The beautiful Rongdo Valley is located in Nubra and administratively belongs to Ladakh (recently and controversially separated from the state of Jammu and Kashmir). Many of its mountains exceed 6,000m, but as Rongdo is close to the border with China, gaining approval from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation can be challenging. Until now, 12 expeditions have passed through or climbed in Rongdo, and 16 peaks have been climbed, but there are still many unclimbed peaks and even unexplored areas.

With several expedition leaders’ input, I have prepared a 42-page historical report that collates all previous ascents and also identifies some interesting unclimbed peaks. It can be downloaded here.

– Keith Goffin, Germany