Asia, India—Garhwal, Nilgiri Parbat Attempt and Ascent

Publication Year: 1995.

Nilgiri Parbat Attempt and Ascent. Indians V. Shankar, leader, Vinay Hegde, Vivek Hegde and Dinesh Shertate set up Base Camp three kilometers below the snout of the Khulia Garvia Glacier on May 20. They set up three more high camps on the western side of the mountain. Camp III was at the foot of the northwest ridge at 5640 meters. The route ahead was barred by a 100-meter- high sérac barrier and a narrow passage through it threatened by a higher hanging sérac. After two days of heavy snowfall, they called off the attempt. An Indian Army expedition led by Brigadier Pushkar Chand climbed Nilgiri Parbat (6474 meters, 21,240 feet) when on June 7 Lance Naik A. Arunagiri, Havildar S. Kumar, Sepoy Dev Lal and Havildar Major Satish reached the summit. It was climbed twice earlier, by Frank Smyth and P. Oliver in 1937 and by an Indian expedition led by Amulya Sen in 1962. It lies south of Kamet.

Kamal K. Guha, Editor, Himavanta, India