Ice from Ladakh to Dharamshala

To commemorate Earth Day 2022 and to amplify our call for #ClimateAction, HIAL set out on a mission to collect a block of glacial ice from the Khardungla top and present it to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala on the occasion of Earth Day, 22nd April 2022. 

On 19th April 2022,our team of 23 young cyclists along with our founder Sonam Wangchuk set out early in the morning on their bicycles towards the mighty Khardung La.It was quite a journey considering it is one of the highest motorable passes in the world standing at approximately 5,359 meters above sea level. The team was resolute in the pursuit of their goal and successfully collected the block of ice and set forth on the mission’s next steps, that is, to send the block of ice all the way to Dharamsala.

The team meticulously packed the block of ice in local Pashmina to insulate the glacial ice. Once packed ,it was transported through the means of public transport and electric vehicles. We only hoped that it would reach its destination without completely melting off.

 The quick and accelerated action we needed to put in to preserve this glacial ice block from melting brings forth the sense of urgency we need to act with when it comes to climate change globally.

We successfully accomplished the mission when our founder, Sonam Wangchuk, presented the block of glacial ice to His Holiness at the conclusion of the meeting for participants of the Dialogue for our Future: A Call to Climate Action in Dharamsala, HP.

Through this mission , we strived to highlight the urgency for Climate Action while promoting solutions like bicycles, ebikes, public transport, electric vehicles and local pashmina.