2013 Upper Zanskar Traverse

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The traditional Tibetan village of Kargyak, settled amongst the orange, purple, and ochre peaks and passes of wild Zanskar.

2013 Upper Zanskar Traverse

This past July, having just escaped disaster in the Garwhal, I set my sites on the next Indian Himalaya project with bleary eyes and still in a bit of shock from our recent experience.  I fortunately had a week to rest and recover

2013 Bhagirathi 2 Expedition - Trip Summary

6512 meter (21,365 feet) Bhagirathi 2 and our route line.

Greetings from Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India.  We're resting here and getting ready for the upper Zanskar Traverse.  Excited!  We had a true adventure on this year's expedition to the Garhwal Himalaya.  Atrocious weather kept us from a summit, and we saw the full brunt of the power of a Himalayan storm that persisted for more than 60 hours with consistent heavy, wet snowfall.  Widespread avalanching in the region kept us from even returning for a climb on the upper slopes of the mountain.  We will return again in June of next year, the best month of the year for climbing in the Garhwal.  Below are images of the region to give you an idea of the experience.

Pilgrims at Gangotri, bathing away the sins of a lifetime with a single dunk (pretty sweet deal, but cold!).

The start of the approach trek to Nandanvan (Bhagirathi BC) in mixed conifer / birch forest.  Note the hard working porter team on the trail to the left.  These guys carry massive loads (up to 35 kilograms) and choose to run on two meals a day. Amazing people!

A detour around enroute to Bhagirathi 2 base camp.

Moving to ABC from base camp with afternoon clouds.

A puja in base camp to the Hindu god Ganesha for protection while on our climb.

 Less than ordinary alpine scenery.

Shivling, Meru (Shark's Fin), and the Gangotri glacier in mid afternoon.

More glacier bashing!

Moving on the Gangotri glacier.

Travelling away from base camp on the Gangotri glacier (Bhagirathi 3 on the left, Shivling on the right).

A day for drying out after the snowstorm.

Sunset in the region.

A landslide covering the road from Uttarkashi to Gangotri.

Kedar Dome and an umclimbed peak.

Extraordinary light.

Landslide debris covering cars in the village of Harsil.

 

Looking towards the Kumaon Himalaya.

A lot of destruction came to the Uttarakhand while we were on this expedition, unbeknownst to us.  We noticed lots of lightning flashing through the skies as we rested in the evenings, but had no idea about the seriousness of the situation down below. Thousands of people are currently displaced from their homes and facing a lot of hard work to rebuild their lives.  We plan to return to the region in September of this year to offer our hand in the effort.  It will be huge, and they will need all the help they can get.  Contact us if you'd like to assist.


The end.

2013 Bhagirathi 2 Expedition - Enroute

2 June, Munsoorie

We all arrived yesterday, 1 June to New Delhi, India, had a quick meal and a sleep, jumped on a train this morning, and are now resting and enjoying the foothills of the Indian Himalaya. Much cooler temperature wise than Delhi (21C Munssoorie, 37C Delhi), we're looking forward to journeying onward tomorrow deeper into the Garwhal Himalaya and the roadhead at Gangotri where our approach to Bhagirathi 2 begins.  Onward into some very remote country.  Stay tuned, we'll update you when we can.  We have big plans.

The team in front of the jeep.

   

4 June - Uttarkashi

Here in Uttarkashi today, will be in Gangotri tonight at 3000 meters.  The Bhagirathi river is snortin' high down below, and the sound of its flow fills the valley.  It's hot, looking forward to climbing higher and feeling the wind off the glacier.  Team is well, and everyone's really excited to get into the mountains.  Alright, final post for a couple weeks.  Wish us fair weather and we'll see you on the other side. -Luke Smithwick, Himalaya Alpine Guides

2013 Garwhal Expedition : Bhagirathi 2

In a weeks time, we'll gather here in Delhi to meet with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and begin our journey into India's Garwhal Himalaya.  The Garwhal Himalaya aren't a popular destination compared to other locales in the Himalaya, perhaps due to how remote and wild they are.  So, for a few weeks, we'll be away from the wired world.      

