12 Climbs in The Hagshu Basin

摘要

In late June of 2013 as our team took care of the final packing details, Uttarkashi in northern India suffered one of the worst floods in over a millennium. The towns and roads that linked the pilgrimage route to our mountain were washed away and wiped off the map. The mountain we had been training for and focusing on for 18 months was now off the table. Fortunately, Jake and Gabe were able to pour over maps and find a new objective for us. After hours of research and investigation they found a mountain in the newly opened Zanskar region of Kashmir. Our new objective was the 6515 m main peak of the Hagshu massif along with two other virgin peaks P. 6055 m (our readings on the climb showed it to be 6191 m) and P. 6035 m. In 2010 a French team attempted the highest point on the massif, but turned back due to unfavorable conditions. Team Everyman was finally reunited when we met in Delhi on 30 June. We immediately went to the library and checked out the maps to see what new route we'd have to acquaint ourselves with. Our initial reaction was shock and then excitement: the area we'd be going to had three unclimbed 6000 m peaks and there were many, many more in the immediate vicinity. We felt strong and ready to climb, so we refocused our attention on our new objectives.