Parang la equipment needed?

gobbledegeek

Hello
I will be crossing parang la from kibber to tso morriri late july. Will I need crampons, rope etc? I hear the north side descent requires rope....

Can I hitch hike from korzok to Leh ? Is there bus service? How much should I expect to pay... ?

Rgrds

AvidTrekker

Late July Parang La sounds OK. Snow would have melted by then. People have done it in February in chest deep snow. Normally ice axe and crampons should not be reqd. in late July. If you go mid August, most of the snow on the route will have melted. Acclimatize well at Kibber.

If you are on a tight schedule, go via Leh so that you acclimatize better. reasons are you will get a vehicle to korzok from leh. This journey will acclimatize you better. Then after you finish at kibber you will get HPTC buses at kibber [no buses or jeeps at Korzok] also the climb from Kibber to Parang La is quite abrupt..... in comparison to Korzok-Parang la.

Two friends disregarded this same advice of mine last year, and came back sick, vomiting and with severe headaches & diarrhea [hi-alt-sickness]. I was to go with them but refused because they were adamant on the route. They now regret that they blew their hard saved trekking money and came back sick and tired. After coming back he e-mailed me saying he should have listened to me. Some people learn the hard way only.

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kolobar

The snow on Parang la north side never melts since it is a glacier and from the pass you can even see some crevasses. But the slope is descending gently and usual&safe descend without crampoons is heading to the right. Even horses cross it that way. Usually there are some traces which should head you in the right direction. The end of the glacier is a steep slope which could not be descended without crampoons or even rope. But the descending route is by the right edge of the glacier where ice is covered with scree and you can even follow a sort of a track there to safely reach the bottom.
If you intend to go from Kibber do some acclimatization hikes on the plateau above Kaza and dont ascend the pass too fast.
The best way to leave Korzok is on foot via Gyama. It is a pleasant Changspa (nomad) area and nomads are very welcoming. You can reach Leh - Manali road in three days and get a lift there if you use shortcut before Nuruchan directly to the road avoiding Tso Kar.
There is also a bus connection between Korzok and Leh (so I was told by locals in Korzok) and occasionally trucks are heading to Leh too.

gobbledegeek

Thank you all for the very useful advice. I think I will need to visit leh anyways for a permit, so coming from ladakh to kibber may be better...
Q Do Indians need permit - for Tso morirri?

I intend to do it solo without guide, porter. I have 3 season tent and sleeping bag + primus stove. No technical climbing skills. Please advice ASAP as I'm boarding train Tuesday.

Rgrds

dhananjay

Hi,
Did Parangla way back in 1999 ... At that time we used a guide for good purpose and we realised the importance of that ... There are some river crossings after the pass and get very difficult .... also the route is dicey not very well marked ... well we did it in May so may be ..... I would definitely recommend a HAP and a guide .... and it is better from Tsomoriri to Kibber ..

Cheers,
Dhananjay

AvidTrekker

First hand: I don't know.

So far as I've gathered, from 2003 Indians do not need a permit.

DM office at Leh will be the final word on this Ques.

kolobar

I dont know if Indian citizens need permit but I guess they dont - we went that way with Nepali porters and even they claimed they dont need a permit. Anyway, it is obtainable in Kaza (I got it there) so no need to go to Leh for the permit.
That nobody is checking the permit is another matter. There is only chekpost at Mahe Bridge if you are going to Leh by car via Indus Valley.

gobbledegeek

Hello All
I found out that Indians do not need permit. I will look for a affordable guide if I can, Depends on how much money I've left at the end of the month...
But I'll try to save money the 1st 30 days of my trekking...

I hear this year snowfall has been a lot more than usual, so I'm not sure if it will be possible by late june... ( Pls comment anyone? )

Thanks a lot for your advice. I will check mail again when I reach simla and hope you have some good tips and advice as always...

Best Regrds

gobbledegeek

Hmm will the heavy snow fall this year mean that I wont be able to do it without crampons in late july?

Rgrds

trooooon

i heard someone was planning to take his bullet across parang la to tso moriri . . . i got all excited as i have just shifted from a bullet to a cycle, i immediately visualised cycling from chamba (himachal) across the sach pass, down to udaipus, over kunzum to kibber and then over parang la . . . it would ideally end in pangong then leh . . .

. . . you guys seem to think otherwise of parang la . . . very steep ascent? so no possible?

then unta dhura perhaps . . .
malari to milam (walking of course ;-)

ps. does sach pass have a road? i've heard all kinds of conflicting ones, including a bus crosses weekly! i also saw a jeep track coming out at gulabgarh (ahead of kishtwar) along the chandra bhaga . . .

Abhi_trekker

hi i am planning to do parang la in late september--early october.is it advisable then?

voyager61

Hi! No it's not! Last year at the end of September a couple of Germans were caught in a snowstorm and had to come back very quickly, and made everybody worry for a couple of days. The year before,early October,three Bengalis died in the vicinity of the pass,and were found frozen to death by the ITBP few days after they disappeared.You might be lucky,but at that altitude if something goes really wrong you put your life in serious danger.

Buffoon

Is the first week of September okay to do this trek? Also, do you have suggestions for some week long isolated or less well known treks?

I have done Pindari Glacier, Har Ki Dun, Dodital, Valley of Flowers and am looking for something I can do on my own but not on the frequent trekking list.

Thanks

captain bruce

early sept should be fine, but i would not do it on my own at any time. Too remote if you turn an ankle and there will be little passing traffic at this time if you need help, also no supplies en route. Alternatives are the ladakh range traverses - Diggar La, Lassirmou La etc or a start at Rumtse across the tso kahar/ Moriri - watch the initial ascent on that one