Bengal Mountaineers ‘Script History’, Scale Mt Monto ‘Without Sherpa Support’

MP, 19 Sept 2025, Kolkata: A team of 11 Indian climbers associated with a mountaineering club in Bengal has created history by climbing the Mt. Monto group of peaks without the support of sherpas. Only Mt. Monto 1 remained unclimbed due to bad snow conditions and not enough time to find the route. Mt. Monto consists of four peaks and is located in the South East Ladakh region near Korzok village, approximately 55 km from the roadhead (Kiyang dum) near the south end of Tso Moriri Lake. Since these peaks are near the border of Himachal and China, detailed topographic maps were not made available due to the sensitive zone. Without these maps, the only way to find the route to the summit was to explore.

The team started with full throttle and had kept enough days in hand not only to summit the peaks but also to explore various gorges, cols, and unnamed peaks (some of which are above 6000m) to document future climbing opportunities. However, as they reached the base camp, the weather turned bad, reflecting the disasters in Himachal and surrounding places. The team had to stay inside the tent at the base camp for almost 6 crucial days.

Led by Rudra Prasad Halder and Satyarup Siddhanta, the deputy leader, the team divided themselves into smaller groups for exploration to ascertain the routes for climbing. They then proceeded with the expedition and successfully climbed the peaks. The other members of the team included Naitik Naskar, Anirban Talukdar, Debasish Majumdar, Soumya, Niranjan, Wrik Raj, Bhaskar, Tuhin, and Arunabha Sanpui.

Incidentally, the team also conducted a cleaning drive around the bank of Tso Moriri with some local students and distributed educational supplies and clothes for the students. They also ensured that all non-degradable waste was brought back to Korzok and handed over to the municipal garbage truck.