JAMMU: A team of four climbers from the Mountaineering Association of J&K, led by Sumit Khajuria, successfully summited the 6,070-meter UT Kangri peak in Ladakh.
The other team members, Shashi Kant, Mallikarjun Singh and Sourav Deep Singh, reached the summit, while the fifth member, Sonam Sidharth, had to withdraw due to a twisted ankle.
The expedition was flagged off from Jammu by former Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami and former MLA Ashwani Sharma. After five days of acclimatization treks in Leh, the team headed to the base camp at 5,320 meters.
Despite planning a rest day, favorable weather conditions and high morale led the team to attempt the summit the next day. Accompanied by two sherpa guides, they embarked on the final ascent at 10 am, opting for a challenging but safer scree slope.
After a grueling six-hour climb, the team unfurled the National Flag, along with the flags of the J&K Sports Council and the Mountaineering Association of J&K, at the peak.
The team then returned to base camp and descended to Rumtse village the following day.
The Mountaineering Association of J&K, led by its President Zorawar Singh Jamwal and General Secretary Shawetica Khajuria, appreciated the climbers on their achievement and announced plans to honour them in an upcoming ceremony.
