In 1995, geologist Stephenson led an RGS approved expedition to Ladakh in the Indian Himalaya, where his team made a geological map of the Zanskar River gorge while trekking along its frozen surface. They walked 100 miles along the frozen river into the heart of the Himalaya and crosscountry skied out of the valley for 200km, making the first winter crossing of the Pass, in temperatures below 30 C.