Trip Reports

Stok Kangri - 6 to 22 July '12

Written by Leader John Eames, July 2012

We had a great flight into Leh at the start of our expedition with superb views of the Indian Himalaya and Ladakh. As we circled into Leh airport, we noticed larger than usual amounts of snow on the mountains and Stok Kangri itself was hidden by a bank of clouds. However, the group enjoyed 3 days of relaxing and acclimatising in and around Leh; walking the shaded watercourses, witnessing local rural life and visiting the Red Gompa high above the town, for the dramtic and alluring views of Stok Kangri across the Indus Valley.

The short journey to the start of the trek included a visit to Thikse Gompa, one of the best and most scenic in Ladakh. The afternoon's trek to Shang Sumdo went well and we were soon deep amongst the rocky ridges and pinnacles of the Stok Range. The following day we enjoyed the trek up the valley to Shang Phu, passing fields of ripening barley, great views of the precarious-looking Shang Gompa, solid-looking Ladakhi farmsteads and plenty of smiling faces of the local people. Shang Phu nestles under the snow peaks, a grassy meadow that we had to ourselves and the local pastoralists here for the summer months. In the event, we had 2 nights here as heavy overnight rain continued through the following morning- an early rest day!

The weather improved during the afternoon sufficiently for a steep climb up the ridge behind the campsite before more showers arrived in the evening. Overnight, further thunder and hail showers disturbed our sleep but by breakfast time, things were looking far more encouraging - and we needed to keep going towards Stok Kangri! Fresh snow lay above 4800m as we crossed the Shang La but we got great views of the way to the Matho La as lammergeier circled overhead. Everyone enjoyed a superb day's trekking to our next camp, overlooked by the glaciated peaks of the Stok Range.

Our camp for the night was close under the Matho La, our next objective. All the group were walking well with acclimatisation going to plan and things looked promising as we set off under sunny skies. We crossed the 4964m pass as dark clouds arrived from over the mountains and the descent to Smankarmo was in a heavy storm of hail! The normally busy campsite was deserted and we were lucky to have the place virtually to oursleves for an afternoon of relaxation before the climb up to Base Camp. Flocks of Blue Sheep and families of gambolling young marmots provided the afternoon's entertainment.

Base camp was, as expected, quite busy but we soon settled in finding some good pitches and enjoyed another great lunch from Raj Kumar, the cook. There was a concern amongst some of the group that we might be putting on weight during this expedition! At last the unsettled and wet weather seemed to be improving and we got great views of Stok Kangri from the ridge above the campsite that afternoon. We could also see big snowfields above the glacier on slopes, which are normally bare rock and stones. The skiing looked great! The scheduled rest day provided the chance to catch up with crampon and ice-axe technique, roping up and moving together - and also some more serious eating and drinking! In addition, this was the first full day without rain or hail since Sumdo! Things were looking up at last and boded well for summit day. Indeed it turned out to be the best weather day of the whole expedition - the weather gods were smiling at last!

A 1 a.m. start gave us plenty of time for our ascent, crossing the glacier with first light and then a superb dawn as we tackled the steepening snow slopes. With the group now divided into 3 ropes, good progress was made up firm snow to the summit ridge at 5900m - with hardly a rock to be seen! The ridge itself was a mix of snow and rock with a tarverse onto the summit snowfield and the welcome sight of the summit itself, festooned in prayer flags. The air clarity and views were stupendous; from the glaciers of the Stok Range, to the snow peaks of Nun and Kun in Zanskar, the shapely peaks north of Leh in the Nubra region, and down to the rocky ridge of the Red Gompa above Leh, where we had stood several days earlier looking up to the peak that we now stood on. By now, the snow was softening in the sun and the descent was done slowly and carefully to the welcome of Jigmat's smiling face and his kettle of juice on the edge of the glacier! And then to BC to complete what all agreed to have been an absolutely fantastic - and very, very tiring- day!

The next morning it was almost a jog down to Stok village. The lure of hot showers and cold beers being a difficult one to resist! As I write this amidst the calm, cool greenery of the hotel garden in Leh, the group should already be in Delhi for a last day based there and then the flight home. Congratulations to all and thanks for the support, camaraderie and hardwork of all - and even those awful jokes, Jim!

Summiteers: Chris Jagger, David Christmas, Henry Parker, Jim Parker, Greg Martin and Jill Stevens accompanied by JG Leader John Eames and Sherpas Tshiring, Nima and Ming Temba. « Previous report | Next report »

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