A Little Snowshower on 2L1B- A short film by Wangial Kaya

Surrounded by Ladakh's towering peaks and an alien desolation of a landscape, a band of three had just joined forces. With an unknown valley ahead and an unscaled mountain in sight, this curious company of two ladakhis and one bengali (2L1B) -- a musician, an aspiring mountain filmmaker and a seasoned climber-- were setting a plan afoot. The goal was to push a blitz attempt on an unnamed 6000m summit, true to the essence of an alpine style climb. Treading lightly on the terrain, with the bare minimum of necessities, expenses and impact on the surroundings, the project had had to be an exercise in precise and economic execution of the alpine craft. The team went strong with the odds in their favour upto the final camp, the top within the reach of but a few more hours' worth of toil. It was just then that the skies were besieged by a fierce, battering snow storm. The onslaught of wind and snow seemed to get harsher by the hour, as frustration from the jeopardized ascent turned to fear for life. After holding their ground for 27 hours, they retreated below to safety. Here are the moments from this intense adventure, shot and edited on a mobile phone camera by the trio's passionate chronicler (Wangial Kaya). We hope you enjoy this short account of the very first venture of our team of three, the 2L1B. (Sonam Yangjor, Stanzin Wangial Kaya and Anindya Mukherjee).

Comments

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

Sundardhunga Khal – The Goddess Keeps her Secret

Sundardhunga Khal – The Goddess Keeps her Secret George W Rodway and Anindya Mukherjee The Sundardhunga Khal and our route of attempt in 2015 The History Locating a practicable route into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary occupied a very respectable amount of exploration time and effort in the latter half of the nineteenth century and first half of the twentieth century. By the time W.W. Graham made spring and autumn journeys to Sikkim and spent the summer in the Kumaun region around Nanda Devi in 1883, a shift had just started towards looking to the Himalaya as a venue for sporting adventure. Graham and the Swiss guides that accompanied him this year planned an ambitious itinerary for their time in Kumaun. They attempted to penetrate, for the first time in recorded history, the Rishiganga gorge with an eye to ascending Nanda Devi. Not surprisingly the difficulty of the gorge, not infiltrated to its source (after many attempts) until 1934, forced them to reconsider the wis

TREK AROUND THE MAYEL LYANG- April 2022

TREK AROUND THE MAYEL LYANG- NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2021 THE HIDDEN LAND OF MYTHICAL PARADISE OF THE LEPCHA PEOPLE IN NORTH SIKKIM Trip Highlight: Culture, Jungle trek, Monasteries, Himalayan Lake, Off the Beaten Path Approaching the Kishong Lake MAYEL LYANG: IT’S MEANING AND WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT ‘Mayel Lyang’ is a Lepcha term that literally means “mythical paradise” or “hidden paradise”. It is also referred to as ‘Ancient Sikkim’ by the Lepcha. They believe their immortal ancestors still live in the snows of Kangchenjunga, hidden. Here Ma (‘Maa)’ means hidden, ‘yel’ means eternal and ‘kyong’/Lyang means a village in Lepcha; therefore, ‘Maayel Kyong’ literally means a ‘hidden and eternal Lepcha Village’. Lepchas believe that seven immortal Lepcha couples live in Mayel Lyang. It is a paradise on earth. It is believed by the Lepchas that ‘Maayel Kyong’ is situated at the head of Dzongu. The Lepcha offer their prayers, ovations and salutations to Maayel Ky

Trek and Climb with RAJA

Search This Blog