But what’s perhaps noteworthy is how Harish also delves into the awe-compelling scenery of the vista of gorges making up this sanctuary has perennially attracted mountaineers from across the planet. The gorges’ outstanding natural beauty with all the beautiful meadows of endemic alpine flowers complements so well with the rugged mountain wilderness and its snow-capped peaks.
It is unbelievable how this massive beauty of a mountain can harbor so much controversy, as explained by Harish Kapadia. But still, going by his experiences climbing it, getting injured, and later having to be evacuated using a chopper, the Nanda Devi Sanctuary isn’t for the meek, weak, and cowardly.
#NandaDevi #Uttarakhand #NandaDeviNationalPark #Kumaon #Climbing #Exploration #NuclearIncident
Tenzing Norgay Sherpa - Tiger of the Snows : Sujoy Das
As the world celebrates 67 years since the first-ever high-profile ascent up the mighty Everest, the IMF Webinar Series chose this auspicious moment to honor the pioneer mountaineers. One such individual who, unknown to many, daringly braved the tough and punishing conditions of the mountains and hiked to the very top without the modern-day gear is Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.
As told by Sujoy Das, the story of this little-known amateur Sherpa tells a tale of sheer bravery, enthusiasm, and determination. It talks about the zeal a little Tibetan boy nicknamed ‘Tiger of the Snows,’ a yak harder, had in being a Sherpa, despite having been rejected before.
The Tiger of the Snows embody the extremes a spirited, passionate, and determined climber can go to conquer the unconquerable. It tells an unreal story of Tenzing Norgay, a “nobody” who would rise to the top of the world – literally and figuratively – to show that a human spirit can triumph over the insurmountable.
Tenzing may have experienced many misfortunes before his grand success, but his role in every expedition he participated in was pivotal. He helped several pioneer westerners conquer major Himalayan peaks, established trails that would later help many climb the mountains, and left a legacy.
In all the trips he took part in, even as an amateur Sherpa, this super-amazing mountaineer exhibited unmatched expertise. In total, over 30 years of his life were spent as a mountaineer, and even though his story has been told, repeatedly, there is no doubt that Sujoy Das and the IMF Webinar Series did it better.
#Tenzing #Norgay #Sherpa #Everest #InternationalEverestDay
It’s always a pleasure to listen to a mountaineer who also doubles as a professional photographer, talk about the Himalayas. Sankar Sridhar, on this IMF Webinar Series, makes the trip through Ladakh a lot more interesting.
Using a collection of award-winning shots of frozen rivers and waterfalls, rapids standing still in sub-zero temperatures, beautifully eerie, yet rugged mountains, and lots of wonderful photos, he tells of his solo foray. And, Sankar being the talented story-teller he is, he was so mesmerized by the Changthang region that he went again to explore its magic.
Listening to him and his adventures, sounds implausible how beautiful Ladakh and its frozen mountains, at a temperature of -48 degrees at night is. But perhaps the most interesting bit is how he discovers how the animals and humans residing in the region survive the freezing conditions.
You can accompany him as he talks of his escapades traversing a region whose roads are impassable once winter sets in. It is a 12-day trek from Chang La, through the frozen rivers and mountains, the Ladakh wilderness, and the lonely valleys, all the way to Kyon Tso. Watching him, you get to learn lots of unknown mysteries, little secrets, and fun facts about the Changthang region.
#Ladakh #Changthang #HimalayanLakes #Himalayas #Exploring #NaturePhotography
2,800 Kms - Swimming the Ganga : Wg Cdr Paramvir Singh
Swimming the mighty Ganges River is not news. Nevertheless, when the IMF Webinar Series covers the entire 2,800km Himalayan stretch of the Ganga, courtesy of Wing Commander Paramvir Singh, it definitely has to hit the headlines.
The presentation is wholly about a serving officer of the Indian air force, whose 43-day, 12-hour a day exploits on water, swimming, and sometimes rafting, are well-documented. He swam from Devprayag in Uttarakhand to the Bay of Bengal, an experience he refers to as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ exploration, and a fascinating outing.
