The Himalayan Club

13/06/2026

From Our Shelves | The Crystal Horizon by Reinhold Messner | HC Monthly Book Pick

On 20 August 1980, Reinhold Messner reached the summit of Everest alone and without supplementary oxygen—one of the most extraordinary achievements in Himalayan mountaineering. The Crystal Horizon is his vivid account of that ascent, but it is far more than a story of personal triumph. As Messner journeys through Tibet, he writes with clarity and feeling about its stark beauty, ruined monasteries, yak caravans, and the powerful silence of the high plateau. He also reflects on the earlier figures who shaped Everest’s mythology, bringing names like Mallory, Irvine, and Wilson into the emotional landscape of his own climb.

Written with intensity and philosophical depth, The Crystal Horizon turns a mountaineering feat into something larger: an exploration of solitude, endurance, and the inner life of a climber moving at the very edge of human possibility. It remains one of the most compelling and meditative works in Himalayan literature.

Image courtesy: Amazon.Com

A must-read for mountaineers, climbers, and all readers drawn to the harder, lonelier, and more reflective side of Himalayan writing.

05/06/2026

MOUNTAIN DIALOGUES | Fit at 60

What does it take to cycle to the world's highest motorable road on your 60th birthday?

Join us for an inspiring edition of Mountain Dialogues as endurance cyclist and trained mountaineer Rajesh Kalra shares his remarkable journey to Umling La (19,024 ft) in Ladakh—a feat accomplished on 28 August 2025 and accepted for inclusion in the Limca Book of Records. Along the way, he will reflect on endurance, preparation, resilience, and the pursuit of adventure beyond conventional age limits.

The session will be chaired by Ashok Abbey, whose four and a half decades of experience in the great mountain ranges have inspired generations of climbers.

In the mountains, age is rarely the defining factor. Curiosity, discipline, and the willingness to keep exploring often matter far more.

Join us for an evening of stories, lessons, and inspiration from a journey that reminds us that adventure does not retire at sixty.

In the spirit of the Himalaya.

📍 India International Centre, New Delhi
🤝 In collaboration with The Himalayan Club and Himalayan Environment Trust

For programme details: https://iicdelhi.in/programmes/mountain-dialogues-fit-60

Image Courtesy: Indian International Centre

03/06/2026

“There is no trekking registration or permit in Babita Pandey’s name on the portal. During verification, we found that the agency had fabricated a new permit by altering names on an old one. When the QR code was scanned, it showed the names of the original trekkers”

UTTARKASHI: The search for Babita Pandey, 24, an MBA student from Nainital who went missing from Ghoi campsite on the Dayara Bugyal trek around midnight on May 29, has exposed an alleged fake-permit racket in which her name and those of her two co-trekkers were pasted on an expired physical permit t...

30/05/2026

The Himalaya is often called the “Third Pole” of our planet, holding the largest concentration of ice outside the Arctic and Antarctic. These glaciers are not only a defining feature of the mountains we cherish—they are a lifeline for millions of people downstream.

Today, that lifeline is under threat.

Recent studies indicate that Himalayan glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate, shrinking up to 65% faster since 2010 compared to the previous decade. Driven largely by human-induced climate change, the region could lose 75–80% of its total ice volume by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not significantly reduced.

The consequences extend far beyond the mountains: altered river systems, increased risks of floods and landslides, water insecurity, and profound impacts on ecosystems and communities across Asia.

As mountaineers, trekkers, explorers, and lovers of the Himalaya, we witness these changes firsthand. What once seemed permanent is changing within a single generation.

At The Himalayan Club, we urge everyone to pause, think, and act. Environmental conservation cannot remain a distant conversation. The protection of our natural world—and above all, the conservation of the Himalaya—requires awareness, responsibility, and collective action.

Learn more about the challenges posed by melting Himalayan glaciers:
Conservation International – Melting Himalayan Glaciers Raise Dangers Downstream - https://www.conservation.org/news/news-spotlight-melting-himalayan-glaciers-raise-dangers-downstream

In the spirit of the Himalaya.

