siachen glacier trek 2022 application form

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SIACHEN GLACIER TREK

Ladakh | 4420m | 21 sept ‘24 | 12 oct ’24, ladakh | 4420m, 21 sept ‘24 | 12 oct ’24, moderate-hard.

Nestled amidst the mighty Karakoram Range, the Siachen Glacier, a pristine expanse of ice and snow, stands as a symbol of awe-inspiring beauty and daunting challenges. Stretching over 76 kilometers in length, it is the world’s highest battleground, a place where the explorer within you gets to witness what our country’s saviours endure.

For the first time ever, Boots & Crampons proudly presents an exclusive 14-day Siachen Glacier Expedition, made possible through our collaboration with the Indian Army. This unique opportunity grants you access to the world’s highest battlefield, an endeavor that promises to redefine your perception of adventure.

As you traverse this glacial wonderland, you’ll delve into the heart of Siachen, experiencing moments of introspection, bonding, and sheer perseverance. You’ll walk in the footsteps of our brave soldiers, gaining a profound understanding of the challenges they face daily. The camaraderie you’ll build with your fellow explorers will be akin to the unbreakable bonds of our soldiers.

Beyond the stunning vistas and unforgettable memories, this expedition offers a chance to be a part of something greater, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Come, join us on this extraordinary journey, and discover the Siachen Glacier – a place where explorers become storytellers, and every step is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of our nation’s heroes.

Day 1 – Arrival in Leh (3500m):

– Welcome to Leh, the starting point of our Siachen Glacier Expedition.

– Upon arrival, check in at the designated accommodations.

– The day will be dedicated to acclimatization, a crucial process in preparing for the high-altitude adventure.

– Attend an informative briefing session to understand the journey that lies ahead.

– Your equipment and clothing will be meticulously checked to ensure you are well-prepared for the challenging expedition.

Day 2 – Leh (3500m):

– Continue the acclimatization process, gradually adapting to the high altitude.

– Engage in training activities that will equip you with essential skills for the upcoming journey.

– Take this opportunity to get acquainted with your fellow team members and build camaraderie.

– Explore the enchanting city of Leh, known for its rich culture and history, offering a glimpse into the unique Ladakhi way of life.

Day 3 – Move from Leh to Base Camp (3810m):

– Depart from Leh and begin your journey towards the Base Camp.

– The day involves a combination of driving to the initial trekking point and then embarking on a trek to reach the Base Camp.

– Continue your acclimatization process and participate in training activities aimed at preparing you for the upcoming challenges.

Days 4-5 – Base Camp (3810m):

– These days are dedicated to further acclimatization, allowing your body to adapt to the high-altitude conditions.

– Receive essential orientation at the Siachen Battle School, where you will learn about the intricacies of the region and the challenges you are likely to encounter.

– This phase is vital in ensuring you are well-prepared for the adventure that awaits.

Day 6 – Trek from Base Camp to Camp-I (3960m):

– Start your trek from the Base Camp to Camp-I, taking your first step into the Siachen Glacier region.

– Experience the rugged beauty of the landscape as you hike towards Camp-I.

– At the end of the day, settle in at Camp-I for a well-deserved rest.

Day 7 – Trek from Camp-I to Camp-II (4179m):

– Continue your journey as you trek from Camp-I to Camp-II.

– As you ascend, the landscape transforms, and you’ll begin to appreciate the unique beauty of the glacier.

– At Camp-II you’ll rest for the night, surrounded by the serene expanse of the Siachen Glacier.

Day 8 – Trek from Camp-II to Camp-III (4420m):

– Today, you push higher into the glacier region, trekking from Camp-II to Camp-III.

– The change in altitude offers new perspectives and awe-inspiring views.

– At Camp-III, you’ll spend the night, surrounded by the majestic Karakoram Range.

Day 9 – Trek from Camp-III to Camp-II (4179m):

– Descend from Camp-III to Camp-II, revisiting terrain you’ve come to know well.

– This transition allows you to consolidate your experiences and knowledge of the area.

– Sundown brings you back to Camp-II, where you’ll rest and rejuvenate.

Day 10 – Trek from Camp-II to Camp-I (3960m):

– Descend further from Camp-II to Camp-I, retracing your steps with a sense of accomplishment.

– At Camp-I, you’ll spend the night, reminiscing about your journey thus far and preparing for the final phase of the expedition.

Day 11 – Trek from Camp-I to Base Camp. Move to Leh:

– Complete your descent from Camp-I to the Base Camp, bringing your glacier trek to a close.

– It’s time to prepare for a scenic drive to Leh and savor the accomplishments of your Siachen Glacier expedition.

Day 12-13 – Buffer Days:

– These buffer days offer flexibility to accommodate unforeseen circumstances, ensuring the safety and comfort of all expedition participants.

– Use this time for additional training, relaxation, or exploring the surroundings, as you see fit.

Day 14 – Departure from Leh:

– Bid a fond farewell to the enchanting landscapes of Leh and the Siachen Glacier.

– Return to Leh for your onward journey, carrying with you a treasure trove of memories and experiences that will stay with you for a lifetime.

• Airport pickup and transfers.
• Accommodation (Hotel & Tents) at all destinations from your arrival in Leh.
• All meals for the entire 14-day duration.
• The expertise and guidance of a professional expedition leader.
• Porter fees.
• Transportation within the Ladakh region.
• Equipment expenses.
• Service charges of the organizing team.
• Travel insurance and medical coverage.
• Personal shopping expenses & toiletries.
• Costs related to bars and beverages.
• Emergency evacuation from Leh.
• Any unanticipated emergencies during the 14-day period.
• Tips for staff Personal expenses and extra services beyond the itinerary
• Any expenses not mentioned in the inclusions

PREPARATION GUIDE

• This is a moderate to hard level expedition. Thus, you must have previous experience & need to go through strenuous training.
• Possessing technical climbing skills will be a significant advantage.
• You shall be fit, healthy and willing to make effort.
• Training for 3-4 months is suggested.
• Walk uphill or stairs steps with a back pack.
• It’s be great if you build a healthy amount of cardiovascular endurance. Jogging is the best exercise to increase your stamina.
• For detailed advice and coordination, we’ll have a WhatsApp group.

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Are you ready to trek to Siachen?

By Condé Nast Traveller

Want to know what the soldiers at Siachen go through? You may soon get a chance to put yourself in their snowshoes and crampons and make the arduous trek they make to the highest battleground in the world. This morning, The Times of India reports the Indian Army is willing to "liberally" issue permits to civilians who wish to visit one of India's most critical border posts. Wait, what?

