Reo Purgyol (Leo Pargial). With a view to introducing gentlemen cadets to the high hills, the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun, with the assistance of the Indian Mountaineering Federation and the Army Mountaineering Association, organized its first expedition with Reo Purgyol (22,280 feet) as its objective. (First ascent by Marco Pallis and Charles Warren in 1933.) The party consisted of Captain D. K. Khullar, leader, Captain Hardul Singh and Gentlemen Cadets K. P. Nair, A. S. Bhagat, R. Verma, A. K. Mehra, D. Mookherjee, K. Kumar, D. K. Joshi, A. Chandola, and myself as adviser. Two officers of army units posted in the border area, Captains Satinder Nath and R. D. Singh, and five Sherpas from Darjeeling, Chhinze, Nima Dorje, Nima Angju, Kami and Phure, comprised the rest of the team. We arrived at the roadhead some nine miles below Nako village on June 9 and continued to Base Camp in two easy stages. The sites of this and other camps as well as routes to them, were identical to those of the previous year’s expedition led by Suman Dubey. (See A.A.J., 1967, 15:2, pp. 407-8.) Camp I was established on June 14 and Camp II, thanks to Pan Singh, Thondup and other local porters, on June 18. The 19th dawned clear, and Chhinze, Khullar, Chandola, Nima Dorje, Nair and Bhagat left camp at 7:30 and shortly after ten were a mere 500 feet from the summit. The last lap of 500 feet took twice as long as the first 1500 feet on the northwest face. They used 400 feet of fixed rope on the snow arête. Another 2½ hours of steady step-chopping by the indefatigable Chhinze saw them on the summit at three P.M. On June 20 the ascent was repeated by Nima Dorje again, who was accompanied by Kumar and Vermi.

Gurdial Singh, Himalayan Club