Bengali team scales two unnamed peaks in Ladakh amid ‘chilling high winds’

Kolkata: A five-member Bengali mountaineering team, led by former Kolkata Police Assistant Commissioner Ujjal Ray, has successfully scaled two unnamed peaks—6,150 metres and 6,086 metres high—in the Salt Valley region of Ladakh, beside the Starsafuk Tso Lake.

“The main hurdle before us was the chilling high winds of the cold desert and the rough, rugged terrain of this unexplored part of Ladakh. The expedition was not only in a new terrain but also without any support from sherpas or guides,” Ray said.

The team reached its base camp via Manali, Pang, Debring and Tso Kar on August 5. Following a weather forecast of deteriorating conditions and the illness of cooking staff, who had to be evacuated, two additional camps were set up. The summit push began from Camp 2 late on the night of August 9. The ice-capped peak turned rocky higher up, with two large ice deposits on its northern face.

After crossing these on the lower slopes and climbing the face, the team reached a dented ridge that led to the summit at 10.20 am. From the ridge on the far side, they ascended the second peak.

Bad weather and heavy rain forced the team to remain stranded at intermediate camps from August 10, before returning to base camp on Tuesday.

Alongside sexagenarian Ray, the team comprised Nandadulal Sarkar, Pritam Basu, Soumyajit Saha and Sayak Sau.

An Everester, Ray had scaled twin peaks above 6,000 metres near Pologonka La in Ladakh in August 2022, when he first spotted these two peaks by the Starsafuk Tso. The expedition was organised under the banner of the Snout Adventurers Association.

Ray joined the Kolkata Police in 1987 and currently works at the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.