The cold is increasing day by day in the upper Dolpa region. The rivers and streams are frozen. The small grasses are covered with frost up to the roots. There are settlements up to 5,500 meters above sea level. The residents of the upper regions have started descending to the valleys in search of warmth.

Upper Dolpa is cold all year round . But it is difficult to live in because of heavy snowfall from Kartik to Chait. To escape the extreme cold, some people from the settlements migrate temporarily every year in Kartik-Mansir . One such settlement that migrates is Rigmo settlement in Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality-8 . This settlement, located near Nepal's deepest Phoksundo Lake, is deserted in winter .

Rigmo, which is located at an altitude of 3,600 meters above sea level, has 65 households . Ward Chairman Nima Lama says that the residents of Rigmo descend to the valley due to the cold in winter and the lack of grass for the yaks and goats kept at home. ‘This time, there is a possibility that a few houses of the micro-hydro built just a few months ago will be able to live in the winter,’ he says. ‘I am also thinking of not leaving the village to see if I can live with the heater on.’

According to Ward Chairman Lama, in winter, snow falls as soon as the clouds appear in Rigmo. The wind starts blowing strongly after 12 noon. The snow is blown down from the Setamya Himal and the wind makes it cold. That is why most of the households in Rigmo leave the village, some in search of hay for their livestock, some for special work, and some for medical treatment. This is also the time to go out to meet relatives.

There is no main or river above the settlement. The water drained from the Phoksundo Lake has to be pulled by a motor and used. Locals say that when it is snowing, they are forced to melt the snow in the yard and use it as water.

The Rigmo settlement is not connected to the motorable road. It takes two days to reach the village from the district headquarters, Dunai. From Poush to Chaitamma, even the roads are closed due to snow. Those who do not migrate during the winter use yaks, horses, and mules to store food, clothes, and other materials.

The main source of income for the Rigmo residents is the hotel business and herb collection. Since tourists come to see Phoksundo Lake from Chait to the end of Kartik, they earn income from the hotel business. More than 40 hotels and home stays are operating in the Rigmo settlement. The Rigmo residents also earn income by harvesting Yarchagumba. Yarchagumba is collected for two months from Jestha to Asar.

The Rigmo residents celebrate festivals according to Buddhism. The biggest festival of this community is Lhosar. They also take help from people from other communities to slaughter for meat. The main products of Rigmo are potatoes, yams and quinoa. In Rigmo, where only one crop is grown a year, the land becomes vacant after the crop is brought in in Kartik.

Every winter, the temporary police post and the Nepali Army stationed to protect the Shey-Phoksundo National Park migrate. Local residents lock their houses and sheds and move their livestock down to the valley. When migrating, locals carry food items such as jimmu, chhurpi, and Bhote tea found in the area with them on yaks. When they migrate to escape the winter, they sell these food items or exchange them for grain crops such as corn and rice. They return after Chaitra by loading the exchanged grain on yaks and horses. The locals of Upper Dolpa, including Rigmo, still adopt a barter system. Due to the cold climate of the Himalayas, crops such as corn and chillies do not grow in Rigmo.