Stok Kangri Summit Trek

Level of Difficulty

This trek has been graded ‘Extreme’, meaning that a good level of fitness and training regime is essential. This is due to the rough terrain, basic facilities and high altitude – the highest that can be tackled in the Indian Himalayas! This challenge will suit anyone who leads an active and healthy lifestyle should be able to complete the challenge, but they MUST train regularly over a period of at least three months leading up to it in order to build up stamina and endurance. Familiarising yourself with ice climbing equipment is recommended (ice axes, snow boots & crampons, as well as rope climbing techniques). While strength is important, endurance training should be your primary focus. Walking up hills and stair climbing are both ways to condition your lower body. Supplement this activity with running, cycling, or swimming, for additional aerobic conditioning. You could tell your supporters that during your Stok Kangri Summit Trek you will be:

• Trekking between 6-8 hours per day.
• On summit day you will be climbing for about 12-13 hours
• You will be trekking at high altitude. The maximum altitude reached is 6114 meters above sea level.
• The terrain is mountainous with steep uphill sections.
• The area is remote and facilities are basic.

Money

Currency: The currency is the Rupee, abbreviated as Rs. For up to date currency exchange, go to: http://www.xe.com. You are able to withdraw rupees on arrival into Delhi Airport.

Credit Cards: A growing number of hotels, restaurants and shops in the major cities are beginning to accept credit cards, the well-known and more accepted ones being American Express, Access/MasterCard, Diners Club and Visas. However, credit cards are not the most convenient form of payment or cash withdrawal.

ATMs: Please note that ATMs are not always available and that when they are they do not always work. However, the airport will be the best place to withdraw or exchange currency while you are in India.

How much to bring: You will not need large amounts of money during this challenge, and other than at the start and end of the trip, you will be in the mountains away from any foreign exchanges or banks. You will only need money for tips, additional food & drink, gifts & souvenirs, and for any other additional activities that you may wish to do. On average, we recommend around £200 in cash, plus a credit card for emergencies.

Tipping: Tipping is personal and at your sole discretion. You should only tip if you feel that you have received good service. We recommend approx. £10 per person per challenge day and this should be given to the challenge leader/sherpa guide at the end of the trip who will advise how to distribute it among the support team at your final celebration in Leh. NB: You may be approached by local porters at the airport. Their tips are not included; if you agree for them to take your bags to the transfer vehicle, please be prepared to tip them a small, nominal amount. However, our team will be there to help you.

Visa

You must hold a full ten-year passport with at least six months to run from the end of your challenge, and at least one blank page for your visa and entry/exit stamps.
All foreign nationals require a visa to enter India – tourist, transit, and entry visas. Please note that British Citizens are now eligible to get an online visa before arrival to India.

Important note: British passport holders of Pakistani origin will still have to apply for a regular Indian visa and they may have difficulty in obtaining a visa for India and should check the requirements with the Indian High Commission before signing up to this challenge.

Vaccinations

For up to date vaccinations information please visit the NHS Government website ‘Fit for Travel’ at: http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home.aspx. It is necessary to take precautions against malaria in Delhi and Rajasthan. This includes wearing long-sleeved shirts, long trousers and socks at dawn and dusk. You should also wear plenty of insect repellent.

Flights

You will be making a return journey from London Heathrow to Delhi, India. Your flight tickets will be given to you at the airport by your Air Welcome representative, who will meet you at the airline check-in desk. In India you will fly to/from Ladakh. In bad weather, this short flight can be grounded, so some contingency sightseeing is built in at the end of your challenge should this eventuality occur. Rather than miss your flight home, you would simply miss the sightseeing. In case of any excessive delays, we advise you not to make any important appointments for a few days after your planned return date. If you choose to book your own flights you must confirm with the Charity Challenge office before paying otherwise you may be liable for your included group flights (please contact flights@charitychallenge.com for further assistance).

For more general travel insurance questions, please refer to our main FAQs page.

