British mountaineer Roger Payne (left) is leading a three-member team which left for Yuksom in West Sikkim on Sunday to undertake a 17-day expedition to Mt Jopuno (5,603m). The 55-year-old will be joined by Arun Vithal Mahajan and David Anthony Kinsella at Yuksom.

The team is scheduled to reach the base camp at Thansing (4,000m) on October 21 and start scaling Mt Jopuno (right) a week later. Pictures by Prabin Khaling