Mountaineer from Vizag treks two highly-challenging summits in Ladakh

A professional mountaineer hailing from Vizag, Jatin Shah, has conquered two of the most enduring summits in Ladakh. He has scaled the Kang Yatze 2, which has an elevation of 6,280 meters, and Dzo Jong East, which has an elevation of 6,200 meters. This feat was achieved by him in the Alpine style of trekking.

Mr. Shah’s romance with trekking began from his young school days when he was all of eleven years. Today he aspires to convert his passion into a career. In a conversation with Yo! Vizag, 23-year-old Jatin, was happy to share his experience in achieving this feat. “Climbing has always been my passion and the inclination has only grown over the years. This trip to the twin peaks was on cards for a month. It was a very special one for me as accomplishing the trip was as important as doing it in the Alpine style. I wanted to do it in the Alpine style for it is very economical and helps reduce carbon footprint.” 

Speaking about the trip, Mr. Shah explains the intention behind his attempt to reduce the carbon footprint. “I have been trekking various peaks in the country and find a lot of waste littered all along the path. It hurt me and from that day, I set a personal objective of climbing higher peaks and doing it all in an environmentally friendly manner.”

On that note, Jatin explains that trekking gets harder when we set larger objectives. He recounts his experience with finding water in a no man’s land with a bag weighing over 30kgs on his back. “As we scale higher on the peak, it is almost impossible to find water. Even if we find a little, it’s all muddy and non-drinkable. What I used to do is collect water in the morning as it was cleaner and store it for the rest of the day. I even had to ration water consciously throughout my trip.”

The trip lasted for ten days and this mountaineer is happy to be back in Vizag. As of today, he has scaled the mountain peaks Kang Yatze 2, and Dzo Jong East, in Ladakh, and BC Roy Peak in Sikkim. Speaking about his future goals and ambitions Mr. Shah adds that he plans to climb a 7000+ or an 8000+ meter peak in the coming years. 

Early Life And Education

Jatin Shah started his mountaineering journey by participating in national trekking expeditions organized by the Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI). Since then, this Vizag mountaineer has never missed an opportunity to participate in any trekking expedition. 

To turn his passion into a career, Jatin joined YHAI and served there as a camp leader. He was equipped with the basic knowledge there and took advanced mountaineering courses from government-recognized institutes. Mr. Shah trained at the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports, Kashmir, in 2018 and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, in 2019. He also completed the Basic Skiing Course from Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports, Kashmir, in 2019. 

Twin Peaks

The two peaks Kang Yatze 2 and Dzo Jong East are the most popular treks in Ladakh. They belong to the Markha Valley. They are also called the Twin Peaks. While the trip doesn’t require serious climbing skills, it requires steadfast bearing and prolonged time in the cold and windy conditions. This twin trek takes about 18 days for a round trip. During June, July, and early August, the routes all along may have snowfall. It makes the climb more slow and difficult. 

Alpine Style Trekking

The Alpine-style of trekking is a self-sufficient manner of climbing mountains. It involves the refusal of using fixed ropes, mountain guides, supplemental oxygen, and portable hyperbaric bags. The mountaineer himself has to carry the food, and all the equipment required for climbing.