Our co-founder Sandhya UC delivered this speech at a Women’s Day gathering organized by Women’s Web in association with CoWrks. On this Women's Day we're taking a look back at those incredible stories of women in the outdoors.

Last week we received an enthusiastic blog from our trekker Ananya. She is in her 20’s – young, free-spirited and like any other young woman of today. The blog talked about her fantastic journey on one of our treks last winter.

I was mesmerised at how well she wrote. I loved her photography too. She was self-taught as far as I could see.

She had come on the trek alone. She came with the usual apprehensions, mingled with a lot of like-minded trekkers, made friends for a lifetime, and left the trek with a lot of memories.

This is the face of women that I see every day. Normal women doing not-so-normal activities.

I am in a position to see this closely because behind me are some interesting statistics.

To give you a background of Indiahikes: we are India’s largest trekking organisation. We run treks across the Himalayas. More than 15,000 people trek with us every year. This large database throws up some interesting statistics.

32 percent of our trekkers are women. Out of this 32 percent, 80 percent of them are single women who either come alone or with their friends. Some of their friends are other women or men who are either colleagues or friends. In numbers – approximately 3,800 women are travelling solo with us every year.

This number seems to be inching up. In the near future, will it reach 50 percent? I am not sure. But the current numbers are a very good representation in a sport that is considered risky and not for the faint-hearted. Many solo working women now trek and travel regularly to the remotest corner of our country – this seems extraordinary.

Yet, I am not surprised. The reason is trekking is not the usual travelling. It is a lot safer – you get to trek in like-minded groups. You are protected not only by the organisation but also by the group. It is letting women explore a side of themselves that they probably had never done before.

In short, trekking is giving women a space to open up their mind, body and spirit.

Last year, a couple of senior women managers from SAP India trekked to Deoriatal-Chandrashila (12,083 feet). Nothing unusual about it. Now we have got used to groups of single women trekking with us.

At the end of the trek, we usually have a reflection session. Here’s what happened in this group.

The ladies broke down and cried their hearts out. They had discovered they were capable of a lot more than they had imagined. Their body had more capacity, their mind was a lot tougher and their spirit, which they thought was dead in their corporate jobs, was very much alive. The trek had kick-started everything back again. They felt alive again!

This sudden outburst of emotions didn’t surprise me as well.

A trek usually brings about profound changes in a person. It happens in every group that we run.

What is really heartening is to see more and more women experiencing this change. And restarting their lives.

But this change is not just limited to our trekkers.

Let me share stories about some normal women who have done extraordinary things. They are working with us, so I know them well.

Anuja is from Lucknow. Her parents are doctors. In her high school, Anuja discovered that her parents were no longer getting along. They were divorcing. This came as a shock to her. Until that time, she thought everything was perfect in her family.

She passed out of high school, graduated and as soon as she could, moved out. She did few odd jobs and landed in Mumbai. In Mumbai, she picked up photography. She must have been good because she soon started getting assignments with the Times of India, Midday and other publications.

But there was an adventurer’s streak in her. She soon started trekking with us. Like the ladies I have mentioned earlier, she rediscovered her mind, body and spirit. As she got more into trekking, she wanted to work with us. At that time we were not really sure if we could have a full-time photographer/videographer work with us. Because of this, we turned her down.

Anuja was persistent, but so were we, in turning her down.

Meanwhile, she started to trek more in the Himalayas, on her own. This requires some courage. Trekking in the safety of Indiahikes is one thing, but doing it alone is another matter altogether.

Soon she picked one of the tougher treks to do in the Himalayas. The infamous Pin Parvati Pass that rises to 17,500 feet. If that was not enough, she did not do it from start to finish, like a trekker. Instead, she joined a group of shepherds and tagged along with them. I had not heard of anyone doing something like this earlier, leave alone a woman!

She lived the life of a shepherd for 15 days. A single lady in the Himalayas. She lived with them, learnt how to tend to sheep, walked with them. She crossed the pass along with a flock of sheep, completed the trek and did not look back.

When Anuja applied again, she did not want to be a photographer. She applied to be a trek leader!

This was unprecedented. Trek leaders are mostly men. The rigorous profession suits them physically. Here we were faced with this puny, gutsy woman who wanted to be a trek leader.

Today Anuja is one of the rare few women trek leaders in India. There are a few others who took to trek leading after her.

Anuja leading a trekker on the Hampta Pass trek.

But her journey has not been smooth. Twice on her treks, she damaged her left and right knee in freaky accidents. Once she slipped on a cow dung at the end of a trek. At another time she missed a stair in the darkness at our base camp. Both times, her ligaments were damaged badly enough to require surgery.

Last summer, however, she surprised us by volunteering to man a high altitude camp at 14,000 feet surrounded by permanent snow and ice for one month — Bhagwabhasa. These are absolute desolate settings. Temperatures are sub-zero all the time. You live in tents in a cold desert. Nothing but a small patch of land is yours. You are up every day at 3 in the morning getting trekkers ready to trek.

On most days high winds rip through the camp. Blizzards that flatten tents are not uncommon. Snowfall happens anytime. It is a task that not even the men would rise up to do.

