The Siachen Glacier is the highest battlefield in the world where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since 1984. It is located in the Eastern Karakoram Range in the Himalayas at an altitude of 18,875 feet above sea level; temperatures here can dip to -55°C. At 76 km long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram; it is the second-longest in the world’s non- world polar areas and is often called the ‘third pole’. ‘Sia’ refers to a rose plant widespread in the region while ‘chun’ means abundance’; the name ‘Siachen’ thus refers to a land with an ‘abundance of roses’. The entire glacier with all major passes is under the administration of India. The glacier also boasts of the world’s highest helipad built by India at Point Sonam, 21,000 feet above sea level.
The final leg of the expedition from Siachen Base Camp to Kumar Post, at an altitude of 15,632 feet, will commence on September 1, 2021, Major Ambathy added.
This is the land world record expedition part of ‘Operation Blue Freedom Triple World Records’ being undertaken, CLAW Global said. Those selected will undergo all the three stages of acclimatisation and training at Leh (Stage 1), Siachen base camp (Stage 2) and North Pullu (Stage 3) after which the final expedition team would be selected.
CLAW Global was set up in January 2019 by Major Vivek Jacob, a retired Para Special Forces officer, with the aim of teaching life skills to adventurers and people with disabilities.
Credit : The Hindu
Picture Credit : Google