Since 2007, the Indian Army has been conducting the Siachen Glacier Trek every year. Typically in August or September, a small batch of civilians makes the 10-day trek up to Siachen. The annual trek was paused in 2017. But last year, there were signs that it may resume. Not just that, India officially declared Siachen open to tourism.

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

The idea of turning a battleground into a tourist attraction may sound complicated. But the powers that be believe it will help the local economy and help people appreciate what soldiers have to endure.

Life at Siachen Glacier

The world's highest battleground stands at an altitude of 24,000ft in Leh & Ladakh . Temperatures routinely drop to less than -50C. Nature is a bigger threat than bullets here. Oxygen saturation is around 10% of what it is in the plains. Snowblindess, frostbite, lung infections and depression claim, on average, two soldiers from the Indian side die each month.

Indian Army at Siachen Glacier. Photo: Bandeep Singh/The The India Today Group via Getty Images

For now, the specifics of these tourist visits to Siachen are hazy. These may or may not include a trek up to Siachen Base Camp (10,000 ft) and then Kumar Camp (16,000 ft), the final destination for the army's civilian treks. But from the army's website, here's what we know:

Indian Army's Siachen Glacier trek

The Indian Army's website says that it organises the "Siachen Glacier Trek between August and September every year for approximately 30 selected civilians recommended by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF). This is the only chance for a civilian to visit the world's highest and coldest battlefield. The trek begins from Leh in Ladakh at a height of about 12,000 feet above mean sea level. From there, the participants proceed to the Siachen Base Camp which goes into the mountain slopes at 10,000 feet and, from there, trek on to Kumar Camp which is at 16,000 feet, the distance of the trek being 60 km both ways across 8-9 days."

If you wish to find out more, drop an email to the Indian Army's media cell: ncmediacell[at]gmail[dot]com

So, who's going?

• Oct 1, 2021

Siachen Glacier Trek

The Siachen Glacier is known to be the most inhospitable, high and cold battlefield, where the temperature drops to minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter. But there's good news for travellers like you as now you can visit Siachen Glacier up to the base camp.

Travellers will now be able to see the beautiful valley of Siachen Glacier, not just in pictures, but with their own eyes. Foreign travellers are not allowed to reach here due to security reasons. The permission to allow domestic travellers to reach the base camp of the Siachen Glacier adjacent to the LoC between India and Pakistan is also being seen as a big message to China and Pakistan.

Is the Siachen glacier open for tourists?

Yes! you heard that right, domestic travellers can now explore Siachen Base Camp as it is open for domestic tourists! The Siachen Glacier Base Camp is located at an altitude of 3,657 metres, while the highest military post Bana is situated at an altitude of 7,010 metres. During winter the temperature goes up to minus 40 degrees. With this decision taken on World Tourism Day, where tourism is expected to be promoted in Ladakh.

Siachen Glacier Base Camp is considered to be the highest and coldest battlefield in the world. Visiting here will give a different kind of feeling to the tourists. Tourists can reach here and feel under what adverse conditions our soldiers lay down their lives to protect the border while staying here.

The Siachen Glacier Base Camp is located at an altitude of 3,657 metres, while the highest military post Bana is situated at an altitude of 7,010 metres. During winter the temperature goes up to minus 40 degrees. With this decision taken on World Tourism Day, where tourism is expected to be promoted in Ladakh.

There is snow all around here and there is constant darkness. This is the reason why this glacier is very important from the strategic point of view for the country, is also called the valley of death. Situated at an average altitude of 18000 feet above sea level, Siachen Glacier has a border with Pakistan on one side and Aksai Chin, bordering China on the other side. It is very important for India to deploy its army in this area to keep an eye on these two countries.

What part of the Siachen glacier opens tourists?

Although tourists can now do Siachen Glacier Trek, team Walking The Himalayas will suggest that you must do easier treks first, get yourself prepare for hash situations and then do Siachen Glacier Trek. Siachen Glacier Base Camp is situated at an altitude of 12000 ft or 3567 m at Partapur. On the other hand, the highest post on the Siachen Glacier is Bana Post and it is located at an altitude of 23000 ft or 7010 m.

Siachen Glacier Trek Itinerary

Day 1: leh to siachen glacier base camp (3810 m) - drive 150 km, day 2: siachen glacier base camp - rest day, day 3: siachen glacier base camp to siachen glacier base camp 1 (3962 m) - 12 km, 6 hrs trek, day 4: siachen glacier base camp 1 - rest day, day 5: siachen glacier base camp 1 to siachen glacier base camp 2 (4179 m) - 14 km, 7 hrs trek, day 6: siachen glacier base camp 2 - rest day, day 7: siachen glacier base camp 2 to siachen glacier base camp 3 (4420 m) - 16 km, 8 hrs, day 8: siachen glacier base camp 3 - rest day, day 9: siachen glacier base camp 3 to kumar post (4876 m) - 18 km, 9 hrs, day 10: kumar post - rest day, day 11: kumar post to siachen glacier base camp 3 - 18 km, 7 hrs, day 12: siachen glacier base camp 3 to csiachen glacier base campamp 2 - 16 km, 6 hrs, day 13: siachen glacier base camp 2 to siachen glacier base camp 1 - 14 km, 5 hrs, day 14: camp 1 to siachen base camp - 12 km, 5 hrs, day 15: siachen base camp to leh - 150 km drive., we will start this trek from next year ie 2022. so get ready to explore this paradise on earth by walking the himalayas..

#siachenglacier #siachen #siachenglaciercamp #siachenglacierbasecamp

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Here’s How Civilians Can Trek to Siachen Glacier with the Indian Army

The Indian Army conducts an annual trek to Siachen glacier for civilians, between August to September every year. The expedition for civilians was started for the first time in 2007 and is organised by the Army Adventure Wing. About 30-40 civilians are selected.

This year’s applications for the 13-day long trek are currently open. The overall programme goes on for a month including acclimatisation, medical check-up and the trek from the Siachen Base Camp to the Kumar camp and back.

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“The trek begins from Leh in Ladakh at a height of about 12,000 feet above mean sea level. From there, the participants proceed to the Siachen Base Camp which goes into the mountain slopes at 10,000 feet and, from there, trek on to Kumar camp which is at 16,000 feet, the distance of the trek being 60 km both ways across 8-9 days,” writes a journalist who participated in the trek last year, in The Hindu . window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot('/22670944367/TBI_Desk_Story_AllUnits/TBI_Desk_Story_B_300x250', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-ad-1654568813864-1').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1654568813864-1'); });

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Indian army to organise Siachen trek for civilians

July 20 (TravelAndy) : Adventure tourists and trekkers are in for some very exciting news, as the Indian army is organising a 13-day trek to the mighty Siachen glaciers, for civilians, said reports.