It is a truly exciting tale, especially with the hurdles he faced and conquered, including having to breeze through chilly waters, facing dangerous water animals, and having to swim for 12 hours a day. He talks about the pains of swimming through the unforgiving Ganga, including getting bruised by rocks and having to battle horrendous tides and waves.
Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter SportsPriceless beauty, amazing sights, hospitable locals, breathtaking wildlife, and much more; most of it beautiful to see. Unfortunately, the clean fresh and unpolluted waters down the Himalayan stretch of the Ganga would soon give way to the toxic and highly polluted waters downstream.
The best part of this trip is the eye-opening experience and the lessons he shares with whoever would want to attempt a similar feat in the future. He is an ultra-endurance athlete, a highly decorated officer of the Indian Air Force, and a Tenzing Norgay National Adventure awardee.
Twenty years ago, I left a lucrative career with a fast growing pharmaceutical company with the singular thought of living a life of adventure, of climbing unknown mountains, of discovering glaciers, of traveling to distant lands and making friends with complete strangers.
However utopian this may have sounded at the outset, the simple realization that I had only one life to live and therefore, I must love the life I live, convinced me to quit the job where I had been doing well for eight years, so that I could live the life I love.
From then on, I have lived my life on full compass, embracing the inevitability of financial insecurity on one hand, and the pure joy of living a life of adventure on the other.
Born in a country with no apparent history and culture of seeking adventure as a sport, as a lifestyle, and even more rarely as a philosophy, I knew I was starting with huge disadvantage.
I always looked at it this way - there are many routes up a mountain, but I should be taking a comparatively challenging one as a value addition to the whole process. Perhaps something of a purist’s approach to life’s challenges helped me stay positive.
I always looked at it this way - there are many routes up a mountain, but I should be taking a comparatively challenging one as a value addition to the whole process. Perhaps something of a purist’s approach to life’s challenges helped me stay positive.
A life of adventure, like a few other noble pursuits, requires a long and devoted apprenticeship, physical, as well as philosophical. While it is true that not all adventurers are born equal but this reality should not stop them from trying.
We should not, for a moment, stop believing that we too can savour world class adventure, be it in alpinism or in any other manifestation of an adventure pursuit. Each and every adventurer can influence the world for the better, like ripples in a tranquil pond, or worse, like a tsunami which is why it is imperative for adventurers to season themselves before embarking on the dreamy adventure life.
Nanda Devi East (7434m) Expedition 2014
In June-July, 2014, a small, lightweight and semi-alpine style expedition succeeded in climbing Nanda Devi East (7434m) in the Kumaun Himalaya, India. On 3 July, 2014, summit was reached by 4 members of the team.
2014 was the 75th anniversary of the first ascent of this mountain by a Polish team consisting of alpinists Janusz Klarner, Jakub Bujak, Adam Karpinski, Sherpa Dawa Tsering, Dr. JR Foy (British), liaison officer Major S.Blake and Stefan Bernadzikiewicz. The 1939 Polish team had reached the summit on 2 July.
In May 2013, I had attempted to climb Nanda Devi East with a group of fellow Indian climbers. 4 days of non-stop snowfall resulted in limited climbing days and that in turn caused shortage of food and fuel.
Despite these limiting factors, we made good progress on the mountain and even could manage one summit attempt from a camp at around 6600m. But during the summit attempt, extremely high wind above 6900m and poor gear conditions of the team added to the agony.
I decided to turn back from below the summit pyramid, putting safety of the team first. This failure inspired my desire to come back to Nanda Devi East and the 2014 expedition was conceived.
Beyond BC, the team ferried load for a few days to the foot of Longstaff’s col and established an Advanced Base Camp (4750m). Above ABC, another camp (Intermediate Camp 5000m) was established on a rock step on the lower slopes of the Longstaff’s Col.
