My blogs

After a Decade of Attempts Since 2015, Tramkazan Falls, Pahalgam, Finally Sees First Ascent Zeeshan leading the second pitch, WI5, with Enrico on belay.  Photo by Waleed Ice climbing, a thrilling and challenging sport, was at its peak season globally, and I was inspired to explore its potential in my homeland, Kashmir, a region where the sport is currently uncommon. My research revealed a brief period of ice climbing activity in Kashmir, from 2015 to 2018, centered around a specific location in Pahalgam, beyond the village of Phraslun. These multi-day events, organized by JK Tourism and JKMHC, with equipment provided by either JK Tourism or JIM&WS, unfortunately ceased after 2018. My passion for climbing and mapping, combined with my desire to revive ice climbing in Kashmir, led me on a quest to rediscover the location of these past climbs. Through a detailed map study, I identified the stream as Tramkazan nar, a 45-minute hike from the road, situated on the opposite side of ...

The awe-inspiring sublimeness of Krepin Gali ( 3884m) Krepin Peak from Gugaldor From the village of Gugaldur, Islamabad, the trail winds its way through the dense cedar forests alongside the course of Panzori stream. It was for the second time, I was back on this particular trail with high hope of be there on top of the pass.  A year ago, I gave up halfway across the pass because I was dealing with anxiety and other issues, which left me mentally worn out. I only learned about my flaws and weaknesses in the mountains, which helped me become more mentally resilient and progress in life. The sky was overcast in the morning, with no sign of sunshine. Through the forest, we ascended, passing the isolated dwellings at Nikki Hazi and heading north at Panzori, where the tree line starts to thin out. It sucked to have total whiteout conditions and poor visibility.  Tree line fading out And then, as we climb higher, we break through the cloud cover,  saw rugged peaks rising majest...

Pir Panjal Traverse Banihal to Aharbal Vale of Kashmir Kashmir, undoubtedly the most picturesque valley, is distinctive in its character and there is no parallel to it in the entire Himalayas. A plain embedded among the mountains, an elongated trough surrounded by the mountain ranges. From the North east it is surrounded by the central Himalayan range separating the valley from Ladakh region. On the South West side is the Pir Panjal, the first sub Himalayan mountain barrier separating the valley from the plains makes the first mountain rampart within the Himalayan belt. An impressive unit of mountains whose average crest level lies above 3800m above sea level. The mountains North of Kashmir are more or less a divergent assemblage of ranges (like Kajnag & Shamshabari), off-shoots and spurs from the north branch of the Central Himalayan range. The valley is blessed with hundreds of alpine lakes, uplands (margs in local language) stunning peaks and unexplored landscapes. In December o...

Ice climbing Revival in Kashmir Kashmir is well known among adventurers for its trekking routes and Skiing. Climbing (rock and ice) is lagging behind in some way, even if this valley offers a lot of opportunities. Under the guidance of Junaid Beigh, JK Tourism and JKMAC hosted the inaugural ice climbing event in Kashmir back in 2016. This persisted until 2018. It was more like a two- or three-day long multi-day event. For obvious reasons—gear being one of them—no one keeps up the sport after that. As a student, I have to wait two years to collect the necessary equipment and become independent of any organization before I can climb because the equipment is so costly. My requests for our adventure clubs, JK Tourism, to arrange these kinds of sports have met with many barriers over the past two years. But nevertheless, it did happen last year, even if we were unable to climb because of the extremely difficult approach caused by the snow at the time. I've now achieved the objective of ...

Unquestionably one of Kashmir's finest peaks is KOLAHOI, which lies above the West Liddar Valley. The lower levels are shielded by steep, severely crevassed glaciers, while the massive pyramidal summit, which dominates the nearby heights, rises suddenly out of an enormous plateau of surrounding ice. As viewed from SW, it appears almost the shape of a sugar loaf. From the east or west, the shape is that of a pyramid, two or three sides of which are well seen from the North.  Kolahoi from the Barfsar lake (Sept 2021 by Zeeshan Mushtaq) 1899 -Major C. G. Bruce on his way from Suru valley to Warwan from Bhot Khol pass and eventually arriving to Pahalgam writes, "Our intention on arrival at Pahlgam was to arrange for a trip to Kolahoi or Gwashbrari, a very beautiful peak and beautifully situated. In fact, the whole valley of the Lidder and its branches is most striking — typical Kashmir mountain scenery and fine specimens of forests. Near Pahlgam itself there is nowadays a regular ...