Insurance

It is a condition of booking that you have a suitable travel insurance policy whilst participating on the challenge. We have a special policy which covers among other things, medical (emergency, evacuation and repatriation) arrangements, cancellation and curtailment of the challenge, and more specifically for the adventurous activities undertaken on this challenge. If you have your own travel insurance policy, you must ensure that it provides at least the same level of cover as our recommended policy, including protecting the charity in the event of your cancellation 56 days or less prior to departure. If you choose not to purchase our recommended policy when you book we will send you a disclaimer which you should complete and return.

For more general travel insurance questions, please refer to our main FAQs page.

Group Size

The group is intended to be a minimum of 12 people in order to run and a maximum of approximately 20 people due to the wilderness environment in which the challenge takes place. We will be able to run this challenge for 12 to 15 people by charging a small group supplement of £75, which will be added to your final balance invoice (self-funders) or charged to your charity (minimum sponsorship or flexi).

Leadership

We employ a number of first aid qualified challenge leaders, all of whom speak fluent English. They will be ultimately responsible for the running of the itinerary and the safety of your group.

Climate

In the Indian Himalaya, the average daytime temperature is 25-30c (though this can vary greatly) and the sunlight is very strong. In the evenings it will be cooler, approx 15c, or 5c with the wind chill factor; however, you will have campfires and eat inside the dining tent. As a general rule it is t-shirt weather in the day and fleece or jacket weather at night. In Delhi it will be humid and around 35c but remember to bring appropriate attire for visiting religious sites.

Terrain

The terrain is mountainous, with several though uphill sections. The itinerary is built up in a way that we have allowed plenty of time for you to acclimatize to the altitude. On your Stok Kangri Summit you will be walking on glacial areas and special equipment is required.

Luggage allowance and valuables

As no formal clothes are needed, luggage should be kept to the absolute minimum – details on what to pack are provided in your Kit List. Your rucksack (suitcases are not appropriate) must not exceed 15kgs in weight (due to restrictions on what your mountain porters can carry). You can leave any gear that you don't need in Leh while you trek.

Responsible Tourism

At Charity Challenge we are committed to sustainable and responsible tourism, and work closely with bodies such as the International Porter Protection Group and Climate Care to ensure that our challenges benefit the local environments and communities in which they take place. We ensure that all rubbish is disposed of responsibly, and following local guidelines on cultural and environmental protection and respect, we aim to limit our impact on the natural environment. In addition to taking these practical steps to ensure that our challenges are sustainable, we also make a contribution each year to a number of local community projects, so as to give something back directly to the communities that we visit. Since 2000 we have donated almost £200,000 to such projects, supporting a range of initiatives, including schooling for children in Africa, shelter for street children in Brazil, and Orang-utan conservation in Indonesia. We recommend that any gifts brought over for children are given to the UK challenge leader and distributed where needed by them and our local Ground Agent. If you wish to do more, you should consider buying drinks, postcards and souvenirs from the local vendors. For many, it is their sole source of income. For more information, please visit our Responsible Tourism pages, where you will be able to view a list of the projects that we currently support.

Typical day

During the trekking days you rise early and pack up camp. Your ponies and their drivers will then depart camp with your luggage and head for the next evening’s campsite. After breakfast you will trek carrying only daypacks for 5-8 hours. There will be a picnic lunch en route and plenty of time to stop and view the remarkable scenery. The evenings are spent in beautifully located camps where the food and facilities are fairly simple.  Please note, although we aim for all your bags and the campsite kit to arrive before you, there are approximately 4 ponies per participant and their journey can sometimes take longer than your trekking time – please be patient.

Accommodation

The hotel in Delhi will be 3* and located at the centre of town. Rooms are usually en-suite. During the trek you will camp in two-person Vango tents. The campsite fee goes to the village community. If you are travelling with a friend or partner who you wish to share with, please let Charity Challenge know in advance.

Food & Drink

In Delhi & Agra the food is traditional Indian fare and can be spicy. During the trek the food will be cooked on kerosene stoves by our kitchen team and will be fairly simple. Most of the food will be carried right from Leh. Seasonal vegetables and fresh meats are bought along the way where available. Please let Charity Challenge know prior to departure if you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies.

