Basic Mountaineering Course, June 2017, Beas Kund

Introduction

Having done high altitude trekking for awhile, I thought it would be helpful to attend a short mountaineering course to get formal instruction on snow and ice travel and safety in the mountains.

I searched online and found a private company (above14000ft.com) in Manali  that offered a short basic mountaineering course that taught the fundamentals of technical climbing on snow and ice, along with safety.

Kullu-Manali (VIBR) airport Approach

Introduction

I recently flew from Delhi (VIDP) to Kullu-Manali (VIBR) in an Air India ATR 72-600 (VT-AII).

VIBR is located at Bhuntar, Himachal Pradesh, at an elevation of 3,573 feet. It has a single 1,125 m long runway (16/34) alongside the Beas river in the Kullu valley. The valley is approximately 2 km wide at Bhuntar, surrounded by hills that are more than 4,000 feet higher than the runway.

Thangsing Trek (21 - 27 Nov 2015)

Introduction

Me and some friends decided to trek to Goecha La, a high altitude pass (elevation 16,207') in West Sikkim, in late November 2015. This pass is 7 km, as the crow flies, from the base of the south face of Kangchenjunga. 

Ladakh Trip (15 - 19 June 2016)

Introduction

I paid a short visit to Ladakh earlier this year, in mid June 2016.

Ladakh lies in the northern-most part of India. It lies north of the Himalayas and is a cold and dry high altitude plateau interspersed with mountain ranges.