TRAVEL DIARY - CROSSING AUDEN'S PASS (INDIA)

A member of the Lagoped Family, Tiphaine Dupérier is a steep skier who explores the most challenging mountains on the planet. In search of altitude and adventure, she undertook the crossing of Auden's Pass, a pass perched at 5,490 meters connecting two basins of the Ganges. This little-known and isolated passage reveals the raw power of the Himalayas, offering a journey between primary forests, glaciers and dizzying peaks.

Perhaps because it is the youngest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas have a scale that few others have. And to prove it, crossing the Auden's Pass gave us a brief but intense glimpse. The Auden's Pass leads as close as possible to the sources of the Ganges. This rocky breach located at 5,490 meters connects the Bhagirathi River watershed with that of the Bilanghna, two of the sources of the most sacred river in India.

We leave the stifling heat of the plains by crossing one pass after another, aboard a taxi driving like an open tomb. At the end of the road, an extraordinary forest stands before the high peaks. The traces of human presence fade as the mountain pastures and trees disappear. Even being used to expeditions, the commitment of the place is almost brutal. There are no paths, no cairns and at the foot of this chaotic moraine, Humans have now completely disappeared from the landscape.

The power of the place is overwhelming. We cross all the landscapes: deep gorges, giant pine forests, glaciers as far as the eye can see, golden granite and birches in the colors of autumn. And that is where the water flows. It is ultimately from this power fled by men that it is possible to eat, drink, and lead a life. Crossing this Auden's Pass was a lesson in humility for me, because this Nature without Men is overwhelming in its force.

This crossing of Auden's Pass is an immersion in wild and untamed nature. For Tiphaine, it is a lesson in humility in the face of the grandeur of the mountains. Want to know more about her adventures? Discover her other stories.