Well I always felt the it was a hype about the difficult to ride to Ladhak. Even back then there was very little stretches between Manali and Leh where you have to offroad, other wise its all good.with winter black snow its a different game. Only challenges are for one to get adjusted to the weather and even for the bike. I felt the ride to Masmarik La was much more challenging and fun. But yeah we had some unforgettable memories and incidents :)