No stopping now: Climbers . Keinatumbi (left) and Nari Dhami on the route from Camp II to Camp III on Dharamsura

It was a hidden crevasse, about one-and-a-half feet wide, under a layer of snow. I was walking and suddenly found myself plunging in up to my chest as the snow layer broke. My legs were hanging in mid-air. I could hear the sound of running water deep below. The rucksack on my back wedged me in at the surface otherwise I would have gone right down,” recalls Nabanita Mukherjee with a shudder.

The West Bengal climber was describing falling into a crevasse during an expedition to Dharamsura (6445 m) in Himachal Pradesh. A 10-member team, sponsored by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, returned to New Delhi this week, jubilant after completing the first ascent of the peak by an all-women’s group.

“But more than that, we are thrilled that we climbed a tough, technical peak. It required about 825 metres of rope to be fixed on the rock, snow and ice sections, and climbing 80-degree ice walls in places. When we set out, many veterans were dismissive of us,” said team leader Deepu Sharma, who climbed Everest (8848 m) in 1993. The petite Himachali is one of only eight Indian women to have done so.

The team’s mettle was tested from the start. The peak, also known as White Sail, is climbed from two sides — the Lahaul region and the Parvati Valley. The team chose the second route, which crosses villages of stone houses, forests and alpine meadows. Heavy rain caused landslides that blocked the road in two places at Manikaran and the roadhead of Barsheni, and the girls and the high altitude porters (HAPs) accompanying them had to transfer luggage to the other side on their backs. “On the day we were supposed to start the trek, the muleteers wouldn’t budge because of the rain,” said Deepu.

The next day they finally left Barsheni village and reached Budhavan meadow after walking three-and-a-half hours. The second day’s walk was to Sharm, another grassland, and took an hour longer. The third day’s trek was again in bad weather and they halted at Shamsi Thach, a grazing meadow strewn with boulders, after two hours. Day four was the toughest — they crossed seven nullahs and small streams before reaching the base camp site after three hours. BC (4150 m) was near a pool and called Saur, after the local word for ‘lake’.

Ferrying loads of 10-12 kg each, the members then established three camps leading to the east ridge of Dharamsura. Camp I (4440 m) was on moraine at its base, Camp II (4950 m) on the glacier amid snow, hard ice and open as well as hidden crevasses; and Camp III (5520 m) below the col on the way to the summit. The route to the last camp was so treacherous that it took five hours, with the members roped to one another as they crossed hard ice and hidden crevasses all around. “But the view from there on was unforgettable. We saw the Bara Shigri glacier, the mountains of Spiti and beyond them Tibet. Papsura peak was in front and Deo Tibba and Indrasen far away on the left,” chorused the five summiteers.

Team deputy leader Nari Dhami (Uttaranchal), a highly-experienced climber who has also attempted Everest; Chandra Bisht (Uttaranchal), who has climbed Abi Gamin (7356 m); Bhuvneshwari Thakur (HP), a silver medallist in the 2004 national skiing championship; Krishna Thakur (HP), a freelance climbing instructor; and Asmita (Jharkhand), daughter of legendary Sherpa Ang Dorjee, made it to the summit. . Keinatumbi (Manipur), a former national sport climbing gold medallist, and Deepali Gogui (Assam) were confined to Camp III with headaches while team doctor Kalyan Sundari stayed at BC.

Post-summit, more drama and danger was in store — as the climbers, mostly aged 21 to 25 years, laughingly recall. Their guide, Alam Chand Thakur of Manali, fell into a hidden crevasse on the descent from Camp II to Camp I. “He was in almost up to the neck. Luckily, his rucksack caught on the crevasse edge. Otherwise, he would have gone in. I wish my camera had not been packed inside my rucksack. I would have recorded that sight,” said the mischievous Bhuvneshwari, who is a neighbour of the guide.