Access
to Adventure - - -›
Adventure Activities
in India - - -› Mountaineering
in India
Mountaineering in India
If
you're fired by the spirit of adventure, let the sparks in your heart fly......
in India, a land blessed with lofty snow-clad peaks, crystal glaciers, rolling
meadows, jagged rock faces, verdant valleys, meandering rivers, cascading waterfalls,
dense forests, and hospitable people, blessed with a rich culture - a land perfect
for mountaineering, trekking, and rock climbing.
Seasons:
While the mountaineering season tends to be concentrated around the April-November
period, a number of climbs are also attempted in winter (December-March) which,
though much colder, allows for clearer climbing days.
Categories:
Mountaineering routes are graded, according to the degree of difficulty and
accessibility. Prior medical examination is essential. The permanent snowline,
generally being in the region of 5,200 m, the degree of difficulty of mountaineering
routes, can broadly be defined as :
Moderate:
Requiring knowledge of basic mountaineering techniques, such as those imparted
by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi, the Himalayan Mountaineering
Institute at Darjeeling, and the Western Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering
at Manali.
Advanced:
For this category of peaks, it is necessary to be in top physical condition,
and to possess advanced mountaineering skills, either through the advanced courses
of mountaineering institutes, or through expedition experience. Within this
category, further demarcation is possible, till the highest degrees of difficulty.
Locales:
The
main mountaineering locales, are in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions of Uttar
Pradesh. In Garhwal, the areas, include the Tons-Banderpunch region, the Gangotri
glacier system, the Nanda Devi sanctuary (presently closed), Arwa glacier area,
Kamet and Abi Gamin. The roadheads for these at Taluka, Gangotri, Joshimath,
and Malari, can be reached in two or three days from Delhi. In Kumaon, the areas
include the Kalabaland glacier system, the Panch Chulhi, Rajrambha, and Chaudhara
peaks, and the peaks of the Nandakot basin, on the eastern flank of the Nanda
Devi sanctuary.
Equipment:
Equipment can be hired, either from clubs, or purchased from one of the agencies
selling it. Prior to setting out, all equipment must be tested, and team members
must familiarize themselves with its use. Kerosene must be carried, so that
the fragile mountain environment is not further degraded, by cutting any wood.
The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam has a full-fledged mountaineering and trekking
division, based at Muni-ki-Reti, Rishikesh
Permits:
For information about Peak booking fees, Inner Line restrictions, import of
equipment, camera permits, insurance, medical attention, and evacuation procedures,
contact the Indian Mountaineering Foundation based at Delhi. This is the national
apex coordinating body for the sport in India
Important:
All expeditions, whether Indian, foreign, or joint, are required to apply to
the IMF, at least six months prior to departure, so that all the formalities
are completed within the time frame. Leaders of returning expeditions, are required
to submit reports, and adequate proof of the climbs, to the IMF. While Indian
nationals and IMF sponsored joint expeditions, can attempt peaks beyond the
'Inner Line', foreign nationals are as a rule not permitted to do so. Additionally,
all expeditions by foreign nationals, are required to be accompanied by an Indian
liaison officer at their cost.
Access
to Adventure
- - -› About
Himalayas - - -› People
& Tribes of Himalayas
People & Tribes of Himalayas
The
population, settlement, and economic patterns within the Himalayas have been
greatly influenced by the variations in topography and climate, which impose
harsh living conditions and tend to restrict movement and communication. People
living in remote, isolated valleys have generally preserved their cultural identities.
However, improvements in transportation and communication, particularly satellite
television programs from Europe and the United States, are bringing access from
the outside world to remote valleys. These outside influences are affecting
traditional social and cultural structure.
Nearly 40 million people inhabit the Himalayas. Generally, Hindus of Indian
heritage are dominant in the Sub-Himalayas and the Middle Himalayan valleys
from eastern Kashmir to Nepal. To the north Tibetan Buddhists inhabit the Great
Himalayas from Ladakh to northeast India.
In central Nepal, in an area between about 1830 and 2440 m (between about 6000
and 8000 ft), the Indian and Tibetan cultures have intermingled, producing a
combination of Indian and Tibetan traits. The eastern Himalayas in India and
nearby areas of eastern Bhutan are inhabited by animistic people whose culture
is similar to those living in northern Myanmar and Yunnan province in China.
People of western Kashmir are Muslims and have a culture similar to the inhabitants
of Afghanistan and Iran.
The economy of the Himalayas as a whole is poor with low per capita income.
Much of the Himalayas area is characterized by a very low economic growth rate
combined with a high rate of population growth, which contributes to stagnation
in the already low level of per capita gross national product. Most of the population
is dependent on agriculture, primarily subsistence agriculture; modern industries
are lacking.
Mineral resources are limited. The Himalayas has major hydroelectric potential,
but the development of hydroelectric resources requires outside capital investment.
The skilled labor needed to organize and manage development of natural resources
is also limited due to low literacy rates. Most of the Himalayan communities
face malnutrition, a shortage of safe drinking water, and poor health services
and education systems.
Agricultural land is concentrated in the Tarai plain and in the valleys of the
Middle Himalayas. Patches of agricultural land have also been carved out in
the mountainous forested areas. Rice is the principal crop in eastern Tarai
and the well-watered valleys. Corn is also an important rain-fed crop on the
hillsides.
Other cereal crops are wheat, millet, barley, and buckwheat. Sugarcane, tea,
oilseeds, and potatoes are other major crops. Food production in the Himalayas
has not kept up with the population growth.
The
major industries include processing food grains, making vegetable oil, refining
sugar, and brewing beer. Fruit processing is also important. A wide variety
of fruits are grown in each of the major zones of the Himalayas, and making
fruit juices is a major industry in Nepal, Bhutan, and in the Indian Himalayas.
Since 1950 tourism has emerged as a major growth industry in the Himalayas.
Nearly 1 million visitors come to the Himalayas each year for mountain trekking,
wildlife viewing, and pilgrimages to major Hindu and Buddhist sacred places.
The number of foreign visitors has increased in recent years, as organized treks
to the icy summits of the Great Himalayas have become popular. While tourism
is important to the local economy, it has had an adverse impact on regions where
tourist numbers exceed the capacity of recreational areas.
Historically, all transport in the Himalayas has been by porters and pack animals.
Porters and pack animals are still important, but the construction of major
roads and the development of air routes have changed the traditional transportation
pattern.
Major urban centers such as Kathmandu, Simla, and Srinagar, as well as important
tourist destinations, are served by airlines. Railways link Simla and Darjiling,
but in most of the Himalayas there are no railroads. The bulk of goods from
the Himalayas, as well as goods destined for places within the Himalayas, generally
come to Indian railheads, located in the Tarai, by road. The pack animals and
porters transport goods from road heads to the interior and back.
Copyright©,
Access
to Adventure. All Rights Reserved
Golden Triangle