
Lamdon Model High School (LMHS) is located at an altitude of 3600 meters, on the Ufti plain, near Padum, administrative capital of the Zanskar Valley. This region, in the far north of India, close to the border with Pakistan, is part of the Union Territory of Ladakh. Its 12’000 inhabitants are mainly Buddhists and make a living from agriculture and sheep and yak breeding. In the summer, Zanskar is accessible by a dirt road from Kargil which is 240 km away and passes over the Pensi-La at 4400 m. Since 2019, the road from Darcha in the south has been made driveable via Shinku-La (5090 m). A new road has been under construction for several years now and in the future it will lead directly from Leh through the Zanskar River Gorge. The climate of Zanskar is relatively dry throughout the year, but as from September, abundant snow falls on the Himalayan foothills block mountain passes. Zanskar is then plunged in an almost total isolation, during 8 months of the year. The only winter communication route between Zanskar and the outside world is the perilous course that follows the frozen Zanskar River, also known as Chadar.