Clothing and equipment

Good quality, durable kit could mean the difference between a fantastic challenge experience and an uncomfortable one. For this challenge, waterproof, well-worn in boots will be indispensable, particularly coupled with some really good quality walking socks. You don’t need a clean pair every day, but enough to make sure you have dry socks each morning. The benefits of a comfortable day sack cannot be underestimated, so make sure that you train with this. Other essentials are high quality Gore-Tex waterproof and windproof jackets and trousers, technical/wicking t-shirts rather than cotton shirts, and a down jacket for the evenings in camp and your summit day/night. A full kit list for this challenge can be found here and once you book you will have access to kit discounts with our partners The Outdoor Shop, Outdoorhire and Cotswold Outdoor.

For summit night special equipment is required. This is included in the cost of your challenge and will be handed out to you in country.

Toilets

A toilet tent will be provided but do bear in mind that toilet facilities will be of the ‘squat and drop’ variety – a long drop toilet. Toilet paper is provided. Bowls of water will be provided for strip washing so a flannel can come in very handy. Please ensure you take bio-degradable soaps. Please also note that, due to the wilderness environment, the facilities will be basic.

Phone and WiFi

During trekking days the phone and WIFI reception are very limited. There will be a good phone and internet reception in Delhi and Leh.

Safety

Charity Challenge considers the safety of all of its participants and staff to be a top priority, and as such we have set up one of the most advanced and thorough safety management systems in the industry. In a nutshell, Our Challenge Safe brand (link to Challenge Safe page on new website) formalises our ethos when it comes to safety, and brings together the procedures and risk management strategies that we use to audit all aspects of our challenges, from vehicles to accommodation to the activity itself. Your welfare is paramount!

In terms of your Stok Kangri Challenge, there are a couple of important points that you should be aware of:

• This is a high altitude challenge, and you will spend the night at altitude. Acclimatization days are built into the itinerary.
• On summit day, some extra equipment like ice axes and crampons will be needed
• The maximum altitude reached is 6114 meters
• You will be required to cross Zanskar River, trough a box and Cable Bridge

Emergencies

The event is not run as a race and there is always a large discrepancy in people’s walking ability, which is allowed for. There will be a staff member at the back of the group at all times to ensure that you are not left behind and can take things at your own pace. If we find that somebody is unable to walk at all, then we can transport them from one location to the next by horse or with the help of our staff, but only as a final option (due to often poor weather conditions this can be difficult). Contact will be maintained between guides and the support team allowing for emergency evacuation if necessary.

Training

This challenge is graded ‘Extreme’, which means that a good level of fitness is definitely required! Anyone who leads a fairly active and moderately healthy lifestyle should be able to complete the trek, as long as they train regularly over a period of at least three months leading up to it. Don’t forget that the temperature and the altitudes are different from the UK – the highest pass on this trek is 4,440m. While strength is important, endurance training should be your primary focus. Walking up hills and climbing stairs are both ways to condition your lower body. Begin slowly, without the weight of a pack, eventually adding weight as you increase your training pace. Take long hikes (6-8 hours) with a weighted pack, up and down hills or on small mountains (weigh your pack with water containers and pour out the water before your descent to minimise knee stress).

Challenge Training

If you would like to get a feel for our challenges ahead of your departure, why not consider booking on a 1 or 2 day UK Challenge?

We have a variety of challenges, covering all levels of difficulty, taking place in stunning National Parks across the UK that are led by highly qualified and experienced expedition and mountain leaders. These challenges will give you the perfect opportunity to monitor fitness levels, test out your kit, meet people in the great outdoors, share fundraising stories and gain valuable advice and support for the challenge ahead. We encourage participants to make use of our highly knowledgeable leaders and ask them any questions you may have about clothing and equipment, expedition health and wellbeing, trekking skills, walking techniques and teamwork!

We are offering all participants 50% off the registration fee when you book on one of the UK challenges listed via the link below. Just use the code TRAINING when booking. T&C’s – you must have an active booking on a challenge to avail of this offer. Discount cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Find out more here