Kolkata Team Sets Out on Historic Kullu Eiger Expedition

A group of climbers from Kolkata, West Bengal, under the banner Team Parvati has embarked on an ambitious expedition to scale the Kullu Eiger (5,646 m) in Himachal Pradesh’s Parvati Valley. Known for its daunting 1,900m vertical black rock face, the peak is considered one of the purest tests of alpine technical climbing, requiring commitment and reserved for those with both skill and courage. 

The team, comprising Abhijit Banik (Leader), Chinmoy Mondal, Dibash Das, Anupam Chaterjee, and Debasis Bardhan, aims to complete the ascent in alpine style with minimal environmental impact during the September–October 2025 climbing window. The team has reached Manali and is set to begin their expedition in the Parvati Valley.

The first ascent of the Kullu Eiger (5,646 m) was made in September 1996 by Graham Little, Jim Lowther, and Scott Muir, who climbed the daunting 1,900m North Face via a route they named The Mask.  The second recorded ascent was achieved in 2006 by Spanish climbers Pepín Valdivia and Óscar Pérez, who established a newline on the West Face, finishing on the South Face. Their route, named Baral Karasta, involved around 1,000m of technical climbing over 18 pitches.

The North Face of Kullu Eiger (Courtesy: Jim Lowther, 1996, Alpine Journal)