A team of 45 trekkers will be selected for the expedition by the army, who will be guided to a 60 km journey along the highest mountain passes in the Karakoram Range.

The journey is slated to begin during September-October. Anyone, within the age limit of 45 years, can apply to take part in the expedition. Every applicant will have to undergo medical test and will have to submit indemnity bond and medical certificate along with the application form.

The trekking itinerary will be Siachen base camp-Kumar Camp-Siachen base camp. This 13-day trek will involve altitudes ranging from 12000 ft to 16,000 ft.

Participants will reach the reporting point in Leh, Jammu and Kashmir. From there the team will be taken to Siachen base camp, from where the official trek to Kumar camp (16,000ft) will commence.

The last date for applications is today.

The army has been conducting this annual high altitude trek to Siachen Glacier since 2007 for civilians, persons from organisation associated with defence forces, mediapersons, cadets from RIMC, RMS, members of IMF, dependants of army persons and prominent citizens.

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• > This Siachen Trek With The Indian Army Is The Adventure Of A Lifetime. Here’s How You Can Apply

Jul 19, 2016 at 11:50 AM

This Siachen Trek With The Indian Army Is The Adventure Of A Lifetime. Here’s How You Can Apply

A field of ice and (gun)fire, the Siachen Glacier which is located at the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas has been a hotbed of border disputes between India and Pakistan since 1984. 

The area is naturally off-limits to civilians and if you’re an adventure junkie then you might be itching to tick this one off your list. Well, good news. I’m gonna scratch it for you (Okay that came out wrong).

The Siachen Glacier Trek is a program that was first held in 2007 by the Indian Army Adventure Wing. It has since become an annual event. 

Starting from the Siachen Base Camp, the trek will cover a 60 km climb to the Kumar Post located at a height of 18,300 ft- a daunting task. Which is why the experience lasts for a month including acclimatisation, medical check-ups and the trek which itself lasts for 13 days in September/October.

Up till 2013, the Indian Mountaineering Foundation was involved in the selection process, however ever since the applications have been admitted directly to the Indian Army website , on a first-come-first-serve basis in April / May each year.

The trek does require some perquisite experience- having completed the basic mountaineering course and/or having attended some expeditions in the past.

This year will be the largest edition of the trek taking up to 45 hardened adventurers to the glacial battlefields of Siachen. 

If you want to apply, start gearing up now so that by April 2017 you’re ready to set-and-go.

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You can now trek to the Siachen Glacier with the Indian Army; here's how

Go trekking to one of the highest, coldest and toughest battlefield in the world with the indian army. here's how..

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While dealing with the petty troubles of daily life, we tend to forget about the Siachen Glacier--the kind of challenges it throws up to the Indian Army soldiers who stand guard while we get a good night's sleep. Located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayan Mountains, it is a tough place to survive with temperatures dipping to minus 50-degree celsius at times.

But to be able to visit the place and face these challenges is a dream a lot of adventure junkies have. Especially travellers who love to go on trekking and climbing expeditions from time to time.

The total length of the trek will be 60 kilometres both ways and will be at altitudes ranging between 12,000 feet and 16,000 feet.

The total duration of the program will be one month, which will include acclimatisation, medical check-up and the 13-day trek.

Also read: Tips for trekkers--from an avid climber

Applicants should preferably be below 45 years of age and should have the required fitness to undertake a high altitude trek in extreme conditions. The documents required include an indemnity bond, medical certificate, and the filled-up application form. To download the form, click here .

The application should reach at the following address before July 20, 2016:

HQ Northern Command (Training Branch) Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir Pin: 182121

For queries, contact [email protected] Published By: AtMigration Published On: Jul 15, 2016 --- ENDS ---

Indian Army is Taking 45 Civilians To The Siachen Glacier. You Can Be One Of Them!

Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battleground can be yours next summit.

Indian Army is taking 45 trekkers to a guided and well governed trek to the Siachen Glacier.

Here is everything you need to know:

The trek covers 60 km each side on the most dangerous and challenging terrain.

You will have to reach the Siachen Base Camp on your own. The distance after it to Kumar FLB will then be taken under the Indian Army guidance.

Only experienced trekkers who have sound health will be allowed to go ahead. Applicants should be below 45 years old.

The altitude starts at 12,000 ft above sea-level and goes up till 16,000 ft. If you have a problem with high-altitudes then definitely avoid this. As for experienced climbers, embrace this playground!

Trek is in total 13 days long, but you are required to stay for a total of 30 days for acclimatization and health purposes.

To apply, write to HQ Northern Command Indian Army. Make sure the application reaches here before 20th July. People will be selected on first come first basis.

HQ Northern Command (Training Branch)

Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir

Pin: 182121

For queries, contact [email protected]

Download the application form here .

Last date of application reaching the headquarters is 20th July. HURRY!

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Walkthrough The Life Of Indian Army In Siachen

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The life Of Indian Army In Siachen

The life of Indian Army in Siachen glacier. The Siachen glacier demarcates central Asia from the Indian subcontinent, and separates Pakistan from China in the region. The Saltoro Ridge of the Siachin glacier serves as a divide that prevents direct linking of PoK with China, stopping them to develop geographical military linkages in the area. Siachen also serves as a watchtower for India to keep a deep watch on Gilgit and Baltistan regions of Pakistan. Let us see the hardship that army jawans and officers have to face defending the position from Pakistan.

• The Siachen Glacier is in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan passes.
• At 76 km (47 mi) long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world’s non-polar areas.
• The average winter snowfall is more than 1000 cm (35 ft), and temperatures can dip to −50 °C (−58 °F).

Dispute with Pakistan

• Both India and Pakistan claim sovereignty over the entire Siachen region.
• US and Pakistani maps in the 1970s and 1980s consistently showed a dotted line known as the  Line of Control to the Karakoram Pass, which India believed to be a cartographic error and in violation of the Shimla Agreement.
• In 1984, India launched Operation Meghdoot, a military operation that gave India control over all of the Siachen Glacier, including its tributaries.
• Our Indian army has been guarding this post since then. 

