In August, Aditi and Rajesh Gadjil, Vineeta Muni, Lt. Col. Shamsher Singh, and I visited the Ang Tung Range, northwest of Pangong Lake. The Ang Tung is a small group of peaks west of the Koh Lungpa Valley. This valley had never been visited by any mountaineering expedition.

We trekked two days up the Koh Lungpa from the village of Yurgo and established base camp at Vimgul (5,210m) on August 4. We first chose to attempt a peak of 6,130m (34°06.794’N, 78°18.665’E), and set up an advanced base at 5,675m on its southern slopes. Leaving at 7 a.m. on the 9th, we climbed the east face together with Sherpas Pemba Norbu and Nima Thondup; all the party except for Aditi reached the top at 11 a.m. We named the summit Petze Kangri, Petze meaning “baby yak” in Ladakhi dialect.

We now set up another camp at 5,850m, on ice and to the northeast of Lugzl Pombo (34°06.578’N, 78°17.897’E). On the 17^th we climbed a steep ice slope to the 6,000m col between Lugzl Pombo and Petze Kangri, fixing 100m of rope. After ferrying more equipment from base camp, on the 19th we explored the northeast ridge of Lugzl Pombo, passing the first big gendarme on the left, and climbing the second (ca 6,250m). On this section we fixed 250m of rope. On the 20th we left camp at 6 a.m., fixed a further 300m, and a little before midday Rajesh, our two Sherpas, and I reached the top after climbing through a cornice onto the final north-south summit ridge. We returned to camp at 3 p.m., having recovered most of the fixed rope and gear.

Divyesh Muni, Himalayan Club, India