Kamet. In May and June an all-Indian Ladies expedition to Kamet (25,447 feet) was sponsored by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation. The team consisted of six members from different parts of India: Thrity Birdy, Chandraprabha Aitwal, Bharati Banerjee, (Mrs.) Najma Mamdani, Rekha Sharma and me as leader. We arrived at Joshimath on May 17. After arranging for porters, rations, etc., we left for the roadhead at Malari (9900 feet) two days later. Base Camp was established at Vasudharatal (15,725 feet) on May 24. Camps I, II and III were placed on the East Kamet Glacier at 16,525, 17,500 and 18,375 feet on May 28, 31 and June 3 respectively. Camps IV, V and VI were established at 20,675, 22,300 and 23,420 feet on June 6, 11 and 13 respectively. Camp VI was on Meades’ Col. On June 14 Thrity Birdy, Chandraprabha Aitwal and Bharati Banerjee, accompanied by Lakpa Tsering and Bhagat Singh successfully scaled Kamet, for the first time by ladies. The route was similar to that taken by Smythe’s expedition in 1931. We were fortunate in having good weather on most days. On the summit day, however, the weather deteriorated at midday, depriving the girls of a fantastic view from the summit. A second ascent was not possible due to bad weather.

Meena Agrawal, M.D., Himalayan Club