Mt. Kalanag

jyotipg

Hi Folks,

its just 2 weeks that I am back from Kalindi and the trekking bug has again bitten me. This time its back with a vengeance and forcing me to look for greater heights.

We were anyway talking about trying some small mountaineering peak towards the end of the trek. But now, it has blown up to a demand for a full scale mountaineering expedition on 6000m+ peak.

So, after lots of R&D, we have pinned our hopes on Mt. Kalanag in the Ruinsara Valley. Has anyone been to peak? or know anyone who has climbed it? Preliminary search on net shows that its a non-technical peak and there is just one small section towards the top when we need to climb using ropes.

Any comments on our huge dreams are welcomed.

Thanks,
JP

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1995 - 2000: Beas Kund, Triundh, Chudhar peak,Dodital.
2001-till date: Tapovan, Khatling,Mayali Pass(Unsuccessful), Rudranath, Chandrashila peak, Pin Parvati Pass, Kalindi Pass, Mt. Yunum(Aborted), Roopkund, Junargali pass, Ronti Saddle.

OcoeeG

JP,
I am hoping to be heading there next weekend. I want to hike from Yamnutri over Bali Pass to Rusinara Tal (aweful spelling I know. I want to do a bit of exploration of Kalang for a possible future ascent. I will let you know what I find out.

jyotipg

Excellant..
Thank you..

-JP

praks

Kalanag is a non technical peak which has also seen a ski descent. The only problems you are likely to face, besides bad weather, are altitude and crevasses. If you go in April/May you are also likely to encounter deep snow but the crevasse danger will be relatively reduced. It would be advisable to take an experienced High Altitude Porter/Guide with you. If you can manage to get an instructor from NIM to accompany you, that would be best. All said and done, please keep in mind that it is a high Himalayan peak and however non technical, should not be taken lightly. A chain is as strong as its weakest link, so make sure that all team members are fit enough to reach 6000+mts. Wish you a safe and successful climb.

Sadanand Kamath

The map shown ( page 98) in the book High Himalaya Unknown Valley by Harish Kapadia, indicates that the Yamunotri-Bali Pass-Ruinsara Tal trekking route is nowhere near Kalanag for doing exploration.

Harish Kapadia and his team has done expedition to Kalanag in 1984 via Osla, Ruinsara Tal and established a base came in the Ruinsara Valley.

Sadanand

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http://www.sadanandsafar.blogspot.com/

Dilliwala

In fact Harish Kapadia's book on trekking in the Himalaya (yeah, that one that everybody knows of) gives details on how to make it to Kalanag.

himadventures

I have seen BLACK PEAK. When I was there 9 years back...it was heavy rock fall and upper region was full of crevasses.

praks is right- take support staff with you.

Wishing you good luck !

Dilliwala

Black Peak and Kalanag or not the same. Black Peak is the 'hidden' peak of Bandarpunchh, not generally visible from the south side. Harish Kapadia gives a detailed description of how to ascend Kalanag.

Sadanand Kamath

Kalanag and Black Peak are one and the same if one goes by the fact that references to Kalanag in some publications and websites are followed by Black Peak in brackets.

Yes, despite Kalanag (6387m) being the highest peak in Ruinsara-Jamunotri region, it may not be visible from the south side - may be that White Peak (6102m) and Bandarpunch peak (6316m) block the view of Kalanag.

Sadanand

himadventures

praks !

http://uttarkashi.nic.in/nim/peaks.htm


Kalanag and black peak are same and when we climbed there- we also climbed in same impression.

Please check-seems you are confusing it with something.

Dilliwala

I was kind of expecting the last 2 posts , becos:
After making my last post, I went back and immediately checked Harish Kapadia's book again (in my Manali GH - haven't had internet access thereafter for a week, so late in replying), and on close inspection wud have to agree that there is no separate peak at/around Bandarpunchh called Black Peak, i.e. it and Kalanag are the same.

See, this is what I hate - "renaming" of geographical features. When there's a perfectly good name like Kalanag, where is the need for a stupid name like Black Peak just becos some stupid colonials cudn't be bothered using Indian names? REALLY difficult too, that one - Kaa-laa-naag!
I mean, we don't refer to Swargarohini as "Heaven's Ascent", or Dev Tibba as "God Mountain", or Trishul as "Trident", or Rohtang La/Jot as "Pile of Corpses Pass", so where's the need for "Black Peak"? Only creates confusion - I wud have still understood, maybe, if it were called Black Cobra.

Oh boy, now I really give up! After having finally mastered "Black Peak", I now have to learn "WHITE Peak" too????!!!!
Well, from the height u give, u are evidently referring to what Mr. Kapadia describes as Bandarpunchh West. And here I've been staring at a massif for decades, from Mussoorie where it's known to folks as just Bandarpunchh, ignorant of "additional" names! Life was better then .
WHITE PEAK??? No doubt becos it's "peak" is "white" from all the snow????
Don't bother replying, just having a .

PS: In fact I have seen the so-called Black Peak from Lansdowne a few years ago, hadn't heard of Kalanag then. It wud have to be visible from points further east as well,so it's basically the south and west from where it's hidden.

justsomeguy

Hi there,

Did you complete the climb? How was it?

I'd like to climb Mt. Kalanag in mid March. Trying to find out some information on it.

So far all I know is the name of the mountain...

Any advice and information please?

Dilliwala

Hello jsg,

Here's a few links that might help u:

1. Here's a decent report by someone who's actually done the trek
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/200...indows/adv.htm

2. This one's even more detailed, includes a sketch of the route taken
http://www.cooltravels.me.uk/ski_ind.htm

3. The trek has also been described in fair detail (including preparation, route, etc) by one of India's most experienced climbers, Harish Kapadia in his book 'Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya'. Here's a Google Books link



Sadaji,
Here's a link I found for an unlikely source (take a look at the URL) on a trek to Kalanag that might interest u . It is riddled with some errors though, including this inexcusable one:
"Mt Kalanag - formerly known as Banderpunch - was first explored in the early 1950s....."

justsomeguy

Thank you DW,

I read all those articles previously. My issue is I have at the most 5 days to a maximum of 7 days to complete my climb from arrival to departure.

I would like to climb one of the Himalayas. I thought Kalanag was do-able. Reading the articles suggests it isn't.

Any suggestions?

I'm relatively fit but pretty inexperienced. I've only climbed one mountain in NZ that was 2300 metres high and took 12 hours to climb and descend in total.

Thanks in advance.

Dilliwala

Well, I'm a non-trekker myself so wud be hesitant to give advice, except to add that relatively inexperienced people do go up Kalanag but I strongly believe u shud have at least a guide with u, even if u are able to carry ALL your stuff and supplies.

Sadanand is one of the experts on IM and shud be able to give u much better advice and alternatives; I'm sure he'll be along soon.