This post compares foreign and Indian mountaineering expeditions to the Indian Himalayas in 2014 and highlights differences and similarities if any:
Features | Foreign Expeditions | Indian Expeditions | All Expeditions | ||
1 | Peak fees by Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) | Yes. INR 970,355.88 @ 50% discount | IMF does not charge peak fee to Indians | INR 970,355.88 @ 50% discount (Fig 1) | |
2 | State-specific fees by Uttarakhand | Yes. INR 1,347,000 for 20 climbs | Yes. INR 153,000 for 13 climbs. | INR 1,500,000 for 33 climbs (Fig 2) | |
3 | Number of Total Expeditions | Forty-one (41) | Fifty-seven (57): 39% more than the foreign expeditions | Ninety-eight (98)(Fig 3) | |
4 | Number of Total Peaks Attempted | Thirty-three (33) | Fifty (50): 51.52% more than the foreign mountaineers | Eighty-three (83)(Fig 3) | |
5 | Peaks Attempted in Jammu Kashmir | Fourteen (14) | Fourteen (14) | Twenty-eight (28) | |
6 | Peaks Attempted in Himachal Pradesh | Four (4) | Twenty-five (25) | Twenty-nine (29) | |
7 | Peaks Attempted in Uttarakhand | Fourteen (14) | Nine (9) | Twenty-three (23) | |
8 | Peaks Attempted in Sikkim | Zero (0) | One (1) | One (1) | |
9 | Total Number of Days Spent in Indian Himalayas | 1,372 (49%) | 1,446 (51%) | 2,818 (Fig: 4) | |
10 | Peaks Attempted by both foreign and Indian expeditions | Bhagirathi-II, Nun, and Satopanth | Bhagirathi-II, Nun, and Satopanth | ||
11 | Source of Expeditions | Seventeen (17) countries, including 12 European nations | Nine (9) Indian states: mainly from north, west, east | ||
12 | Maximum expeditions as per Country or State of mountaineer | Britons organized ten (10) expeditions. | Bengali mountaineers led thirty-three (33) expeditions. | ||
13 | 5000-5499 meter Peaks attempted | One (1) peak in Jammu and Kashmir | Zero (0) peaks | One peak | |
14 | 5500-5999 meter Peaks attempted | Two (2) peaks in Himachal Pradesh | Eight (8) peaks in Himachal Pradesh (HP), one on border of Uttarakhand and HP, and Uttarakhand | Ten (10) peaks | |
15 | 6000-6499 meter Peaks attempted | Sixteen (16) peaks in 3 Himalayan states: JK, HP, and UK | Thirty-one (31) peaks in 4 Himalayan states: JK, HP, UK, and Sikkim | Forty-seven (47) peaks | |
16 | 6500-6999 meter Peaks attempted | Six (6) peaks in JK and UK | Seven (7) peaks in JK, HP, and UK | Thirteen (13) peaks | |
17 | 7000-7499 meter Peaks attempted | Eight (8) peaks in JK and UK | Three (3) peaks in JK and UK | Eleven (11) peaks | |
18 | 7500-7999 meter Peaks attempted | Zero (0) peaks | One (1) peak in UK | One peak | |
19 | Successful Expeditions | About 39% | About 44% | About 42%(Fig: 5) | |
20 | Unsuccessful Expeditions | About 29% | About 46% | About 39% | |
21 | Season | July-October (Peak season) | July-September (Peak season) | April to November (8 months) |
Fig 1:
Fig 2:
Fig 3:
Fig:4