The Center of The World.

The Center of The World., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

There is a old legend of Asia, of a great sacred mountain which is the center of the world and from its flanks emerge four mighty rivers of the east which bring sustenance to the region

There are no mountains like the Himalayas for in them lie Kailash & Mansarovar
-The Skanda Purana

To the early Aryans it was Mount Meru not only the navel of the Earth but the centre of the universe as well. On its summit is located the Swarga – the heaven – presided over by the king of the Hindu Gods, Indra, who is also the God of rains that bring prosperity to the vast food bowl of the Gangetic plains.

To the modern Hindu's it is known as Kailash (Crystal), where The Great God Shiva resides along with Parvati his consort.

To the Tibetan Buddhists it is known as Tise (Ice Peak) or Kang Rinpoche. (the Precious Snow Mountain) and regard it as the dwelling place of Demchog (also known as Chakrasamvara) and his consort, Dorje Phagmo.

The Bön,. the religion which predates Buddhism in Tibet, maintain that the entire mystical region and the Nine story Swastika Mountain ( Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring) and its the seat of all Spiritual power.

For Jains, this is the region of Mount Ashtapada, on the summit of which Rishabanatha, the first tirthankar, gained spiritual liberation.

It rises to a height of 6,638 m (21,778 ft) and remains unclimbed.
From time immemorial it has been the goal of pilgrims and explorers and the legends that surround it make it one of the most sacred and revered mountains in the world.

Mount Kailash is also the source of four major rivers: the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Karnali and the Sutlej. The comparison to the Indian legend of Mount Meru from whose summit flows four great rivers that irrigate all of Asia is hard to miss.

Eighteen miles southeast of Kailash is the circular, turquoise Lake Manasarovar, or Tso Rinpoche, [Precious Lake], a 64-mile circuit, which is rarely completed except by the most devout. Bathing in the lake, or even dousing one’s head with the holy water, is said to be of enormous spiritual benefit to those who can brave the icy water which many claim contain miraculous powers. Hindus are told that complete immersion into the lake ensures they be reborn as a god. This is a freshwater lake, three miles above sea level. There is a saltwater lake, separated by a narrow peninsula, named Raksas Tal, or "Ravan's (The Demon King of the Ramayana) lake. Pilgrims don’t bathe or circumambulate this crescent moon-shaped body of water, but do pay their respect by glancing in its direction.

Five monasteries have been rebuilt on the shores of Lake Manasarovar since 1981—before the Chinese invasion in 1959 there were eight. Fatigued pilgrims are allowed to stay in the monasteries.

Fewer than 500 Indian nationals are allowed "officially" to make the pilgrimage per year due to the Chinese and Indian governments. Most of the Indians allowed in are selected via a lottery and the ability to pay their own way (Rs. 1.5 lakhs) is evident in the fact that the majority of them are middle-aged businessmen from large cities. Lately some Indians have used the various travel tours available from Nepal to get rid of these limitations.

CCKN.(6303mtrs)

CCKN.(6303mtrs), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The summit pyramid of Chau Chau Kang Nilda (6303mtrs) peak as seen near the village of Lhossar in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh, India.

One of the first mountaineers to visit and climb in the Spiti Valley was J.O.M Roberts in 1939 and he made the first ascent of this famous peak (then known as Guan Nelda).
P.F Holmes & T.H. Braham made the second known ascent in 1955.
Since then the peak has been climbed several times and remains the first peak to be climbed in the Spiti Valley.

Bushido on the Changger Bangger

Bushido on the Changger Bangger, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The rarely seen North Faces of Kalanka & Changabang
viewed from Saf Minal, in the Kumaoni Himal Uttarakhand

• North Face Kalanaka

The Central Spur on the North Face has become one of the most sought-after lines in the Garhwal. Back in 1977 a Czechoslovakia team climbed the right side of the North Face to gain the col between Changabang and Kalanka, then up the West Ridge of the latter to the summit. Despite the use of fixed ropes, taken in the context of the era this route remains one of the most underrated achievements in the Himalaya.

Fast-forward more than 20 years. In 2001 top Americans, Carlos Buhler and Jack Roberts made the first unsuccessful attempt on the elegant Central (North) Spur.

Two years later in 2003 another American team, Sue Nott and John Varco, climbed the lower part of the spur, then used a portaledge to fix ropes through the vertical to overhanging central barrier (M6), completing all the technical difficulties and bivouacking at 6,550m before forced down by storm.

Buhler returned in 2004 with Sandy Allan and John Lyall but the attempt failed at around 6,000m.

In 2007 Nick Bullock and Kenton Cool tried another tact, climbing the big snow and ice slopes of the North East Face left of the Spur, only to be defeated on the crest of the East Ridge at over 6,300m. Another Slovienian team was also forced back later in the season.

2008 September Japanese Expedition
Thirty-one years old Kazuaki Amano, Fumitaka Ichimura (30) and Yusuke Sato (27) arrived at their 4,500m Bagini Glacier base camp on the 1st September and for the next eight days acclimatized to 5,800m. During this period they established an advanced base below the wall at 5,100m.

On the 14th they regained advanced base and the following day set off up the North East Face, taking a very similar line to the Bullock-Cool attempt. They bivouacked the first night at 6,000m and the following day made a long, almost horizontal traverse right below the upper rock walls to reach the crest of the Central Spur, where they bivouacked at c6,150m. On the 18th the three climbed most of the way through the steep section above (M5+) and bivouacked at 6,550m. They continued a short distance the following day to another bivouac at 6,600m, where they were pinned down for three long days by bad weather.

On the 22nd the weather cleared and Amano, Ichimura and Sato emerged with enough strength to go for the summit. This they reached in a 13-hour round trip from camp, and on the following day continued their descent, opting to follow the much safer line of the Central Spur directly to the glacier. After one more bivouac perched on the crest of the spur at around 6,000m, and a second on the glacier at c5,200m, they returned to base on the 24th, no doubt a trifle peckish having completed a hard 10-day alpine style ascent and descent on just five days food.

Not surprisingly, three days complete rest was necessary before they could even think about bringing down advanced base. The 1,800m route has been name Bushido.

This month, the Japanese trio’s alpine-style ascent of the 6,000-foot route won the Asian Piolet d’Or

• Changabang North Face 1st Ascent

In 1997, two Britishers Andy Cave and Brendan Murphy made the first ascent of the North Face of Changabang, a 1,600 m (5,250 ft) route involving steep, sustained ice, mixed, and rock climbing.

Unfortunately Murphy was hit by an avalanche and swept off the face to his death on the descent (Mick Fowler & Steve Sustad were also part of the same team though they were a day behind the climbers when all 4 of them teamed up to descend together because of the bad weather.)

With Andy Cave & Mick Fowler In their respective books we have two distinctive views on one of the greatest Himalayan adventures of the 1990s, the ascent of Changabang’s north face, as well as a wealth of other milestone routes from Fowler and a fascinating glimpse of Andy Cave’s background as a miner-turned-academic and mountain guide. Cave’s book, Learning to Breathe, is both unusual and engaging, giving an incisive view of hardship and tragedy from the Himalaya to the Yorkshire pit community of his youth.