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Although they correspond to an important fraction of the total area of mountain glaciers (33,000 km² out of 546,000 km²), Himalayan glaciers and their mass balance are poorly sampled. For example, between 1977 and 1999, the average area surveyed each year on the field was 6.8 km² only. No direct mass balance measurement is available after 1999. To contribute to fill this gap, we use remote sensing data to monitor glacier elevation changes and mass balances in the Spiti/Lahaul region (32.2°N, 77.6°E, Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalaya, India). Our measurements are obtained by comparing a 2004 digital elevation model (DEM) to the 2000 SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission) topography. The 2004 DEM is derived from two SPOT5 satellite optical images without any ground control points. This is achieved thanks to the good on-board geolocation of SPOT5 scenes and using SRTM elevations as a …