Kolkata team scales tough peak

KOLKATA: A 10-member-team of mountaineers from Kolkata became the first group in the last 25 years to scale Mt Swargarohini–I in the Garhwal Himalayas recently.
Mountaineers of the team from Ordnance Factories Mountaineering & Trekking, Rifle Factory, Ishapore, braved adverse weather conditions and challenging mountain features to scale the 6,252-metre-high peak.
The only recorded Indian ascent before the June 10 summit by the Kolkata team was by instructors of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 1990.
A peak in the Bandarpunch Range, Swargarohini–I is not particularly high by Himalayan standards. Still, it is considered as one of the most difficult peaks to climb. “Three members of our team, Paramesh Chatterjee, Bhaskar Roy and Joydip Mondal reached the summit at 7.30 am on June 10. Their journey started on May 25 by the Doon Express from Howrah,” said Biplab Chatterjee of OFMT.
The team returned to Kolkata early on Thursday.