The Indiahikes Weekly Digest brings you the latest news, updates, articles, and videos from the trekking world.

It takes you through everything new in the trekking world. You will find that you cannot ignore any of the sections in this digest.

We hope you find this digest useful, and at some point in time, contribute to it too!

The First Snowfall of The Winter is Here!

The snowfall, which began on the night of December 5th continued until December 6th. All trails are covered in snow from around the second campsite.

Despite the snowfall, the schedules of the treks have not been affected. Treks are running as planned, and trekkers are thrilled to have experienced the first winter snow.

Watch the below video to see the latest from our winter treks. Photos and video footage are from Dayara Bugyal, Brahmatal, Kedarkantha, and Deoriatal-Chandrashila. Scroll further to see the latest from Kedarkantha. 

We will soon have more from Sandakphu and Kuari Pass too. Ensure you subscribe to our Youtube channel to remain updated!

IIM-Lucknow all set for the Himalayan Mountain Challenge

Yesterday, Izzat Yaganagi, Head of Experiential Learning at Indiahikes, held an introductory session to the Himalayan Mountain Challenge at IIM-Lucknow.

To give you a background, every year students of various IIMs learn through an immersive experience in the Himalayas. In this specifically designed experiential learning program, students plan and execute their own trekking expedition. This program is called the Himalayan Mountain Challenge (HMC). 

So come December end, 132 students from IIM Lucknow will be trekking at Dayara Bugyal. In peak winter, these students will be overcoming challenges on a trek, day in and day out, as a team, testing and developing their skills of collaborative leadership.

There are some roles that are written straight out of MBA textbooks. This is one of them.

If you are keen to assist our Trek Leaders on our treks, learn leadership from them along with management skills, then this is the perfect opportunity. If you do well, you could become a Trek Leader with us.

Trek leadership is not about taking trekkers from point A to B. It is about creating an experience that stays with a trekker for a lifetime. These are no ordinary trek experiences. These incorporate the best of outdoor learning on our treks.

As an Assistant Trek Leader you will learn management skills that are at par with the best of MBA training across the world.

Open to both men and women. Women make very good trek leaders!

Must have done at least two Himalayan treks. Treks to Kheerganga and Triund do not count.

Work experience in other industries is given preference.

Must have excellent English and Hindi communication skills.

Must follow an active fitness regimen. BMI (Body Mass Index) must be between 18.5 and 23.9.

Indiahikes Mountain Lovers Gold Calendar 2022 – Almost SOLD OUT!

Over the past week, more than a thousand trekkers have placed orders for the Indiahikes annual calendars. While it was overwhelming, we were not surprised at how excited trekkers were to book and receive the Indiahikes Mountain Lovers Gold Calendar 2022. It is a collectible after all.

Just like every year, this is a large wall calendar, 19 inches in width and 14 inches in height. So the calendar bursts to life, giving you the wonderful feeling that the mountains are truly in your room. Take a look at it yourself.

We’ve chosen these pictures after sifting through thousands of photos.They have all been taken by trekkers and the Indiahikes team. And what an honour it is for them to be featured in this calendar!

Like every year, it’s truly a calendar for mountain lovers.

12 rare professional pictures of our Himalayan trekking trails. It’s easily a head-turner.

The 220 GSM art paper used ensures you can cut out the pictures at the end of the year to make picture frames out of them. It’s matt finish as well, so the photographs won’t glare from any angle.

The Mountain Lover’s Gold Calendar makes it a very unusual and thoughtful gift in case you want to surprise anyone. We ship it in a wonderful hard case cylinder which keeps the calendar in shape.

The calendar costs ₹ 490. This includes all taxes and shipping.

Winners Announced – Trek Photographer of the Month October 2021

It was a treat to go through photographs from October 2021! Simply because of this one reason — October in the mountains makes for stunning shots of landscapes. The grass is a magical sun-baked golden and is sprinkled with fresh frost every morning. You can also see the clearest views of the big mountains of our country. 

For our October contest, we received over 500 entries. Each photograph was unique in its own way – interesting frames, great perspective shots, unique night photographs, and never-before-seen photographs of some of the world’s highest summits.

Trekkers Mesmerised by Kanchenjunga at Sabargram. Picture by Sanghamitra Kumar.

But after a lot of deliberation, here are the winners of the Trek Photographer of the month October 2021 and the Trekker’s Choice Award Winner.

Snowfall on the #Kedarkantha Winter Trek! Dec 6th, 2021

On the Kedarkantha trek, the snowfall, which started on the night of December 5th, lasted all night until the morning of December 6th. 

Despite the snowfall, our trekkers have been able to make it to the summit of Kedarkantha. So trekkers are thrilled at experiencing a snowfall and trekking to the summit. It’s an experience they’ll remember for life.

Some of these are going to take you by surprise. Some others, you may empathise with, and some could be dangerous if they are truly believed.

