Surviving The Terror Of Rothang Pass

Day 1 May 26,208 Delhi to Kasauli 286KM

" We were almost only 5 km away from the top of Rothang pass at 13,000 ft. Veering closely to the cliff's edge it was dizzying to look down. After maneuvering a sharp incline we found ourselves in the middle of frozen-solid snow walls. Impatient, Sandy increased his speed a little, leaving all those speeding car behind us. Nadeem had always referred the ride to Rothang pass as terrifying. "How bad can it be?" Was the last thought on my mind when suddenly I was faced to faced with frozen ice. Oh no! We skidded. The bike fell on us. I stood up immediately while Sandy tried to lift the bike to stop the oil spilling from the tilted fuel tank. I saw him struggling as his feet kept slipping every time he tried to lift the bike and climb it. I gripped the rear end of the bike while my right foot checked the road for dry spots. We were in the very middle of the road and I could see the convoy of cars was fast closing in on us. They showed no signs of slowing even at they see us infront of them.

And this was only the first and the lowest of the five passes that we have to cross.


















The first stretch of good road after crossing the Rothang pass. We stopped by for a breather.