On September 6, a joint team led by Col. Hem Chandra Singh, Principal of the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM & WS) and the All Jammu Kashmir Mountaineering Foundation (AJKMF), successfully ascended Mount Kolahoi.
According to a statement, the team consisted of the principal, three JIM&WS instructors, and 12 members of the All Jammu Kashmir Mountaineering Foundation.
Col. Hem Chandra Singh of JIM & WS Nunwan Pahalgam flagged off the party on September 3 for the mission to climb Kolahoi, the tallest and most difficult mountain in the valley.
The crew departed Aru at ten in the morning and arrived at Satlanjan’s intermediate base camp at four in the afternoon to set up camp for the night. The crew set up a base camp at Dood Sar, which is located at a height of 3750m ASL, the next day, according to the statement. It said that before departing for advance basecamp the next day, technical supplies and rations were divided among the team members. The crew went towards Advanced Base camp, or the main Kolahoi Glacier, on the morning of September 5. The group secured their ropes and began up the glacier while navigating overhangs, icefalls, and crevasses. The major Kolahoi Glacier has also been affected by global warming, making the journey more hazardous and challenging. At 1 p.m., the party arrived at the advanced base camp (4700m ASL) and set up camp as it began to snow.
The crew left ABC early on September 6 and headed for Kolahoi via the eastern ridge path, which was also used by the first successful expedition, commanded by Kenneth Mason and Dr. Ernest Neve in 1912. The crew finally succeeded in reaching the snow-capped peak of Mt. Kolahoi at 10:15 on September 6th, according to the statement.
