Hike Chadar Trek, Zanskar Gorge, Kashmir, India

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The Chadar Trek through the Zanskar Gorge is a winter expedition in the Himalaya. The river ice can shift and break and present other hazards, but the biggest danger is the cold itself. The Zanskar Gorge is found in the Zanskar region of Indian-administered Kashmir. Its walls are near vertical cliffs up to 600m high and the Zanskar River (a tributary of the Indus) is only 5m wide in places. In summer it is a spectacular and remote location for rafting. It provides an access route to the Zanskar Valley, but only in winter when the river is frozen. In winter when the road to Zanskar is closed by snow on the high passes, the only overland route to Padum is by walking along the frozen river, a multi-day hike that is now sold as an adventure activity called the Chadar ('ice sheet') Trek. This trek will eventually be rendered obsolete once the road from Chiling to Padum is completed. Despite the real danger and bone-chilling temperatures—the trek itself starts in a village called Chilling—this hike into a headwaters of the mighty Indus River offers up some huge rewards.

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