CURRY POWDER ⛷
"The next time I come back to India, it will be with my skis"
A Journey in India with the aim to make the first ski Tharang I and II. Stephen, Tristan, David and Maxime (passionate mountain and ski mountaineering, three ski instructors) have never achieved shipping in this part of the world, was a first for them. Regis leverages its experience and knowledge in shipping material in the Himalayas and shares his experience with the four young friends from the same village Monêtier Les Bains. This expedition requires complete autonomy of twenty days.
May 15, 2019 - Arrival at the airport in New Delhi
The team arrives in full! We learn that cervical Rothang (3950 meters), which opens the doors of the mountains, is not yet open. In the words, there are still seven kilometers of road to be cleared. All solutions are envisaged to cross this pass, one possible way to reach the starting point of our expedition.
Prem, our local contact, advises us to wait ... Is it necessary to start thinking about changing our destination? This is where we learn that we can move in two days, yes! In the aftermath, Prem calls me to tell me that we start today at 14.00, even better!
The amount of snow increases progressively of our climb, carved walls on both sides of the road are becoming increasingly close. At the pass, sometimes mirrors touch the walls that surround us simultaneously. There are some places more than 10 meters of snow, incredible!
The next day we arrived around noon in the village of Urgos, near the Miyar Valley. We are already feeling the first effects of the altitude, we run out of air.
In the morning, the bags are ready, after seven days of travel, we are finally in action! It feels good to stretch your legs and discover As the incredible landscapes that surround us. The dimensions are doubled or even tripled compared to what we usually see in Europe. We spend the last village, we are finally alone among the cows and yaks. After a day of walking, we set up base camp at 3800 meters.
The next day, the working phase "mule" is launched, we understand a little better what animals have endured for a day to transport our equipment two days ago. We start on May 23 at 6:00 am to find the location of our supposed camps 1-4300 meters. We set up camp, tasks naturally divided: some rest sitting on melting snow to feed 15 liters of water we drink every day at five other level the ground, pitch tents. The altitude is already felt well: if one is busy to handle the shovel head down, was dizzy as soon as it recovers. So sometimes you work sitting, taking our time.
Sunday 26 departure for Tharang Fang at 5490 m, a ridge topped by a granite summit tooth twenty meters. We start light for the first time since the beginning of the trip, what happiness! After growing in spikes on a beautiful sloping hard snow 35 °, joined the stops. . Regis made us a beautiful demonstration of aping cleats on the rock - he prefers mountaineering, confesses he thereafter. There he is balancing on this fine piece of granite hanging over the void. Tristan, his son assures him from the bottom with the red rope strand appears to be the umbilical cord directly out of the bowels of the passion of his father Regis. We stay there on the stops to watch the tightrope walker who joins us follow Tristan, our first Indian summit on skis, joy is intense.
Wednesday 29, we are finally all gathered to camp 3, the most advanced in 5370 m. It is now at the heart of the element, at the foot of three Tharang that we dominate. The camp is installed, two tents and lunch kitchen area: a bench in snow facing the "snow bar" .
We start with the Tharang III at 5880 m, the most accessible. During the ascent, means the "whoum" characteristic of a rupture fragile layer near our route, a significant risk of starting an avalanche. We are alert and decide to avoid a steep slope going up along a ridge, away. We stop our progress 20 meters below the summit, the last stop of a hundred meters long is decorated with a huge cornice. We do not want to risk us evolve on this potentially volatile area that we will project 500 meters down ... The view is obviously indescribable, snowy peaks of sight. We also have a unique perspective on our two main goals are Tharang I and II. The visible face of Tharang II is unwelcoming as we saw in it the natural avalanches. At the moment we are in a phase of observation before deciding how to go about the climb. We descend the Tharang III enjoying every turn.
Monday, June 3, starting the night at 4:00 am, it's -10 ° C and the weather is clear, the conditions are ideal. We take the steps cut yesterday by Regis and Etienne to reach the pass of Tharang 5700 m before descending south face and reach the foot of the southeast corridor leading to the top of Tharang II. After all those days spent in altitude we feel the fatigue, especially Tristan barely keep our nevertheless already slow pace. Jackdaws turned him around, he is so tired he begins to believe that these birds want him and start to attack, fortunately not in reality! It supports a maximum while Regis handles the secu. It installs a relay 30 meters from the summit ridge to ensure each other in case of fall, also to prevent the instability of the snowpack north face. We not end step and we are together on the summit ridge, with concentration and the fatigue it's hard to realize what we just accomplished. We take all of this unique moment, we quickly plunge back into focus and put in place the security maneuvers to leave one by one stopped. The descent down the hall is a real treat on a snow somewhat softened by the sun. Arriving at camp 3, we're exhausted, I lay directly in the tent without moving for a while, same for others. In the evening the storm roars around us, lightning falls within 300 meters, scary!
Tuesday, June 4, we descend to the base camp by getting all the equipment camps 2 and 3. We help to load on our back bags of more than 30 kilos, the finished weight to initiate fatigue my legs activity in the past 15 days!
