2015 A Walk on the Bara Shigri Glacier, Himachal Pradesh

A Walk on the Bara Shigri Glacier

For those readers who regularly explore the more remote areas of the Himalaya, the Bara Shigri Glacier will not be a new addition to the list of some of the less frequented mountain regions in the Indian Himalaya.

 

The peaks on the south side of the Bara Shigri Glacier from left to right - Kulu Pumori 6,553m, Parbati 6,633m in the distance, Jedi 5,548m in the foreground, un-named peak 6,250m, Cathedral 6,100m and the Tiger's Tooth 6,035m.

Manali 2,050m, located in the Kullu District of Northern India, is a cosily town situated in the mountains of the Himachal Pradesh and is now regarded as the major tourist centre of the area. The Kullu Valley grew in importance and developed economically as the ancient trade route to Ladakh which continues from Leh over the Karakoram Pass to Yarkand and Khotan became more established. Manali, the name, is derived from "Manu-Alaya" which literally means "the abode of Manu". Legend has it that the sage Manu stepped off his ark in Manali to re-establish human life after the great flood. Manali is also referred to as the "Valley of the Gods". Old Manali, the traditional town, is situated higher up the Valley and has an ancient temple dedicated to Manu. As the valley steepens the hill sides are covered in forests of tall dark old cedar trees, some over 2m in diameter at their base and reaching well over 33m in height. The whole area resembles a traditional Alpine scene with the sharp jagged shapes of the eroded fold mountains with their steep cliffs and slopes scattered with lush pastures, broken by powerful torrents rushing through narrow gorges and all with a back-drop of snow capped peaks. In winter there is good skiing to be had under the right conditions and the region is equipped, to a certain extent, with ‘ski resort’ infrastructure. Kullu is famous for its plentiful fruit, apples, plums and pears, these were first introduced into the district by the British and remain the back-bone of the local economy along with tourism.

Heading north out of Manali the roads twists and climbs over the Rothang Pass 3,978m, this is the great divide between the lush green fruit laden fields to the south and the mauve and ochre world of boulders and slate to the north. Once over the pass the road descends steeply down into the Chandra-Bhaga Valley, turn north-west and you will be heading towards Ladakh and Ley while turning right along the easterly road, will take you eventually into the Spiti Valley. You have now left the Kullu Valley District and entered the Lahul Valley District. This central trough is separated from Zanskar by the high snow capped mountains of the Great Himalayan Divide to the north and the Central Himalayan Range to the south. Lahul has a massive central area of mountains ranging up to 6,500m and with wild high passes extending back into the Kullu Valley, via the Hamta Pass and the Sara Pass, while the Baraalacha and Shingu La connect with the Zanskar and Ladakh regions to the north-west.

Dharamsura (White Sail) 6,446m

This area is one of the finest and most accessible Himalayan-Alpine regions in the Indian Himalaya. From Delhi, a 14-hour over-night sleeper bus will take you to Manali and from there a four hour jeep journey to the start of your exploration of the Bara Shigri Glacier. However, it is worth spending a few days in Manali just to begin the acclimatization process.

In 1912 Gen. C.G. Bruce, his chief guide, Heinrich Fuher together with a Gurkha soldier, Lal Bahadur Gurung made the first ascent of Hanuman Tibba 5,928m and then went on to explore both the Indrasan and Deo Tibba mountains. Jimmy Roberts lead an exploratory expedition into the region in 1939 again in an attempt to climb Indrasan and Deo Tibba however in 1941 he succeeded on a different mountain, Dharamsura, now known by its more popular name White Sail 6,446m. R.C. Evans tried Idrasan and Deo Tibba albeit unsuccessfully in 1952, success on this peak finally went to the Dutchman Van Graaf later in 1952. Many other expeditions followed into the region between the 1950 and 1960s. A British Air Force expedition successfully climbed Shikar Beh 6,200m in 1955 while in 1962 a Japanese expedition visited the area and successfully summated the elusive Idrasan. The British mountaineer, Robert G Pettigrew, first visited Kulu in 1958 and later became a dedicated protagonist in the area up until the late 60s. He made the second ascent of Dharamsura in 1961 and the first ascent of Kullu Pumori 6,553m along with Sonam Wangyal in 1964. During the same expedition Pettigrew unsuccessfully attempted Papsura 6,451m he then went on to successfully climb it in 1967. In 1966 Bob made the second ascent of Hanuman Tibba, 54 years after Gen. Bruce’s first ascent. R.C. Evans and Sonam Wangyal completed a successful expedition to Mukar Beh 6,069m in 1968.

                                                                  Looking into the Upper Bara Shigri Glacier

By the late 1960s mountaineers were turning their attention to more technical routes. Ali Ratna Tibba 5,490m was climbed by a Scottish team in 1969 and with the promise of excellent rock routes attention shifted from the snow peaks to more, or less, ascents on the rock spires. Many of the Manikaran Spires were climbed by the British up to 1972 when Collier and Isherwood made an ascent of possibly the finest peak in the district, Parbati South 6,127m. Various other nations all played a role in developing the area, the Dutch returned, the Indians continued with their exploration, the Italians arrived and in 1970 an all Indian women’s expedition successfully climbed Lalana 6,265m.

Suffice to say, that with modern equipment and techniques, unimaginable to the early activists, this area now offers untold opportunities for inexpensive mountaineering and is a perfect setting in which young mountaineers can begin to cut their Himalayan teeth.  

