In August 2023, while reviewing maps in Leh, I noticed the Khyam Lungpa (valley), which is northwest of the Tanglang La (5,328m), a pass crossed by the Manali-Leh Highway. What caught my eye was the proximity of several unclimbed 6,000m peaks within a ten-kilometer hike from the road near the village of Rumtse (4,300m), about 80km from Leh.

On August 20, I walked southwest into the valley and camped at 5,150m. The next day, I scrambled up the east face of a 5,885m peak that presented a perfect viewpoint for the upper valley. Several cairns were on top; their style of construction was clearly traditional, not built by visiting climbers. While two main peaks at the head of the valley, Khyam I and II, had been climbed, in 2022 and 2012, respectively, there were nearer 6,000ers that were unclimbed. I asked an old friend, Gerry Galligan, if he would accompany me to the valley in July and August 2024.

By June, I was unable to control my patience and decided to make a quick trip to the valley with Aloke Kumar Das. On June 14, after three days of acclimatization in Leh, we left for the three-hour drive to Rumtse and the next day reached our base camp at 5,150m. On the 17th we moved to a higher camp at 5,350m to the northeast of Peak 6,050m (33°34’06.7”N, 77°39’00.4”E).

The morning of the 18th dawned crisp and clear as we set off for the east face of Peak 6,050m. Just before we reached the first gendarme on the north ridge, Aloke’s crampon broke and he was forced to turn back. I continued alone up the ridge, both flanks falling sharply into the valleys below. It was a challenging traverse over gendarmes, interspersed with icy sections requiring an axe and crampons. After savoring the summit, I decided to extend the adventure by descending the south ridge and a southeast spur, which brought me back to the Khyam Lungpa. I had completed the traverse in nine hours at around AD.

In July and early August, I made two more ascents from this valley with Gerry Galligan and others (see report here), including the first ascent of Peak 6,044m (33°32’10.34”N, 77°40’35.43”E), which we traversed from east to west. A line up the north face of this peak attracted me, but for the rest of August I had guiding commitments in the Markha Valley. At the end of the month, I returned with Aloke, who would remain in support while I soloed the face.

On September 2, my crampons bit into the hard ice of the north face. After two hours, I reached the northwest ridge and traversed its remaining few hundred meters to the summit. I named the route Aloke Da (D) and descended to the glacier cwm where my friend was waiting. The journey that had begun months ago had come full circle.  

       —Anindya Mukherjee, India