SRINAGAR: Achieving a significant feat, three young climbers from Kashmir have made history by climbing Thajiwas Valley’s Umbrella Peak after a 79-year gap.
The climbing team was led by Inayatullah Bhat along with Shariq Rashid and Waseem Raja. They successfully scaled the towering peak of Thajiwas Valley on June 24 (Monday) after a remarkable gap of 79 years.
The dedicated team not only successfully climbed Umbrella Peak, marking the third historic expedition in Thajiwas after 79 years, but also opened a new route. This new route involves climbing a steep couloir of about 280 metres, adding a third route to Umbrella Peak in the alpine history of the Kashmir Himalaya.
Umbrella Peak was first climbed by CWF Noyce and A Jones in October 1944 via Glacier 3 of Thajiwas. A year later, John A Jackson traversed Umbrella via the Basmai Nar and over the lowest point at the west end of the Kazim Pahalin Ridge.
Quoting Inayatullah Bhat KNO reported that Thajiwas Valley has six glaciers, among which Glacier 3 is the most treacherous and deadliest, paving the way for the Umbrella summit which was conquered.
“Sonamarg was developed for climbing and mountaineering activities by foreign climbers in the mid-1800s. This is an impressive initiative by the climbing team, reviving alpine climbing in such a majestic and challenging region of the Kashmir Himalayas,” he said.
It is noteworthy that the British used to climb in the valley and established a climbing and training centre in Sonamarg in the early 1920s with the formation of The Himalayan Club in 1928. All such climbs were documented in Alpine and Himalayan journals.
The Himalayan Club was established to encourage and assist Himalayan travel and exploration, and to extend the knowledge of the Himalaya and adjoining ranges through science, art, literature, and sport.
However, the club faced a major setback soon after the partition of 1947, which almost ended its activities in the Kashmir Himalayan region. “Today, our successful ascent of Umbrella Peak after 79 years marks a significant revival of alpine climbing in the Kashmir Himalaya,” he said.
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