Youngsters’ tryst with Leo Parigyal
By H. Kishie Singh

IT is probably the youngest team to reach the summit of Leo Parigyal, which at 22,219 feet above sea level, is Himachal’s third highest peak. The climb is technically very difficult with extreme winds and low temperatures.

Seven boys from Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, accompanied by Rajiv Sharma, Chief Instructor, Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sport (IMAS), Manali, scaled Leo Parigyal on June 21, 1999.

The school team was led by Ranjit Dhaliwal and Suresh Thakur, both members of the staff. The students were C. Yurgal, A.C. Bhandari, R. Chauhan, A. Bodh, M.H. Khan, V. Negi, and V.S. Rathore, who at 14 years of age could be one of the youngest summiteers. The rest of the boys were all 16 years old. Confirmation on this point is being sought from the IMF — Indian Mountaineering Federation.

Said Sharma, the team leader: "I first met the team when I came to BCS. I had very good reports about the boys during their basic training. My first interaction with them was at Nako.

Our camp was half a kilometre from the bus stop. These boys moved the entire baggage, tents, equipment, the rations in record time and all on their backs. The boys were disciplined, obedient and in good physical condition. I had full confidence in them. I knew these boys would be successful."

"The most important thing in the mountains", continued Sharma, "is self-discipline. And these boys showed the true example of this discipline."

The students were an inspired lot. "We felt lucky and really proud to represent our school. It was the first time the school had such an expedition," said Bhandari.

None of the boys had any previous mountaineering experience. They started basic training in April this year and after three months of vigorous training, they had climbed Leo Parigyal.

The highest point any of these boys had climbed previously in the mountains was about 15,000 feet and that too on a hike.

The expedition itself was an advanced course. For this the IMAS supplied all the equipment and rations. It is a tribute to the school team that they passed this test of advanced mountaineering with flying colours and as a result have been recommended for climbing any mountain over 7000 metres.

The most exciting and most dangerous moment was when the team stood on the summit. The snow can be fresh and soft or it can be hard-packed and slippery. With the additional weight of four to six climbers anything could happen.

Ranjit Dhaliwal, a physical training instructor at BCS and a first time summiteer, said: "Along the way I asked myself what am I doing here? But when I stood on the summit we forgot all hardships. It was a moment of great elation. It’s hard to describe the feeling." All the boys have shared the same feeling, the same hardships. It has forged a strong bond of friendship.

The team left camp two at 20,000 feet at 6.40 a.m. on June 21, and returned at 5:45 p.m., triumphant. The boys unfurled the National Flag and the school flag atop Leo Parigyal. During the 11 gruelling and arduous hours, the team faced winds with a velocity of over 150 kmph and temperature that was -25°C.

"The temperature was very severe," said Sharma "For the first time in 22 years of climbing I got chilblains."

The Cottonians had trained under Brig D.K. Khullar (retd.) who had led the 1983 Everest expedition in which Bachindri Pal reached the summit. Said a mildly amused Brig Khullar, "thirty years ago when I climbed Leo Parigyal it was the highest mountain in Himachal. Things have changed!" This mountain was largely ignored from 1937-1967 when no climbers attempted the peak. Since then it has been a target of would-be mountaineers as it provides a technical challenge and is easy to access. An excellent road leads to Nako, the highest village in Kinnaur which is used as a base camp for acclimatisation.It is around 16,000 feet above sea level.

In his talk to the Cottonians, Brigadier Khullar had this to say: "For a nation to be great, it must live dangerously".