Adventure Mania 2013

The year 2013, for us at Adventure Mania were very special. Like every year for the past 12 years we spent many months in the mountains of the Indian Himalaya.

Our journey this year started with a lightweight, semi-alpine style attempt on the forbidding Nanda Devi East (7434m). The report of our trip to NDE can be found here: http://nanda-devi-east.blogspot.in/

our Advance Base Camp on Nanda Devi East Expedition

Alok Das on the south ridge of Nanda Devi East, May 2013

After Nanda Devi, Adventure Mania team drove to Joshimath in June to provide a professionally serviced expedition to Trisul West face. Unfortunately, we were trapped in our camp II on the Ronti glacier as the infamous cloudburst and subsequent flooding of Uttarakhand happened. Our gear and food were all buried under fresh powder and our proposed route went totally beyond safe conditions. Reluctantly, we had to abandon this attempt. Gear-less and out of food,the two Adventure Mania guides, Thendup Sherpa and Anindya Mukherjee, made an ascent of south summit (6014m) of Ronti (6063m) in a one day dash.

You can read a media report here:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-24/others/40165831_1_mount-trishul-expedition-indian-mountaineer

stuck for 6 days on the medial moraine of Ronti glacier, June 2013

the last obstacles of Ronti's south summit, June 2013

Next month, right after our Trisul ordeal, we traveled all the way from Garwal to Zanskar Himalaya. Our team worked in close collaboration with an international expedition to climb Hagshu-I (6515m). The team did a fantastic job by nearly climbing Hagshu-I and making two first ascents. Read about their expedition here: http://theadventureblog.blogspot.in/2013/09/dedicated-everyman-puts-up-two-first.html

Hagshu massif July 2013

In August- September, Adventure Mania team started working with a big team from the King's College London, in the Karcha Nala, Lahoul Himalaya. The goal of this trip was conducting research on various aspects of Acute Mountain Sickness.

KCL wilderness medicine society team resting high up the Karcha Valley, August, 2013

Then in October, we were back in West Sikkim. This time with a group from Italian Alpine Club in collaboration with my friend Alberto Peruffo. The aim of this trek was to do a survey of the Talung and Tongshyong glaciers with an eye to future expedition potential.

a sunny breakfast in Dzongri, October 2013

team approaching Thangsing valley with Tinchinkhang and Jopuno peaks as backdrop, October 2013

Now, with 2013, nearing its end, we look forward to 2014 for more adventures and mountains.

Re-imagining The Future Of The Indian Adventurer- TedX Jadavpur University 2019

On 28th March, 2019, I was invited to speak at a TedX event organized by the Jadavpur University. The title of my talk was- ' Re-imagining the Future of the Indian Adventurer'. Here it is: Here is the text of my talk along with the illustrations that I used that day. Re-imagining The Future Of The Indian Adventurer Image: Anindya Mukherjee Perhaps today my objective, above anything else, is to share a perspective. As we re-imagine the future in our own different ways, my personal motivation to do so, was simply to learn more and to explore- both what lies out there, and what I can find within myself. To satiate that urge I resorted to adventure, and I found that it answered in unexpected, mysterious, yet beautiful ways. Over the past 20 years I learnt that a life of adventure, like a few other noble pursuits, demands a long and devoted apprenticeship, physical, as well as philosophical. I also learnt that adventure makes yo...

Nelion SE Face 2020- a Report

Introduction My first visit to the continent of Africa happened in 2005 and the sole purpose of that trip was to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. No sooner had I finished the ascent to the roof of Africa, than I was invited by a complete stranger to visit his newly erected chapel in a remote village outside Arusha. ‘If you want to see the Real Africa you must come to my village,’ he said, and I followed him just like a hypnotized human being. My love affair with Africa started that day and I kept going back to Africa ever since. In 2012, I set out on my bicycle from Nanyuki, Kenya to Walvis Bay, Namibia; covering 5000 kms, across 5 countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Namibia) in 69 days. This trip changed my approach towards life, and my love and understanding of Africa became deeper. To me, since then, the real Africa has been its people. Moreover, it is in this trip, I saw Mt. Kenya for the very first time. On top of Kilimajnaro in 2005 In 2016, Martin Boner (...

Zemu Gap from south: the first documented ascent

view of Kangchenjunga south summit and Talung peaks from Tongshyong glacier. Pic. Anindya Mukherjee Text & Photographs: Anindya Mukherjee Introduction The history of exploration around Kangchenjunga [1] , especially around its south, south east and east flanks; has always fascinated me. The classic journeys and adventures of pioneers [2] like W.W. Graham, John Claude White, Douglas Freshfield, Dr. A.M. Kellas, Harold Raeburn, N.A.Tombazi, Lord John Hunt and Paul Bauer ignited my imagination. The height of inspiration of course came from reading my hero Mr. H.W. Tilman’s account in the Himalayan Journal (vol. IX) on his attempt on Zemu Gap from south in 1936. The primary challenge of climbing Zemu Gap from south has always been its remote & complicated approach. Many failed just to reach the foot of this col. To add to that its apparently impregnable defenses took Zemu Gap to a next level of exploratory climbing. In 1925, Greek photographer N.A.Tombazi is sai...

Trek and Climb with RAJA

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