A team of mountaineers from the city will embark on an expedition to the Yunam Peak after celebrating the 78th Independence Day at the base camp of the 6,111m summit in Himachal Pradesh.
A team of 25, comprising 12 mountaineers and 13 trekkers, from Parvat Abhiyatri Sangha, affiliated to the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, will leave for Chandigarh on Friday.
“From there, we will take a bus to Manali and travel to Bharatpur via Keylong. To acclimatise to the altitude, we will stay two nights at Bharatpur,” said Shyamal Sarkar, joint secretary of Parvat Abhiyatri Sangha.
The trekkers will go up to the base camp, and the mountaineers will head for the summit.
The expedition has been funded by Anandabazar Patrika.
Parvat Abhiyatri Sangha was founded by Asoke Kumar Sarkar, former chief editor of the ABP Group, in 1960.
“Back then, a group of mountaineers wanted to go to Nanda Ghunti (6,309m) in Garhwal but did not have the funds for it. The mountaineers had knocked on many doors but failed to get funds. It was then that Asoke Kumar Sarkar gave them an appointment, and Anandabazar Patrika funded that expedition,” said Shyamal Sarkar.
“In 2025, we are observing 65 years of that expedition,” Shyamal Sarkar added.