Stok Kangri Summit Trek

Level of Difficulty

This trek has been graded "Extreme". "Extreme" challenges will involve altitude and a great deal of endurance. These trips are not to be taken lightly and will take place in extreme environments, without home comforts. They are usually undertaken by someone with previous experience in a mountain setting, but who wants to take their experience to the next level physically and mentally. Training is essential to ensure you are suitably prepared for the challenge. 

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.

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.

Safety

Charity Challenge considers the safety of all of our participants and staff to be a top priority, and as such we have set up Challenge Safe, one of the most advanced and thorough safety management systems in the industry. Challenge Safe 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 challenge activity itself. Your welfare is absolutely 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. Acclimatisation 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

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.

Extension

If an extension is available for your itinerary, this information will be included on the respective expedition website. If you wish to book an extension, you will need to do so no later than 4 months prior to departure.

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.

Visa

If your expedition ventures to a country which requires a visa, this info will be uploaded to your Account Area 3 months prior to departure. The visa info is per the FCO website where a link will be provided together with a link to the visa office for that country.

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.

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.

Vaccinations & medication

Vaccinations
For up to date vaccination information please check the Travel Health Pro website: https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries
Charity Challenge team are not medical experts and we would encourage you to visit your GP or travel nurse to discuss vaccination requirements. Your GP may ask questions about the specific locations that you are visiting so it may be useful to take a copy of your itinerary with you.

Medication
•    carry medicines (including those bought over the counter) in their correctly labelled container, as issued by the pharmacist, in hand luggage
•    consider packing a spare supply of medication in the hold luggage in case of loss of hand luggage
•    a letter from the prescriber detailing the medicines with the generic names for the medications can be helpful for border control checks, and in case medicines have to be replaced or medical help is required
•    carry a note from the prescribing physician on letterhead stationery for controlled substances and injection medications
•    take out an appropriate level of travel health insurance including repatriation and specific cover for any pre-existing illnesses
N.B.  Some medications are banned abroad so please check you can find further information at https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/43/medicines-abroad

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.

Climate & Terrain

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.

The terrain is mountainous, with several tough 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.

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

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.

Carry your passport with you and make sure you have a photocopy of your documents (travel insurance etc.) in case they get lost or damaged.

Leadership

There will be an English-speaking challenge leader who will be responsible for the logistics and co-ordination of your challenge. There will also be numerous local support guides and staff to assist them. The challenge leader will be ultimately responsible for the running of the itinerary and the safety of your group.

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).

Clothing & 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.

Accommodation & Toilets

The hotel in Delhi will be 3* and located in the centre of town. Rooms are usually en-suite. During the trek, you will camp in two-person 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.

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.

Food & Drink

In Delhi 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.

Money

Currency: The currency is the Rupee, abbreviated as Rs. For up to date currency exchange, go to http://www.xe.com. The Rupee is closed currency meaning you will not be able to secure local funds prior to the challenge outside of India. You are able to withdraw rupees on arrival at 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.

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.

Emergencies

The event is not run as a race and there is always a large discrepancy in people’s walking abilities. This 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. In the event of an emergency on the mountain, all guides and leaders are maintaining contact via radio. If somebody is unable to walk at all, then the guides will arrange evacuation off the mountian to the support vehicle.