In April 1981, Kumar went back to Siachen Glacier with 70-member team with blank maps and a meagre budget of , this time covering it from its freezing snout(lowest point) at 11,946 ft to its icy source on the Saltoro Ridge (18,91 ft). He thus became the first person to scale the uncharted Siachen Glacier—the world's third pole and second biggest glacier. In his salty style, Kumar said Once you get the heights, you're the tiger. We put the tricolour at the farthest end of Siachen. In the process, he summited Sia Kangri I(24,350 ft), India's northernmost point. In eight weeks, they climbed Saltoro Kangri I (25,400 feet) and Sia Kangri I (24,350 ft), hiked to the top of Indira Col at 24,493 ft(the watershed at the north end of the glacier), and skied to the passes on the Saltoro;Bilafond La, Saltoro Pass, Sia La, Turkistan La and Pass Italia.