Thalay Sagar
Encyclopedia
Thalay Sagar is a mountain in the Gangotri Group
of peaks in the western Garhwal
Himalaya, on the main ridge that lies south of the Gangotri Glacier
. It lies in the northern India
n state of Uttarakhand
, 10 kilometres (6 mi) southwest of the Hindu
holy site of Gaumukh (the source of the Bhagirathi River
). It is the second highest peak on the south side of the Gangotri Glacier (after Kedarnath
), but it is more notable for being a dramatic rock peak, steep on all sides, and a famed prize for mountaineers
. It is adjacent to the Jogen group of peaks, and has the lake Kedartal
at its base.
began to be practiced at high altitude. Unusually for such a hard peak, the first attempt was actually successful. It was first climbed on June 24, 1979 via the northwest couloir and ridge, by an Anglo-American team comprising Roy Kligfield, John Thackray, and Pete Thexton.
Since the first ascent, many other routes have been climbed on the peak, some of which have been testpieces of modern mountaineering. There have been at least 15 ascents by at least 9 different routes. The north face of the peak, in particular, has been climbed by 5 different routes, some more direct than others. The key difficulty in the direct routes is a notorious band of shale
near the summit, which presents rotten and dangerous rock. The first route to climb directly through the shale band, instead of finishing on one of the ridges, was the Australia
n Route done by Andrew Lindblade and Athol Whimp; it involves 1400 m (4,593.2 ft) of climbing and is graded VII 5.9 WI5
. Their climb was awarded the Piolet d'Or
in 1999.
Just a few years back in 2008 the first successful Indian ascent was accomplished by Basanta Singha Roy the famous climber from Mountaineers Association Of Krishnanagar(MAK),West Bengal, India, along with three sherpas (Pemba sherpa,pasangh sherpa & Phurba sherpa).
Gangotri Group
The Gangotri Group of mountains is a subdivision of the Garhwal Himalaya in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It rings the Gangotri Glacier, and contains peaks that are notable either for their religious significance to Hindus, for their difficult climbing routes, or both...
of peaks in the western Garhwal
Garhwal Division
Garhwal is the north-western region and administrative division of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand which is home to the Garhwali people. Lying in the Himalayas, It is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon region, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the north-west by...
Himalaya, on the main ridge that lies south of the Gangotri Glacier
Gangotri Glacier
Gangotri Glacier is located in Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand, India in a region bordering China. This glacier, source of the Ganges, is one of the largest in the Himalayas with an estimated volume of over 27 cubic kilometers. The glacier is about 30 kilometres long and 2 to 4 km wide...
. It lies in the northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
, 10 kilometres (6 mi) southwest of the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
holy site of Gaumukh (the source of the Bhagirathi River
Bhagirathi River
The Bhāgīrathī is a turbulent Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India, that is the source stream of the Ganges—the major river of the Gangetic plain of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism.-Etymology:...
). It is the second highest peak on the south side of the Gangotri Glacier (after Kedarnath
Kedarnath (Mountain)
Kedarnath and Kedarnath Dome are two mountains in the Gangotri Group of peaks in the western Garhwal Himalaya. Kedarnath lies on the main ridge that lies south of the Gangotri Glacier, and Kedarnath Dome, a subpeak of the main peak, lies on a spur projecting towards the glacier, two kilometres...
), but it is more notable for being a dramatic rock peak, steep on all sides, and a famed prize for mountaineers
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
. It is adjacent to the Jogen group of peaks, and has the lake Kedartal
Kedartal
Kedartal is a glacial lake situated at an altitude of 4,750m in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas in India...
at its base.
Climbing history
The obvious difficulty presented by Thalay Sagar's consistently steep profile prevented any attempts at climbing the peak until the late 1970s, when hard technical rock climbingRock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
began to be practiced at high altitude. Unusually for such a hard peak, the first attempt was actually successful. It was first climbed on June 24, 1979 via the northwest couloir and ridge, by an Anglo-American team comprising Roy Kligfield, John Thackray, and Pete Thexton.
Since the first ascent, many other routes have been climbed on the peak, some of which have been testpieces of modern mountaineering. There have been at least 15 ascents by at least 9 different routes. The north face of the peak, in particular, has been climbed by 5 different routes, some more direct than others. The key difficulty in the direct routes is a notorious band of shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
near the summit, which presents rotten and dangerous rock. The first route to climb directly through the shale band, instead of finishing on one of the ridges, was the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Route done by Andrew Lindblade and Athol Whimp; it involves 1400 m (4,593.2 ft) of climbing and is graded VII 5.9 WI5
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
. Their climb was awarded the Piolet d'Or
Piolet d'Or
The Piolet d'Or is an annual mountaineering award given by the French magazine Montagnes and The Groupe de Haute Montagne since 1991...
in 1999.
Just a few years back in 2008 the first successful Indian ascent was accomplished by Basanta Singha Roy the famous climber from Mountaineers Association Of Krishnanagar(MAK),West Bengal, India, along with three sherpas (Pemba sherpa,pasangh sherpa & Phurba sherpa).