BANGALORE: Some stoop to conquer, others just climb. And keep climbing. That was the case with B.V. Prakash of Bangalore.

Closely associated with the Wildtrack Nature Awareness and Adventure Club in the city, Mr. Prakash has years of mountaineering experience: 20 expeditions to his credit, trekking wilderness and climbing mountains. In 1994, he became perhaps the first Indian to scale Mount Akela Kila, which is at an altitude of 20,000 feet. He does not confine his expeditions to India; recently, he climbed Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, which is said to be the highest peak in South East Asia.

The latest expedition last month was to the Ladakh Himalayas, once known as the Roof of The World.

"Ours was a fairly large team from different corners of the world, including India,'' recalls Mr. Prakash.

Besides him, there was Norbu from Manali and Koushik from Delhi who travelled to Leh crossing four high mountain passes on their own. There the team was joined by Daniel Nelson from the U.S., Andrew Dallow from New Zealand, and Dan Jones and Robert Jaimeson from the U.K.

"We left Leh on September 6 and established the Base Camp at an altitude of about 14,200 feet after steadily climbing for about five-and-a-half hours. On September 7, we climbed another 2,800 feet to set up Camp 1 at 17,000 feet,'' he says.

The team of seven members, with their Sherpa guide, then attempted the climb Mount Stok Kangri, which stands 20,341 feet high. They set out at 1.15 a.m. on September 8 on a cold, dark and windy night with lamps fixed to their headgear.

Crossing valleys and glaciers and climbing high boulders, they reached the South West Ridge by 5 a.m.

Climbing the sharp ridge with steep drops on both sides, the team made it to top by 7.30 a.m. After spending an hour taking photographs, the team descended to the camp by 1 p.m.

The expedition was supported by Canara Bank to mark its centenary year.

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