24/05/2026

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | Divyesh Muni

"Mountaineering isn't solely about reaching the summit; it's about experiencing the journey to the mountain and back, the friendships formed, and the challenges overcome during the expedition. It's about living every moment in the mountain with joy and returning enriched by the experiences." – Divyesh Muni

With 33 Himalayan expeditions and 46 successful summits, of which 26 were first ascents, to his name, Divyesh Muni is not only a mountaineer but also an avid photographer and a lifelong Himalayan enthusiast. His achievements include the first ascents of two 7000-meter peaks, a 100-km traverse across the remote East Karakoram range, and the first ascent of a peak on the Siachen Glacier. Divyesh possesses something seasoned climbers instantly recognise: a long patience for exploratory terrain— where every decision carries weight and every retreat demands humility.

As Vice President of The Himalayan Club, he works tirelessly to achieve its objectives. He has served the Club in various capacities for more than 30 years.

Among his many climbs, one expedition remains closest to his heart: the first ascent of Chamsen (7017 m), an Indian-British joint expedition he aptly called "Lure of the Unknown – An exploratory climb in the East Karakoram."

It was a journey stitched together by commitment: a high-stakes crossing of Sakang Col (~6150 m) into the North Shukpa Kunchang glacier, negotiating steep ice, fixed ropes, and exposure, where "turning back" wasn't a simple choice.

Then came the moment no team forgets, an avalanche blast that severely injured a team member and forced an emergency response deep inside a valley with no practical exit. Under severe constraints, the team reached out to the Indian Air Force in a real-life, life-and-death contingency, and the helicopter rescue finally arrived in a narrow window of weather.

And still, they returned to the purpose of the expedition: on 21 August 2013, the team stood on the summit of P.7017 m, naming it Chamsen, with the panorama of the East Karakoram unfolding around them like a reward earned, not claimed.

In a mountaineering life defined by exploration, a few markers stand tall: the IMF Climbing Award (2014) and the Jagdish Nanavati Award for Excellence in Mountaineering (three times), recognising expeditions that ventured into the unknown with skill and judgement. Beyond the rope and ice, he has also served on the Banff Mountain Film Festival jury and exhibited his photography at the NCPA, Mumbai—bringing the Himalayas to audiences who may never set foot on a glacier yet still feel awe.

An interesting podcast in which he narrates his experiences and stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k2Ckdlfg5s&t=229s

Image Courtesy: Divyesh Muni

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22/05/2026

Life will bring along multiple obstructions. Just move around a bit to get a clearer vision of your goals.

Nanda devi, guardian deity of the Himalayas, as seen from Surkanda temple, Uttarakhand.

21/05/2026

From Our Shelves | Everest: The West Ridge by Thomas F. Hornbein | HC Monthly Book Pick

“If we can pull it off,” said the climber, referring to a route up Mt. Everest’s West Ridge, “it would be the biggest possible thing still to be accomplished in Himalayan mountaineering.” To undertake such a route was to accept that there would be no easy turning back. In 1963, Thomas Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld committed themselves to exactly such an audacious line on the world’s highest peak. As one Amazon review aptly notes, their achievement remains one of the classic mountaineering sagas of all time.

Thomas F. Hornbein's Everest: The West Ridge is far more than an expedition narrative. Written with quiet intelligence and moral clarity, it captures a climb that demanded not only technical strength, but judgment, nerve, and endurance at the highest level. What gives the book its lasting force is Hornbein’s voice—measured, reflective, and deeply humane. The dramatic summit push and the legendary high bivouac during the descent give the account its tension, but the book’s deeper power lies in how it reflects on risk, partnership, and the inner discipline of mountaineering. It remains one of the enduring classics of Himalayan literature.

Image courtesy: https://www.goodreads.com/

A must-read for mountaineers, climbers, and all readers drawn to the serious literature of high places.

21/05/2026

Panoromic view of the Garhwal Himalayas from Kanatal, Uttarakhand