Life in Siachen  

• Before being deployed to Siachen, soldiers undergo rigorous training at the Siachen Battle School, located near the base camp, and get acclimatised to the conditions.
• They learn rock-climbing and how to handle ice walls as well as negotiate crevasses. Rigorous medical check-ups are held, and soldiers suffering from high blood pressure or suspected cardiac ailments left out.
• The enemy at Siachen is not so much an entity armed with rifles and guns across the Actual Ground Position Line.
• No fire has been exchanged between Indians and Pakistanis in more than a dozen years.
• Nature, the atmosphere, snow, mountains, and the isolation, the mind, and one’s own body is the primary factor which poses a problem over here.
• Most of the soldiers die due to harsh weather condition in Siachen then with the enemy bullets.
• The temperature falls to -50 to -60 degree during winters.
• At such low-temperature problems like frostbite i.e. touching the steel or even gun trigger or barrel with bare hands will result in frostbite or even amputation.
• Not only this at the height of 5400meters soldiers end up suffering from a loss in appetite, hearing loss, memory loss, sleep deprivation, speech problem.
• DRDO has developed a hospital specifically maintained to treat all the issue caused due to a great height.

• We all know how vital is oxygen for survival whereas in Siachen only about 10% of oxygen in plains.
• Kerosene as a fuel act as a saviour which help in cooking food, lighting up of shelter, burning wood to keep warm, melting snow for drinking water but it has to be used carefully to make it last until next supply comes.
• While they bathe inside the pre-fabricated snow huts, crevasses usually serve as toilets, with a ladder leading down into them.
• When the soldier moves out they tie themselves to each other so that they do not get drifted due to weather change.
• Every post has a nursing attendant, and every company has a doctor as A doctor is a big psychological factor.
• When troops know there’s a doctor around, they feel reassured.
• With everyone wearing the same clothes, eating the same food and sleeping in the same shared shelter, the line between an officer and a jawan is skinny.
• Ten to 11 soldiers, including the officer in command of the post, generally share one fibreglass shelter. That keeps the morale up.

• Soldiers are allowed one call a week home. Most remote posts have a satellite phone, and the calls are put through by an operator.
• Siachen glacier ribbon is awarded to those who serve in the saltoro range.
• The ribbon is dull-grey-white strip reflecting the cold and unforgiving terrain conquered by men.

The Siachen War Memorial has been constructed at the Siachen Base Camp in the fond remembrance of all martyrs who have made supreme sacrifice for the ‘Izzat and Glory’ during Operation Meghdoot. ‘Quartered in snow, silent remain, when the bugle calls, they shall rise and march again’ are the wordings inscribed on the top of first wall, which aptly describes the brave soldiers who laid down their lives for the honour of motherland.

So wonderfully presented article, how do they move from base camp to glaciers, where do they eat? Is this place higher than the mount Everest? Please spare some time to reply.

Thanks and Regards

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Siachen Glacier – Through the eyes of a Civilian.

Siachen glacier - through the eyes of a civilian.

Scaling Siachen Glacier has been on my bucket list and I have been applying and trying my luck with the Indian Army for almost 3 years now. Last year, I took yet another chance and decided to apply for the trek once again. I couriered my application along with an indemnity form and a medical certificate. Keeping my fingers crossed, I also included a separate note of why I wanted to visit Siachen.   

Siachen Glacier is the highest battlefield in the world where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since 1984. It sits at a very strategic location with Pakistan on the left and China on the right. It is the World's largest non-polar glacier and thus is sometimes referred to as the third pole. The temperature dips to minus 60 degrees in the winter and 97% casualties in Siachen are due to extreme weather and high altitude, rather than due to actual fighting. In spite of the harsh weather conditions, the word `Siachen` ironically means `the place of wild roses’. 

At 21,000 feet above the sea level, India has also built the world`s highest helipad on this glacier at a place called Sonam, to serve the area and ensure that the food supplies and troops are supplied via helicopter support. Army pilots push their helicopters well beyond their optimal performance, to drop supplies at forwarding posts.

The Indian Army decided to allow civilians to trek the glacier since 2007 . Every year the Army takes a mixed group of civilians, military cadets, defense personnel, and media to give them a first-hand experience of the inhospitable terrain and weather conditions in which our brave soldiers serve the nation. This is the only chance for a civilian to visit the world’s highest and coldest battlefield.

With a little bit of luck and backed by some of my past achievements, I was amongst the 17 civilians who were selected out of 2300 applications received nationally. I was overjoyed to receive the call that confirmed my selection. After a long gap due to my injury and with just one month before the trek, I started training hard towards the required fitness.

While I was somewhat aware of the training that the Army imparts to get one physically fit and properly acclimatized to climb the glacier, when I started training with the Army there was a huge difference between expectations and reality. Last year during the trek, a lot of trekkers had to quit halfway through the trek due to physical fitness issues   and many of them had to be evacuated using a chopper as there is no other way of bringing one down. So this year the training was planned in such a way that if anyone wanted to quit, they should quit during the training itself and not while climbing up, as evacuations by chopper in that zone is always dangerous due to bad weather and remote terrain. The commando style training that was planned was divided into three stages and tested each one of us physically, mentally and emotionally.

Stage one of the training was in Leh ( located at 11562 Ft), stage 2 at Siachen Base Camp ( located at 12000 Ft) and Stage 3 at North Pullu (an altitude of 15800 Ft.) 

Training included acclimatization and learning skills such as snow craft, rock craft, running with loaded rucksacks, walking while tied to a rope with each other ( so one can be pulled up in case of a fall into a crevasse) and other survival techniques . There were regular medical exams. While the blood test, urine test and ECG happened only once during stage one in Leh, our BP, level of oxygen in blood and pulse were being checked every day in the morning and evening. It was very important for us to clear all the medical exams as it formed one of the major selection criteria for moving up to the next stage in the journey.

Training also included multiple class room lectures on the history of the glacier, medical issues at high attitude and prevention, taking care of other members in a rope etc. 

Our day would start at 5 am and finish at 8 pm with No mercy. There were times I would sit and question myself " What am I doing here ". The training was so rigorous that it made me believe that I'm a soldier and pain is nothing but a myth.  Our phones and cameras were taken away due to security reasons, with an assurance that pictures will be taken by one of the army officers.

It was a month long expedition in a no network zone. I had my moments when I was in pain due to my old hamstring injury and I had to let pain submit to my will when I found myself all alone missing my family and wanting to go home just because I was exhausted both physically and mentally even before the trek was started. 

Going by the principle that I follow in life  "Always finish what you have started" , I would get up each day and give it all that I had and some more. There was one civilian who quit because he was expecting at least a little bit of fun element during the trek and then there were many others who were dropped due to physical fitness and medical issues.

