Army plans skiing trips in high altitude areas to counter China

New Delhi, March 1 : To counter expansionist China’s habit of creeping forward by making small incremental moves, the Indian Army has planned mountaineering expeditions and research studies at high-altitude areas in the northern borders of the country.
The Army is also coming up with a skiing expedition — ARMEX-21 — covering the distance from the Karakoram Pass to Lipulekh Pass. It will cover areas of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Garhwal and Kumaon sectors. The skiing expedition will also be carried out at the high-altitude areas in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Army, civilians and foreign persons will also take part in various upcoming skiing expeditions,” said a senior Indian Army officer.
Those taking part in the skiing expedition will negotiate forbidding mountain ridges, glaciers and multiple passes ranging from a height of 14,000 feet to 19,000 feet.
The Army planned the skiing expedition after India and China agreed for disengagement at the disputed Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh. India and China are engaged in a 10-month-long standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The confrontations began on the north bank of Pangong Lake, both in the waters and on the banks as Chinese incursions increased in early May last year.
About the ‘salami-slicing’ tactics of China, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had on 24 had stated that China has the habit of creeping forward by making very small incremental moves to achieve its objective but this strategy will not work with India.