Friendship Peak

About this departure

Five days to a 5,289 m snow summit, run as a small roped team — demoAdventures' flagship departure and, for most people who join it, their first real mountain. We build the ascent slowly on purpose. Two nights low at Bakarthach and a full practice day at Lady Leg base camp mean you reach summit morning acclimatised and already familiar with crampons, the ice axe and how to hold a rope team together. Groups are capped small so the lead guide can keep everyone on one rope in the dark, and we start the summit push before first light so we are off the slope before the snow softens. This is a genuine mountaineering objective rather than a hard walk. You do not need prior climbing experience — we teach the technical parts on the mountain — but you do need to arrive fit enough for 1,540 m of ascent in a single push above 3,700 m. If the weather or snow is wrong on summit morning we turn around; the mountain is not going anywhere. Permits, technical gear, all camping and all meals from the Dhundi road-head are handled by us. You bring your boots, your layers and your legs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1 · Manali → Dhundi → Bakarthach (3,300 m)
   Morning drive from Manali up past Solang to the Dhundi road-head at about 3,140 m, then a gentle three-hour walk along the infant Beas through birch and boulder fields to the Bakarthach meadow. A short acclimatisation stroll above camp in the afternoon, gear check and briefing in the evening.
   Day 1 · Manali → Dhundi → Bakarthach (3,300 m)
2. Day 2 · Bakarthach → Lady Leg base camp (~3,900 m)
   A short but steep day onto the moraine shelf below the peak, with Beas Kund and Hanuman Tibba opening up behind. We arrive by early afternoon deliberately — the rest of the day is for resting, hydrating and letting the altitude settle.
   Day 2 · Bakarthach → Lady Leg base camp (~3,900 m)
3. Day 3 · Acclimatisation and snowcraft at base camp
   The day that makes the summit possible. Morning load-carry to about 4,300 m and back down to sleep low, then an afternoon of technique on the snow slope behind camp: walking in crampons, ice-axe self-arrest, roped movement and how to move as a team. Early dinner, kit laid out, lights off by eight.
   Day 3 · Acclimatisation and snowcraft at base camp
4. Day 4 · Summit day — Friendship Peak (5,289 m) and back to base camp
   Away by 2:00–3:00 AM by headtorch. Onto the moraine, crampons on at the snowline, then the long roped slope to the summit for sunrise over Shitidhar, Ladakhi Peak and Mukar Beh. Down the same line to base camp by early afternoon, before the snow goes soft. Roughly nine to eleven hours on the move — the hardest and best day of the trip.
   Day 4 · Summit day — Friendship Peak (5,289 m) and back to base camp
5. Day 5 · Base camp → Dhundi → Manali
   A long descent through Bakarthach to the Dhundi road-head, hot food, and the drive back to Manali. Most groups are back in town by mid-afternoon.
   Day 5 · Base camp → Dhundi → Manali

What's included

• Certified mountaineering guide plus support crew (1:4 on summit day)
• Crampons, ice axe, harness, helmet and all group climbing rope
• Himachal Pradesh mountaineering permission and forest fees
• Alpine tents, −15 °C sleeping bags and insulated mats
• All meals from Dhundi to Dhundi, cooked fresh on trek
• Manali ⇄ Dhundi road transfers
• Supplementary oxygen, oximeter checks twice daily, first-aid kit
• A snowcraft and self-arrest session at base camp

Not included

• Personal mountaineering clothing and B2/B3 boots (rental can be arranged)
• Travel to and from Manali
• Insurance covering trekking above 5,000 m and helicopter evacuation
• Hotel and meals in Manali either side of the expedition
• Personal porter (₹1,200 per day if requested in advance)
• Tips, and anything not listed under what's included

What to pack

• Stiff-soled boots that take crampons (B2/B3 rated)
• Down jacket plus a windproof outer shell
• Thermal base layers and fleece mid-layer
• Waterproof gloves plus a thin liner pair
• UV-rated sunglasses (category 3–4) and high-SPF sunscreen
• Gaiters and two pairs of wool socks
• Headtorch with spare batteries
• Insulated water bottle (a bladder hose freezes)
• Personal medication and any prescribed altitude medicine