20 peaks, 23 days: Arunachal’s NIMAS sets a new mountaineering record in Ladakh

An adventure sports institute based in Arunachal Pradesh has achieved a major mountaineering feat in Ladakh, completing first ascents of 20 previously unclimbed peaks above 6,000 metres in just 23 days.

The National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS), based in Dirang in West Kameng district, undertook the expedition across the high-altitude terrain of Ladakh, recording 20 first-ever summits during the mission.

The achievement adds to NIMAS' growing record in mountaineering and high-altitude expeditions and places an institution from the Northeast at the centre of a major national mountaineering accomplishment.

Led by NIMAS director Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal, the expedition involved tackling some of the most remote and technically demanding terrain in the Himalayas. The institute said the latest feat is its third consecutive world record in three years.

NIMAS operates under the Ministry of Defence and is the only Government of India institute offering training and expedition activities across land-, air- and water-based adventure sports. Its programmes include mountaineering, sport climbing, paragliding, paramotoring, mountain biking, white-water rafting, kayaking and scuba diving.

The Ladakh expedition also underlines the growing capabilities of adventure sports institutions in the Northeast. From its base in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, NIMAS has built a programme that combines specialised training with expeditions in challenging terrain across the country.

The institute said the expedition was also aimed at encouraging young people to take up adventure sports and develop qualities such as physical fitness, discipline, teamwork and resilience.

For Arunachal Pradesh and the Northeast, the achievement offers another example of the region's potential in adventure sports and mountaineering. NIMAS' latest record extends that reputation beyond the eastern Himalayas to the high-altitude ranges of Ladakh.

With 20 first ascents completed in 23 days, the expedition marks another significant chapter in NIMAS' expanding record of exploration and high-altitude mountaineering.