Mt. Kamet (7756 m) is the second highest mountain in the Garhwal region of India, after Nanda Devi, 7816 m. It lies in the Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, close to the border with Tibet. It is the third highest mountain in India, and the 29th highest in the world. In appearance it resembles a giant pyramid topped by a flat summit area with two peaks.

Range : Zaskar Range, Himalaya
First ascent : June 21, 1931 by Frank Smythe, Eric Shipton, R.L. Holdsworth and Lewa Sherpa.

Due to its position near the Tibetan Plateau, Kamet is remote and not as accessible as some Himalayan peaks. It also receives a great deal of wind from the Plateau. However, by modern standards, it is a relatively straight forward ascent for such a high mountain. Early explorers of the region faced long approach marches of around 320 km from Ranikhet through dense mountain forest; access is easier today.



While attempts to climb Kamet began in 1855, the first ascent was not made until 1931 by Frank Smythe, Eric Shipton, R.L. Holdsworth and Lewa Sherpa, members of a British-Nepalese expedition. Kamet was the first summit over 7620 m to be climbed, and was the highest summit reached until the first ascent of Nanda Devi five years later. (However, far higher non-summit altitudes had been reached on the north side of Mount Everest in the 1920s.)

The standard route begins from the East Kamet (or Purbi Kamet) Glacier, ascending via Meade's Col (7100 m), the saddle between Kamet and its northern outlier Abi Gamin. From Meade's Col the route ascends the northeast edge of the north face. The ascent to Meade's col involves steep gullies, a rock wall, and several glacier climbs. Five camps are usually placed en route. The final ascent to the summit involves steep snow, possibly icy.