Giripremi climbs 400 ft virgin wall of Madangad fort

Giripremi

’s

Dr. Sumit Mandale

and

Varun Bhagwat

ascended 400 ft virgin wall of

Madangad fort

. It was the first ascent on the eastern wall of Madangad fort. The duo opened a new route on a technically challenging rock face and named it

Arunoday

as it receives the first rays of the sun every day. Gigantic Fort Madangad is a paradise for rock climbers.

There are several rock-climbing routes on the fort; however, the eastern wall was not climbed to date. Dr. Mandale and Bhagwat showed exemplary rock- climbing skills to make the first ascent on of the toughest rock faces in the country. Giripremi team organized a two-day expedition on the Madangad fort. On December 27, early morning, climbers began their ascent and faced a challenge of an overhanging section at the start. Some of the sections were vertical, some with smooth slabs and scree, which made the climbing difficult. In the last section, a vertical crack of around 60-70 ft. offered a formidable obstacle. However, both Dr. Mandale and

Bhagwat negotiated the challenges very well and on December 28 late evening emerged out at the top of Madangad fort. On the first day, they climbed 200 ft. and rested at the base village for overnight. The next day, the team started early to finish the remaining 200 ft. However, the challenge of loose rocks made the climb more challenging. This new route was climbed entirely by a traditional climbing style using equipment like pitons, friends, and ballnuts. Dr. Mandale’s huge experience of Sahyadri and Bhagwat’s fearlessness drove them to negotiate all challenges carefully and safely complete the climb. Giripremi’s mountaineers Ganesh More, Bhushan Harshe, Bhushan Shet, Abhijit Deshmukh, Siddharth Jadhav & Ashish Mane, supported the expedition by providing invaluable guidance, and essential resources the climbers needed.