4 Biggest Risks While Trekking The Himalayas

Himalayan treks are notorious for the risks that they pose. These risks kept people from trekking in the Himalayas for a long time. It’s still what scares many people. 

But honestly, these are risks that can be dealt with. We ask all our trekkers to take it very seriously! All you need is 

• Prior information 
• To exercise due caution
• There are multiple risks on a Himalayan trek. But I’m picking four of the biggest risks we see on our treks. I’ll tell you what could go wrong and how to avoid it. I want you to note this down: If you are on a trek with Indiahikes, we will empower you through information so you prepare well for your trek.

1.) The Terrain

If you’re unfamiliar with the terrain, it can pose a considerable risk. I’m going to share some thoughts by our founder, Arjun Majumdar, on this - 

“When I was much younger and I would trek, snow sections would terrify me a lot. There would be snow on a slope and we would have to traverse that on a narrow trail. When you step on this section and look down, you realise that with one misstep you could go down a long way. This is very common in the Himalayas. It’s not just snow, it might be a landslide section, loose boulders, scree, an overhang with a river flowing down in the valley.” 

So as a trekker, when you plan a Himalayan trek, get familiar with the terrain. Read about it, speak to people about it, watch videos, and study the terrain on Google Earth. 

Just understanding the terrain will mentally prepare you. You might also require special gear for some sections -- like microspikes for hard snow, gaiters for deep snow, ice axes to cut steps in snow or ice and ropes for river crossings or precarious boulder sections. 

The good part is, if you’re trekking with Indiahikes, we’ll take care of this. Care is one of our core values. So when you are on a trek with Indiahikes, we will take care of you and everything you need for a safe trekking experience. 

We have all the safety equipment you need to tackle any difficult terrain. All you need to do is learn about the terrain and then focus on Point 3, which I’ll get to in a bit.

2.) The Weather

The weather in the Himalayas could be your best mate or your worst enemy. The toughest part is that it’s almost completely unpredictable. Our co-founder, Sandhya UC, who has been trekking in the Himalayas for over 15 years now shares some insight here - 

“The weather actually defines whether your trek is going to be easy or difficult. Even an easy trek like Dayara Bugyal can become very dangerous in the middle of a thunderstorm. If there’s lightning in such an open meadow, it has the potential to take lives. Similarly, if there’s a sudden bout of dense mist, you can get utterly lost -- whether you’re in a forest or an open setting.

But it’s not just the danger that weather poses. It could also lead to an incomplete trek. We’ve had so many experiences where we’ve had to turn around in the middle of heavy snow or rain. Or sometimes, even if you go ahead and complete a trek in bad weather, the experience might turn sour. When we once went to the Kashmir Great Lakes, we trekked through rain for 6 whole days. It was cloudy and grey. We saw none of the colours and grandeur of Kashmir. So the weather really has the potential to change your trek altogether.”

The wisest thing to do to ensure good weather is to time your trek correctly. This is the most crucial part.

Every trek has a very specific window during which it is open (for many 15,000+ ft treks, this window lasts only a few months in a year). We open dates only going by the seasons, weather patterns, and the best time to do the treks. 

I’ve already shared a ready-reckoner table of the best treks to do throughout the year earlier with you. If you missed that you’ll find it here

Having said that, always carry rainwear with you -- summer, winter, autumn. It could rain any time, and your rainwear is your mandatory partner on a Himalayan trek.

3.) The Altitude

On a high-altitude trek, altitude sickness is another big risk. I’d like to start by sharing what the head of our Learning & Development team, Lakshmi Selvakumaran, has observed. She says & I quote - 

“On any given trek, we see at least 2-3 cases of mild Acute Mountain Sickness. These symptoms are usually headaches or lack of sleep. They are usually managed quickly and efficiently by our Trek Leaders. 

There are, however, some serious cases that require turning around from the trek. And we see these cases around once every week” 

Altitude sickness is one of the most underestimated and less understood risks of high-altitude trekking. And this lack of understanding is usually what takes lives.

If you’re trekking with Indiahikes, you don’t have to worry. Our Trek Leaders are repeatedly trained on handling altitude sickness, and they are equipped with extensive high-altitude medical kits and oxygen cylinders. They rarely have to use them though, because they are trained to treat the mildest symptoms and nip it in the bud, which they always do. 

If you are trekking on your own, however, it’s imperative that you know about treating altitude sickness. You will find relevant information here.

For now, let’s move on to the next risk. 

4.) Yourself (Trekker Behaviour)

This might seem a bit surprising, but often, under-prepared trekkers are the biggest risk to themselves. Underprepared in terms of fitness, trekking gear, and knowledge about the trek. The head of our Learning & Development team, Lakshmi Selvakumaran observes:

“Not being fit slows trekkers down. It doesn’t allow them to maintain the required mountain timings. They reach the next camp late and don’t have enough time to acclimatise. On the other hand, if they have no knowledge about high altitude, they might wave off a headache as dehydration, not thinking about it as altitude sickness. 

They draw a lot of attention and care from the Trek Leaders and guides, leaving the other trekkers unattended. Not only do they pose a risk to themselves, but they pose a risk to the entire team.”

Why do you think I am informing you about the risks of Himalayan treks?

We have always said and believed that a knowledgeable trekker is a safe trekker. And our vision is to ensure every trekker going into the Himalayas is well-informed. 

While there are many other risks on Himalayan treks, they usually tend to fall under one of these categories. And they differ from trek to trek. 

At Indiahikes, we’ve been documenting the terrain, weather, altitude sickness and trekker behaviour for over a decade and we’ve been able to master the art of tackling each of these risks. 

We work with a vision to solve the problems of the trekking world. With all the information, resources, and technology, we try & make trekking an accessible & minimalist sport.

I’d say it’s still a work in progress, as we’re constantly defining the future of trekking, but if you’re trekking with Indiahikes, or using our information, consider yourself well-informed, well-prepared and safe on a trek.