Rescue of Climbers at Chaukhamba III

• 08 Oct 2024

Why in News?

Recently, two foreign climbers, Michelle Theresa Dvorak (USA) and Fay Jane Manners (UK), were rescued from 6,015 meters height near the Chaukhamba III peak in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.

Key Points

• Chaukhamba:
  • It is a mountain massif in the Gangotri Group of the Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India, located west of Badrinath. It features four summits along a northeast-southwest ridge:
    • Chaukhamba I: 7,138 m (23,419 ft)
    • Chaukhamba II: 7,070 m (23,196 ft)
    • Chaukhamba III: 6,995 m (22,949 ft)
    • Chaukhamba IV: 6,854 m (22,487 ft)
• The mountain lies at the head of the Gangotri Glacier, forming the eastern anchor of the group, with the highest peak, Chaukhamba I, being the tallest in the Gangotri range.

Chamoli District

• Chamoli is a district in Uttarakhand, India, with its administrative headquarters located in Gopeshwar.
  • It is bounded by Tibet in the north and several Uttarakhand districts, including Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, and Uttarkashi.
• Chamoli is renowned for several religious and tourist destinations, such as Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, and the Valley of Flowers.
• Historically, Chamoli holds significance as the birthplace of the Chipko movement, a pioneering environmental campaign.

Gangotri Glacier

• Gangotri Glacier is situated in the Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand.
• The Gangotri glacier originates at the northern slope of Chaukhamba range of peaks in Garhwal Himalayas. It is about 30 km long and 0.5 to 2.5 km wide.
• Gangotri is not a single valley glacier, but a combination of several other glaciers. This glacier comprises three main tributaries, namely Raktavaran (15.90 km), Chaturangi (22.45 km) and Kirti (11.05 km) and more than 18 other tributary glaciers.
• The Bhagirathi, one of the main tributaries of the Ganga, originates from the gangotri glacier. The Ganges has five headstreams the Bhagirathi, the Alaknanda, the Mandakini, the Dhauliganga, and the Pindar all rise in the mountainous region of northern Uttarakhand.