In top form

Nothing is what it seems in the high mountains. You may have studied a peak from far, but there is always something to tackle when it is directly under foot. Each step, although in the footsteps of those who climbed before you, is still a step in the new.

In October 2009, Chakram Hikers, a Mumbai mountaineering club, took out an expedition to Mt Tingchenkhang (6,010 metres) in Western Sikkim. Two club members and two Sherpas reached the summit. However during descent, there was an accident. Both Mumbai climbers died of injuries sustained in the fall. During September-October 2010, a second expedition was organised to retrieve the bodies. Despite Sherpas along, who knew where the bodies lay at 5,900 metres, the effort proved futile. The spot had opened into a gaping bergschrund (a crevasse where glacier separates from stagnant ice above). The bodies were nowhere to be seen. The team also searched inside the bergschrund to no result. Photos from that expedition showed an impressive mountain, well iced and angled steeply enough in places for some technical climbing patches (challenging and require specialised climbing gear/ techniques). Not to mention, the change in topography between the first expedition and the second.

Tingchenkhang was originally opened for climbing in July 1993. It was subsequently added to a new list of ‘alpine peaks' by a Sikkim government notification of March 2006. The notification describes neither what an alpine peak is nor the norms of alpine-style climbing. On the other hand, if you search for a ‘trekking peak' in Sikkim, Tingchenkhang's name will crop up on Google. In India, the term ‘trekking peak' is better known than ‘alpine peak'. To be fair, trek operators have cautioned that Tingchenkhang can be more than just trekking peak and provided climbing grade alongside. But will this be taken note of adequately? The concept of trekking peak — the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) uses this term — has been kept alive to encourage recreational climbing and mountain tourism. It is usually easy to get permission to climb these peaks, which are also generally easier climbs albeit with training.

Ladakhi, Friendship and Stok Kangri are the IMF's listed trekking peaks. In some seasons they are easy climbs; in others, you need equipment. Many climb them every year. Unfortunately, while many climbers head to Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, fewer go to the Sikkim Himalaya and still fewer to Arunachal Pradesh. Consequently, in the cities from where civilian expeditions are launched, up-to-date information on these distant mountains is limited.

Chakram Hikers has a track record of mountaineering in the Himalaya. Members of the 2009 expedition said the team had gone prepared with ropes and equipment. They also studied previous climbing reports, including one by the Kolkata chapter of the Himalayan Club and another by Roger Payne and Julie-Ann Clyma, two accomplished foreign climbers, who had climbed Tingchenkhang with no fixed ropes or camps. Theirs was what would be called an alpine ascent — climbing fast and light, in a small group with much less impact on a mountain compared to big teams.

Following that March-April 2005 expedition, the State Government sought the duo's inputs on how to develop international mountain tourism to promote sustainable development. “Our recommendation was adopted that some peaks be designated as ‘alpine peaks', which means they can be climbed by small teams in a short period of time with minimum application process,” Payne, a former director of UIAA, the world's apex body in mountaineering, said.

He pointed out that the term ‘trekking peak' for lower summits that are easy to obtain permission to climb, can be a misnomer. For example, some trekking peaks in Nepal are technically very difficult climbs. “If there is a simple message I would like to share, it is that safety in mountaineering is a matter of education and not bureaucratic categories. One key lesson is that even with the best training, accidents will still occur. So it is vital that recreational climbers and mountaineers can recognise the hazards, accept the risks, and be responsible for their own participation and safety. You may be surprised to know that here in the Alps, each winter around 100 people are killed in avalanches while skiing or climbing. Of course, we do everything possible to learn from these accidents, strive to improve safety, and be ready to help if we can. But the only certain way to avoid fatal avalanche accidents is not to visit the mountains,” Payne said.

An experienced climber, Payne tried to avoid using the term ‘trekking peak' because it did not adequately capture the challenges of a high peak. Unfortunately, Indians are not very familiar with its replacement — ‘alpine peak', a term that does not dilute the grade of challenge and merely recommends a style of climbing. The 2009 tragedy, the changes on the peak noticed just a year later, and its continued marketing as a trekking peak have prompted some in Mumbai to seek a relook of Tingchenkhang.

Experienced mountaineer Rajesh Gadgil, Honorary Assistant Editor of the Himalayan Journal , had led the 2010 expedition to Tingchenkhang to retrieve the bodies. In his presentation to the Himalayan Club early this year, he said the second expedition had used a lot of rope, which contrasted Tingchenkhang's popular perception as a trekking peak.

“At least 40 per cent of these ropes were meant for lowering the bodies if we found them,” Gadgil said. Nevertheless, to avoid misjudgement, he recommended in his expedition report to authorities that Tingchenkhang be reclassified as ‘open peak,' which is the national practice for climbs of such grade.

The accident and Gadgil's expedition report are all now months old. When contacted in June, Gadgil said there had been no official response yet.

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