Arwa Tower is one of the three peaks that make up the Arwa Group of mountains. The other two mountains are Arwa Spire and Arwa Crest. It is well known for its huge rocky ridge along with a steep granite wall. The summit is a needle-like tower on the East Ridge. Arwa Tower is easily the highest of all the three peaks of the Arwa group. It lies in the Gangotri region of peaks.
HISTORY
After many failed attempts, the first successful ascent of the Arwa Tower was made by Britons Mick Fowler and Steve Sustad in 1999. They climbed the peak via the northwest face.In 2002, a French expedition led by Antoine de Choudens (with 11 members) climbed Arwa Tower by two different routes- a first ascent of the south face, and a new route on the northwest face.In 2007, Stephan Siegrist, Thomas Senf and Denis Burdet succeeded to climb the previously thought impossible to climb over-hanging north face route for the first time.
CLIMBING ROUTES
The ascent to Arwa Tower can be made via four different routes:
- North West Face.
- South Face, also known as the French route
- North West Buttress
- North Face/East Ridge
Out of these four climbing routes, the easiest route is by traversing rock, snow and ice on the South Face of the peak.
HOW TO REACH
The trek to Arya Tower commences from the holy town of Badrinath in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Arwa Tal base camp is common for all three peaks of the Arwa group.Badrinath – Mana – Ghastoli – Arwa Valley – Arwa Tal BC – ABC then summit (BC= Base Camp, ABC = Advanced Base Camp)
- ROAD: Being a revered Hindu pilgrimage site, Badrinath has good connectivity of roads from cities like Rishikesh, Haridwar and Dehradun. One can reach to these places from Delhi and get a bus or shared taxi to Badrinath. The buses usually leave early morning from places like Haridwar and Rishikesh.
- RAIL: Badrinath doesn’t have a railhead. Nearest railway station to Badrinath is situated in Haridwar. Haridwar is connected with major cities like Delhi, Ahmadabad and Dehradun.
- AIR: The nearest airport to Joshimath is Jolly Grant situated in Dehradun. From there, one can opt for a bus or a taxi to reach Badrinath.