Year Ender 2023: First Mt Meru summit via the west face, and more Indian mountaineering feats

Mount Thajiwas (4,854m) in Kashmir. (Credit: Zeeshan Mushtaq)

In 1976, two Englishmen stood at the base of Changabang (6,864 m) — a behemoth of the Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand, though still not quite as high as the 8,000 m giants in Nepal and Pakistan.

Changabang mountain in Uttarakhand. (Photo: Changabang)

The mountain had first been climbed two years prior, by a mixed team of British and Indian climbers. Their intent had been to climb from the west, but it was soon dropped in favour of a more approachable route. On June 4, 1974, six members eventually reached the summit via the east ridge on the southeast face.

Bivouac on Changabang mountain in Uttarakhand. (Photo: alpineteam.co.nz)

The same mountain now enticed British climber Joe Tasker and his climbing partner, Peter Boardman. But instead of following in the footsteps of their predecessors, they wanted to find their own way to the summit. And they decided to take on the seemingly treacherous route from the west that had been abandoned by the previous team.

Tasker would later write of the expedition: “Pete and I persevered with our preparations. From all that we could judge, there were no ledges large enough for a tent on the central steep area of the mountain. We planned to use hammocks to sleep in. Neither of us knew how seriously to take ourselves. We knew of no one who had tried to use hammocks on so high a mountain and in cold such as we expected. The question that arose constantly was that if the mountain was so hard, what chance did we have? It was like the game of ‘chicken’, where each person runs as close to a chosen danger as he dare and loses points by the extent to which he bales out before reaching the danger. Neither of us ever let himself express doubts in front of the other.”

There was no backup and little room for error. And almost certainly no one guiding them up the mountain. It was a real adventure in its truest sense — to head out into the unknown, take on a demanding objective while being open to the idea of returning empty-handed, without having made the summit.

It was certainly a different time. These days, conventional path lure the majority of climbers. Some in search of records, others for the rewards.

8,000 m up

Over the years, Indians have thronged the 8,000-plus metre mountains in Nepal (Pakistan continues to be off limits) in search of instant gratification. These are guided climbs aided by high-altitude guides (a majority of them Sherpas) along a standard route marked out by ropes, with camps set up and ready to be occupied at every stage. The challenge, still huge, is down to putting one step in front of the other, the effects of the altitude often reduced by supplementary oxygen. As long as the weather holds, and one has the basic climbing skills and endurance in place, getting to the summit doesn’t pose the same challenge as it does for a small-scale, self-supported team. In a nutshell, these attempts lack the true essence of mountaineering.

According to the Himalayan Database and news reports, over 80 Indians reached the summit of various 8,000-plus metre mountains across Nepal this year. Forty of them were among the hordes on Mount Everest — at 478 permits, it was the highest number issued by the Department of Tourism in Nepal. The mountain also saw the most deaths in its history after 18 casualties were recorded — two of them were Indian climbers while one was of Indian origin.

What was more alarming was the approach to climbing. A successful climb in its true sense starts at base camp, reaches the top of the mountain and finishes back at base camp. However, this season, some reached the summit and preferred to take a helicopter ride off the mountain for various reasons; a few others had to be rescued on the descent, putting to risk the life of other climbers. And quite incredibly, these folks took credit for a successful climb and basked in its glory. It’s akin to running half a marathon at full blast, calling it quits midway and still picking up a finisher’s medal. Or playing one half of a football match, refusing to step out for the second and claiming victory.

More importantly, it makes a mockery of those climbers who reach the summit and get back down safely and on their own strength. And yet others, who still live adventures without any recognition.

Real adventure

There were some significant climbs in the Indian Himalayas this year. A team from Giripremi led by Umesh Zirpe made the first ascent of Meru (6,660 m) via the west face. In May, their previous attempt had been thwarted by bad weather and avalanches, and they turned back just 400 m from the top. But nine from the team eventually stood on the summit on September 2.

In July, a team from Sonarpur Arohi Mountaineering Club successfully climbed Brammah I (6,416 m) in the Kishtwar Himalaya via a new route, 44 years after the mountain was last summited. It was the first successful ascent by an Indian team and only the fifth recorded climb according to team member, Satyarup Siddhanta.

Over in Himachal Pradesh, Kullu Makalu (6,349 m) recorded its first ascent by a team from South Calcutta Trekkers Association. The peak located near the snout of the West Dibibokri Glacier in the Kullu Valley was climbed by Rajsekhar Maity, Pradip Bir, Phurba Sherpa, Lopsang Sherpa and Dawa Sherpa on June 24. This was a day after two members of the same expedition, Subhajit Banerjee and Dawa, made the summit of Rubal Kang (6,150 m) nearby.

Thajiwas peak in Kashmir. (Photo: Zeeshan Mushtaq)

Thajiwas (4,854 m) in Kashmir was successfully climbed in alpine style, 78 years since its last ascent by Englishmen John Jackson and John Buzzard in 1945. The team of Zeeshan Mushtaq and Faisal Wani made an attempt via the Great Couloir and though Wani stopped a few hundred metres below the top, Mushtaq pushed on to the summit on July 7. However, there was more drama in store after Wani picked up an injury on the descent and the team had to be rescued off the mountain.

A team from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports set out on a long expedition to climb the highest peaks of every Indian state. Led by Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal, they started out in October 2022 by climbing Gorichen (6,858 m) in Arunachal Pradesh last year and finished on the summit of Jongsong (7,462 m) in Sikkim on October 2. The highest of the peaks, Kamet (7,756 m) in Uttarakhand, saw its fair share of challenges, with rock fall and wide crevasses constantly hampering their progress according to Jamwal. Logistics and navigation for each climb was another challenge, but after 31,000 km, the team finally signed off the project that was unique in its own way.

Another joint team from the Himalayan Club and Chakram Hikers made a few first ascents in the East Karakoram in August. They visited the Thangman Lungpa valley across the Khardung La and discovered a route to enter the north branch of the Thangman Glacier. On August 13, Vineeta Muni, Divyesh Muni, Sudeep Barve, Mahesh Kendurkar, Samgyal Sherpa, Phuphu Dorji and Pemba Sherpa climbed a virgin peak that they named Dzashez Kangri (6,075 m). Barve, Samgyal and Pemba also made another ascent of an unclimbed peak they named Manlung Kangri (6,207 m) a few days later.

It’s heartening to know that mountaineering in its true sense is still alive in India. There’s glory in it, just the way the masters perceived it, irrespective of the altitude or the recognition.

Earlier this month, the New Zealand Alpine Team released their much awaited movie, Changabang, which documents their climb from last year. They pulled off only the second successful ascent from the west face, a variation of the route that Tasker and Boardman had taken 46 years ago before them.

New Zealand team on Mount Changabang, Uttarakhand. (Photo: alpineteam.co.nz)

Theirs had been a lightweight, self-sufficient climb in a single push from base camp. And like Tasker and Boardman, they had the entire mountain to themselves.

The suffering had been immense for Matthew Scholes, Kim Ladiges and Daniel Joll, yet their experience was immensely fulfilling. As Joll writes, “Every carry was hard. We focussed on that day and said as long as we get the gear to where we planned, tomorrow is a new day. We reminded each other not to think too far ahead. None us thought we would summit. We never imagined it could be possible until the final hundred metres.”

And that is what climbing a mountain is all about.