Chummakhang East, Northern Sikkim. This satellite peak (6050 meters, 19,849 feet) of the 6212-meter main peak of Chummakhang was climbed by an expedition led by P.M. Das of the Sonam Gyasto Mountaineering Institute of Gangtok, Sikkim. The area has been closed to all. Base Camp was established on June 3 only two hours beyond the roadhead at Yongdi near the Tista river. The climbers ascended the southeast face and ridge to place Camp I at 5200 meters. On June 13, leader Das, Nima Wangchu, Nawang Kalden, Pasang Lhakpa, P. W. Sherpa, Kesang Tshering, Pasang Sherpa, Vum Suan and S.K. Benjwal made the first ascent of the peak in a six-hour push, fixing 300 meters of rope. The main peak (also known as Laschi) was first climbed in 1938 by H.W. Tilman. In 1946, Trevor Braham and party were beaten back by difficulties in the icefall and deep snow. The present expedition is the only party to have visited the region since.

Harish Kapadia, Himalayan Club