Expedition to Mt Changuch in Uttarakhand flagged off

New Delhi, Sep 19 (UNI) A first ever expedition to the virgin peak of Mt Changuch in the Pandari Glacier region of Uttarakhand was flagged off here today.

A joint expedition of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) and the Indian Navy was flagged off at the IMF by its president Maj (Retd) H P S Ahluwalia.

Located at a height of 6322m, Mt Changuch is a technical and objectively dangerous mountain which has been described a "an impregnable mountain with insurmountable defences". It does not offer any direct or simple route to the Summit.

Mt Changuch has seen two major attempts in the past by British teams, both of which have failed to reach anywhere close to the summit.

''This year, IMF has launched all its expeditions to technically difficult peaks (Mulkila-IV, Indrasan, Paulidwar, Rimo etc) so as to reverse the trend in India to take on soft peaks,''Maj (Retd) Ahluwalia said.

The team is being led by Cdr Satyabrat Dam, an accomplished mountaineer, who has climbed Mt Everest and has been to the poles.

The team is expected to return around October 20.

UNI