My Parting remarks and few Observations on NIM

The entire course, though very tough, was unique but loads of fun too. From living in tents for 18 days, laughing and crying with team mates at the same time, to putting up with people’s egos and tantrums! It all makes me think that to experience adventure and beauty you have to experience extremes.
My asthma never posed a problem all through the course. Infact, the higher I went I had stopped wheezing as well. The doctor had given me a clean chit of being fit. I did not have problems of acclimatizing while some others did.
Infact what was surprising is that some girls who came across as physically fit actually ended up with breathing attacks on high altitudes.
But what disappoints me is that finally I have been graded on the basis of my Asthma. I have been given a B grade because I am an asthmatic and not because i did not perform well.
While some others, who were ill during the course, did not complete height gain due to their illness have managed to get an A Grade…. I wonder how and on what basis?
But let me conclude by saying that a B Grade is not going to stop me from scaling more heights year after year.

Three Phases of Traning at NIM

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The first phase of our training begins....

it invovled Rock Craft, for which we walked the entire stretch of 11 km from the NIM campus to Tekhla, the rock climbing zone. The most adventurous aspect of this phase was climbing up 40m high rocks and then rappelling down the same. Climbing also included artificial wall climbing within the premises of the institute. The institute has an international climbing wall. The first Asian sport climbing competition was held here at the NIM institute.

This was followed by the most memorable part of the course: the 18 day trek!
We left from the NIM campus on June 3 and our journey literally took us across many mountains and rivers, forests and glaciers! Here were 63 basic course mountaineering trainees (208 Basic Course.. that’s what we were addressed as when in a group), with 20 kg ruck-sacks on our backs, working purely on the directions of their instructors. Initially one feels like a porter, but slowly as you get into the groove of training you realize what fun all this is.

Our journey took us from NIM (4,300 feet) to Bukhi Road head to Tel Camp(8,200 feet), Jungle camp, Gujjar Hut camp and finally Base Camp (12,300 feet) and then Advance base Camp (13400ft) and then finally a height gain of 16000 ft to Camp 1of ‘Draupadi Ka Danda Peak’.
It sounds like a great achievement now, but at that moment we were all humbled by the beauty of the places we passed by, with beautiful rhododendrons, buttercups, marshmarygolds and other colourful flowers inviting us to their humble abode.

Walking through valleys of flowers, with snow carpeted mountains, crossing crystal clear streams and hearing the gurgling waters, was such a pleasure, it compensated for the tough journey and heavy luggage, giving us all a sense of calm and contentment. It was all worth it!

Second Phase of Training
The day after reaching base camp, we took off for the second phase of our course: Ice Craft:.
We would trek to the Dokriani Bamak glacier, which was a black glacier- a mountainous area of pure ice covered with rubbles and morraines. We were all anxious at first, since the climb to the place itself made us slip and fall a dozen times and then the ice craft was even more grueling. We were taught techniques of ascending and descending on ice slopes, glaciers and crevasses with the help of ice axe, pitons, wearing heavy ice boots and crampons (spikes attached to the base of the boots for grip on ice). But by the end of the 5 day training in this area, I was confident enough to walk up and down the ice slopes and enjoy!
During our lecture sessions at base camp, we were instructed on the various aspects related to mountaineering. It included lectures on avalanches, glaciers, flora and fauna, important medical information about the effect of high altitudes on mountains, importance of different types of food on the mountains and we were also shown mountaineering films on Mount Everest expeditons, Jamling Norgay’s narration of his father Tenzing Norgay’s expeditions and his like for Everest and not to miss Hollywood films such as Vertical Limit and Into Thin Air!
Some highlights of the Course
Many of our instructors gave us detailed stories of their experiences on the various peaks they had climbed such as Everest, Chowkhamba and many other peaks in the Garhwal Himalayas. We were fortunate to have with us on our trip Colonel Balwant Sandhu, ex principal of the institute and his wife Helga.
The first time when he introduced himself to us he said he was a mountaineer and that had climbed several peaks and had done several expeditions. To his credit also lies the fact that he climbed Changabang, as leader of an Indo-British expedition. The peak is also called ‘the sharks tooth’ because of its extreme steep feature. After his succesful summit to this peak no one till date has climbed this peak. He ended his introdution by telling us “ I have climbed several peaks but i have not climbed the Everest”. I was kicked by that statement. At a time when every single mountaineer you come across their only am in life is to climb ‘The Everest’ and here was this experienced climber who has no qualms about saying that he has not climbed the Everest.
When asked him why he had never though of climbing the Everest he simply told me “ I did not want to pt myself through so much torture.I climb because i love the mountains and not to prove something or break some record.” I quite shared his thoughts. I am also asked by a lot of my friends if i have done EBC (Everest Base Camp) trek and when i tell them i have not they look at me with this expresson what mountaineer are you? You have not done EBC? Well you never know i might do it someday but so far it was not on my agenda .
The experience Col Sandhu shared with us was priceless and awe inspiring. His German wife Helga shared her thoughts with us on Flora and fauna. Col Sandhu also gave us lot of insights into the environmental hazards that has gripped the Himalayas such as receding glacier problems.

