayed each other up the next 100 m till we were at the crest of the 'Shark's Fin'. What lay ahead kept us gaping. A thin corniced ridge of about 150 m snaked up towards the summit dome. This connecting ridge consisted of a shredded rock ridge covered by a few feet of snow and ice, plunging at several places and corniced alarmingly towards the east. To negotiate this patch would be a delicate affair and take considerable time. Since we had no fixed rope with us, it would also mean that we would have to spend as much time or perhaps more on our way back. We confronted the 'mountaineer's dilemma'. To advance or to withdraw, to overstep the fine boundary delineating courage from foolishness or to plunge forward heedless, to accept defeat and return to climb another day or to tempt fate beyond all limits of prudence. The summit was within touching distance, yet the time it would take to reach the top and come back to the safety of the fixed ropes might not be sufficient. My mind sailed back and forth as minutes ticked by. Finally, I decided to be graceful in defeat and we retreated with reluctant steps. The perilous slopes of Burphu Dhura had remained benign till then, would they remain so if we tried to subjugate it recklessly? We had missed our objective by a hair's breadth. We were at 6115 m. Only 100 m of vertical and about 200 m of horizontal distance separated us from the summit.

Yet nature compensated for our disappointment with a stupendous view of all the peaks far in the horizon. We climbed down to the base of the 'Fin' and spent a half-hour photographing the awe-inspiring panorama around. Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, Chaudhara, Panch Chuli II, Rajrambha, Suitilla, Suli Top and the Chiring We massif were some of the major peaks visible to us. Having captured the beauty in my heart and on my camera, I turned back with mixed emotions. I was filled with joy at the sight of the most beautiful peaks of Kumaun and I was sad that our objective was so near-yet so far.

We retreated to the safety of our C1. On the way we removed whatever equipment we could without endangering ourselves. Some amount of fixed rope and hardware had to be left behind. As we returned to the camp, we were given a warm welcome by Satya and Aloke.

Back to Satya...

Next day we wound up C1 and went down to ABC. On 11 October we cleared ABC and departed for BC. Most of us limped down the glacier. The sky was clear and Burphu Dhura stood proud. We had no regrets, her arsenal was too lethal for us. Even if we had succeeded, I knew that a mountain can never be conquered, they are indomitable. If we do climb one then we should humbly express our gratitude for having been allowed to leave our transient imprints at a place where the world finally reaches an agonizing speck and beyond only emptiness prevail's I was happy that we were safe and the expedition had gone without any major mishap. In the grand scale of cosmic design, nature would always prevail over man, no matter how much, how far, or how long he tried.

Dunagiri (left) and Rishi Pahar from Burphu Dhura.

Article 9 (Divyesh Muni)
7. Dunagiri (left) and Rishi Pahar from Burphu Dhura.

South summit ridge of Burphu Dhura.

Article 9 (Divyesh Muni)
8. South summit ridge of Burphu Dhura.

Khimloga pass (right) at head of Shaone gad, Kinnaur.

Article 12 (Harish Kapadia)
9. Khimloga pass (right) at head of Shaone gad, Kinnaur.

Route finding in Shaone gad. Lamea pass in background.

Article 12 (Harish Kapadia)
10. Route finding in Shaone gad. Lamea pass in background.

On the 12th Divyesh and I decided to climb upto Yankchar Dhura to have a close look at Suitilla. Early in the morning we crossed Ralam gad over a ladder and made our way up the boulder-strewn terrain. Clawing our way up the steep slope, we reached the snow line in about 2&frac; hours. Enroute we crossed a frozen lake and a flat patch of land that might have been the campsite of the Scottish Himalayan Expedition. We waded through deep snow under the merciless sun. Gradually we cleared the neighbouring ridges and once again confronted the mighty snow covered peaks. Even after days of snow, we still found delight in its proximity. The west ridge of Suitilla looked daunting, but nevertheless possible. We had just started capturing the landscape when the weather, our archrival, once again defeated our efforts. The white gossamer submerged us completely. From an altitude of around 4700 m, we retreated, using a direct line of descent to BC.

The following morning our Sirdar Duryodhan arrived with the porters for the return journey. Finally around 0930 hrs, we hit the down-trail. We crossed the deserted Ralam village and surged ahead for Liungrani. During the walk, whatever sights we had missed, now spread out their splendour adding hues to the familiar scenery. A riot of colors and heady fragrances covered the meadows. The shepherds and their flocks had departed, the gorge was visible till the horizon and the mountains looked splendid. We reached Munsiari on 15 October and had a grand ringside view of the Panch Chuli massif. That night the stars twinkled bright and the moon spilled forth brilliantly over the distant snow ridges.

SUMMERY

An attempt on virgin peak of Burphu Dhura by an Indian team in September-October 1999. They reached within 100 m of the summit.

 

⇑ Top