The mercury dipped to 6.1 degrees Celsius at Keylong in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district.

The rains triggered a massive landslide in Tapri near Rekong Peo in Kinnaur district, damaging over a dozen cowsheds and some houses, reports reaching here said.

The Kagyupa temple has a highly valued old image of the Shakyamuni Buddha, a Wheel of Life mandala and four Directional Kings on either side of the door. Chitkul is practically the last point of the famous Kinner Kailash Parikrama as one can hitch a hike from here onwards. After one crosses over the 5,242 m high Charang Pass, it is a long and steep run down through slithery scree slopes to Chitkul(3,450m). The powerful goddess of Chitkul is the only non-Buddhist deity to which respect must be paid by the Parikrama pilgrims. It is believed that the local Deity is related to the Deity of Gangotri and till recently the locals would carry the Deity to Gangotri on foot over high mountain passes. Chitkul is situated around 40 km from Karcham, the place where road bifurcates from Hindustan-Tibet Road (NH 22). The Sangla Valley is a delight for nature lovers; especially the stretch after Raksham and right up to Chitkul. The valley is extremely beautiful, on the left bank of the Baspa River are snow-clad mountains and on the right bank the whole terrain is full of apple orchids and wooden houses.

Chitkul is around 569 km from the National capital Delhi and 28 km from Sangla. This is the last Indian village on border with China. The road doesn’t take you till the actual border, it closes around 90 km before it and then rest of the area is under the control of Indian Paramilitary force ITBP. There are wooden houses turned into hotels that can be found in Chhitkul, these hotels are a bit expensive and most of the tourist prefer to stay at Sangla and make a day trip to this place. Sangla is close to Chhitkul and hotels and camps provide very good arrangement for living and are comparatively cheaper. While in Chhitkul make sure you carry adequate cash and petrol or diesel for your car as there is no ATM facility or fuel stations in this hilly area. There is also neither a clinic nor any hospital in this area and one has to travel back to Sangla for emergencies. Chitkul is very cold and windy and the road normally closes down around November after the first snowfall.

Temperature was running six to eight degrees above normal for the past two weeks and plummeted after the rainfall, which also extinguished forest fires in the lower and mid-hills.

In the state capital Shimla, heavy rains and thunderstorm lasted for about two hours, causing a sharp fall in the mercury. Strong velocity winds swept the region and the sky remained heavily overcast.

Key tourist destinations of Dharamsala, Palampur, Manali, Kullu, Chail, Kasauli, Chamba and Barog also received rains. Several areas in Kangra and Una also saw rainfall, bringing cheers to farmers who were facing a shortage of fodder for animals due to a prolonged dry spell and high temperature.

Rains in Dharamsala and Kangra, meanwhile, brought down the temperature by 4 to 5 degrees, an official of the Meteorological department said.

The department has predicted that western disturbance can bring more rains in Dharamshala and the surrounding areas in the coming days.

According to the department, June 1 could be the last hot day of the season, after which the maximum temperature may show a downward trend.

Several areas in the state had received mild rains on Sunday evening also. Manali recorded 15 mm of rains, followed by Keylong and Chamba 8 mm each, Dehragopipur 7 mm, Seobagh and Una 5 each and Bhuntar and Bajura 4 mm each till Monday morning.

The rain shower, however, affected traffic movement. The traffic on Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft) which was opened for tourist vehicles on Sunday was again suspended and several buses which left for Lahaul via Rohtang Pass had to return as fresh snowfall and rains made driving hazardous.

The thick blanket of snow which was likely to last till July end would add to delight of the tourists and thousands of visitors are expected to throng the tribal valleys, said a local.

Hundreds of vehicles headed towards the Rohtang pass were witnessed on Manali-Rohtang Pass throughout the day and tourists held photo sessions on the crescent of the Pass. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had given the road fitness report to Kullu administration on May 22.

After making preparations and arrangements of adequate parking and security, tourists have finally been allowed to drive past Rohtang top, the most preferred tourist destination of Himachal.

Meanwhile, BRO is working to remove the debris and keep the pass free of snow. “Our police personnel are camping at Marhi and patrolling on Manali-Rohtang highway from morning till evening,” Deputy Superintendent of Police, Shamsher Singh, said.

The main job of the police would be to ensure smooth movement of vehicles, depending on weather conditions, he added.

