In a landmark achievement for Indian mountaineering and adventure sports, the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering & Winter Sports (JIM & WS), Pahalgam, has successfully completed a historic mountaineering expedition to Mt Delta-41 (5,921 metres), also known as Mt Barmal, in the Tangol region of Kargil, Ladakh.
The expedition achieved an unprecedented feat with Col Hem Chandra Singh, Principal of JIM & WS, and mountaineer Manish Makholia carrying out the first-ever paragliding descent from the summit of Mt Delta-41 directly to the Road Head Camp at Tangol, located at an altitude of around 3,600 metres.
The 13-member expedition team was led by Col Hem Chandra Singh and comprised personnel and adventure enthusiasts from different parts of the country, including Capt Anupam Singh, Medical Officer; Mahfooz Ilahi Hajam, Team Manager; and Hony Capt/Sub Maj Rafiq Ahmad Malik (Retd).
Summit Push Amid Challenging Weather:
The expedition was flagged off on August 11, 2026, from the JIM & WS Sub Training Centre at Sonamarg. After completing a carefully planned acclimatisation programme in Tangol village, the team established its base camp in the Mt Nun Base Camp area, which also serves as the base for Mt Delta-41.
With adverse weather forecasts and a limited summit window, the expedition leadership divided the team into two groups to maximise the chances of a successful summit attempt.
One team moved to Camp-I, serving as the summit camp for Mt Delta-41, on August 14 and successfully summited the peak on Independence Day, August 15.
The second team began its summit push from the summit camp at 3 am on August 16. Battling sub-zero temperatures and severe wind-chill conditions, the climbers reached the summit at around 6:10 am.
Historic Summit-to-Base Paragliding Descent:
The expedition reached its defining moment when Col Hem Chandra Singh and Manish Makholia launched their paragliders from the summit of Mt Delta-41, completing a direct aerial descent to the Road Head Camp at Tangol.
The pioneering descent combined two demanding disciplines—high-altitude mountaineering and paragliding—in a single expedition and demonstrated the potential for integrating aerial adventure sports with Himalayan mountaineering.
Meanwhile, the remaining climbers successfully descended from the summit to the Road Head Camp on foot despite the extreme weather and challenging high-altitude conditions.
New Possibilities for Adventure Sports:
The successful expedition marks a significant milestone for JIM & WS and India’s high-altitude adventure sports capabilities. By combining a technical mountain ascent with a summit-to-base paragliding descent, the expedition has demonstrated the complementarity of mountaineering and aerial adventure sports in the high Himalayas.
Beyond the sporting achievement, the expedition has opened new possibilities for adventure tourism and exploration in the rugged and relatively less-explored mountain ranges of Zanskar and Ladakh.
The achievement also highlights the professionalism, technical expertise, courage and preparedness of the JIM & WS team, while showcasing the potential of Indian mountaineers and adventure athletes on challenging high-altitude terrain.
The historic feat is expected to inspire a new generation of mountaineers and paragliding pilots and further strengthen India’s presence in extreme mountain and aerial adventure sports.
