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(7,365 m) and Sinolchu (6,887 m).
Mountaineering expeditions, unlike trekking, require more planning
and paperwork as clearance is required from the Indian
Mountaineering Foundation, New Delhi. Besides these the local
governments also impose royalties on
certain peaks.
Little History: The first European to explore the Khangchendzonga area was Douglas
W. Freshfield who reached its base in 1899 from the Green Lake
Basin area. A German expedition led by Paul Bauer made the first
attempt to reach the summit in 1929 followed by another attempt in
1931 and reached an altitude of 26,000 ft. In 1955 Charles Evans
conquered Khangchendzonga a few feet below the summit from the
Nepal side.
In
1977 an expedition led by Major Prem Chand reached a few feet
below the summit. In 1987 an Assam Rifles expedition attempted the
peak. In 1991 an Indo Japanese expedition led by Hukam Singh and
Yoshio Ogata conquered the peak.
The Kabru was first climbed in 1935 by a
British C.R. Cooke. The pyramid Peak was first conquered in 1949
by a Swiss R. Dittert. A British A.M. Kallas, climbed the Paunhri
in 1911. The summit of Siniolchu was first reached by a German in
1936. It was later again climbed by the famous Sikkimese Everester
Sonam Gyatso. Pandim was climbed in 1993 by a team from the Sonam
Gyatso Mountaineering Institute. Rathong was conquered by an
Indian expedition in 1964.
Khangchendzonga
(8585 mtrs/ 28,146 ft) is considered the Guardian Deity of Sikkim.
For sentimental, religious and other environmental reasons,
permission is not granted by the Sikkim government is to scale the
peak. Rathong (22,000 ft.) has some of the open peaks though they
require special permits. The best known peaks in Sikkim - Talung,
Jonsong and Tent are all above 24,000 feet.
The amount
mentioned below has to be paid in Gangtok, Sikkim, after the
permit is granted by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, New
Delhi
Royalties for Peaks in the Sikkim Himalayas:
|
Height |
Royalty |
|
Peaks above 8000 Mtrs. |
USD 8000 |
|
Peaks between 7501-8000 Mtrs. |
USD 7000 |
|
Peaks between 7001-7500 Mtrs. |
USD 6000 |
|
Peaks between 6501-7000 Mtrs. |
USD 5500 |
|
Peaks below 6500 Mtrs. |
USD 5000 |
Essentials:
The best season to climb in Sikkim is from May to October. Foreign
expeditions have to book a peak along with a peak fee. The Indian
Mountaineering Foundation(IMF) is the country's apex body that helps in organising/ sponsoring mountaineering expeditions.
It is mandatory for Expeditions in
Sikkim to take a liason officer from the Sikkim Mountaineering
Association along with the liason officer from the Indian
Mountaineering Foundation. IMF
functions as a clearing house for foreign expeditions and deputes
a liasion officer to accompany foreign climbers. All requests have
to be forwarded to IMF for clearance.
It is advisable to give atleast a six month's notice before embarking on an expedition.
All emergencies and accidents are looked after by the liasion
officer who helps to get rescue from the Indian Air Force.
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