It was the first joint Indian civilian expedition to two peaks Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse. The Giripremi team comprising Anand Mali, Ganesh More and Bhushan Harshe summitted Everest at 8 am on Friday, a day after team member Ashish Mane from Satara had conquered Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest peak.

However, the attempt to scale Mount Everest was dramatic as team leader Umesh Zirpe decided to dropout of the team on Thursday night. Explaining his decision, Zirpe said the oxygen cylinders were insufficient for all four team members to summit Everest. “Had I also joined the summit attempt, we would have definitely fallen short of oxygen, which would cut short our dream,” Zirpe said from camp II on Friday evening.

Mali, More and Harshe set out for the summit climb on Thursday at 8.30 pm. Ajit Tate, a member of the club, who was at the base camp and in constant touch with the mountaineers through satellite phone, was unable to receive any message from the trio till 6 am on Friday.

Speaking from base camp, Tate said, “Around 6.30 am on Friday, I received a message on my satellite phone that the trio and their sherpas were at the Hillary step. I heaved a sigh of relief knowing that they were safe and the summit was in sight for them. In another two hours, I received another message from the trio; that was when they were on the world’s highest point waving the tricolour.” The Hillary step is a 40ft spur of rock where temperatures are minus 20c and which is just 180ft from the summit.

Speaking about his experience from South Col, More said, “The conditions were not very conducive as the winds were blowing fast. It was a struggle, but it was worth it when we touched the summit at 8.30 am on Friday. We cannot thank our team leader Umesh Zirpe enough for his sacrifice.”

The Giripremi mountaineers left for the expedition on March 21 from Pune and reached the base camp on April 13. From April 16, the mountaineers started acclimatizing themselves to attempt the final summit. Citing good weather on May 15 and 16, the members decided to give it a go.

Over 160 participants, including 50 girls from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, took part in the camp. They participated in activities like trekking, rock climbing, river crossing, bird watching, star gazing, drawing competition, camp fire etc.

Founder member, YHAI, Manmohan Singh Bawa was the chief guest at the valedictory function of the group. He gave away prizes and certificates to the participants.

Addressing the participants, Bawa said, “Trekking is a good habit which makes us physically as well as mentally fit. At 82, I still trek regularly. I have also started a trekking programme in the Himalayan region.”

Indore group escort Ashoke Golane proposed a vote of thanks. Capt RS Rana (retd), field director, YHAI nature-study programme and manager, Youth Hostel, Dalhousie, Sunil Pitre (co-director), Rupesh Nandy (co-director), Kunal Joshi (resource person) and Suchita B Tandale (camp leader) also attended the function.

A Queenstown climber’s heroic actions are being hailed after he saved a climbing companion knocked unconscious by an avalanche high up a Himalayan mountain.

Ben Dare, 29, of Queenstown, was among four New Zealand-based climbers who had set their sights on the summit of unclimbed Anidesha Chuli, or White Wave (6800m), in the Himalayas, this week.

The group had made it to base camp and Mr Dare and Scott Scheele, 24, had pushed on towards the summit, when the pair were caught in an avalanche less than 400m from their goal.

Mr Scheele was knocked out by the force of the avalanche and carried 90m down the mountain, the group’s publicist, Joe Wallace, told the Otago Daily Times last night.

He received a “serious knock to the head” and concussion, and had to be helped down the mountain by Mr Dare to a camp at 6000m, an update on the group’s website said.

Mr Dare then activated an emergency locator beacon, alerting authorities in New Zealand and Nepal, who began co-ordinating a rescue.

The pair were joined in their tent by their two remaining climbing companions, who trekked overnight from base camp, at 4800m, to join them at 6000m.

A private helicopter organised by New Zealand consulate staff in Nepal eventually reached the party and flew Mr Scheele, a United States citizen, and Mr Dare to a Kathmandu hospital.

Mr Scheele remained in intensive care undergoing tests and being monitored, but was expected to make a good recovery and be released within days.

The rescue prompted a message on the climbers’ website yesterday from Mr Scheele’s mother, Libby Scheele, praising her son’s rescuers and Mr Dare’s “amazing” efforts.

“I do not know all the details yet, but I am certain that your diligent actions are what enabled Scott to survive. I am so grateful to you.”