Cold Weather Apparel And Expedition Gear

 #WinterAscent #DeepSnow #MountainTraverse #HimachalPradesh #Himalayas

 Completed in 5 days - Manali to Manali

 8th Oct 2020, 2:00 PM – Drove from Manali to Khanol and hiked up to Chikka

 9th Oct 2020, 8:00 AM – Short becomes long – Saw a shortcut, took it and hit a dead end. Successful intuitive traverse through moraine to merge with traditional route and carried on to Tainta. This was a long day – 14 HRS, 38 KMS, 30 KG Load, Phew!!

 10th Oct 2020, 7:00 AM - 4 HRS climb to Col Camp @ 5050 meters. High gradient, high altitude and ice/rock fall terrain.

 11th Oct 2020, 2:00 AM - Started glacier route summited @ 9:30 AM, began his decent around 10:30 AM reaching Tainta 4:00 PM.

 12th Oct 2020, 6:00 AM – Left Tainta and reached Manali around 4:00 PM

 3/10-6K (Jan 2018):

 Ten days, three peaks, 6000+ meters. This was a part of his winter ascent training and conditioning where they covered two unnamed peaks and Stok Kangri. Temperatures ranged between -15°C to -30°C. Weather conditions remained favourable and they were able to complete the same successfully. This was a test of their skills, endurance and mental stability. Lack of oxygen & plummeting temperatures were part of the parcel. Frozen rivers, avalanche prone areas were right around the corner. The activity was undertaken as a part of their Pre-Kanchenjunga expedition. They could not find any traces of human presence on their first ascent (6066 M) which suggested that this was unclimbed. On the second peak (6119 M) they found a trail but needed to negotiate snow and moraine while tackling high risk rock fall. This was a tricky peak. Third peak was “Stok Kangri” (6153 M), it was coldest of the lot and they had to walk on the frozen “Stok” river as they couldn’t follow traditional route due to the onset of winter.

 In 2013 Abhijeet was at crossroads, whether to continue his corporate job and live a secured life or to take a leap of faith towards his true calling.

 Standing at this fork he knew that there was only one way out of it, he will have to start climbing the cliffs of his passions!

 Seven years later, his hard work and focus have made him one of the few professional adventure photographers of India, an AcroYogi and a Mountaineer.

 Inspired by the likes of Jimmy Chin, Jonathan Griffith and Corey Richards he has relentlessly pursued his passion and today he is one of the brand athletes for prominent companies like Mont Blanc, The Good Life Co, YogaBars & more.

 His photography work has been published in various publications like The Alpinist, The Outdoor Journal, Indian Quarterly and he has also been featured by Redbull, Wildcraft, Woodland and Times group.

 Born in Haridwar, Abhijeet went on to become an engineer and then an MBA graduate from MICA. He did two jobs in the corporate sector and thereafter pursued his career as professional adventure photographer.

 Adventurous at heart, he is also fervent towards fitness and health. Trail running, parkour, calisthenics, weighted hikes and AcroYoga are now a part of his routine. He maintains a strict diet plan where he balances his nutrition prioritising requirements to maintain his body in addition to the needs of endurance training.

 Since August 2013, he has undertaken various notable ascents like Kang Yatse II (6200m), CB13 (6264m), Cathedral (6100m), Deo Tibba (6001m), Shitidhar, Stok Kangri and Gulep Kangri. He and Pranav Rawat also made India’s first ascents of two frozen waterfalls in the heart of Spiti Valley in January 2016 and he is one of the two protagonists in the ice climbing documentary film The Fall.

 After completing his climbing courses in 2014 he began ice climbing and eventually moved to Manali so he could be closer to the ice. This helped him to get involved with the core climbing and adventure fraternity which has a strong presence there. He is an avid reader and had the opportunity to learn from inspiring individuals like Cosmin, Tim Banfield

 - Rex Karmaveer Chakra (instituted by iCongo and United Nations) Awardee, Nov 2019

trail running

 - Grand Prize for THE FALL at the IMF Mountain Film Festival, Delhi 2017

 - Semi-finalist for THE FALL at Caribbean Film Festival & Market, 2017

 - Best Documentary for THE FALL at Expressions Short Film Festival, Nagpur 2017

 - First Prize for the film CB13 at Adventure fIlm Festival, GOA 2017

 Over the years, having gained significant experience in climbing and seeing the positive outcomes of his own curriculum, he decided to share the same to help young climbers develop the right skills.

 He now teaches a course called “Mountain Strong”, a comprehensive residential mountain climbing training program which combines conditioning and sports specific training for self-sufficient mountain climbing. He coaches 20+ students on average in a year and this number is set to increase double in 2021.

 Prem is one of the youngest professional mountaineers in India and he boasts of over 7 years of mountaineering in the Himalayas. And as he analyzes where the hurdles of climbing Saser Kangri IV come from, he bases the failures of other mountaineers on his own findings. He however admits that the mountain is an “unfinished business” and expresses his wishes to go back.

 Prem is one of the youngest professional mountaineers in India and he boasts of over 7 years of mountaineering in the Himalayas. And as he analyzes where the hurdles of climbing Saser Kangri IV come from, he bases the failures of other mountaineers on his own findings. He however admits that the mountain is an “unfinished business” and expresses his wishes to go back.

 #Karakoram #SaserKangri #Himalayas #Ladakh #HighAltitude #ExtremeAdventure #mountaineering #Expeditions

 Safety Tips for Trekking in Brown Bear Habitat

 Hiking and mountaineering is fun, but for those who choose to take on the Himalayas from Ladakh, it isn’t always a great experience. Ladakh has several fierce and dangerous animals, including the snow leopards and the Himalayan brown bears.

 Thankfully, Kirti Chavan, in the presentation, gives valuable safety tips for safe trekking and mountaineering. He advises on safe practices in the wild, how to handle brown bear attacks, and the likeliest areas where they could be in Ladakh.

 Kirti, works with the Snow Leopard Conservancy Trust, also sheds light on why the animals are nowadays becoming way too common to meet. You should check out his recommended measures, including reading tracks, carrying safety equipment and when not to visit particular areas.

 #HimalayanBrownBear #EarthDay #Himalayas #Conservation #Ladakh #Zanskar

 Sujoy Das, a seasoned trekker and the voice behind the video, paints perhaps the clearest picture of the entire experience throughout the trip, including the locals they met in the Himalayas. One impressive aspect about the video is how this professional photographer managed to capture important moments of the expedition.

 And like a third party or perhaps an outsider in the whole trip, he manages to shoot award-winning images of the galaxy, the mountain ranges illuminated and the beautiful valley with sheep grazing. His excellent artistry also shows what would otherwise be a tiring outing in colorful images.

 The images of monks, the sun’s rays illuminating the prayer area, dancer in motion, fast-flowing waters of a stream, the forested vegetation and lots of other pictures highlight other beauties climbers tend to ignore. He captures the tiny, little-known aspects of the mountains that, as much as nobody really observes, can form a wonderful photo album. And in his collection, he manages to show why his works constantly appear in the greatest mountain climbing journals and publications.