Indian Army achieved another milestone in the field of mountaineering when eight members and four Sherpas of the Joint Indo-Nepal Everest Massif Expedition summitted the technically difficult Lhotse Peak (8511 mtrs) in Nepal in May last. This was the first such attempt by an Indian team.

A technically difficult mountain, Lhotse is one of the least attempted peaks in the Himalayas. Lhotse was first climbed in 1956 by a Swiss team led by A Eigler. This summit has also created a new record of sending 12 summitteers on top of Lhotse in any single expedition. The previous highest record was held by nine membes of Russian team which climbed in 2001.

This joint-expedition of Indian Army with Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) was flagged off from New Delhi by Gen NC Vij, Chief of the Army Staff. The expedition was led by Col Ashok Abbey of Indian Army and Lt Col Surya Sen Thakuri of RNA. Col Ashok Abbey is a veteran mountaineer and presently Principal of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi. Lt Col Surya Sen Thakuri is Commandant of the Royal Nepalese Army High Altitude Mountain Warfare School, Jomson.

Other summitteers included Nb Sub CN Bodh, Nb Sub Palden Giacho, Nb Sub Neel Chand, Hav Surjeet Singh and ASL Champa of Indian Army and Nb Sub Ram Chander Shreshtha, Hav Rudra Bahadur Sinha and L/Nb Ram Saran Karki of RNA. The expedition was held to commemorate the golden jubilee of historic ascent of Mount-Everest in 1953.