Nestled in a remote corner of Indian Himalaya close to the border with Tibet is a small village called Rakchham, which translates to ‘rak’ means rock ‘chham’ means bridge or pool, ‘Bridges of rocks. The overwhelming amount of granite surrounding the village is quite astonishing. They come in all shapes and sizes, from boulders to big walls, a paradise for rock climbers.
This quality and quantity of granite has attracted some of the best rock climbers to visit this small village, most notably Bouldering legend from Austria Bernd Zangerl. Bernd along with his friends has been opening climbs here for the last 12 years which has resulted in an astonishing amount of world class lines in the area both in terms of difficulty and quality. Apart from bouldering the area is blessed with both world class Sport and Trad climbing routes. Also a few high quality alpine and big wall free climbs have been established around the mountains of Rakchham.
Why Rakhchaam is a world-class rock climbing destinatiom
Rakchham offers some of the best granite climbing in the world. This place offers all the different forms of rock climbing of the very highest quality, the boulders, cliffs and bigger walls provide ample opportunity to the intrepid climber to create lines of great quality and difficulty.
Bouldering in Rakchham is simply outstanding. The sheer amount of granite here makes it possible to have climbs of all different styles, and all the different levels of difficulty. The development of bouldering in Rakchham is the work of legendary climber Bernd Zangerl. He has been developing this place since 2010 and spent considerable time every season for the last 15 years, to develop this bouldering paradise. Bernd had the vision of quietly developing the area so this little Himalayan village does not suffer the impact of worldwide attention. After 10 years of quietly developing this climbing paradise, Bernd had the vision of bringing this amazing place to climbers from all over the world in a sustainable and responsible way, to integrate the local community and villagers in the process. With this vision in mind RMAC (Rakchham mountaineering and adventure club) was created, their role is to regulate climbing activities surrounding the village in a sustainable and responsible way.
In September 2021 Bernd together with Giuliano Cameroni, Melissa LeNeve came for shooting the film Rakchham – Bridge between the worlds. We joined him for this project. Giuliano and Melissa explored more new lines and developed more cutting-edge routes and boulders. Next month Ray Demski joined us for filming. During these months we propagated the idea of how climbing can give a new opportunity to village youth and started the initial work of founding the RMAC. Rakchham has the potential to become a model for sustainable climbing and mountaineering destinations among the world, with proper regulation and ethics this place can be preserved for future generations.
Currently there are 14 different sectors around the village of Rakchham with more than 400 problems from 5A to 8C. A proper guidebook is in the work right now! In the meantime, we have overview topos and know the area well so that you will easily find your perfect project for the trip. There are also some sectors where beginners can start climbing and will have fun. The hard-core climbers will find enough projects in the grade 7C to 8B. The rock quality is unique and there is still huge potential for first ascents. Don’t forget to bring your brush.
Over the years in Rakchham we have spent considerable time with Bernd and got into the process of developing boulders and climbing hard projects. The quality and quantity of hard and quality lines are endless. In 2021 we made the ascent of Goldfinger FB 7C a line on Goldflake boulder. It starts at the middle of the boulder and traverses a crimpy break leftwards to finish up the Goldflake line. In summer 2022 we focused on ‘Brick in the wall’ opened by Bernd, and also found a possibility to traverse the break to the right to create a new line which we could finish by climbing the top section of the line called ‘ Premium gravity”. This time we invested our full effort on this particular boulder, a huge and impressive block about 20 feet tall, one of the classic and proud blocks of the area.
We made ascents of these two lines and this allowed us to feel confident in our abilities and trust the process that we were practising. We felt super happy to establish a first ascent on such a stunning boulder with hard and technically demanding climbing. We named our line Brick and the break Fb 8A the difficulty we propose is FB 8A / V11
We also felt great joy by repeating one of Bernd’s test pieces, a hard and high line, a classic of the area Brick in the wall FB 8A / V11
In fall 2022 with the arrival of Bernd we started the usual business of trying hard. Bouldering is the premier venue for pushing the absolute limits of free climbing, the various sectors offered lots of projects and also possibilities for opening new lines, the potential is endless. During autumn there were more visiting climbers from aboard, among them we met Anders from Denmark, a very strong climber and really enjoyed bouldering with him. This season was a good one for us as we were able to do some hard lines, other than that we had a few strong sessions on project Sugarfish and were satisfied with our effort on such a hard project. The season’s goal was to get into hard projecting and at the end it was a great learning for us. We were able to send quite a few Hard and limit level problems for us; here is a summary for these lines
Sun ride Fb 8A/ V11
Bettlacken Remix Fb 7C+/ V10
Gangotri Express Fb 7C+/ V10
Rakchham has two main climbing seasons, the summer season and fall season, among them the post monsoon is the best season for climbing. From late September to mid-December the condition remains optimum for hard climbing. In fall 2023 a lot of climbers from different parts of the world arrived in Rakchham, climbers from Denmark, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Germany, Austria, and Italy. This year we had a great time with Bernd, Manu and others, later in the season Nicky Ceria one of the best blunderers of all time arrived in Rakchham. Climbing with him was a great learning experience. We made first repeat of one of Bernd’s test pieces in Brick in the Wall block, Premium gravity Fb 8A/ V11 and was close on Sugarfish on of long-standing project of Rakchham.
