2001 Tagne, Indian Himalaya Mountaineering

The Tagne expedition in 2001 was a month‑long Himalayan mountaineering venture by a five‑member team, whose goal was to explore a remote, little‑visited region of the Indian Himalaya and attempt first ascents of unclimbed 6,000m peaks. Following extensive experience in the European Alps, the team sought genuine exploratory climbing in an area previously visited only once by a 2000 expedition.

Travelling via Delhi, Chandigarh and Manali, the team crossed the Rohtang La and trekked for several days along the Chandra valley, establishing Base Camp near the Tokpo Gongma river at 4,320m. From there they began the slow, difficult process of load‑carrying and route‑finding toward the upper valley, involving hazardous gully crossings, steep scree, and complex river timings. After identifying a safe route, they built an Advanced Base Camp (ABC) high above the valley confluence, close to the northern and eastern glacier systems beneath their target peaks.

Their first major success came on 20 July 2001, when two members made a first ascent of Tagne (6,111m) via its south side. The climb involved loose, exposed scrambling, glacier travel, unexpected ice steps, and a complex descent down a steep snow‑and‑rock face. A second team then completed the first ascent of Sagar (6,030 m) on 26 July 2001, climbing its long and intricate East Ridge in poor weather, deep new snow, and whiteout conditions. The ascent and descent took 20 hours, navigating knife‑edge ridges, hidden crevasses and unstable snow.