SRINAGAR: A team of seven Kashmiri mountaineers has successfully scaled Umbrella Peak (4,695 metres) and Cefn Carnedd (4,700 metres) in the Thajiwas range, marking only the third recorded ascent of Cefn Carnedd.
The climbers – Mohammad Zahid, Yasir Khan, Faik Aijaz Pattoo, Muzakir Khan, Saqib, Umer Khan, and Arun – began their expedition on September 19 from Sonmarg. Five members belonged to Srinagar, Umer Khan was from Sopore, and Arun hailed from Kathua.
Braving hailstorms and steep rocky slabs, the group established a base camp at 4,190 metres between Glacier 3 and the Amphitheatre Gully. On September 20, they launched their summit push, reaching Umbrella Peak by 10 am, where they discovered a cairn and tin box believed to have been left by John Jackson’s pioneering 1945 expedition.
The climbers then proceeded to Cefn Carnedd, roping up to cross a steep glacier col before ascending loose boulders to the top within an hour. The clear skies offered sweeping views of Thajiwas Peak, Lidder Valley, Royul Sar Lake, Nun Kun, and Glacier 2.
Although they had initially planned to attempt The Blade, the team descended due to time constraints and returned to base camp by 6:30 p.m., later trekking back to Sonmarg.
The successful ascent adds to Kashmir’s mountaineering legacy, with Cefn Carnedd previously scaled only twice, the first time by John Buzzard and his team in 1945. One climber reflected: “Standing on these peaks felt like retracing history. These mountains are rarely climbed, and they remind us how much potential Kashmir holds for mountaineering and alpine exploration.”