7 Things You Must Not Forget On A Winter Trek

In this video, Trek Leader and Trainer Syama Krishna shares the list of items you absolutely must not forget when going on your winter trek.

Once the main route from Dehradun to Mussoorie, Kipling trail is now an exciting trek far removed from the traffic and overcrowding that marks the new Mussoorie road.

The trail follows a winding serpentine path with the Himalayan foothills on one side and spectacular views of the Dehradun valley on the other side.

This trail has been named after the celebrated writer Rudyard Kipling, who had walked this trail in the 1880s and been inspired by the beauty of the Himalayan foothills. He set his walking experience in the famous novel ‘Kim’. Also known as the Bridle Path, this trail has often been described by Ruskin Bond in his books.

The trail is steep with a 30-35 degree incline all the way to the top. Although the incline is steep along almost the entire 9 km route, it is not a cause for concern and can be negotiated by keeping a slow and steady pace.

Please note that this trek is suitable for fit beginners

The trek starts from Shahanshahi Ashram or the Christian Retreat. They are located in Rajpur in Dehradun.

Get Complete Details on Kipling Trail Trek

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Trek News from the Himalayas -- First Snowfall! IIM-Lucknow participating in HMC

Please note that this is a special trek designed for stargazing enthusiasts. The trek fee is slightly more than the regular fee. Know more about the trek here. 

This is a trek specially designed for trekkers above 58 years. The trek fee is Rs 3000 more than the regular fee (Please note this is only for Himalayan treks) Know more about the trek here. 

Please note that this is a special trek. The trek fee is Rs 3000 more than the regular fee. Know more about the trek here. 

Please note that the family treks are meant for families with a child/children under 14 years of age. If you do not fit this criteria, you can register for any of our regular groups. Read more about family treks here.

You are joining our waitlist. Your chances of getting a confirmation are high, but not certain. We will notify you as soon as a trekker cancels their trek.

When we brought out new trails in Indian trekking, safety came with us. Back in 2012, we were the first to introduce microspikes, and two years later, pulse oximeters became standard thanks to us. Nobody does safe treks like Indiahikes. In the mountains, emergencies don't care who you're with – everyone knows that when trouble hits, you look for the yellow tents of Indiahikes.

We are India’s safest trekking organisation

We are pioneers in trekking. Since 2007, we have brought out treks that have become India's most famous treks: Roopkund, Rupin Pass, Buran Ghati, Kedarkantha, Kashmir Great Lakes, Tarsar Marsar, Brahmatal, Phulara Ridge—the list goes on. In 2023 alone, we brought out five new treks in Indian trekking. We know treks better than anyone. This comes directly from the reason why Indiahikes was born: to bring out trek information and enable trekkers to trek on their own.

We are pioneers of treks in India

More than 25,000 people trek with us every year. We are the largest trekking organisation in India. 24% of our trekkers come back to trek with us every year. Over 4,000 students from the top educational institutions trek with us every year. Aside from this, families with children choose to trek with Indiahikes knowing that our treks are the safest. We have taken over 8000 children trekking so far, and the number continues to grow. 

We are India’s largest trekking organisation

We focus on designing transformative experiences. Our trek leaders conduct thought-provoking exercises that help you reflect and contemplate. This impact stays with you for a long time. Trekkers return feeling energised, more confident, or developing abilities to deal with difficulties. Many have changed careers, rethought their core values, become more humble, shown gratitude to others, or started a new fitness journey. 

Our treks are transformative

Since 2012, we have pioneered sustainable practices that have become standard in trekking. Using eco-bags, our trekkers have cleared over 120 tonnes of litter from the mountains. We do not carry packaged foods; instead, we serve freshly made food. We do not light campfires; we carry coal to light angethis to keep you warm. Our bio-toilets not only keep our toilets odour-free but also enrich the soil. When you trek with us, you leave mountains better.

We are India's most sustainable trekking organisation

5 Reasons Why Indiahikes

If you are unable to complete a trek, or if you love a trek, you can repeat it with us anytime. You don’t have to pay us for it. See our thoughts behind this here.

You’re guarded with our trek again philosophy

Our thrice-a-day oxi-metre checks keep altitude sickness at bay, never allowing you to reach a point where you need evacuation.

Daily 3-time health checks keep you safe at any altitude

With around 30% of our trekkers being women, all women, including those travelling solo are comfortable to join any of our groups.

Join any group, they are all women-friendly groups 

Our kitchen teams understand your needs as a vegan (or a Jain). We will take special care of your food, even in the remote Himalayas. 

We have specially designed bio toilets to ensure you have no sight or smell in toilets, at the same time making sure the toilets cause no harm to the fragile ecosystem we trek in.

Be comfortable and sustainable with bio toilets

We’ll admit it. Our love for food surpasses our love for minimalism. Expect freshly cooked, multi-cuisine food at all camps, designed to meet your nutritional requirements and keep your taste buds happy!

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