-A mountain ascent that draws
Hanuman Tibba has been on our wish list for a long time and it took us almost 2 years to actually stand at its summit.
It is not easy to lose sight of the highest mountain of the Dhauladhar mountain range (which separates the Kullu valley from the Chamba valley), because once you have spotted it, it is visible from almost all our treks and tours! It stands proudly with its yellowish shimmering rock top and differs in its splendor and dignity clearly from its neighbours.
The summit is named after the Hindu monkey god, because of the yellowish-orange color, but also because of its mighty shape – a mountain that can truly bear the name of a god!
There are only two short periods of the year when the weather and climbing conditions are good enough to make an ascent, once in May/June, before the monsoon season, and in October, after the rain.
Then one can hope that it will clear up for a few days around the mountain, both to climb the summit safely and to enjoy the overwhelming view of the surrounding Himalayan mountains.
The ascent itself has its challenges: On the kilometer-long moraines you have to balance from boulders to boulders, the snow can be so soft that you sink into it up to your hip, glacial crevices have to be crossed and there are some stony passages that you have to overcome with crampons (!).
On our seven-day expedition in our small team of three, we had many wonderful moments, enjoyed together the silence of the mountains and had the most beautiful views. But we also suffered… under the weight of our heavy backpacks…
.. among the long marches through waist-high snow and over stony rubble….
…in the cool nights, when we had to get out of the tent….
But we have grown toegther and have gained strength, both physically and mentally.
The morning sunrise on the day of the summit ascent, which dipped the surrounding mountain peaks into a golden light, was reward enough for the trouble of the days before and after.
And when we finally reached the highest point of our expedition and actually stood on the summit of Hanuman Tibba, the summit that we were only allowed to observe from afar for so long, our joy was hardly limited. Because the outcome of an expedition is never certain. You can never say exactly, if the mountain allows you to walk in and you never know if it will let you go again. Weather, snow conditions, one’s own physical condition and abilities, as well as luck -all play together.
We didn’t have an easy expedition. Often the situations on the mountain are much easier, with a lot of solid snow, which is easy to cross. But we showed great willpower and finally we were rewarded with a clear and sunny summit day – a perfect weather window, which we hardly dared to hope for so close to the monsoon season.
Now we are back happy and full of impressions in safe Manali. The legs are still aching, the slight sunburn in our faces is still visible and we have lost some weight. But even if we are happy to have returned to this comfort zone, we are already mentally drawn to the next mountain with its adventure.
Alpine Hauman Tibba Ascent:
(we were previously acclimatized and are all experienced climbers, otherwise the program would be significantly different)
Find the Chalo! Travels Hanuman Tibba Program here
Day 1 Manali (2000 meters) -Dhundi (2800 meters) by jeep, then trek to Lake Beaskund, our Base Camp (3700 m)
Day 2 Beaskund – Camp 1 (4200 m)
Day 3 Camp 1- Thentu Pass (5100 m) – Camp 2 (4900 m)
Day 4 Camp 2 Summit Camp (5100 m)
Day 5 Summit Camp Summit (5932 m)- Summit Camp
Day 6 Summit Camp – Camp 2
Day 7 Camp 2- Manali
