Friendship Peak

climbHardSolang Nala, Solang Nala

A 5,289 m snow-and-ice climb above Beas Kund, widely sold as a first mountaineering peak - with a glacier, a crevasse field and a summit ridge that have killed.

Trip details

Friendship Peak rises at the head of the Beas Kund cirque in the Pir Panjal, above Solang and Dhundi and within sight of Manali. It is the most-climbed mountaineering objective in Himachal Pradesh - the state's own peak register marks it 'most expeditions' - and it is the peak the mountaineering institute at Manali uses for its climbing excursions. That popularity is why it is marketed as an entry-level 5,000er, and the marketing is only half true. The walk-in is genuinely easy: a short drive to Dhundi, then two straightforward days up grazing meadows at Bakarthach and Lady Leg. What follows is not trekking. From the high camp the route crosses moraine onto glacier, is roped for crevasse hazard, and then climbs a long snow slope to a col, a shoulder and finally a corniced summit ridge - eight to fourteen hours of continuous movement in crampons with an ice axe in hand, starting somewhere between midnight and 2 am. In November 2022 a climber was swept by an avalanche twenty metres below the summit; his body was never found, and the search was abandoned because of hidden crevasses on the glacier below. The honest description is a short, accessible, non-expedition climb that still demands real snow-and-ice competence, a rope team and the discipline to turn around. Treat any listing that calls it a trek as a listing that has not read the mountain.

Safety details & FAQ

Is Friendship Peak good for beginners?

It is a good first mountaineering peak; it is not a good first mountain. The walk-in to base camp is easy, but summit day is 8-14 hours in crampons with an ice axe, roped across a crevassed glacier, finishing on a corniced ridge. A climber died here in November 2022 when an avalanche caught him 20 metres below the summit, and the search was abandoned because of hidden crevasses on the glacier. Independent operators ask for a prior trek above 5,000 m and measured fitness standards. If a listing calls this a trek, it has not read the mountain.

Do I need mountaineering experience for Friendship Peak?

Most operators say no and provide a one-day training session at base camp. Be honest about what that day can deliver: it is a demonstration of crampon technique, ice-axe self-arrest and roped movement, not a course. You need to be able to walk in crampons on 30-45 degree hard snow for hours, self-arrest reliably from your front, back and head-first, and move as a member of a rope team. If you have never done any of that, do a basic mountaineering course first — this is the peak people go to after a course, not instead of one.

What permits do I need for Friendship Peak?

Two, in parallel. The peak is booked through the Indian Mountaineering Foundation — Friendship Peak is on the IMF's own trekking-peaks register at 5,289 m, and IMF's published trekking-peak fee is US$200 for a party of two plus US$50 per extra member up to seven. Separately you need a Himachal Pradesh forest entry and camping permit for the Beas Kund approach, issued through the Manali forest office. You do not need a Rohtang permit or e-Aagman registration — those are for Lahaul, and this route never leaves Kullu district.

When is the best time to climb Friendship Peak?

Two windows that give you different climbs. Mid-May to mid-July is the snow season: continuous snow cover on the summit slope, crevasses bridged, warmer, busier. September and October is post-monsoon: clear air, superb views, far fewer people, but more bare ice and rock, open crevasses and real cold. Avoid mid-July and August entirely for the monsoon, and avoid November through April — the one documented fatality on this peak was a 17 November attempt.

How hard is Friendship Peak summit day?

It is the whole trip. You leave the high camp between midnight and 2 am, cross moraine onto the glacier and rope up, then climb a long snow slope for four to five hours to a col, about three hours more to the shoulder, and a final two hours along the exposed, corniced summit ridge — 8 to 14 hours round trip and roughly 900 to 1,250 metres of gain, depending on where your camp is. Agree the turnaround time at camp the night before and hold it. Most accidents in mountaineering happen on the way down.

How high is Friendship Peak exactly?

5,289 m / 17,352 ft is the best-supported figure and what most operators use. Sources disagree slightly: Wikipedia gives 5,287 m / 17,346 ft, the Himachal Pradesh peak register gives 5,290 m, and IMF's trekking-peaks register gives 5,289 m. Watch for the common '5,289 m / 17,346 ft' pairing — those two numbers don't convert to each other. Ignore the outliers you'll see quoted at 5,394 m and 17,490 ft; neither is supported.

What happens if someone gets hurt or sick on Friendship Peak?

You are closer to help than on most Himalayan climbs and still a long way from it. Lady Leg base camp is 8-9 km of trail above the Dhundi road head, and Dhundi is 21-22 km from Manali, so a walking casualty can reach hospital the same day. A non-walking casualty cannot: there is no vehicle access and no mule track above Bakarthach. There is no mobile signal above Solang. Rescue draws on ABVIMAS Manali, the local operator association, the Army and ITBP — capable people who in 2022 still could not recover a body and called the search off after thirteen days.

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Safety, verified

Safety details last verified 21 Aug 2026 by Madclub.