In 2024 our goal was Sugerfish, and we devoted two separate seasons for this line. We were close during the spring season and were able to almost climb it, but the ascent eluded us. In October 5th 2024 Korak was able to make the First Ascent of Sugarfish Fb 8B+/ V14
Rakchham is becoming a coveted destination for climbers from all over the world, top professionals from Australia, South Africa, UK, France, and Spain all were there during the fall season and sharing the climbing with them was a great experience.
Climbing with ropes both as Trad climbs and sport climbs are also a great attraction of Rakchham. World class climbers, like Alex Lugar, Much Mayer, Jacopo Larcher, Pou brothers, Sean Villanueva, Siebe Vanhee, Melissa LeNeve, Caro North, and others have established lines of highest quality over the years. The routes are characterized by hard bouldery sport climbs and quality crack climbing.
Among one of the classic lines of Rakchham is the hard arête opened by Austrian maestro Alex Lugar called Shilajit F 8b+. The route consists of a very hard bouldery start, the first six moves to the second bolt are surely an 8A boulder problem. The crux revolved around a powerful move from a right-hand crimp to a heinous left crimp, then squeezing the arête with the right feet to gain another heinous right crimp then left feet up and throwing for the arête with the left hand. So powerful and technical at the same time, very condition dependent and really inspiring.
After this crux I was faced with another added difficulty, after rocking over to the face from the arête I was not able to reach the good rail, so needed to use an intermediate right hand shoulder crimp to get my left foot up to reach the good rail. The top part involved big moves on the rail; here we also had to use some alternate beta. We found some matching sequence on the crimps to execute this section. As the route was south facing, we decided to work the route on evening sessions. While working on the route we got some really good days with cold temperatures and cloud cover. As we unlock the boulder problem, we realized we could do this line under favourable conditions. Our working session consists of mostly trying to link the boulder problem, and we finished the session by linking the top section from the rail.
After a week of working the route, the moves linking the boulder problem and the shoulder move with the intermediate crimp was done and it felt like the route could become a reality. As the spring progressed to summer, I felt the pressure that condition might not stay optimum for the send, but the evenings remained cold and gave me the chance to go for the send.
On 27th, the day was windy and cold, as I warmed up on the moves of the boulder problem the conditions felt really good, so I decided to go for the redpoint. As I started the climb and entered the crux, the crimp on the left hand felt good under my fingers, as I took the right crimp it felt strong and I put my left foot outside edge and went for pinching the arête, the really good friction allows me to stick it and I made the rock over to the face and took the intermediate shoulder crimp. That hold is super small and I felt nervous but with a big scream I was able to hold on to it and put my left foot up and reach the good rail and the rest. I composed myself and rested on the good rest to get my heart rate down and flush out the lactic acid with deep exhalations. The rest was key, as I felt recovered, I went for the top, it was an amazing fight, matching crimps and big throws to move rightwards up the rail and a final big move to reach the lip. I could sense all the minutes spent on the Linked boulder circuits on my home wall was so important, to keep fighting and keep going until the end. As I crossed the lip and moved over to the slab, I felt great joy of realizing a seemingly unattainable climb. The darkness was falling, I untied the rope and walked up to the top and then walked down to the base. We cleaned the route the next day, this route is such an important climb for me, and it showed me that with proper training and tactics, I can go for hard routes.
During the Rakchham project Giuliano Cameroni & Melissa LeNeve Established Waste no time. Giuliano made the first ascent of this line, and proposed the grade French 8c+ which makes it the hardest sport climb in India.
Among the Trad climbs there are two iconic lines, opened by the masters of their craft. Lugerhammer F 8a by Alex Lugar and Bengali Spice F 7c+ by Sean Villanueva, are among king lines of Trad climbing discipline in the world.
Sample topo of Rakhchham climbing areas:
There are two main climbing areas in Rakhchham.
Sunny side: A true suntrap throughout the day, this sector is ideal for cooler conditions—offering enjoyable climbing mostly in the 6th and 7th grades, paired with generally safe and friendly landings. The setting is peaceful and inviting, perfect for unhurried sessions. That said, the approach demands effort—long and steep, so come prepared. The initial development, including brushing and many of the first ascents, was carried out by Steffen Kern in 2013–2014 (SK). Just 150 metres downslope from the main sector lies a standout line: Keep it Safe in the Mountains (8A) by Bernd Zangerl, alongside several other worthwhile problems. With around 60 established climbs so far, the area still holds significant untapped potential.
Download sample topo for Sunny Side (Copyright Steffen Kern)
Bear forest: A gently undulating forest clearing dotted with clean, open boulders—this sector already offers around 40 established problems, primarily in the 6th and 7th grades. Yet much of its potential remains untouched. Several obvious lines still await brushing, and scattered smaller blocs around the main area hint at even more to come. Most landings are flat and manageable, making it a comfortable zone to climb in. While a few problems rise higher than average, the overall feel here is calm and inviting—well-suited for thoughtful, low-stress sessions.
Download sample topo for Bear Forest (Copyright Steffen Kern/Bernd Zangerl)
Rakhchham fact sheet:
Rakchham is located in Sangla valley 11 km before Chhitkul, on the banks of Baspa River in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. It has emerged as a popular tourist destination over the last 10 years, and has become an attractive place on Kinnaur Spiti circuit for adventurous and enthusiastic tourists.
Rakchham with its vast potential and already established world class routes and boulders, is a must visit destination for any motivated climbers looking for a holistic experience of climbing, culture and wilderness.
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