Up there, above the world, the heart almost stops. The pulse races, and the rarefied air makes even small movements difficult. The mind goes numb in the face of such terrible beauty.
That’s the kick of an eight-thousander. It’s a feeling Basanta Singha Roy and Debasish Biswas know well. Having climbed Mt Everest on May 17, 2010, they’ve been there, done that.
But for Singha Roy and Biswas — banker and taxman, respectively — the journey did not end on top of the world. A year on, the two climbers from Calcutta are ready for another round of blizzards, avalanches and deathly cold as they prepare to conquer Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak at 8,586 metres.
Why Kanchenjunga? “Simple. It’s a mountaineer’s mountain, much more difficult than Everest,” says Singha Roy over the phone from Siliguri. While Everest has been climbed more than 3,600 times, not even 250 people have conquered Kanchenjunga.
If Singha Roy and Biswas are successful, they’ll be the first civilians from India to reach the peak. They are attempting the climb under the banner of the Mountaineers’ Association of Krishnanagar.
The climbers started out from Calcutta last Monday. If everything goes according to plan, they should make it back by end-May.
“We are going to try the south-west face of the mountain in Nepal. This was the route taken during the first ascent in 1955,” says Biswas. From Siliguri, the team will travel to Kakarbhitta, crossing into Nepal.
The drive will take them through the remote Taplejung district in eastern Nepal. The Kanchenjunga base camp — from where serious climbing will begin — is a 10-12 day trek. It should take them over a month to reach the summit.
Singha Roy and Biswas trained for over four months to prepare for the expedition. “Running, climbing stairs, freehand exercises for over an hour — that was the routine every morning. Running is the best, as it builds stamina, which is crucial in the upper reaches,” says Biswas.
What about mental preparation? “We’ve done our homework, collecting information and reading up on the successful ascents down the years. But then, there’s always the luck factor,” adds Singha Roy.
This expedition has been organised in the face of a funds crunch. “The total cost has run up to Rs 25 lakh. The state sports department had promised Rs 10 lakh, but the money has not been released because of the elections,” says Biswas. The two climbers have pooled in money, and while the club and well-wishers have also contributed, there’s still a shortfall of Rs 10 lakh, which has been taken as a loan.
But Biswas and Singha Roy are used to far bigger hurdles. Having shared Kamet, Chou Khamba, Thalay Sagar, Shivling and Everest between them, the climbers can only look up and ahead now.
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→From Everest to Kangchenjunga for Indian 'civi' climbers
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→https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/from-everest-to-kangchenjunga-for.html
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