An important point that Col Sandhu once told me during the entire trip was about how you cannot take the mountains for granted and that even though the mountains can be very beautiful, they can also be very ruthless!

Last Phase of Training
From Base camp we proceeded to Advance Base Camp, at a height of 13,400 feet and this was also third and last phase of our course: Snow Craft. Here we learnt the techniques of ascending on soft snow with the help of ice axe and ropes. I really enjoyed this part of the training. Thereafter my most enjoyable part of training was the final height gain from Advance Base Camp to Camp 1 of Draupadi Ka Danda peak at 16000 ft.
I enjoyed this bit the most, as I walked effortlessly amidst the snow. At time there were slight whiteouts but overall the feeling was so fantastic at the end of the climb and very enriching.
At the end of snow craft training and our height gain, we returned back to base camp. We revised Map reading and navigaton techniques was taught to us with the use of a compass and service protractor and the next day we were sent on a treasure hunt! based on the map reading and navigation skills that we had learnt.
As all serious courses do, this one too had a test at the end. Hence, on the last day after he treasure hunt.. everyone could be seen sitting with book in hand trying to memorise all the notes given to us during the lectures. For the last couple of years NIM had made it compulsory for all trainees to get atleast 40 percent marks in theory. This would also help in getng an A Grade.
It’s only when you get an A Grade that you are allowed to seek admission for an Advance course.
The day arrived when we were to return back to the NIM campus. We walked from Base Camp to Tel, which took us 9 hours, with just few breaks in bettween.
The next day was our final trek to Bukhi road head from where we were driven back to the NIM campus. The euphoria on everyone’s faces on seeing the buses, a sign of civilization after 18 days of living like nomads, was worth seeing!

On arrival at the Campus:

We arrive at the campus on 26th. There is chaos as usual. So many girls there is bound to be chaos. We then hear a loud stern voice asking us to shut up. It is one of the senior instructors of the Institute. We are then asked to fall in a line and each one of us is asked to enter our name, address and place of birth in a register after which we are allotted a room for the first day. I was allotted room no.2. It’s a bunker system room with six comfortable beds. I unload my back pack and occupy one of the cupboards. Then two others girls come in and do the same.
Along with me in the same room were Roopa from Delhi, Banarasi (Babu) from MP-Chattisgarh an NCC Cadet, Shreyanka from Bangalore, Kanchan from Mumbai and Janhvi from Ahmedabad.
Jhanvi was the youngest amongst us .. she was all of 17 and she was doing this course inspired by her father who had just summitted Mount Everest with the Indian Police Expedition. Shreyanka, a Yoga specialist was doing the course because it was suggested to her by her aunt who goes climbing with Bachendri Pal – the first Indian woman to summit Everest. She had no clue what trekking is or what she was going to do over the next 28 days. Banarasi had come through NCC and Kanchan was sponsored by an NGO called Saathi in Mumbai..which has interests in adventure sports.
After introducing ourselves, the restlessness of sitting idle doing nothing was getting to me. So I decide to go for a short walk around the lush green campus. Shreyanka joins me for the walk.
It’s strange but you meet some people for the first time and it seems like you have known the person for long. I must honestly confess here that I never expected to make so many friends at the Institute but by the end of the course I had made so many friends. And hopefully they are all there to stay.
As I go around the campus I see that the campus has a Himalayan Museum, Indoor and Outdoor climbing wall, a library, a temple, cafeteria, Green House, Himalayan Flora and Fauna, equipments and medical room, souvenir shop etc … But one cannot just walk into these places. There are specific timings to visit these places. First day everything seems strange.. one really wonders why am I doing this? But eventually you realize it is worth it…..
Around 7 pm the entire 208 Basic Course is summoned to the lecture hall for a pep Talk that was to be delivered by C Norbu one the senior most instructors at the Institute. At the pep talk we were told about the course, mountaineering, the certain dos and donts within the Campus and and rules to follow. A gist of the 28 days course and what is expected of us.
After a nice long walk…we step into the cafeteria and gorge on some Momos and Maggie Noodles….as we knew that from day 2 onwards training will start and we will be confide to Mess Food….(which I must again confess was very good).
After dinner I once again took a short walk but not too far away from the eyes of the instructors. We are all asked to get back to our rooms by 8.30 and 9.30 lights go off.
Day two was going to be an early day…..we are told

It's been a wonderful experience!!!

