Siachen Glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains standing at 76 kms, it is the second longest glacier in the world’s non polar areas, the longest being Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan ( 77 kms).
In peak winters, the temperatures here can plummet upto minus 70 degree Celsius. With crevasses upto 300 feet long and 100 feet wide, chilling winds and lacking oxygen, this land is seen by only the determined mountaineers and adventurers.
The glacier’s region is the highest battleground on Earth, where Pakistan and India have fought intermittently since April 1984. Both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 m (20,000 ft).
Official figures for maintaining these outposts being $300 and $200 million for India and Pakistan respectively.
The Siachen glacier also boasts of the world’s highest helipad built by India at Point Sonam, 21,000 feet (6,400 m) above the sea level, to supply its troops. India also installed the world’s highest telephone booth on the glacier. Aside from the Indian and Pakistani military presence, the glacier region is unpopulated.
More soldiers have died on both sides of the border due to harsh weather conditions than actual combat.
What makes the Siachen such an inhospitable environment ?
Let me give you an insight into the unrelenting Life at Siachen -:
- 1. Impossible acclimatization
At an average altitude of 18,000 feet above sea level, the body just can’t acclimatize. Staying at such altitude for long leads to sleep disorders, memory loss and loss of weight and appetite.
- 2. Permanent military presence
- 3. Staring in face of death
- 4. Frost Bite
- 5. Fresh Food is rare
- 6. Entertainment
Climbers climb mountains when the weather is clear but the soldiers at Siachen serve all through the year. With yearly snowfall over 3 dozen feet and snowstorms lasting many weeks, it becomes a real life nightmare.
With altitudes above 20000 feet at forward posts, the Army pilots have to push their helicopters beyond its optimal performance to drop supplies. To top it all, this needs to be done in less than a minute or the enemy would open fire.
In Siachen, you are at the risk of getting a severe frostbite even if you make the mistake of touching any metal object with bare hands.
Soldiers in Siachen sometimes go months without eating fresh food. Ration there mostly comes out of tin cans.
Keeping yourself entertained in Siachen is a big problem. It is impossible to play any kind of sport at such high altitude and with no television and lack of contact with the outside world, the isolation soon starts to take a toll on you.
When asked soldiers on what it is like to be at Siachen, this is what they had to say –
“ Those staying there need special clothing which is high quality and high value. The temperatures at base camp can go down to minus 38 degree Celsius while at the forward posts it could be somewhere between minus 50 to 70 degree Celsius.”
On why being at Siachen is ones nightmare –
“ Density of air at Siachen is 1/10 of that in plains. Even the simplest of tasks takes 5 – 10 times more efforts then that on plains. To reach the various posts on the Siachen glacier you need to walk 20 kms a day with heavy clothing and all the equipment on your back, which makes it 35-40 kg additional weight. Also, in case of any casualty, rescue is a big problem. Since, rescue missions can be hampered due to frequent blizzards storming the place.”
These soldiers perform the herculean job of protecting our borders. If you are curious and want to visit Siachen, there are a few things you should know.
Visiting Siachen
The Siachen base camp is in the Nubra Valley where the snout of the glacier is located. The glacier terminus or snout is the place which marks the end of the glacier.
Those wanting to visit Siachen need special permission, which they could get from Leh. Civilians are only allowed upto the Siachen Base camp with permission. Visiting the forward posts is strictly prohibited.