  • Known hazards

    Crevasses on the glacier above the summit camp. These are the reason the party ropes up and the reason the 2022 search for a missing climber was abandoned - the rescue teams stated openly that hidden crevasses made continuing too risky. In the post-monsoon window crevasses are open and visible; in the pre-monsoon window they are bridged by snow, which is more comfortable to walk on and more dangerous to trust; Avalanche on the summit slopes. This is the documented killer here: on 19 November 2022 a climber roughly 20 metres below the summit was swept by an avalanche down the Dhundi/Atal Tunnel side. Slab risk rises after fresh snowfall, in warming afternoon conditions, and in the shoulder seasons; The corniced summit ridge. Cornices overhang the leeward side and break well back from the visible edge; the exposure means a slip taken unroped, or by an unprepared rope team, runs a long way; Long sustained snow slopes where the only thing between a slip and a serious fall is competent ice-axe self-arrest - which is a skill that decays, not a fact you learned once; Moraine and loose rock between the summit camp and the glacier, in the dark, at the start and end of a 12-hour day. Turned ankles and rock strike are the ordinary injuries on this route; Cold and wind. The summit camp sits at 4,030-4,400 m and the ridge is fully exposed; there is no shelter above the high camp and nothing to duck behind if weather arrives; Whiteout. Beas Kund cloud can close in fast, and navigating off a corniced ridge onto a crevassed glacier with no visibility is the scenario that turns a survivable day into a search operation

  • Permits

    IMF trekking peak booking (Friendship Peak) — Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), 6 Benito Juarez Marg, New Delhi — Friendship Peak appears by name on the IMF's own trekking-peaks register at 5,289 m - this is the one permit fact on this peak that is verifiable from a primary source rather than from operator copy. IMF's published peak-fee schedule puts trekking peaks at US$200 for a party of 2, plus US$50 per additional member for members 3-7 and US$100 each for members 8-12; applications are asked for 90 days ahead and the peak is booked on a first-come basis. Operator statements on what a foreign national actually pays vary widely - Himalayan Frontiers quotes 'from US$250 per person', others quote US$500 for a team of two - so get the number in writing. The fee document I read did not show a separate Indian-national rate, and several Indian operators simply fold 'peak fee' into the package price. Indian climbers should ask the operator to confirm which permit was actually filed and in whose name.; Himachal Pradesh forest entry and camping permit (Beas Kund / Dhundi) — Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, Kullu division - the forest office at Manali — The Beas Kund approach runs through forest-department land and needs an entry and camping permit; every operator lists it as included and independent trekkers are told to apply at the Manali forest office. Carry original photo ID. Note that the Beas Kund trail is one of the routes on which high-altitude trek registration is described as strictly enforced. Himalaya Destination's page states that the wildlife department has waived the forest permit and camping fee for foreign nationals - I could not verify that against a departmental notification and it should be treated as an operator claim, not a fact.; Registered operator and certified guide (Himachal adventure activity rules) — Himachal Pradesh Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, under the Himachal Pradesh Miscellaneous Adventure Activities Rules — Adventure operators in Himachal must be registered with the state tourism department, guides and instructors must hold valid certification, and operators are required to hold an emergency action plan for the specific route and a first-aid kit including an oxygen cylinder and pulse oximeter. Tourists are advised to hire only government-registered guides and porters and to leave trip details with local authorities before departure. Kangra district separately moved in 2025 to require registration of every trekker, GPS tracking on every trek and a maximum guide-to-trekker ratio of 1:10 - that measure is Kangra-specific and does not automatically apply in Kullu, but it indicates where the state is heading. Ask for the registration number.; Not required: Rohtang permit or e-Aagman registration — n/a — Worth stating because bookers confuse this with the Lahaul-side trips. Friendship Peak is approached entirely from the Kullu side via Solang and Dhundi - you do not cross Rohtang, you do not use the Atal Tunnel, and you do not enter Lahaul-Spiti district. The Rohtang Pass vehicle permit and the mandatory free e-Aagman registration for entering Lahaul-Spiti are irrelevant to this climb. Indian citizens need no inner-line or protected-area permit anywhere in Himachal; foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit only for the restricted Kinnaur and Spiti zones, which this route does not touch.

  • Best season

    Two windows, and they are materially different climbs. Mid-May to mid-July is the snow season: the upper mountain holds continuous snow cover, which bridges the crevasses, makes the summit slope a consistent surface to front-point and kick steps on, and is the reason most operators prefer it. It is also warmer, busier, and by late June carries monsoon build-up with afternoon cloud and wet snow. September and October is the post-monsoon window: the air is clear, the views across to Hanuman Tibba, Indrasan, Deo Tibba and the Seven Sisters are at their best, and there are far fewer parties - but the snow has ablated back, so more of the route is bare glacier ice, moraine and rock, crevasses are open rather than bridged, and it is significantly colder. Potala frames the split plainly as 'May to mid-July' for snow-covered slopes and 'September and October' for rocky terrain. Neither window is the safe one; they trade different hazards, and the correct kit differs between them.

