Historic Paragliding Achievement in Ladakh
Jammu/Leh: Two Indian mountaineers have achieved something remarkable by paragliding from a summit of 5,921 meters directly to a roadhead in Ladakh. This unique journey combined a challenging climb with an impressive airborne descent, according to an announcement made by the Army on Monday.
Colonel Hem Chandra Singh, the head of the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering & Winter Sports (JIM & WS), and fellow mountaineer Manish Makholia took off from the peak of Mt Delta-41, also known as Mt Barmal, located in the Tangol region of Kargil. They successfully landed at the Road Head Camp in Tangol village, which sits at around 3,600 meters.
After a period of acclimatization, the expedition team of 13 members, led by Col. Singh, set up a base camp. Due to challenging weather conditions and a tight time frame, the team was divided into two groups. One group reached the 5,921-meter peak under freezing temperatures on Independence Day, while the second group made it to the summit at 6:10 a.m. on August 16, departing at 3 a.m., as stated by an Army spokesperson.
The team included Col. Singh as the leader, along with Capt. Anupam Singh (medical officer), Mahfooz Ilahi Hajam (team manager), Hony Capt/Sub Maj Rafiq Ahmad Malik (Retd), Manish Makholia, and nine other members from various regions across India.
Officials have highlighted that this achievement marks the first-ever paragliding descent from the summit directly to the base camp, a milestone that stands out in the history of adventure sports in India.