As the journey to the glacier began, we were roped up with each other trekking across the harsh terrain, through moraines, snow and deep crevasses. We had to trek at the speed of the leading rope member and in our rope, it was a military cadet. I did find myself mostly struggling to match up to his speed at that altitude with limited oxygen. Unlike all the other treks that I have done before this, this one didn't give me a chance to look around as we had to constantly look down while trekking due to broken moraines and watching out for any crevasse that can be life threatening. After overnight snowfall, all the crevasses gets closed from the top and you don't know when you are going to step on one of them. I eventually got into a state of trance while looking down and trekking for hours without stopping or talking. Every day, there would be only one break for 7-10 mins (at half link- as they call it ) during the entire trek. There were times when I had frost on my specs that I was wearing under my snow goggles when the strap of my bag would fall off the shoulder or the strap of my shoe ( double layer shoe called scarps weighing over 3 kgs) would start dancing, almost about to open at any time. In all such cases, I had to wait to get to the half link as stopping would mean stopping not just your own rope but all the ropes as we were made to walk in a line. 

The tents at each campsite were set up on a large block of ice covered with parachutes to avoid melting. After reaching the campsites each day, we would mostly remain inside our tents as it was too cold to be outside and walking around the camp was uncomfortable due to the uneven surface of the ice. My time was mostly spent reading a book “into thin air’ A Personal Account of the Mt.Everest Disaster in 1996 when eight climbers were killed and several others were stranded by a "rogue storm". Definitely, not a light read, however at some point in life, I do wish to scale the highest peak of the world Mt. Everest. The Book gives an insight of what all can go wrong and how one wrong decision taken at that altitude can be life threatening.

Journey to the Glacier was overwhelming, extraordinary and certainly a once in a lifetime experience as one cannot go there even if they want to. There was a sense of fulfillment when I held the tri color flag after reaching the Kumar Post. 

This journey has taught me how to stand tall and still be humble, it has taught me how to look down and walk up in life. Staying on the glacier for a few days made me realize how lucky we all are to be living at the sea level. For us it was an expedition, we went up there and came back, however, our soldiers stay there for months regardless of how tough it gets by each passing day. A Big big salute to the Indian army and the brave jawans who have sacrificed everything for the sake of the motherland.

The writing on the board of base camp HQ says "HERE GREAT COURAGE AND FORTITUDE IS THE NORM" and another one that will remain with me for the rest of my life

LAND SO BARREN AND MOUNTAINS SO HIGH THAT ONLY THE BEST OF FRIENDS OR WORST OF ENEMIES COME AND VISIT US.

Vamini Sethi, a banker by profession, biker by passion. Read more

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Hi Mam,I am trying to apply for the Siachen Trek from past two years, but I could not find the notifications in army websites.Could you please let me know how to apply , if possible for the year.Regards,Nikhilemail [email protected]

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Siachen trek: The experience of a lifetime

By Ritu Sharma, IANS,

Siachen Glacier : It was for me the experience of a lifetime: an eight-day trek up the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir, once regarded as the world’s highest battlefield at 22,000 feet where the guns have been silent since 2003 after an India-Pakistan truce.

The 80-km trek from the Siachen Base Camp to Camp 3 and back by a 32-member group of defence personnel, military school students and journalists served to vividly bring out the hazards and pitfalls Indian Army soldiers have to face on what was also the world’s coldest battlefield where temperatures dip below – 65 degrees Celsius.

Food goes stone cold as soon as it is taken off the burner, washing your face becomes a luxury, and drinking water smells of the kerosene used to melt the ice. Yet, the soldiers stoically endure this, serving for a minimum of three months on the glacier in a two-year tenure in the area.

I was among five women, including two journalists, who survived the arduous but adventurous trek:

Day 1: Full of enthusiasm and unaware of what lay ahead, the group set off for Camp 1, our first destination. Meandering through rock debris the task was made all the more difficult by the special clothing, 2.5-kg shoes and the 20-kg rucksack that each of us carried.

Walking in ropes of five, the trekkers paused every 10 minutes to catch their breath, prompting Col. Satish Sharma, the Commanding Officer of the Army Mountaineering Institute to remark: “You have been walking in between breaks while it should have been other way round.”

The team reached Camp 1 at 6 p.m. just before sunset and was served peanuts and hot tea – which seemed a luxury at those frigid heights, surrounded by the Saltoro Ridge on one side and the Karakoram Range on the other.

The first night in a sleeping bag was difficult and one also had to accommodate the camera, shoes, socks and hand gloves to keep them warm.

Day 2: After getting an inkling of the vagaries ahead and hearing from team leader Lt. Col. A.L. Maini that the stretch to Camp 2 was the toughest, we did not feel like coming out of our sleeping bags. This apart, we also shunned our everyday luxuries like bathing as the mercury registered -10 degrees Celsius.

The 14-km-long stretch involved crossing deep crevasses over ladders and walking over the snow, wearing crampons – spikes that are tied under the shoes to get a grip on the slippery snow.

Matching steps with each other, holding on to one another when someone tripped on frozen rivulets and crossing many ladders, we managed to reach the halfway point at around 1 p.m.

Camp 2 was achieved at around 6 p.m., after crossing the toughest stretch of a two-km snow desert and moraines.

The night was a delight with a full moon ethereally bathing the snow-clad peaks.

Days 3 and 4: Heavy snowfall between Camp 2 and Camp 3 confined us for all of two days, with virtually nothing to do other than waiting for our meals.

The group then zeroed in on playing cards. I guess it was the longest cards session at those heights from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., a record of sorts.

Day 5: The temperature declined after a night of snowfall but the two-day layover redoubled the team’s determination to complete the trek. We set off for Camp 3 with new vigour even though the thick snow layer made walking difficult.

After trekking for 16 km the team reached Camp 3, where the temperature was a bone chilling -25 degrees Celsius. The whole team was so exhausted that everybody just went to sleep.

Day 6: The previous night brought with it a peculiar problem: the sleeping bags were full of ice when we woke up due to the heavy condensation.

We could well imagine what the soldiers had to face, when at the height of winter, the temperature plummets to -65 degrees Celsius at Bana Post, the highest point of the glacier located at an altitude of 22,000 feet.

After unfurling the tricolour at Camp 3 we started on our return to the Siachen Base Camp. This time our speed surprised us all and in record time we reached Camp 2, which we felt was like home after spending three nights there.

Days 7 and 8: From Camp 2, in what seemed to be a cakewalk, we reached Camp 1 and then the Siachen Base Camp. It was fairly easy now, with our bodies having acclimatised better.

Would I do it again? Most certainly – because I’m now a veteran of sorts!

(Ritu Sharma can be contacted at [email protected] )

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The Indian soldier who vanished on a glacier 38 years ago

The widow of a soldier whose body was found on Siachen Glacier this summer always hoped he would ‘come home someday’.

