Kashmiri trio scales deadly glacier, 79 years after last British ascent in the '40s

Srinagar, Jun 26: A young group of mountaineers in Kashmir have become a first in over seven-decades to mount one of the six deadliest glaciers of Thajwas range in Sonmarg, Kashmir.

It was C.W.F Noyce and A.Jones in October 1944 and then John A. Jackson in 1945 who climbed the treacherous Glacier no.3 of Thajwas' Umbrella Peak via the Basmai Nar  and over the lowest point at the west end of Kazim Pahalin Ridge.

However, Inayatullah Bhat, Shariq Rashid, and Waseem Raja decided to take an untaken path, discovering a new route to the expedition-the Steep Couloir- thus, adding a third path to Umbrella Peak and writing their name in the history of Kashmir Himalaya.

The expedition of the peak comes after 79-years.

Out of six-glaciers of Thajwas, third one, that is the dangerous one, paves the way for Umbrella Peak, said the group leader Inayattullah Bhat.

During the British Colonialism, Sonmarg was developed especially for climbing and mountaineering activities, and this feat could revive the enthusiasm among the climbers in such a majestic and challenging region of Kashmir, said Bhat.

It was in 1928 when the first training centre called The Himalayan Club was formed and expeditions were documented in the Alpine and Himalayan journals, reported news agency KNO.

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, there was a big blow to the club soon after the partition of 1947 and it almost faded its working in Kashmir Himalayan region.