136 Himalayan Mountain Peaks Opened For Mountaineering/Trekking

I am excited and thrilled at the same time regarding the proposal to open 136 mountain peaks for mountaineering and trekking in all the Himalayan states. These mountain peaks are located in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim to people desirous of obtaining Mountaineering Visa (MX) for climbing and trekking on these mountain peaks.

For a while now the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) was trying to get these peaks opened for mountaineering/trekking.

This is fabulous news for someone who is not into mainstream climbing but looking for raw adventure and a thrill of unknown. I am sure most of us travel into Himalayas to escape the city life; either to relax or to find seclusion and most of the time we find neither of them. It is mainly because the mainstream Himalayas have now become what we escape from. Most of the peaks are crowded in season just like Mt. Everest; the condition of the places is saddening.

Most of us have spent years in the mountains and are now looking for a new adventure, new places to trek or to climb. Being a professional in the industry I myself had not heard of a few mountain peaks mentioned in the notice which got me amped. I quickly started searching about the peaks; some peaks I couldn’t find much about. There were no documented itineraries, barely an intro which got me more amped about venturing there.

In India there are a lot of places to travel in fact much more than any other country; from long beach coastlines to never-ending Himalayas. Especially in the state of Himachal Pradesh which is a hotspot for most of us and a travel booming state. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced to open 47 more Mountain peaks to climb/trek.

List of Mountain Peaks in Himachal Pradesh:

I am personally excited about the mountain peaks in the state of Jammu & Kashmir where they have opened 15 mountain peaks all ranging from 5,500m to 6,400m. This is a step towards the development of tourism in J&K. This will bring more opportunities and employment for the locals and will support the economy of the J&K.

List of Peaks in Jammu & Kashmir:

They have also opened a total of 74 mountain peaks in the state of Uttarakhand (50 peaks) and Sikkim (24 peaks). In terms of mountain peaks Uttarakhand has much more to offer than Himachal Pradesh yet we find more travelers in Himachal Pradesh. I hope this will bring their attention towards this mountain rich state.

List of Mountain Peaks in Uttarakhand:

List of Mountain Peaks in Sikkim:

Permission:

Necessary clearance has to be taken by the appropriate authorities for issuing of Inner Line Permits/PAP/RAP.

PAP – Protected Area Permit
RAP – Rural Authorized Person

Following guidelines have to be adhered to get the clearance:

• The expedition teams will not carry a satellite phone unless prior permission is taken from the Dept. of Telecommunication (DoT) and Ministry of Communication.
• All information gathered including photos has to be shared with local formation.
• Members will not film any photographs of any installation without consent from local formations.
• Expedition will strictly follow the approved routes for induction and de-induction.
• Members will not cross over to the areas where prior explicit security clearance is required.

NOTE:

Tourism; it can contribute to development because it provides employment for a broad range of people and it has potential for strengthening the linkages between the tourist and the local food and beverage industry and supply systems. As we have seen in past, tourism seems to be an accelerating force for development but it has a negative side to it as well.

Tourism can have a great impact on the environment. We can see the examples all around us; in Uttarakhand where forest authorities had to close all camping on the meadows, in Leh people face water problems in winter etc.

It is our responsibility to leave these places as we found them. Do not litter and take only re-usable products.