About us · Regd. No. 1053/1998-99
Twenty-six years
above 2,000 metres.
A society of Pithoragarh's climbers, rescuers and explorers — registered on 22 March 1999, still walking every valley of the border Himalaya.
Our story
Born in a border town,
raised by the mountains.
In 1999, a group of Pithoragarh's mountaineers, adventure athletes and environmentalists came together with a simple conviction: the Kumaon Himalaya deserved a home-grown institution — one that would develop the region as an adventure destination, train its youth, and stand ready whenever disaster struck the hills.
Intrinsic Climbers & Explorers — The ICE — was registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 (No. 1053/1998-99) with the blessing of the region's most respected mountaineers. Our working area is the whole of Uttarakhand; our heart is the Pithoragarh district — Dharchula, Darma, Johar and the Soar Valley.
Since then, members have led 75+ trekking expeditions, 25+ mountaineering expeditions and 150+ disaster-management trainings, and have stood on more than 25 summits across the world.
01
Promote adventure sports across the Himalayan region.
02
Train youth in relief & rescue so every valley has responders of its own.
03
Spread disaster-preparedness awareness in mountain communities.
04
Create adventure-sport livelihoods for mountain youth.
Leadership
Bashu Panday
Founder & Training Coordinator
Bashu Panday founded The ICE in Pithoragarh in 1999 and has coordinated its training and expedition programmes ever since. Method-of-Instruction and disaster-management trained, he has spent a quarter century turning Pithoragarh's young people into climbers, guides and rescuers.
Alongside him: Chief Coordinator Puran Mal Singh Dharmshaktu (since 1999), Everester instructor Manish Kasnyal, and a bench of 19+ instructors covering search & rescue, mountaineering, medical support, equipment and documentation.
The record
Numbers, carried on our backs.
When the district calls
A rescue legacy
written in hard years.
Adventure skill means responsibility. When disaster has struck the Kali and Gori valleys, The ICE has been on the ground.
- Uttarakhand floods
Relief and rescue operations during the state's darkest monsoon.
- Bastari village, Didihat
Cloudburst response — search, relief lines and rehabilitation support.
- Timtiya village, Munsyari
Rescue work after the September landslides.
- Taanga village, Madkote
Monsoon-disaster relief in the Gori valley.
Recognition
Flag-offs from ministers,
trust from mountaineers.
- Cleanathon 2019 flagged off by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and IMF President Col. H. S. Chouhan.
- Clean Himalaya Campaign 2024 with IMF Director Col. Madan Gurung and international guests from the UK and USA.
- Cleanathon 2017 and Birthi Fall Rappelling Expedition 2020 flagged off by the District Magistrate, Pithoragarh.
- Cleanathon 2018 flagged off by Hon. Minister Anil Sharma (Himachal Pradesh).
