Please note: The mountain will be closed to trekkers and climbers in 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to unmanageable overtourism. 

Read more here: India's Stok Kangri Peak to Close for 3 Years

The ascent of this 6000m plus mountain in 10 days is probably the quickest one can climb it, keeping in mind that one needs some time to acclimatize to the altitudes as well. After spending the first couple of days acclimatizing in Leh during which time we also visit some monasteries and the interesting Leh market, we set off for a week long trek.

Instead of approaching the mountain head-on we travel some distance west and then approach it through a slightly longer route crossing the Stok La (4890m) and then descending to the Stok valley. This approach gives us a little more time to acclimatize and the steep climb up to Stok La acts as a good test before the final ascent. The final climb of Stok Kangri will present a challenge to even the fittest of the members. Even after being fully acclimatized and completely in form, one would always find any climb going over 6000m to be a hard one. The climb itself is not technically demanding, and on days with good weather conditions, involves going up a steep rocky scree slope and walking over sharp rocky ridge to reach the snowy summit. Most of the snow on the mountain melts away by early Aug and we have rarely used crampons on our August departures.

However with the weather becoming more & more unpredictable, one cannot rule out the possibility of dealing with some unexpected snow & ice on the mountain. One of the most popular trekking peaks in the Indian Himalayas and on the planet, the proximity to Leh (the capital of Ladakh) brings a lot of people to its summit. Not so difficult peak to climb, this trip has a short acclimatization trek built in where we climb a 4890m/16040ft high pass to get to the base of the mountain.

Note: Unless you are in good physical shape, you will NOT be able to summit in that long last day to the top and back!