7 climbers including 2 women unfurled tricolour on 5900 meters high Mt. Cathedral

Sports

Last updated Aug 13, 2018

NP NEWS NETWORK

Pune/Manali

Pune’s premier mountaineering organization Giripremi’s 7 climbers including 2 women

summited Mt. Cathedral, 5900 meters tall, in Bara Shigri glacier located in Lahaul Spiti

Valley. The team achieved the success under the able leadership of Vivek Shivade, an IIT

graduate, experienced mountaineer and Instructor at GGIM.

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Success of Bara Shigri Expedition is special as the team was fairly new and inexperienced. 6 of the 9 members of the team was climbing such high altitude for the first time. Along with Vivek Shivade, Everesteer Krishna Dhokale, Jitendra Gaware, Varun Bhagwat, Rohan Desai, Saiyami Takale and Priyanka Mane summited the peak. Unfortunately, Amit Talwalkar and 51 years old Anjali Katre couldn’t manage to reach the top. However, the efforts taken by Mrs. Katre during the expedition were commendable.

Bara Shigri is the largest glacier located in Lahaul Spiti region in Chandra Valley, Himachal

Pradesh. It is a 30-km long glacier, a second longest glacier in Himalaya after Gangotri. It

flows northwards and feeds Chenab river. Bara Shigri is a home of several peaks and located above 3950 meters altitude.

Giripremi’s team started their journey from Manali. Passing through Rohtang Pass, reached

basecamp in Spiti Valley. Reaching basecamp of the trek is also a daunting task as team had to set to camps to reach the basecamp. It took 3 days to team to reach basecamp as it is located near snout of the glacier and has several obstacles on the way. The challenging part on the way to the basecamp was Karchha Nala stretch, where team had to use rope-based river crossing technique to cross the rapid waterflow. However, Giripremi’s team donned the climb and reached basecamp and then summit by showing utmost skills of

mountaineering. Climber have to find their ways in huge crevices and moraine terrain.

7 members, who have summitted the peak, climbed a 60 feet ice wall (inclined at 70 degrees) before summit camp. It is second successful expedition in Spiti Valley after successful expedition on CB-13 in 2017. Interestingly, Vivek Shivade, leader of the Bara Shigri glacier also led CB-13 expedition and summited the peak. Veteran mountaineer and Shri Chhatrapati Awardee Umesh Zirpe and veteran mountaineer Avinash Foujdar mentored and guided the team. Khemraj Thakur’s ‘Mountain Expedition’ located in Manali supported the team, whereas Gangaram Thakur, Balkrishna Thakur, Mohar Singh and Umesh Raina worked as climbing guides during the expedition.

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Mt. Elbrus and Mt. Stok Kangri Expedition’s Success

Guardian Giripremi Institute of Mountaineering (GGIM) organised two expeditions in month

of July, first one on Mt. Elbrus (5642 meters) highest peak in Europe located in Russia and

second one on Stok Kangri (6153 meters), highest trekkable peak in India. GGIM’s

experienced instructor Dinesh Kotkar led Mt. Elbrus Expedition. His entire 4-member

team summited Europe’s highest peak on 6 August 2018. On other side, 7 members of Dr.

Sumeet Mandale’s team summited Stok Kangri peak located in Leh region on 4 August

2018. Dr. Mandale is an experienced mountaineer and has climbed Mt. Chyo Oyu, sixth

highest peak in the world.