I first went into the Bara Shigri Glacier in 2014 as part of an Indian Mountaineering Foundation ‘Climbathon’ group. I was simply amazed to see just what opportunities were at hand and basically in an area with relatively easy and assured access unlike some of the other more popular but maybe less reliable Himalayan destinations. However, sadly due to various travel arrangements and a delay in visa procurement due to a clash of Nepali and Indian festivals my visit was cut short.

 

                                                                                         Shigri Parbat 6,526m

I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to return to the Bara Shigri Glacier in 2015, this time with more time on my hands. The Climbathon program is designed to provide suitable training to enable young mountaineers to safely lead small low key expeditions to some of the more accessible but challenging peaks in the Indian Himalaya. The overnight journey from Delhi to Manali was never going to be an easy one, but, in the Volvo overnight bus with its fully reclining seats the hours slipped away and by breakfast time we were heading up the Kullu Valley a 160kms from the northern plains of India but only 80kms from the plateau of Tibet. Despite Manali being well appointed with fine hotels, bars and restaurants I found accommodation in the Manali Mountaineering Institute, not only can you book accommodation here but you can also hire mountaineering equipment if required. After a couple of good night’s sleep and time to catch up with some old friends around town we headed out of the Beas Valley, over the Rohtang Pass and down into the Chandra River Valley on our way to Batal, which was for us, the road head. By the time you reach Batal, four hours or so drive from Manali you have already gained nearly 2,100m and the next stop is at 4,200m so it was worth while trying to take a couple of days to get up to speed before going any higher. The four hour walk back up the valley you have just driven down is a bit of a no-brainer, except that you made the only crossing of the Chandra River possible via the road bridge at Batal and so we were now on the south side of the valley with the Bara Shigri Glacial close at hand. Time was of no concern so after crossing a fast flowing tributary of the Chandra River via a wire and a pulley system we set up camp by a small glacial lake in a idyllic setting on a large grassy plain, the last greenery we would see for the next three to four weeks, time to relax, sort out gear and attend to some of the training issues that are important when travelling in the mountains with a group of other people, issues that I call ‘soft core’ leadership, team building and mountain skills, expectations, crisis management, resolving conflict, weather and all the other elements that could result in a good expedition going wrong before you even reach the mountain.

 

                                           Advanced Communication Posts 5,230m high on the Mid Bara Shigri Glacier

The climb up the lateral moraine of the glacier is certainly one of the hardest I’ve ever done, it’s steep, much of the moraine is loosely covering the hard blue ice and what doesn’t slip away under your feet, rolls away once you transfer your weight onto it, it’s a constant conflict between looking at the views and taking pictures or looking at your feet and trying not to break your legs. For the most part of the journey the way is obvious but there are occasions when you have to circumnavigate large, open and deep crevasses, these are clearly visible but insecure terrain around them can, on occasions, give cause for concern. The moraine is long as well as hard and steep and base camp is at 4,800m so as a precaution, especially as many of the participants were carrying around 40kg of equipment we bivied amongst the boulders at around 4,200m. An early start next morning took us up the rest of the moraine to a point where we could transfer onto the actual glacier itself, from this point the going got easier, but then there was the altitude to contend with. Finally at 4,800m Base Camp was established on the moraine just before the confluence of the main Bara Shigri and Middle Bara Shigri Glaciers. Setting up a base camp and establishing a routine all takes time. The setting for Base Camp is stunning and I don’t think at this point too many people were chomping at the bit to get into the higher mountains. 

 

                                Nearing the summit of Corner Peak via the south-east ridge – photo credit Pranav Rawat

Over the next ten to fourteen days ‘hard core’ mountaineering techniques were taught, learned and refined all in preparation for the ultimate aim of the program, the expeditions. Many days were spent acclimatising and surveying the surrounding peaks and potential routes. Finally the time came when the logistics were sorted, high advanced camps were planned and the routes mapped out, the stage was set. First the glacial approach to Advanced Base Camp, then some technical climbing to Summit Camp and finally the push to summit and return to the lower camps before the final descent to Base Camp. In all six peaks were climbed by routes of various standards, including; a new south face route on Cathedral Peak 6,250m, and routes on Corner Peak 6,050m, an un-named peak 6,187m, another un-named peak 6,050m, Lion Peak 6,120m and Central Peak 6,285m. In an area like this were exploration has been sporadic and not necessarily well documented it is difficult to know what peaks have previously been summitted or what lines have actually been climbed. However, with no one else around and no documentation, every route is a ‘new’ route.

So the walk on the Bara Shigri Glacier was complete, despite several weeks at altitude, walking and climbing every day, the trek back down ‘those’ moraines was still no easier!

If you are looking for your first experience of Himalayan expeditions in a remote setting then this is an area well worth considering, but there are no rescue services in India and satellite phones are not permitted, remember that despite the relatively easy access the area is remote and in an emergency a long way from assistance, you’re on your own!

Early morning light on new snow above Snout Camp

Kullu Pumori 6,553m

Approaching the ice fall on the way to Gunter's Col 5,399m

The ice fall pouring out from an upper side glacier

Base Camp looking into Shrigri Parbat 6,526m

Looking across Konkordiaplatz into the Shigri Parbat Basin

Parbati 6,633m

A cold river crossing

Kullu Makalu 6,349m

Snout Camp with the begining of the Bara Shigri Glacial in the distant valley

The peaks of the Baldor Parbat Range

 

A wire and harness river-crossing