Avalanche Peak I & II Uttarakhand

The two mountain peaks perched on the Garhwal Himalayas above the Arwa valley to the northwest of Badrinath - the religious town of Uttarakhand, were named as Avalanche Peaks. The reason behind the name being the avalanches experienced by early climbers seeking to reach the peaks while crossing the glaciers beneath them. The Avalanche peak II whose summit is at an altitude of 6443 m is the tallest of the two peaks, still Avalanche peak I is considered to be the main peak which is situated at an elevation of 6196 m on the north-south massif between Kalindi Bamak and the Arwa Bank. It falls to the south of the Avalanche Peak II, which is more northerly peak that lies on the south of the Kalindi Khal separating the Chaturangi glacier from the Arwa valley.

Trekking and climbing the Avalanche peak I & II of the Uttarakhand Himalayas is quite difficult even for the high-level trekkers because of the steep tramping track. But it also come with the rewarding panoramic view of the Southern Alps which calls for a must visit for the adventure enthusiasts looking for a thrilling mountaineering experience in Uttarakhand. Before starting for these peaks, it is advisable to check for the climatic conditions as the routes to the peaks are prone to avalanches in winter and spring season. The neighboring peaks to the Avalanche Peak I & II are Changra Parbat, Chaturangi and Kalindi.

As per the records, the first ascent to the Avalanche peak I was made in the year 1931 by Eric Shipton and Frank Smythe. And the Avalanche peak II was first climbed in the year 1951. There are two routes to reach up to Avalanches Peak; Avalanche Peak route and Scotts route. Both start from SH73 at Arthur’s Pass village standing only 700 m (approx) apart from each other, and for better clarity they are marked with cairns and colour-coded snow poles; yellow for the Avalanche Peak Route and orange for Scotts Route.