  • Maximum altitude

    17352 ft / 5289 m

  • Difficulty

    The approach is easy and the summit day is not. Three things make this a climb rather than a hard trek. First, glacier travel: the route above the summit camp crosses moraine onto glacier and is roped, and crevasses are real enough that the 2022 search for a missing climber was called off because of them. Second, sustained steep snow: the push runs 8-14 hours, gains roughly 900-1,250 m from the high camp, and ends on a narrow, corniced summit ridge where an unroped slip is not recoverable. Third, gear dependency: you are in crampons with an ice axe for most of the day, roped to other people, and on some operators' lines using a jumar on fixed rope - none of which is optional or improvisable at 5,200 m in the dark. The grades published for it are all over the place and mostly too soft: 'Moderate' (Himalaya Destination), 'Beginner Himalayan Summit' (Great Adventure), 'Demanding' (Ascent Descent), 'Difficult' (TrekNomads), 'Hard' (Trekking in India), 'Strenuous' (Potala). Potala's page manages to say in one breath that it is non-technical and that snow and ice climbing skills are essential. Difficult-technical is the honest grade.

  • Guide requirement

    A certified guide is effectively mandatory and should be treated as non-negotiable regardless of what the letter of the rules says. Himachal's adventure-activity rules require operators to be state-registered and guides to hold valid certification, and the state advises hiring only government-registered guides and porters. Beyond the regulation: the route crosses a crevassed glacier and finishes on a corniced ridge, which means rope-team management, anchor placement and the turnaround decision all sit with someone who has to be competent. Ask for the guide's certification (ABVIMAS or NIM basic/advance mountaineering course), the client-to-guide ratio on summit day, and who has the authority to turn the party around - and get that last answer before you pay. The November 2022 fatality was a self-organised party of three.

  • Emergency evacuation

    Better than most Himalayan climbs, and still not good. The base camp at Lady Leg is roughly 8-9 km of trail above the Dhundi road head, and Dhundi is 21-22 km from Manali - so a walking casualty can realistically be in a Manali hospital the same day. A non-walking casualty is a different problem: there is no vehicle access, no mule track above Bakarthach, and the ground between the summit camp and the glacier is moraine. Manali has hospitals and Kullu regional hospital is about 40 km further; serious trauma goes to Chandigarh, roughly 310 km and eight to ten hours by road. The rescue resources are genuinely capable and local - the November 2022 search drew on ABVIMAS (the mountaineering institute at Manali), the Adventure Tour Operator Association Kullu-Manali, an Army Tiranga Mountain Rescue team brought in from Siachen, ITBP and police, and they still could not recover the body and called the search off after thirteen days. That is the honest ceiling on what rescue can do here. There is no mobile signal above Solang; the operator's satellite phone or radio is the only communication link from base camp upward. Helicopter evacuation is daylight- and weather-dependent and is a rescue capability, not a service you book.

  • Fitness prerequisite

    This is not a first Himalayan objective, whatever the grade on the listing says. The most demanding independent prerequisite published for it - TrekNomads - asks for a prior successful trek above 5,000 m plus a measured fitness standard: 5 km run under 35 minutes, or 10 km cycling under 40 minutes, or 1 km swim under 40 minutes, or 50 floors of stairs in 30 minutes, with a medical certificate and indemnity bond. Trekking in India asks for 5 km in 30 minutes or 10 km in 70 minutes, a 10-12 kg pack, BMI 18-26, and prior high-altitude experience. Himalayan Frontiers asks for prior trekking above 3,000-4,000 m. Train for 8-12 weeks: build to 8-10 km of running or fast walking four times a week, two weekly sessions of stair or hill repeats with a 10-12 kg pack, and single-leg strength and ankle-stability work, because the descent off the moraine on tired legs is where people get hurt. If you have never used crampons or an ice axe, the training day on the mountain is a demonstration, not a course - consider a basic mountaineering course first.

  • Technical requirements

    This is the part most listings understate, so it is stated plainly. You must be able to: walk confidently in crampons on hard snow and 30-45 degree slopes, including traversing and descending, for hours rather than minutes; hold and use an ice axe in the uphill hand and perform a reliable self-arrest on your front, back and head-first; move as a member of a roped glacier team - keeping the rope at the right tension, not stepping on it, and knowing what to do if the person ahead disappears; and, on operators who fix line on the steeper section, clip and manage an ascender and a descender with gloves on. Group gear that should be on the mountain includes rope, snow stakes or pickets, ice screws or pitons, carabiners and slings; Kahlur Adventures lists fixed rope, snow stakes and ice pitons as operator-supplied on a comparable Himachal peak, and Ascent Descent lists ropes, anchors and slings as group gear here. Personal technical gear - crampons, axe, harness, helmet, boots - is usually rented from the operator, which makes the day-1 fitting check load-bearing rather than administrative. Prior formal mountaineering training is not demanded by most operators. It should be: the single training day on the mountain is a demonstration, not a course, and the mountain does not distinguish between the two.

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