High point for the Indian Army
| ||||||||
Scaling heights The team's mission was to climb the peak and come down to the base in one day
A five-member team conquers five different peaks of the Alps and skis down for good measure
Climbing some of the most magnificent snow-capped peaks in the world could be the ultimate dream of any adventure sport enthusiast, but skiing down one of the highest mountains of the world at sub-zero temperatures is an act of the bravest of the brave. To amateurs, the feat may sound easy but now imagine life threatening crevasses at every step, six to eight feet deep loose snow which could trigger an avalanche any second and 15 to 20 kilograms of load on your back.
"You never know what would happen the next moment and your speed could go as high as 50 kmph. More than that we had the stupendous task of reaching the mountain top and coming down to the base camp in one single day," said Lieutenant Colonel Poorna Chandra in an exclusive chat with MiD DAY. Lt Col Chandra led a five-member team of Indian army's mountaineers who recently climbed five different peaks on the Alps in a record 12-day time as part of a joint mountaineering expedition between Indian and German armies.
The team led by Lt Col Chandra consists of some of the best trained mountaineers of the Indian Army who besides climbing mountain tops are expert skiers. All of the members were chosen after one of the most difficult training and orientation processes that took place in the Siachen glaciers in the months of December and January. "We were specially trained for the expedition and our training took place in those months which are coldest in the Siachen glacier," said Chandra.
Unlike Mount Everest and other peaks where mountaineers take days to reach the summit and then come down, this team's mission was definite, to climb the peak and come down to the base in one day. "Keeping in mind the objective of the expedition we used specially designed skis but then that aspect has its dangers. Unlike regular skiing opportunities we were on unprepared snow which was almost six feet deep and we had to follow a zigzag pattern known as Traverse to climb down," Chandra said. The mountaineers also had to control the speed of their skiing which could easily cross 50 kmph on steep slopes.
The expedition took place between February 22 and March 14. The team conquered the first peak without much difficulty on February 27. "We used to climb for an average of 10 hours every day. Alps are very different from the mountain ranges we have in our country and elsewhere, the best way to negotiate the peaks there is to do it in a single day. In order to save time the best way to climb down is to ski," said Lt Col Chandra whose wife is also a mountaineer.
The German army team of two members acted as guide but even the best trained mountaineers always have their share of difficult weather to negotiate, which adds to their adrenaline rush. While summiting Piz Buin height the temperature suddenly dropped to -35 degrees leading to almost zero visibility.
"We were well aware of the dangers of low visibility and such extreme temperatures but we decided to go for the climb. While coming down we took two extra hours to make our way in the near zero visibility but even then the moustaches of some of the team members were frozen by the time we reached the base," Chandra said with a smile.
Besides Lt Col Chandra, the team consisted of Havildar Hira Singh and Havildar Roshan Singh from Garhwal Rifles, Havildar Jagwant Singh from Jat Regiment and Havildar Haidip Rai from Gorkha Rifles. "These are the best trained mountaineers of the Indian army and all of them have received instructor grading in mountaineering," added Chandra.
| Summit Seekers |
Havildar Jagwant Singh is Sena Medal winner and belongs to 19 Jat Regiment which won point 5070 during Kargil war. Havildar Haidip Singh is a Shaurya Chakra winner for his role in insurgency affected areas of Jammu & Kashmir. Lt Col Chandra besides being an expert mountaineer is an avid skydiver and paratrooper and has trained in classical music as well. |
MiD-DAY Delhi 09 April 2010