As the climate crisis causes water levels to plummet, riverbeds to dry and glaciers to melt, artefacts like  old warships , an  ancient city , a  mosque , ‘ hunger stones ‘ and human remains have emerged. This story is part of “Climate artefacts”, a miniseries telling the stories behind the people, places and objects that have been discovered due to drought and warming temperatures.

Listen to this story:

Uttarakhand, India – It was a humid summer night when Shanti Devi received the news she had been waiting to hear for 38 years.

On the evening of August 13 this year, Devi was busy performing a puja, a Hindu prayer, lighting earthen oil lamps and singing religious songs at home when the phone rang.

Devi doesn’t usually answer the phone during prayers but, that day, she did.

“I had a feeling that maybe there will be something important,” she recalled, sitting on a couch in the living room of her yellow, two-storey house in Haldwani, a mountainous city in the northern Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

The caller was from the state police and asked Devi for her husband’s army identification number, which is typically engraved on a tag worn around the neck.

She knew it by heart: 4164584.

“This [number] was always on my lips,” said the 65-year-old, her eyes welling up.

Devi’s husband Chandrashekhar Harbola was a soldier with the Indian army stationed on the Siachen Glacier. Located on the border between India, Pakistan and China in the western Himalayas, it is one of the world’s highest battlegrounds .

Devi recounted how, on May 29, 1984, Harbola’s 18-man patrol unit was “struck by an avalanche in the darkness of the night”.

While the bodies of 13 soldiers were found after weeks of searching, Harbola and four other men remained missing.

Siachen, like other Himalayan glaciers, has faced accelerated melting as a result of the climate crisis over recent decades.

Some climate experts suggest it could be due to these changing conditions that, on August 13, nearly four decades after Harbola vanished, his remains were discovered by soldiers on a routine patrol. He was identified by the engraved tag found on his body.

After nearly four decades of not knowing what had happened to her husband, Devi was finally able to say goodbye. “It was a long 38 years of waiting, grieving, mourning all alone,” she reflected.

‘Operation Meghdoot’

Harbola had been posted to the Siachen Glacier as part of “Operation Meghdoot”, launched by the Indian army to occupy the glacier and block the Pakistani army from accessing key passes and ridges.

Harbola, then 30, was a member of the 19 Kumaon battalion, which belonged to one of India’s oldest infantry regiments, founded in 1813. His unit was stationed on the icy terrain of the 75km (47-mile) long glacier, the second-longest outside the polar regions, at the punishing height of 6,400 metres (21,000 feet).

Before 1984, only mountaineers climbed the glacier but, that year, India took control of the border territory which is also claimed by Pakistan. The occupation led to intermittent small-scale confrontations and skirmishes between soldiers from both sides until a ceasefire agreement in 2003. Today, the countries maintain a combined presence of nearly 5,000 troops on the glacier and more than 150 outposts , with India controlling the larger portion.

Siachen, considered part of the “third pole” for its frozen water reserves, is among the five largest glaciers in the Karakoram Range – part of the Himalayas – in the Kashmir region which spans the borders of India, Pakistan, and China.

A former Indian army colonel, who spent three months on the glacier in 1984, spoke to Al Jazeera on the condition of anonymity and described how back then, “knowledge of the terrain was limited to the maps” and no one really understood what it meant to live in that environment.

Extremely harsh weather, whip-fast winds, subzero temperatures, and “deep crevices that swallowed men and material like a bolt from below”, posed terrible challenges for soldiers stationed at these heights. Soldiers did not have adequate clothing or the right food or equipment. “Many fell in the crevices due to poor navigational aids,” explained the former colonel.

All of this took a heavy toll as the first soldiers deployed suffered from frostbite, snow blindness, altitude sickness, and other ailments.

The colonel said that initially 130 men were sent to the glacier. Over time, equipment improved. But avalanches, harsh winds, low oxygen and freezing temperatures that fall as low as -50C (-58F) in winter are still challenges on the barren land of rocks and ice.

Devi, who was 18 when she married Harbola in 1976, says she used to insist that she and her two young daughters visit him wherever he was stationed. But Harbola, who wrote letters to her because telephone calls were harder to get back then, hadn’t told her about his Siachen posting. In fact, before his disappearance, Devi had “no idea” what Siachen was or that her husband had been sent to one of the toughest terrains in the world.

The last time she and her daughters saw Harbola was in October 1983, eight months before the icefall. Harbola had been on Siachen just one month when the avalanche hit.

Twelve days after the avalanche, Devi was collecting water from a tap in her village when a postman delivered a telegram saying her husband was missing.

“I was frozen for a moment. That day changed my whole life,” Devi recalled.

“Not knowing whether he was dead or alive, or that it happened in a tough area where searching and travelling was difficult, it took a toll on me,” she added.

Hoping for news

On that evening in August, the first brief call was followed by two more seeking details like family members’ names and ages.

The last caller rang at midnight and asked for the family’s address.

Later, Devi, who was confused by the calls, was in the living room with her eldest daughter when her daughter received a message saying her father’s body had been found.

“Perhaps the police did not want to inform me directly because it could have been a shock to me,” Devi reflected.

Initially, the mother and daughter did not know how to react.

“There was joy as well as grief,” Devi explained as she sat among her husband’s trophies and certificates and a book about the conflict in Siachen that mentions him. Portraits of a clean-shaven Harbola in a white shirt hung on the wall.

Wearing a black and gold sari, Devi sat with her 19-year-old granddaughter and her brother, 55, and sister, 60, who live next door.

She spoke calmly but as she recalled the decades of not knowing what had happened to her husband, her eyes grew moist and she paused.

“All these years, different thoughts used to come to mind. Sometimes I would think: ‘Maybe he is not dead. Maybe he will come home.’ And other times, thoughts like him being captured by the enemies would hit me,” said Devi as tears flowed down her cheeks. “I used to imagine all kinds of scenarios. I was hoping that someday news from him will come.”

When Harbola’s body arrived home on August 17, Devi felt her nearly four-decade wait had ended. A fresh wave of grief hit the family but there was also closure.

“If someone is dead, you can eventually try to come to terms with reality,” she explained.

“Hundreds of people came and paid respect to him,” she said, adding that Harbola was given full military honours, with his remains escorted home in a military convoy and a gun salute.

Harbola’s childhood friends, former colleagues, families of soldiers who were with him on the glacier, neighbours, government officials, and politicians came to bid him farewell.

“Everyone was in tears and welcomed him home for the last time,” Devi said.

‘No one to share my life’

Devi remembers her husband as always smiling – the kindest person she has ever known.

