Four Climbers from Bengal abandoned their Trisul expedition due to bad weather

Four climbers from South Calcutta Trekkers Association, West Bengal forced to abandon their Trisul I (7120 m) Expedition due to bad weather. The team included Rajsekhar Maity, Ashish Gupta, Pradip  Kumar Bar and Kaushik Das, along with  Dawa Sherpa, Nima Sherpa and Kundarray Sherpa.

Trisul is a group of three Himalayan mountain peaks of western Kumaun, with the highest (Trisul I) reaching 7120m.  “On 10^th June we reached the base camp at an altitude 4240m. It had rained incessantly during our entire stay from 10th-24th June. The rainfall,fog and the turbulence was the outcome  of a depression”  said Mr. Maity, the leader of the expedition team .

On 13^th June they started ascending and reached camp 1. “On the way from camp 1 to camp 2 we came across the glacier.  A huge crevasse had opened due to the lack of snow deposition. Sherpa Karna Rai lost his balance and fell into the crevasse. Remaining Shepras of the group managed to rescue him by suspending a rope for 100 feet deep into the crevasse. The estimated depth of the crevasse was however, I guess around 30-40 feet. Though the Sherpa had suffered just bruises and no major injury, he was very traumatised after the fatal incident. So were the other Sherpas. Karna Rai was taken back to base camp accompanied by our cook. Later he had to be hospitalized” said Mr. Maity.

Sherpa set out on laying the route open from camp 1 to camp 2 on 20^th June. They were successful in laying the route open from camp 1 to camp 2. All the ice had melted and hard blue ice exposed, rock had surfaced keeping the route out of bounds for the mountaineers. Since their entire schedule had got delayed, the Sherpas didn't get sufficient time to open the route from camp 3 onwards.

“I saw a thunderstorm (21^st June) approaching from south-east region of Trisul. Throughout the night the thunderstorms continued followed by some calm in the morning and 22nd June-I envisioned it as a warning sign from the Trsiul ranges telling me to return. Finally I decided to give up my summit plans and go back” said team leader, Mr. Rajsekhar Maity.

Route Map

Trishul-I, Photo credit: Rajsekhar Maity