The Ice Walkers: Surviving on the Frozen Zanskar River | Free Documentary

The Organic Gold Hunters of the Himalayas
The Zanskar is a small forgotten valley surrounded by the high peaks of the Himalayas. When the snow-covered mountain passes are inaccessible, people are cut off from the outside world. Except for a partially frozen stream: a 120km path through a steep mountain range. Traveling through Chadar’s gorges is a hazardous ordeal for children and grown-ups, who must endure cold, fatigue, and thirst, along with fear, and dizzying heights. When the Zanskaris set foot on this shifting river, they do so with extreme caution and prayers, as the ice can easily be fine one day and fatal the next. This time, 150 men are carrying timber to Zanskar. They also escort some pupils back to their school in Leh - Ladakh - after the winter holidays. Meet these men, women, and children who risk their lives each Winter on the ice trail on the Zanskar River.