“He would always speak softly,” she recalled. The couple spent a total of one year together out of the eight before he disappeared, seeing each other for a month or two whenever Harbola was able to come home from his remote military postings in Kashmir.

“I always wanted to be around him, but he did not take us along. The distance and being cut off from him was terrible. I would wait for news from him for months. I feel being the wife of an army man is a very difficult thing.”

When Harbola disappeared, Devi felt helpless.

“We could not do anything,” she said. Her brother-in-law, who was also in the army, managed to go to Siachen for a month and searched for him with other soldiers.

“I felt alone after he was gone, I had no one to share my life, my happiness, or my grief. I would weep and carry on with the routines of life,” she said.

After her husband’s death, Devi, a graduate in social science, started working as a nurse. Although she received some money when Harbola died, she supported her family through her work and raised her daughters on her own. But she felt she never had enough money to fulfil her daughters’ dreams, with the younger one wanting to study in another state.

“In 1993, I shifted to the city from the village. My daughters would always ask: ‘Papa kub ayay gay [When will father come]?’ I would say he was posted far away, until they grew up and understood what had happened to him,” she said.

As a single parent, she took care of her daughters’ educations and marriages, which is often an immense financial and social burden. For Devi it was the “biggest task”.

Shifting landscape, melting glaciers

Siachen, the place where Harbola died, means “habitat of roses”. “Sia” in the Balti language – spoken in parts of Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-administered Kashmir – refers to the abundance of wild pink roses that grow in the shrubby areas below the glaciated terrain. “Chen” refers to things found in abundance.

Since 1984, an estimated 2,700 Indian and Pakistani soldiers have died there, mostly due to exposure, avalanches and other challenges associated with the harsh, high-altitude environment.

In 2012, 140 people, including 129 Pakistani soldiers and 11 civilians, were killed in an avalanche, the highest number of deaths from a single incident. Icefalls have claimed more lives, including at least four Indian soldiers and two civilians in 2019 .

India and Pakistan have spoken about demilitarising the area but with little progress. India spends $1m a day to maintain its military presence.

Meanwhile, for soldiers stationed on the glacier, the already harsh environment around them is shifting and could get more perilous.

According to climate experts in the region, global warming-related glacier melt could be linked to the discovery of Harbola’s body and that of another Indian soldier, Tukaram V Patil, who was found in 2014 after having been missing for 21 years.

In a warming world, Himalayan glaciers have faced accelerated mass loss in recent decades.

According to a study published in Nature last December, compared with the previous seven centuries, glaciers across the Himalayas shrunk 10 times faster over the past 40 years. The study of nearly 15,000 glaciers found that the melt is faster in the Himalayas than in other parts of the world.

“Himalayan glaciers are melting faster now than at any time in recent history, and the melt rate is accelerating through time,” Duncan Quincey, a professor of glaciology at the University of Leeds in the UK and one of the study’s co-authors, told Al Jazeera.

Glaciers and snow act as water reservoirs or “towers”, and accelerated melt threatens the water supply and agricultural activities of the 1.5 billion people in South Asia who depend on the freshwater rivers originating in the Himalayas.

In the short term, an increased amount of meltwater will sustain river flows, but as the ice reservoir diminishes, water availability will decline, he says.

“There will be a greater risk of water shortages, which will impact food security [from a lack of irrigation] and energy production [via hydropower],” Quincey says, adding that as the ice recedes, it leaves behind an increasingly dynamic and hazardous mountain environment.

“We can expect to see an increase in glacial lake formation and in sudden glacier collapse or ice avalanche events. This is a situation being repeated in mountain environments across the world, not just the Himalayas,” he explained.

Quincey said the discovery of bodies and human-made objects in areas with glacier melt is a symptom of ice receding, but even in a natural cycle of mass accumulation and loss, previously buried items would emerge.

“It is difficult to directly link the appearance of a body [or other objects] with accelerated melt in a warming climate,” he said. “But certainly the rapidity with which glacier ice is now melting we can expect to see any objects currently hidden with the ice interiors to be revealed sooner.”

Visible climate change

Sonam Wangchuk is an engineer and climate activist based in the Ladakh region, which sits in the lap of the Himalayas.

Wangchuk, who developed a water solution in Ladakh by building tall ice sculptures that gradually melt and release winter meltwater in the spring for crops, believes the discovery of Harbola’s remains in Siachen could be a sign of melting glaciers.

The impact of the melt is already evident in Ladakh where people rely on the glaciers for water, according to Wangchuk.

“The impact of climate change is visible,” he said, adding that already some villagers have had to abandon their homes due to water supply disruptions.

“In Ladakh, we can see less and less water in the springtime,” said Wangchuk, referring to how smaller glaciers have disappeared in some areas. But with the melting in other areas, he says: “In summer there are floods. We are facing drought in spring and floods in summer.”

“The rate of glacier shrinkage and ice loss is slightly lower in the southern central Himalayas compared to the western and eastern Himalayas,” said Sudeep Thakuri, a climate scientist and dean of the faculty of science at Mid-West University in Nepal. Siachen is part of the western Himalayas.

The impact of melt on the water supply will only get worse, he explained.

The Siachen Glacier is a crucial source of freshwater for the Indian subcontinent. It is the source of the Shyok and Nubra Rivers in the Ladakh region which feed the Indus River – an essential source of water for both India and Pakistan.

“Study shows that the Siachen Glacier, though it did not change much in the surface area in the last few decades, has experienced significant ice loss. The glacier has experienced 30 metres [98 feet] per decade ice thickness loss in the last decades,” Thakuri said.

‘Inhospitable terrain’

The four other families whose sons went missing on the Siachen with Harbola also live in Uttarakhand state. Devi says when Harbola’s body came home, it sparked hope for the families that the bodies of their kin would also be found.

“It is painful when a member of your family is missing for so long, you do not know whether they are dead or alive. These people are also suffering the same pain,” she said.

Harbola returned home in a coffin and was cremated.

When Harbola’s body was found, Devi said, her daughters, now aged 44 and 41, said their father was coming home, for the first time.

“It made me very emotional. They had always been waiting for him,” she said.

Devi only learned from Harbola’s colleagues what the conditions in Siachen were like after her husband’s death.

“At that time, they did not have proper clothes or infrastructure to survive on the coldest, barren battlefield on earth,” Devi explained.

She believes her husband was fighting two battles, but most of all, he was up against a formidable environment.

“He was fighting an inhospitable terrain,” she said. “I am proud of my brave husband.”

