Indian Army teams set to scale Mt Everest and Mt Lhotse This year two teams from the Indian Army are set to embark on a mission to scale Mt Everest and Mt Lhotse. These teams — Indian Army Everest Massif Expedition and Indian Army NCC Girl Cadets — will leave for Mt Everest Base Camp tomorrow and on Monday, respectively, according to Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. The IAEME comprises five officers, four junior commissioned officers and 21 other ranks, and is led by Lt Col Ranveer S Jamwal, who himself has scaled the highest peak of the world twice before. Lt Col Jamwal said this was the same team which was here last year but couldn’t complete their mission due to the devastating earthquake of April 25 and subsequent tremors. Nevertheless, the team was instrumental in providing support to fellow mountaineers and pollution control efforts at the Everest Base Camp last year. A total of 14 members of the team will attempt to climb Mt Everest while nine others will attempt to scale Mt Lhotse, the fourth highest peak in the world, according to the team leader. Five members of the team will thereafter take part in the world’s highest marathon competition. Lt Col Jamwal and Havildar Hajari Lal will attempt to scale both the summits — Everest and Lhotse — one after the other. “We will leave for Khumbu region on Sunday for acclimatisation,” Jamwal said. Similarly, the girl cadets team comprises four officers, two JCOs, seven other ranks, two girl cadet Instructors and 10 NCC girl cadets. It is being led by Col Gaurav Karki, a reputed mountaineer. The girl cadet’s team aims to summit Mt Everest in mid-May 2016, via the same Classic Everest Base Camp Trek Route as followed by Sir Edmund Hillary & Norgay Tenzing in 1953, according to a statement issued by Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae also met the Indian Army teams and wished them a successful journey to Mt Everest and Mt Lhotse. “This is the most inspiring way to stand with Nepal when it is most needed after the devastating earthquake,” Ambassador Rae said. He also hoped that this expedition would revive trekking and tourism in Nepal and inspire many young people of India, Nepal and rest of the world.