So what have I been doing in the last few months…why have I not updated my blog ? Well no particular reason for not updating my blog.. But now I would like to start off my update with my trip to Nehru Institute of Mountaineering for my Basic Mountaineering Course. I promise I will be regular from now on

Wonderful Experience !!

In a world where most are consumed by endless commitments and routine, dreams often take a back seat. As a fairly successful journalist, I believe I have been able to effectively leverage my climbing experiences to prove that one can successfully marry work and outdoor passion to achieve something remarkable for ones own self.
That’s probably one reason that I sought admission to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Asia’s premier institute of mountaineering to do my Basic course in Mountaineering, a course that teaches you everything from walking in the hills, to packing your back pack to rock climbing to Ice climbing in the glacier, snow craft, lecture sessions on mountaineering and Himalayas and much more..
When I told this to my friends who are far from being trekkers or mountaineers they thought I had kind of lost it. “One month of concentration camp” (well that’s what they thought it was when I gave them a brief on what I had enrolled for) you must be nuts….
Not their fault .. as they associate a month long holiday with a stay in a resort where one could chill and have a good time with all the comforts of life. And mine was a holiday that was a complete contrast of what a holiday should be.
But nothing stops me. And so I set out for Uttarkashi from Mumbai on May 25, 2009 as I had to report at the Institute on 26th.
I reached Uttarkashi main market on 26th afternoon from where the NIM bus would be picking up all the trainees to take them to the Institute. As I landed in the main market from Dehradun, I realise I am not alone. There were several other girls from various parts of the country with their loaded backpacks all set to for the course. I couldn’t wait to get to the institute. I was sitting at the window seat and gaping outside as though i had never been to the mountains before. And then as the bus entered the gates of the sacred Institution my happiness knew no bounds...I realised I was sheepishly grinning to myself and suddenly i notice one of the girls staring at me.
I wasn't a novice to the course. I had heard such a lot from my friends who had done the course that it had half prepared me for the course and i was ready for all eventualities. But, there were several others who had absolutely no clue what they were going to be doing. Most girls I spoke to thought it was going to be an adventure camp and therefore a lot of fun for the next 28 days. Little did they know we were far from having fun.
The Institute demands that you are fit both physically, mentally and medically for the course. So a little amount of training prior to the course is always good. Especially practicing walking with load for at least 2 hours daily.
I being a chronic asthmatic, took more efforts to be fit. I was not sure in the first place if my application would be accepted. But when they did i decided i would give my best shot at this course.
Apart from this being a long standing dream, I also wanted to do the course to break the myth that asthmatics are physically and medically not fit to do mountaineering. I want to be an example to all those asthmatics out there who constantly live in this fear that they cannot do outdoors and therefore deprive themselves of all the fun by living a very restricted and boring life.
But let me tell you no amount of training is enough. I realized that nothing would have prepared me for what I was to face in the coming 28 days. Wake-up at 4.30 in the morning, assemble for physical training at 6.30 am and thereafter have a hectic schedule for the entire day filled with lecture sessions, artificial wall and natural rock climbing training, tent pitching, long treks, etc!
Initially everyone was fine but later on slowly the physical stress and fatigue started to set in. The course is designed in such a manner that the moment you realize you are free for sometime…. The whistle would suddenly blow and it would be time for a fall in…phew…
The instructors well made sure that not a single trainee was sitting idle. There would always be something or the other to do…For many of us city bred individuals sleeping in bunk beds and living a disciplined lifestyle was new.
Girls were aghast to know that we could not even walk in our slippers in the hostel. At all given times one had to make sure that she was wearing shoes when she stepped out of her room. But that’s a reality that we had to live with for one month…..

So what’s a Basic Course?
In this course, beginners are taught the basic techniques of movement on rock, snow and ice. This is achieved through practical training and theoretical knowledge about the various aspects of mountaineering, including conservation of Himalayan environment, preserving health in the mountains, toughen the body by increasing resistance to cold, hunger and fatigue.
The trainees of the Basic course spend initial four to six days at Uttarkashi and Tekhla, where they undergo physical conditioning, toughening up exercises, long walks and extensive rock climbing training. Thereafter, they spend the next 18 days in the mountains; the journey towards base camp involves tow to three intermediate camps, which help the trainees acclimatize. During their stay in the mountains, students are trained in the basic techniques of snow craft and ice craft that help in climbing at high altitudes. On completion of training, basic course students are taken for a height gain, up to altitudes ranging between 16,000 and 19,000 feet.

Since the course was for one whole month and there is so much to share I will be adding to this piece every day from tomorrow.. so watch this space for more……