Indian, Australian Army Mountaineers to Jointly Attempt Mt Shivlin

New Delhi, Sept 5 (UNI) Mountaineers from the Indian and Australian armies are to jointly attempt Mount Shivling in the Garhwal region -- a two summit mountain rising close to the snout of the Gangotri glacier.

The team includes nine members from the Australian Army and 18 climbing members and nine support members from the Indian Army.

The leader of the expedition Lt Col MS Chauhan has climbed two 8,000-metre peaks while the leader of the Australian Army team Lt Col Mathew David Rogerson also has climbed a 8,000-metre peak besides several 6,000-metre peaks.

The other officers from the Australian Army are Maj Noel Richard Eatough, Capt Sean Desmand Parkers and Lt Liam John Scarlett.

Most of the Australian team members have recently undergone an acclimatisation package at the Indian Army's High Altitude Warfare School in Jammu&Kashmir.

The first ascent of Mt Shivling was made by an ITBP expedition under Hukam Singh when six climbers reached the summit on June 3, 1974. The South West Summit was summited by British climbers Chris Bonnington and Jim Fortheringham in 1983. This peak was first climbed by the Indian Army in 1984 -- from the West Face.

The last Indo-Australian Mountaineering expedition was conducted in 1991 to Mt Kedarnath.

The expedition was flagged off here today by Maj Gen VK Ahluwalia, the officiating Director General of Military Training at the Army headquarters.

The team is scheduled to leave Delhi for Uttarkashi tomorrow and will reach Gangotri on Friday. After a treacherous four-day trek, the team will reach Base Camp on September 11 whereafter it will open and establish three camps between Base Camp and the summit.

The expedition will attempt the summit between September 26 and October 1.

UNI