  

     Our peak objective, Bhagirathi 2 (Google rendered image below), is named after King Bhagirathi, believed by locals to be the one responsible for bringing the Ganges river to earth from the heavens.  The peak is 6512 meters (21364 feet) in height, and boasts some mighty fine climbing lines.  Marko Prezelj and his team of Slovenian alpinists found some excellent climbing in the cirque next door (images and story here).  Our climb will be with crampons, mountaineering axes, and running belays with pickets and maybe a screw or two depending on conditions. We'll be climbing on a ridge line.  We'll be posting updates when the team arrives here, if possible at the expedition start, and then our results after our time.  Currently, Rahul Thapa (local guide) is in Munsoorie and preparing local arrangements, Kunsang and Chandan are preparing equipment and tents in Manali, and I'm (Luke Smithwick) here in Delhi preparing to move to Kathmandu to bring expedition supplies down to meet Rahul in Munsoorie next week.  Stay tuned! A few more visuals below.. -Luke Smithwick, Himalaya Alpine Guides

Where is the Garwhal?

The Garwhal Himalaya is located in the Indian Himalaya, on China's Tibetan border. See the map below to orient yourself.  This expedition is the first of a series in the region, exploring alpine peaks and climbing aesthetic routes.  

2012 Himlung Expedition

We travelled to the Lost valleys of Nar and Phu over the past few weeks (October 2012) to climb Mount Himlung, a 7126 meter (23,379 feet) mountain on the Tibetan border with Nepal.  We nearly reached the top, deciding to turn back for the sake of safety.  We felt very far from home up there on that day, the wind constantly droning and us quite alone in a big place with minimal gear.  Himlung presented an interesting challenge this Autumn 2012.  While there were ~4 teams in base camp, none of us had encountered the mountain in these conditions.

Crevasses were bare and lain open, the route not straightforward as in past years on most of the mountain.  We ended up needing a lot more rope and manpower for breaking trail to get as high on the mountain as we did.  It was 12 pm, and clouds were rolling in that could potentially obscure the entire mountain as it had the two days prior, obstructing our view and the way down.  We had to turn back; and

2012 Tsomoriri Peaks Exploratory

Our second trip to the high and wild Tsomoriri region, this journey was nothing short of spectacular, with the right amount of exploring, excellent cuisine, and some good laughs in the dining tent.  We're excited to return to this region in July of 2013.

Looking east from the summit ridge of Lanyar peak. The Great Himalaya range in the far distance.

2012 Upper Zanskar Traverse

The 2012 Upper Zanskar traverse was an excellent adventure.  We warmed up over the Shingo La, headed through a wild upper corner of Zanskar; visiting traditional Tibetan villages, and then began our exploratory of the Lingti region; via the Phirtse La. This trip our second double traverse of the Great Himalaya range for the summer, and a new 6000 meter peak under our belts.  A well rounded trek and climb.

on the summit of the Phirtse La, descending into Lingti.

2012 GHT - High Passes of Miyar

The 2012 GHT- High Passes of Miyar exploratory was a wild trip.   We got our trekking legs  under us in the flowery meadows of the lower Miyar Valley, exploring some of the side valleys, and then moved onto the Ice.  The glacier didn’t disappoint, with stellar views of the potential climbing routes and fine weather.  We successfully crossed the Kang La into Zanskar, and after some days of rest, went for a climb of an unnamed 6000 meter peak in the Raru valley.  Shut down by snow, we said goodbye to Ron and Jerry at Padum, and headed into upper Zanskar for a visit to 2500 year old Phugtal Monastery, a new traverse of the Great Himalaya range into the Mayar (not Miyar) valley, and a new ascent of an unnamed slightly technical 6000 meter peak in the area.  A solid exploratory, with a double traverse of the Range, and a new peak under our belts.

2012 Shishapangma Expedition - Mountain History

 Shishapangma was first reconnoitered by a Chinese - Tibetan team in 1963, who reached 7200 meters on the north ridge before descending in poor weather.  It was the following year, on May 2nd, 1964 that it had its first successful summit, also by a Chinese team.

The North - Northeast Face of Shishapangma (image: Luke Smithwick)

2012 Changtang Winter Peak Exploration

Stephanie Schnieder flew in to Ladakh in February with a singular objective to climb to 6000 meters, in winter.  Day one, we quickly began acclimatizing; exploring old town Leh, and visiting with locals.  We developed our objective based on weather for the week, and current road conditions.  Planning ahead for winter 6000 meter ascents in Ladakh can leave you searching for consolation prizes, as passes close overnight, and where you can get in, you may not be able to get out.  After meeting with our local expert jeep  man, Angchuk, we hatched our plan.  We would head in to Tso Kar lake, over 5250 meter Polokongka La, and go for a quick ascent of 6053 meter Tukje Ri.  We knew that the pass could close any day due to wind drifting snow, and made sure the skies kept clear and nothing harbingered a change on the horizon.

A herd of more than 100 Kiang graze on the plains of Tso Kar.