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Get set for next trek to Siachen in August

The first group of civilians successfully trekked to the world’s highest battlefield at Siachen Glacier and returned after a 21-day trip recently, taking adventure tourism to greater heights in the country. With defence minister Rajnath Singh giving the green signal to open Siachen to tourists, more civilians can look forward to heading for the icy heights in August 2020.

“Besides being fit to climb and trek in high altitude, the participant has to be an Indian citizen. Foreigners, not even Indians holding foreign passports, are eligible,” says Uma Sudhindra, who heads Go Magic Trail, the civilian adventure group, which organised the trip along with the National Adventure Foundation.

This was the first such trip to Siachen outsourced by the army to a civilian organisation.

Sudhindra, who is from an army background, says the seven civilians who were part of the first trip saw how soldiers defend the frontiers under extreme conditions. “Not many know what this terrain is all about. Being the highest battlefield in the world, it is a fantastic opportunity for people who are capable of climbing and reaching there,” she says.

“The next trip is going to happen by the middle of August next year. We will be announcing it on social media. We hope to take a bigger group next time,” she says, adding it’s subject to clearance from the army.

“This is a paid trip. We have to arrange everything from logistics to the food even camping equipment and trekking gear. This time, the expedition cost about Rs 85,000 plus GST which includes hotel expenses in Ladakh where we stayed for acclimatisation.”

Though the cost for next year’s trekking expedition is being worked out, Sudhindra says it could be higher.

A senior army officer posted in Jammu and Kashmir who has also served in Siachen says the army used to take civilians earlier. “The army used to provide special clothing and shoes and would take back the items once the adventurers returned to the starting point,” he says.

AUGUST TO OCTOBER

WINDOW IS BEST TIME

Colonel Sunil Pokhriyal (retd), who has served in Siachen thrice, led the first civilian expedition. He described it a “smooth and wonderful experience”. “The civilians with us were not novices. They completed more than 120 km of trekking to the glacier without any problem,” he said.

They underwent acclimatisation at the snout of the glacier at an altitude of 12,300 feet. “After four days, we started the trip up to Kumar Post at 16,100 feet. From the base camp onward, the trekkers had to negotiate crevices and streams,” he said.

Major Kulwant Singh (retd), another army veteran, said, “The army only provided a liaisoning officer (LO) for radio communication and obtaining permissions and clearances.” Singh, who has served as the vice-principal of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, and the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering, Darjeeling, says the best time to travel to the region for trekking is from August to October.

“This time, we began on September 21. Our members trekked from Camp 1 up to Kumar Post. In winter, the tour can’t be organised as temperatures go down to -35 to -40 degrees Celsius. The best time for this kind of activity is August,” he says.

Sudhindra says, “The expedition was announced on social media after the army gave permission for seven people to go up to Camp 4, Kumar Post. Each day, we used to cover more than 15 km.”

For permission to go the glacier, which was hitherto a no-go zone for civilians, Sudhindra says she liaisoned with the army’s adventure wing. “We work with them for permissions and clearances and initiate the process once the list of participants is finalised.”

Anchor slug: On Top Of The World

Blurb: After first group of civilians completes 21-day trip to world’s highest battlefield, it’s time to gear up for next year’s climb

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Siachen Glacier

August 15, 2023 JPEG

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured this image of the Siachen Glacier on the spine of the Karakoram mountains in central Asia. This remote part of the world—where territories of Pakistan, India, and China all meet—is uninhabited and lies well above the tree line.

Siachen is the second-longest glacier within Earth’s midlatitudes , which exclude, for example, the continental glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland. It measures 75 kilometers (47 miles) long and is 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) wide at the top-center of this image.

The image shows four smaller tributary glaciers flowing into the main Siachen Glacier. The many dark, parallel lines in the glacier and its tributaries are moraines , which give a sense of the southward flow of the glacier. The darkest and most prominent moraine results from the merging of moraines from the Teram Shehr Glacier and its neighbor immediately to the north. Early afternoon sunlight casts shadows from small cumulus clouds onto the glaciers’ surfaces.

The high-resolution version of the image reveals several smaller features on the glaciers’ surfaces and illustrates the magnification achievable with a long camera lens from orbit. Details of crevasses and individual moraine lines become visible, as do lakelets and winding streams. Two small white spots on the Siachen Glacier (lower-right) appear to be blocks of ice embedded in one of the wide moraines.

The volume of Karakoram glaciers has expanded slightly in recent decades, unlike most glaciers on Earth that have decreased in volume. These gains—known as the “ Karakoram anomaly ”—are yet to be fully explained, and scientists question how long they will persist.

Astronaut photograph ISS069-E-60266 was acquired on August 15, 2023, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 1150 millimeters. The image was provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 69 crew . It has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth . Caption by Justin Wilkinson, Texas State University, JETS Contract at NASA-JSC.

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An astronaut’s photograph reveals the myriad features of a remote glacier high in the Karakoram mountains of central Asia.

Image of the Day for March 17, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

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References & Resources

• Farinotti, D., et al. (2020) Manifestations and mechanisms of the Karakoram glacier Anomaly . Nature Geoscience , 13, 8–16.
• Hugonnet, R., et al. (2021) Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century . Nature , 592, 726–731.
• National Snow and Ice Data Center (2024, February 22) What is the Karakoram Anomaly? Accessed March 15, 2024.

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The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

Tags:  Moscow city

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Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

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Coordinates of elektrostal in degrees and decimal minutes, utm coordinates of elektrostal, geographic coordinate systems.

WGS 84 coordinate reference system is the latest revision of the World Geodetic System, which is used in mapping and navigation, including GPS satellite navigation system (the Global Positioning System).

Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a position on the Earth’s surface. Coordinates are angular units. The canonical form of latitude and longitude representation uses degrees (°), minutes (′), and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, or in decimal degrees.

Latitude varies from −90° to 90°. The latitude of the Equator is 0°; the latitude of the South Pole is −90°; the latitude of the North Pole is 90°. Positive latitude values correspond to the geographic locations north of the Equator (abbrev. N). Negative latitude values correspond to the geographic locations south of the Equator (abbrev. S).

Longitude is counted from the prime meridian ( IERS Reference Meridian for WGS 84) and varies from −180° to 180°. Positive longitude values correspond to the geographic locations east of the prime meridian (abbrev. E). Negative longitude values correspond to the geographic locations west of the prime meridian (abbrev. W).

UTM or Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system divides the Earth’s surface into 60 longitudinal zones. The coordinates of a location within each zone are defined as a planar coordinate pair related to the intersection of the equator and the zone’s central meridian, and measured in meters.

Elevation above sea level is a measure of a geographic location’s height. We are using the global digital elevation model GTOPO30 .

Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia