Friday's Feature

~ In the News ~

 

Ibex Expeditions offers horse, elephant, and camel safaris as a means to delve into the inner, more rural parts of Rajasthan.

 

India Today recently did a feature on these unique tours. Read the article here, and email us at ibex@ibexexpeditions.com to find out more about our safari holidays.

 

Testimonial Thursday

~ River Deep, Mountain High - Rafting on the Zanskar ~

A note by Cara Tejpal on our recent rafting venture down the Zanskar gorge. The trip was organized by Ibex Expeditions and led by Mandip Singh Soin.

Click here to read the full article.

Tuesdays for Tomorrow

~ Initiatives in Odisha ~

Happy to have been asked to give a presentation to the Chief Secretary and his top brass of Forest & Tourism officials at Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.

They have just embarked upon making an Ecotourism Board and will roll out initiatives the will help tribal livelihoods and conservation in the ecotourism-wise relatively undiscovered state.

Vintage Monday

~ Sky-Diving to Para-Penting ~

By Mandip Singh Soin

Destination traveller, August 90'

The international rage is unusual sports, but if you like to stick tot eh well tried and tested, here's a guide to the best of outdoor activities round the globe.

One of the things that grabs you instantly while going through the wilderness in European countries is how so many people get involved with adventure activities, and how every bit of nature seems to be in use - the rivers, hills, seas - and how they still remain clean and clear.

There is little doubt that the mecca for adventure is Chamonix in the French Alps. One of the most lively hill resorts, it sees busy tourist activity throughout the year. Essentially, though it is the adventure-lover who comes to this town which perches under the snow of Mont Blanc. During the winter it is the height of the ice climbing season for mountaineers or 'Alpinists' as they are called, and they take telephriques or hike up to the foot of mountains and choose an icy gully too go up front, pointing with two ice axes and crampons. I remember attempting the famour 'Ceres Gully' on the Mond Blanc du Tacul on a clear winter morning. We took the telephrique from the town to the Aiguille du midi which has a cafe on top, then put on skis and skied down to a snow plateau, and walked along to the base of the Tacul. The hard steep snow gave way to ice. After a few hours of a lovely crisp climb one had to abseil down due to bad weather closing in, of which we had advance information! Had we got stuck on the climb, we would have been whisked off the mountain face by helicopter. rescue is well organized under the 'Peloton' and the 'Gendarmarie', provided you have the insurance, the whirly birds can get you out of awkward situations.

The climbing routes are many on ice and rock stretching from the French to Italian and Swiss Alps. The more popular areas of action are Chamonix Mont Blanc (it lies on the French and Italian border) to the old cobbled-street town of Courmayeur. The normal route on Mont Blanc is fairly straightforward and a handful of Indians have been up too. Incidentally, a month ago, Pope John Paul II was on top!

One of the other areas of high drama is the famous Eiger and Matterhorn in the in the Grindlewald and Zermatt regions of Switzerland respectively. The North faces of Eiger and Matterhorn are always a challenge, whilst for beginners, there are the easier sides of the mountains to ascend.

For the rock climber, there is no pace better than the huge high walls of the Dolomites in Northern Italy or the sea cliffs of Calanfues in the south of France. The famous town of Madonna de Campiglio, a fashionable resort with comfortable hotels and spas, is a take off point for the Brenta part of the Dolomites.

Like the Alps, the Dolomites, which also border with Austria, abound with a large segment of trekkers who go from one 'mountain refuge' to another. These mountain huts are expensive as some of them have both their food and garbage airlifted! A curious system I found in the Dolomites are the 'Bucchette' system where iron rungs have been put into sheer faces of rock and for the non technical climber, the excitement and adrenalin flow is appreciable, as he climbs ladder-like, clipping himself on each rung as he moves up.

Rock routes on the Cima de Brenta, Brenta Alta, Cima Tose, and Bimbo di Monaco are very exciting. The rock is 'Dolomite' and has no problem of chipping or breaking and with steady weather it makes an ideal place to get acrobatic. One of the hard routes on 'Torre di Prati' which I enjoyed, gave a feeling of hanging in space a few thousand feel above the ground. I later got to know it was called 'Route Astronauti'.

A newer activity, quite a logical extension for climbers and sky divers, is 'para penting'. This entails jumping off a mountain top with a parachute. in a lot of these mountain resorts, para penting enthusiasts use ski-lifts to go up to a high point even if it is 2000ft. and they come to the edge of a mountain and take off their knapsack with the large rectangular parachute (rec. parachutes give finer control than the round ones0, allow the chute to catch the air and billow, and then literally walk off the edge to come sailing down gently to the ground.

Another sport that was the predecessor of para penting is hang gliding. This again is pursued in the French, Swiss and German valleys, and a lot of hang-glider pilots have now gone into the tourism aspect of hang gliding by strapping in a passenger behind them on the same hang glider. A bit like rafting where the passenger does not require the 'skill' to maneouvre with only the 'dil' to hang on and a promise of a 'thrill' at the end. And an interesting bit is that this hang gliding can be done even in winter, as I did a few times, wearing skiis, hanging on to the hang glider and then literally skiing off the mountain. The first few seconds, when the hang glider keeps nose diving before catching the wind are heart-stopping.

What is probably as popular as trekking and skiing in Europe, USA, Japan and Australia. There are numerous fashionable ski resorts starting from Chamonix in France to Madonna di Campigli in Italy, to St. Moritz in Zermatt in Switzerland and Innsbruck in Austria. Even the Bavarian Alps have several ski towns and so does the UK in the upper reaches of Scotland. Here one may have to be prepared for bad weatehr as an additional adventure ingredient. One builds experience skiing blind in the Cairagorms in Aviemore where it gets foggy as quickly as it is clear, holding temporarily the long queues of enthusiasts.

For this very reason of crowding at ski resorts, people have taken up Lanlauff Skiing (also know as Nordic Skiing) which basically has the person putting on these long, light skis with light weight shoes attached only at the toes to the skis. This allows the person to keep kicking in order to get a push and skiing along any trail that he may choose, generally through forests, enjoying his quiet skiing, silently.

The other extension and amalgamation of the two types of skiing has been 'ski-mountaineer'. Here one uses normal skiis but with a special 'skin' attached under the ski which allows a skiier to walk up a slop as the skin prevents the ski from sliding back. Then, having climbed up a hill, generally in an uncrowded area, the skiier takes off the skin, and enjoys cruising down the virgin snows. One of the most popular routes is the 'Haute Route' or the 'High Level Route' done from Chamonix in France to Zermatt in Switzerland over a period of about 10 days.

It was because of the delight of speeding down the virgn slopes 'off piste' that heli skiing came into being and is particularly popular in USA, Canada and also in the Alips in certain areas. Being very expensive, and generating a fair bit of noise, they naturally go to the remoter areas having no lifts to taste adventure.

Currently in the USA there is a popular offshoot of sky-diving and that is to sky dive, not from a plane, but from a sheer cliff. Most places in the USA are national parks which afford these cliffs, and it is basically illegal but it still finds limbers and parachutists going and jumping off the edge and falling spreadeagled along the rock face for a few thousand feet before pulling the cord and wafting back to safety.

Yet another 'crazy' sport which has also gripped the French is jumping off bridges into the gorge below with an elastic rope tied to their ankles. This has origins in the South American jungles where tribals would jump off a tree with the vines tied to their ankles and bounce back just before they hit the groubd.

Rafting, which was the sport of USA and Canada has got to Europe too and it likely to remain as they hunt for larger rivers and should be a good accompaniment to canoeists and kayakers.

Friday's Feature

~ A Direct initiative of help for the village folk of Dharali beyond Uttarkashi by the team of Ibex Expeditions and its friends ~

 

Over the years, the village of Garhwal has been close to us along with its simple village folk who have been friends of Ibex Expeditions, being hired as porters, cooks, and guides, apart from earning a fair livelihood from their fields and crop.

Today, they no longer have a livelihood, and the danger of losing their homes looms large ahead. The Himalayan Tsunami of June 2013 came unexpectedly in the areas of Uttarakhand, and has so far claimed a flood devastation of over 6000 lives and hundreds of small villages.

Fortunately, there was no loss of life in Dharali as the town residents escaped their homes, taking shelter in caves close to the village.

However, with roads broken and washed away, the 500 village community of Dharali is close to worse times, with food reserves depleted and damage insurmountable. The Dharali village has lost its crop and orchards, as well as the guest houses that brought in an income.

The traumas they have experienced are inconceivable.

In a simple, yet effective, initiative, the Ibex Expeditions team have decided to help this one village restore themselves by supplying what they need most at the moment: food and rations.

As you would know, Dharali is a village that lies 18kms short of Gangotri and the road is broken at at least 3 places between Uttarkashi and Dharali. Our plan is to purchase rations like rice, sugar, flour, tea, pulses that are most required, and hire porters to ferry them to reach them effectively and directly.

We have given the responsibility to our Chief Guide, Khem Singh Panwar, along with the husband of the village Pradhan, Bhagwat Singh, who will travel to Uttarkashi, purchase food items. Along with porters, they will travel 5 Kms in a vehicle to Gangotri, walk from Gangotri to Sainj for 10-12 Kms, then from Sainj in a Jeep to Bhatwari for 6 Kms, the trek 10 Kms from Bhatwari to to Gangani, and from Gangani to Dabrani in a Jeep for 12 Kms with one breach in between, and finally walk 20 Kms from Dabrani to Dharali. Khem Singh will oversee the entire effort and send detailed accounts, bills of food purchased, porter fees, intermittent transport charges, and the final distribution at Dharali village via the Gram Panchayat (village head) to the community which will be documented and photographed.

We are very grateful to those kind souls who have already rapidly reached out with generous donations to the relief process. We will inform each donor of where and how the money was use. A lot of past clients and friends who have traveled in India have come forward to help in many ways.

Read more about Dharali in the News:

A Traumatized Village that Can't Sleep

Pankaj Doval, TNN: June 28, 2013, 06:28 IST

DHARALI (Last village on the Sino-Indian Border in Uttarkashi): For people here, life's been a nightmare ever since flash floods hit Uttarakhand.

When the skies open up now, people of this remote village run to the dark and treacherous mountain caves and spend uncertain hours there. The village, on the the Gangotri pilgrimage route, is home to 500-600 people and was hit hard by flash floods on June 16.

The devastation was massive. Small houses were destroyed and hotels went down. An army officer described the horror: "We came to know that Dharali had been impacted, we rushed there. We found the area was devastated, not a soul was around. We shuddered at the thought that all the villagers had been washed away by the Bhagirathi. But, soon we got to know that they had taken refuge in the caves."

Dharali gets snow for six months, and many villagers move to Uttarkashi during this time. A stream that flows along Dharali swelled into a mighty river after the rains came. It now threatens to wash the village away. The villagers are scared. "We live in danger and can't sleep at night. The moment we hear thunder, we run and take shelter in the caves," Savita, in her early forties, says.

Donations to be sent to: Ibex Expeditions P Ltd., 30 Community Centre, East of Kailash, New Delhi 110065, INDIA.

Vintage Monday

~An Expedition to Remember ~

Around 1981, once Ibex Expeditions was up and running , various adventure trips were on agenda and one of them was a mountain biking trip from Delhi to Kathmandu.

So when a group of 12 from France wanted to do a cycling expedition from Delhi to Kathmandu, it was an exciting venture and a 1500 km three-week program was designed.

While it was being arranged, Mandip envisaged this personal experience would help him immensely and a desire for more adventure got the better of him. In those days in India, multiple gear bikes were not available, so a second hand bike was bought and practice sessions around Delhi was the training in waiting for the adventure.

All began well for the group, but on the first few days, speed was definitely not on Mandip’s side as he would find himself left behind and would only meet them at camp in the evening, so the question playing all along was ‘What the hell is happening? This was supposed to be adventurous, right, and now it’s getting embarrassing.’

And then the truth unfolded that this group of 12 from France were really not normal touring adventure driven tourists, but were seriously training for the Tour de France, an annual bicycle race held in France covering 3600 kilometres over three weeks.

This expedition was from Delhi - Agra - Etawah (Chambal region of the baddies ) Allahabad - Varanasi to Gorakhpur and northwards towards Pokhara in Nepal and finally ending in Kathmandu.

In those days, Chambal was the dreaded refuge of various groups of dacoits ( bandits ) . On this journey, the idea was to camp every day and alternate it with a guesthouse and hotel to freshen up. With a bus trailing the group carrying the gear and spares and a distance of 100 to 150 kms to cover every day, days were pretty arduous.

One evening while traveling through the Chambal region with the usual schedule of camping around 6.30 pm, the experience of two whirling police jeeps and a hurricane like pack up and move order seemed quite bizarre for the group. All had a sigh of relief as word had leaked to the local police that the bandits were due to attack the group that evening.

All ended well once the group successfully completed the arduous pedaling expedition and Mandip swore never to sit on that bicycle seat again! Adventure probably has its own ways, from a hard seated bicycle to escaping mild mishaps; the memories are what live for a lifetime.

Friday's Feature

~ A Tribute to Roger Payne ~

 

Mandip Singh Soin and Roger Payne at Pigne de la Le.

Roger Payne left us on 12th July, 2012, at the age of 55, leaving friends across the globe devastated. Roger was a dear friend of Anita & Mandip for 25 years, and travelled to India often. Roger was the force behind the Indo-Pakistan Friendship expedition, supported by IUCN and UIAA in the Swiss Alps in 2002 - the Year of the Mountains.

Indo-Pak Friendship Expedition in the Swiss Alps ,2002.

He was the former General Secretary of the British Mountaineering Council and was a qualified mountain guide and avalanche expert, having done over 20 expeditions to the Karakoram, South America and Himalayan Ranges, including K2 and the north face of Changanbang, and having made first-ascents in 4 continents.

Roger Payne, Charu Sharma and Mandip Singh Soin at Riffelhorn in Zermatt.

Mandip Singh Soin and Roger Payne in front of Mt Allalain.

On his first death anniversary, Ibex Expeditions pays tribute to a gentleman who walked lightly, with care, in the mountains he loved to passionately.

Loretto McNaught Davis, Roger Payne and Mandip Singh Soin at the Alpine Club's 150th Celebration.

We will always remember Roger, and send healing energy to his wife and climbing partner, Julie-Ann Clyma.

Vintage Monday

~ Adventure is His Business~

 

The excitement and thrill of  exploring distant lands an mountains lured Mandip Soin to adventure sports. And he has taken it up as a business: he has been running an organization which conducts expeditions.

You only live once, they say. Whether you exist in staid shades of grey, or live it up in multicolours - that spell high adventure and thrills. For most of us life indeed follows the prosaic path where adventure stays a distant dream. Yet, a miniscule minority has the adventurous spirit flowing through its veins, that pushes it off the beaten track into unventured realms.

Mandip Singh Soin, mountaineering and trekking veteran who organizes adventure travel got living, definitely belongs to this latter breed. "It was a drastic change from the IAS where I might have ended up:, he grins. An M.A. in history from Delhi's St. Stephen's College, he was destined for other things. "My dad was into parajumping ... he encouraged me during my first trek to the Kuari Pass at the age of 14, and my first climb ... "

"Again, my school principal, Hari Dang, had been to Everest ..." It may have been his genes or his upbringing that did it, but he was hooked soon enough by the great outdoors.

As president of the Hiking Club in college, he rock-climbed and trekked extensively. "There was an unusual trip to the Andaman Isalnds," he recalls, "where I did deep sea fishing, caught sharks, and studied the ways of the tribals. After college I went to Europe to improve my skills in climbing, trekking and skiing in the French and Swiss Alps, and the Italian Dolomites." Soin also instructed at outdoor schools in Wales and Scotland.

Today there's no knowing where he might be. Climbing a rugged Himalayan peak, river rafting in the U.S., or leasing a camel safari in Rajasthan! Or just skiing through he icebound Arctic!

"I was warned about having a 'three month husband," smiles attractive wife Anita, "But its not that bad! He's usually away three or four months in a year, a month to six weeks at a stretch." A freelance graphic designer and writer herself, she decided it made better sense to accompany him whenever she could, along with their three-year-old daughter, who is aptly named "Himali" ("daughter of the snow"). Anita assists in filming expeditions and making video programmes for distribution.

At first glance, their East of Kailash barsati apartment could belong to any young urbanite couple. Only the ropecoils and rucksacks lying around tell their own story, "We're just back from an elephant expedition to Kerala," Anita explains. During the ten-day trip which covered 101Km on elephant back in the Parambikulam Wildlife Reserve, the 11-member team studied the ways of elephants and the environment, as also tourism potential of the unknown terrain. All this as part of the exciting business of living.

Excitement can indeed be good business. "One thing led to another and what started as a hobby turned into a profession," says Spoin,who runs two companies today - Ibex Expeditions (P) ltd. and Ibex Equipment. Ibex Expeditions specializes in tailor-made adventure holidays, ranging "from the very easy to the very tough ..." It all depends on "whether you would like o climb a Himalayan peak, look for the Snow Leopard, or search for the Yeti ..." In a decade of operation, Ibex, the first company of its kind in India, has handled over 100 expeditions. Mountaineering, trekking holidays, ski trips, safaris, river rafting, cycle tours, etc., are all on the cards managed by a team of professionals who share their outdoor knowledge.

Testimonial Thursday

~ Glancing at the Stars ~

http://www.connectedtraveler.com/index.php/places/asia/316-glancing-at-the-stars-jaipur-india

"Thanks to IBEX Expeditions for their assistance and advice on this story"
~ Russel Johnson

Wildlife Wednesday

~ Satpura National Park ~

 

 

At Satpura National Park, you get the wildlife experience in a whole new avatar, with guided walking safaris through the reserve, boat rides along the river, take a classic jeep safari, or enter the park on elephant back. In addition to this, you can stay the night in one of the exciting lodges in the area.

Get in touch to find out more, and book your trip this coming season: October 2013 - June 2014.

Email us at ibex@ibexexpeditions.com

Tuesdays for Tomorrow

~ Could New Delhi be the City of India's Future?~

The Indian capital is cosmopolitan, daring, intellectual and durable: So say the scholars, and quite a few ordinary thinkers as well.

Spiraling inward: Connaught Circus (officially Indira Chowk) is the outer ring of Connaught Place (now Rajiv Chowk) and one of the rotating commercial centers of New Delhi.

The constant verbal sparring between Mumbai and New Delhi comes as no surprise to residents of either city.

Mumbai's own split identity of cosmopolitanism and an historical threat of religious violence have been popularly reflected upon, in books like "Maximum City" and movies such as "Mumbai Meri Jaan". But who has done this for New Delhi? Really sat there and pulled out the definitive threads in a book to make people sit up and take notice?
Perhaps the average Mumbaikers' apparent distaste for New Delhi arises from the latter's inherent rebellion towards being understood. I want to understand, so I sit in on a nostalgic May lecture called The Transformations of Delhi: India's Capital at 100, where some of New Delhi's most prominent intellectuals speak about that which characterizes the capital, to an audience comprising of old Dilliwallas -- writers, editors, researchers -- and a few interested expats.
The conversation between William Dalrymple, Mukul Kesavan, Mushirul Hasan and moderator Mahmood Farooqi celebrating 100 years of New Delhi as the capital city of India, if anything, tells me that the essence of Delhi (both old and new) exists in its refusal to be stereotyped. But, the intellectuals argue, no creation of man can exist without pattern: even in dispersal and chaos there is repetition.
These themes represent the closest we can get -- while we live in it -- to understanding the idea of Delhi and New Delhi, one of its nine districts.

Nostalgic New Delhi

Dilliwallas find a sense of belonging by romanticizing the gardens and old monuments which exist in a time passed, incongruous with the aggressive world outside their gates. This disjunction in time exists in the classification of roads in Delhi too, claims Farooqi. The names of roads bear no semblance with their locality and are instead isolated within biased definitions of those that contributed to India's creation, and recreation.

As opposed to Paranthe Wali Galli in Old Delhi or Marine Drive in Mumbai, New Delhi's Aurungzeb Road or Connaught Place's new avatar as Rajiv Chowk, for example, are simply historical tags imposed on places the names have nothing to do with.

Majestic Cinema in Chandni Chowk, 1953. When telephone wires weren't as tangled and Old Delhi was fashionable.

Metropolitan New Delhi

The single contemporary pride, as opposed to its obsession with its past, is the newly built Delhi Metro Rail which converges inwards to the center or projects outwards from the center, depending on the way you look at it. It allows for a previously flat, dispersed city to travel both below and above ground, above the roads, flyovers and trees, for a new view.
The metro is a mechanical metaphor for the essence of Delhi -- a blurring between the edges of the city and its center, like a small base with a large outer rim, and a crack traveling through.

The Delhi Metro extends all the way to Dwarka in the west, allowing for much of the city to be viewed from above.

Delhi as a spiral

Like a cyclone burgeoning from its calm eye, Delhi exists as a spiral, both geographically and culturally, the pundits say. William Dalrymple theorizes that whilst central Lutyen's Delhi, inhabited by the white neo-Georgian columns and verandahs, is sprawling and quiet, the outskirts of the city are densely-populated and ripe with activity. In contrast, cities around the world are most vibrant in their central squares and circles.

Delhi as a pendulum

Geographically, the walled city of Old Delhi spread from Shahjahanabad to the center and then just grew further and further south. This shift in its North and South borders mimics the to-and-fro movement in the consciousness of the city.

Kesavan attributes Delhi's as a history of "getting away", characterized by a middle class aspiration to shift habitat with economics and hope. The locomotion between the old and new, between the already decayed and the modernized, is relentless. The spiral becomes a pendulum -- circulating to and fro, a linear left and right movement in a circular city: a pattern in dispersal.

The 1984 Republic Day parade near Parliament in New Delhi. Lutyen's Canopy is at the center, emptied of its King George Vth statue post-independence.

In 2010 Delhi spreads outwards. With Jama Masjid, the principal mosque of Delhi, on the horizon.

The future of New Delhi

Despite this existential quality to the spirit of Delhi, moderator Farooqi closes the discussion by predicting New Delhi as the city of India's future: the most cosmopolitan, daring, intellectual and durable. The statement elicits proud and slightly shocked murmurs and a few hisses. But what if it were true?

Does New Delhi's essence exist in its freedom to assume any character, once a spiral, once a pendelum, timelessly and simultaneously becoming its own past, present and future? While Mumbai has had to endure the pressure of too many millions on one narrow strip of land, struggling every monsoon to keep all heads above water.

Article by Himali Singh Soin
First published http://www.cnngo.com, 8th June 2011

Testimonial Thursday

~ A Mountaineering Legend ~

Ibex Expeditions pays homage to Walter Bonatti, one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, who pioneered some of the most difficult and breathtaking climbs on the earth’s tallest mountains, often alone, died September 13th in Rome. He was 81.

This image of Walter ( on the left ) was taken during the 150th Anniversary of the Alpine Club in the Swiss Alps and his passing away a few days ago leaves a void in the world of mountaineering. On The right is another superb mountaineer from UK - Steven Venables - the previous President of the Alpine Club of UK and at centre is Mandip Singh Soin, Director and Founder, Ibex Expeditions India Pvt. Ltd.


Walter Bonatti's achievements include some well known climbs like:

The north face of the Grandes Jorasses (1949)
The east face of Grand Capucin (1951)
The north faces of Tre Cime di Lavaredo in winter (1953)
The southwest pillar of the Aiguille du Dru (The Bonatti pillar) (1955)
Grand Pilier d'Angle (with Tito Gobbi) (1957)
Gasherbrum IV: First Ever Ascent (1958)
The Red Pillar of Brouillard (1959)
Rondoy North - Patagonia (1961)
The north face of the Grandes Jorasses in winter (1963)
The north face of the Matterhorn: solo and in winter (1965)

A true legend of his time, Walter Bonatti will be remembered as a pioneer of mountaineering activities of his times.

Tuesdays for Tomorrow

~ Green Sojourns ~

An article on the developing eco-infrastructure that will fast help transform India into an eco-tourism hub. 

Published in Pravasi Bharatiya, May 2011

Vintage Monday

~ On the Wild Side ~

The final piece of a three-part series written by Mandip Singh Soin, published in the Economic Times as part of a series on the outdoors in the early 1990s.

THE SEASON TO SCALE NEW HEIGHTS:

It sounds like the name of India's satellite launch vehicle. But it's actually a mountain. And a formidable one at that.

Dubbed one of the great challenges of the Garhwal, Swargarohini is located in the Tons Valley and boasts five summits. According to Hindu mythology, the mountain was the 'path to heaven' for the Pandavas. But for modern climbers, it remains and elusive achievement.

But that is not to say mountaineers have stopped trying to conquer it. one early-bird expedition has already arrived from Britain and will attempt to scale Swargarohini I at 6252 metres. The British team, comprising just two memers, will be among the first climbers of this season.

The experienced British dup - Nick Banks and Chris Smith - will be taking the same route as I had in an unsuccessful 1989 expedition. This involves the ascent of Swargarohini II and the a knife-ridge traverse across to the main summit. Nicks is an instructor at a National Mountain institute in the UK - Plas-y-Brenin - located at the foot of Mt. Snowden in North Wales. Within this background, the team's chances are good.

Swargarohini will not be the only peak to face conquest attempts this season. Another one will take place in August-September on a mountain called Hagshu - height 6330 metres - in the Kishtwar region of J&K. A team of four, led by John barry, will scale its north face for the fourth time. They have been beaten back by weather in the past, but they hope to crack the summit this time around.

Barry is a British Army marine, and was also the principal at Plas-y-Brenin, my alma mater. Weather permitting (autumn is generally more stable), John has an even chance. Alsom he will not be under any pressure to perform as he is not considered a die-hard unlike the British duo attempting Thaley Sagar.

Giants of British climbing Joe Brown and Mo Anthoine have attempted Garhwal's Thaley Sagar, with its treacherous and steep north face, before. On their last attempt they climbed the imposing rock head wall and finally got to the last few hundred feet of snow and ice which lay capped on the summit.

Then calamity struck. While stretching out to relax, Anthoine suddenly pushed a rucksack down the mountain. The rucksack carried with it the climbing gear which was necessary to reach the summit. But they took the setback well and called the expedition off.

A type of peak which is becoming popular among climbers is what is called the 7000 metre-plus ones. Peaks like Nun (7135 m) and Kun (7077 m) in Zanskar top the popularity list. A specialized mountian guide agency advertizes the summit and gets mountianeers to sign on for expeditions.

One such successful agency, Allibert of France, has been sedning teams to Kun via the east ridge (Nomale) for the past five years now. It boasts an impressive success rate of nearly 60 per cent.

The peak is not difficult and lies in the remote Zanskar region. The weather is stable, though there is the danger of crevasses en route, and of black bears at the base camp. But it is an exhilarating climb for those yearning for rarefied oxygen at 7000 metres.

Testimonial Thursday

~ Impressions ~

On October 2nd 2011, Renan, Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker reached the summit of the previously unclimbed Shark's Fin route on the NW face of Meru (20,700ft). In the game of high-altitude, big wall mountaineering, the Shark's Fin lies right on the boundary of what is possible. This win didn't come easily - it was Jimmy and Renan's 2nd and Conrad's 3rd trip to the Garhwal Himalaya of India to attempt this route and all ground support and travel logistics were organised by Ibex Expeditions, India. 

Renan Ozturk discovered his passion for climbing while attending Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado is known to have produced several mountaineers and climbers and this is also where Mandip and Anita Singh Soin’s son Himraj is a Senior (Mandip is the Founder of Ibex Expeditions established in 1979). As a member of the small community of climbers there, he honed his skills, deepened his connection to the sport of climbing and dreamed of the remote and beautiful places it could take him.

Here is a beautiful water colour painted by Renan after this expedition that captures the splendour of the mountains in captivating colours.

Wildlife Wednesday

~ Quest for the Snow Leopard ~

Above Rumbak Village, Leh

Bearded Vulture

Climbing down to Rumbak Village

Snow Leopard Trek 2009

The elusive Snow Leopard

On the prowl

In the cold winter months of Ladakh, we provide you the unique & rare experience of finding the elusive and endangered Snow Leopard. With its team of best Snow Leopard naturalist we will take you into one of the best Snow Leopard habitats in the Hemis high altitude National Park.

Some of the birds that you may come across while on the trek are Golden Eagle, Lammergeyer, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Himalayan Griffon and Himalayan Snow cock, Tibetan Partridge, Chukar Partridge, White Winged Redstart,  Robin Accentor, Snow Pigeons, Hill Pigeons, Fire- Fronted Serin, Blue Whistling-thrush, Snowfinches, White Breasted Dipper, Brown Dipper, Wallcreeper and the Upland Buzzard.

While on the trek you will also have the opportunity to stay in Home Stays and in tents in the prime habitat. Our home stays act as eco tourism initiatives that encourage the locals to help preserve the Snow Leopard and not make it their prey.

Enjoying a hot breakfast

On through the month of April we offer you the opportunity to indulge in a seven day trek where you can come face to face with the elusive snow leopard!

Photo Credits: The Ibex Collection
Pictures of the Snow Leopard: Stanzin Gurmet, Mountain Initiatives

Friday's Feature

~ Jeep safaris ~

If you wish to explore expansive landscapes, verdant valleys and rolling hills this summer, there is no better way than a jeep safari. 

Jeeps throwing up dust

A jeep safari carries the ingredients of a high adventure over spectacular road journeys through remote and forbidden areas of the Himalaya including old caravan routes with reliable and informed drivers without being physically strenuous. 

A jeep seen in the distance

A range of interesting journeys can be undertaken in India with popular ones being from Delhi to Manali and on to Leh and the newly opened Nubra valley in Ladakh as well as to the remote areas of Lahaul, Kinnaur and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. Once in Leh, several jeep safaris are possible to the spectacular high altitude lakes of Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri and to the rugged though spectacular Zanskar valley.  

Kalpa Village, Himachal Pradesh

For gentler jeep journeys, the beautiful Kumaon and Garhwal regions in Uttarakhand to quaint hills towns like Ranikhet and Almora are interesting. There is also a unique local food culture, with chutneys and pickles made of apples, plums and mangoes. Here, one is able to buy textiles and woollens hand woven by local women cooperatives.

Tabo Monastery 

On a jeep safari in the remote Himalayan areas it is possible to stay at Himalayan home stays and Ibex supports this initiative as it indirectly helps the village communities offset income losses from livestock depredation by snow leopards and other predators. With income from tourism that highlights wildlife viewing, local people have a reason to conserve predators which may threaten their herds, especially since poaching and retributive killing of snow leopards are the major threats across the Himalaya to this rare and beautiful cat.

The mountains at Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh

The ideal time to explore these scapes is June to September. So opt for any one of these places or then tell us your interest and we will create one especially for you!

Vintage Monday

~ On the Wild Side ~

Another of a three-part series written by Mandip Singh Soin, published in the Economic Times as part of a series on the outdoors in the early 1990s.

ROUGH IT OUT IN COMFORT

It's one outdoor sport that's fast catching on - especially among executives, who find it a stimulating way of taking a break. But while roughing it out on a trek is fine, misplaced bravado can literally take on over the edge.

To get the best out of any trekking expedition, you should be prepared to battle the elements. Thus, go in for the best equipment available. It may be expensive, but it will be worth the extra bucks as it lasts for years.

Start with a good wind- and water-proof jacket. The ones made from the expensive Goretex fabric are perhaps the best. Not only are they water-proof,but they are also 'breathable', helping you to avoid the wet and clammy feeling of normal water-proofs. But don't worry, if these jackets don't suit your pocket, a good water-proof jacket would adequately serve the purpose.

A rucksack is the most ubiquitous of all trekking equipment. Look for a good-sized, water-proof, nylon rucksack with a capacity of about 60-70 litres. But make sure you get one with an internal frame system. This prevents drag on the shoulders by taking the shape of the body. External frames are uncomfortable and tend to get caught on rocky outcrops and branches.

These frames are doubly dangerous as they fracture at the least impact - leading to grievous injury, in case of a fall. Make sure that all the buckles are of the 'quick-release' type. At the same time they should hold fast during the simple check of pulling them apart. But remember no rucksack is perfectly water-proof. So line it with a large polythene bad. You could even go for a rucksack in psychedelic colours. Colourful gear is in these days. So why not paint the mountains red?

A sleeping bag is another item to be chosen with care if you want to avoid a nightmarish experience. Since a high-altitude trek entails camping on snow, warm sleeping bags become absolutely essential for survival. Use bags with synthetic fibre filling of a material like Holofil, a DuPont product. Holofil bags retain the trapped an convecte body heat in the loft, even when wet.

Avoid zippered bags. Remember how Captain Haddock, Tin-tin's friend, had his beard caught in a zipper. Well, tough everybody is not as clumsy, a stuck zipper can try anybody's patience. Also they form the cold vein of the sleeping bag from where the heat escapes. It can be particularly distressing if you are given to tossing and turning. Instead, try a slide-bag - 1.5 to 1.75 kg. It would be warm enough even in temperatures of 0 to 5 degrees celssius.

Don't forget to spread a proper mat under your bag.While a close-cell foam mat is ideal, you could try others, too. Check the quality of the mat by dipping a part of it in water. A good one will not soak in the water.

Now for the big one. The best of plans can be wrecked if the tent is not strong enough to protect you from the biting winds and the chilling snow. The one available nowadays come in two basic shapes - the 'A' shaped, with aluminium alloy poles, and the dome shaped with aluminium fibre glass rods. The 'A' shaped tent with an inner layer of 'breathable cotton' and an outer layer (fly sheet) of water-proof nylon fabric, is the best for low altitude treks. The geodesic dome shaped tents have poles that can bend and should be checked for both strength and resilience. Though easy to pitch, it's more expensive. Take care never to pack wet or damp tents in their bags as they tend to mildew and rot.

Having organized the essentials, other items can be begged or borrowed. Starting from the top, here's what you will need - a woollen balaclava (monkey cap), peak cap, sun goggles (preferably ones that block ultra-violet rays), anti sunburn cream, T-shirts and shorts for the day. If it's cold, get baggy trousers and 'plus fours'. Socks, stockings and gloves should be 20 percent acrylic and the rest wool. Hundred percent wool often shrinks, if wet. Also, wear a pair of cotton socks under woollen ones. This allows the perspiration to be soaked up by the first layer and thus avoid 'matting up' of the socks.

Many layers of clothing are good in any case. Because the more layers you have, the more air you trap. Air, as you know, is the bad conductor of heat and retains body warmth.

Other knick-knacks that make life easier up on the mountains are the useful Swiss Army knives, pen-lights, a whistle and cord. With all this equipment, you can then rough it out - in comfort.