The green first act — pine forest and river-valley trails.
The high shelf above the valley — some of the finest riding in the range.
Where the trail out-climbs the gearing, the bike rides you.
The last metres before the pass go on foot, the bike pushed over the scree.
◆ Thorong La, 5,416 metres — the door between the first act and the second.
A trail shelved high above a braided glacial river.
Wind-fluted cliffs — country carved by weather, not water.
The caravan villages are not scenery — people live along this line.
Yaks at the plough — the high valleys are worked, not empty.
Festival dress and old instruments — the far district keeps its own calendar.
Glacial turquoise below juniper and pine.
◆ Prayer flags mark the high crossings; the weather owns them.