Anuja is a living legacy. Through her work, she has inspired countless women to dream of picking up such careers. Our women applications for trek leaders have gone up. On her treks, Anuja is constantly surrounded by our curious trekkers who want to be like her. We get emails every other day telling us about how inspiring Anuja has been in their lives.

While Anuja is inspiring people to go beyond what they are capable of, Lakshmi, on the other hand, is slowly bringing about a transformation in the mountains.

Lakshmi is an academician. After completing her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from IISc and KAUST, Saudi Arabia, she worked with the best researchers in the world, travelling around Europe.

But she was hugely motivated to do her part for conserving the environment. She decided to leave her research job and intern with us in our Green Trails project.

Just to give you a backdrop, our Green Trails project is something that we have been doing for over 5 years now. It started with trying to make trekking environmentally sustainable in the mountains – because we knew it was beyond the government to do anything much at that time. We were noticing growth in trekking. We decided we could set future best practices. We were the market leaders, whatever we did would become the practice for everyone. Today our Green Trails project has grown to something much beyond that.

Today we are doing projects in renewable energy and upcycling waste that is generating income for the locals. We have also formed self-help groups making way for model villages. All of this is being done quietly thanks to women like Lakshmi.

Lakshmi joined us as an intern on our Sandakphu trek. The work was something new to her. Yet, she took to it with aplomb. She setup waste management practices that were new and unique to the village. Along with the District Forest Officer, she mobilised efforts to clean up the village.

Lakshmi made posters in Hindi and Nepali that directed people on how to segregate waste. Her posters are still a bit of a hoot with us because she used Google to translate into Nepali. But her message reached people where it mattered. When her internship ended, Jaubari was a model village in waste management.

Looking at her capabilities we asked Lakshmi to join us full-time. She took our offer and is now heading our Green Trails effort across 3 geographies in India.

Considering the remoteness of our locations and the far distances between our treks it is astounding to see the strides she has made. Even as I speak to you, around 25 village women will gather tomorrow morning in the hills of Uttarakhand to make attractive pillows. For every pillow they make, they earn Rs 50. In an hour they can make 3 pillows. In probably 4-5 fun-filled hours, they earn as much as the men.

Women of village Wan, pose gleefully with their self-made upcycled pillows. Picture by Green Trails Fellow Anagha

These pillows are special. These pillows are stuffed with shredded waste plastic, old tents, and ragged clothes. While on the inside it is waste getting upcycled, on the outside, they look extremely attractive. When trekkers buy it, they buy it for the lovely cushions they are.

The colourful upcycled pillows. Picture Credits: Karthik Maddineni

People imagine that it is easy to do that. It isn’t. First, waste plastic is painstakingly picked up on our mountain slopes. It is done in extreme weathers of snow and low temperatures. Most of the picked waste may have been lying around for years. Our trekking teams pick up the trash while they are on a trek. Group after group pick up trash all through the year.

This trash is stuffed in sacks and brought down to our base camp. At the base camp, our teams sit on these piles of garbage and segregate the recyclables from non-recyclables. This is an almost inhuman and back-breaking job. Our team has to dive through filthy garbage, often maggot infested.

Shredded plastics are inserted inside a pillow cover by a Green Trails Intern.

After we have segregated the waste, we clean them up and make them ready for upcycling. The clean waste is manually shredded into fine strips for stuffing into pillow covers. As you can see, to make one pillow, it takes a lot of physical labour. The villagers themselves realise the required hard work. As a result, they now collect their trash and bring it to us for segregation. The villages around our treks that didn’t look very clean now have a different look.

Lakshmi is the force behind this. Working remotely and sometimes hands-on, she has been able to galvanise a team across the length and breadth of Himalayas to carry out such difficult tasks. She has been able to get reluctant villagers to leave aside their inhibitions and care for their surroundings. She has been able to motivate our team of trek leaders to go beyond their tasks.

At one end our teams are bringing down tons of waste from the mountains. Last year it was 11 tons. On the other hand, there are research fellows who are thinking of ways of harnessing natural resources such as wind, rain and water.

These trek leaders move from one village to another building dustbins and conducting awareness drives on efficient waste management practices. It is not easy but there has been a distinct change in the villages. All of this with Lakshmi at the centre holding the reins.

It is incredible to see what someone as young as she can achieve. She is just like us. But she has never let her gender come in the line of work. When she works in the mountains she is hands down running up and down our mountain slope. She sleeps when she can. She eats what is available or sometimes not at all.

She constantly works and every day I see there is a difference. At times she despairs but she never gives up. The mountains in our country, especially around trekking zones, are witnessing a change. Villages in these remote corners are waking up to a cleaner, greener surrounding. They are utilizing their resources to make productive things out of waste. Thousands of trekkers are coming back from treks as responsible citizens, spreading the message of Green Trails even further.

Lakshmi is a reminder of what women can do if they let go of their gender.

The quiet revolution that is happening in our mountains has started to inspire many women like Lakshmi. People from around the world now want to participate in these projects.

Women like Ananya, Anuja and Lakshmi are the faces of new women that I see today.

What I notice is that none of them is the type that you see in newspapers. If you met them you would not even glance at them. They may not even come across as articulate. Yet, they are making big differences in their own ways.

In my journey at Indiahikes, I have the privilege to hear these stories from women every other day. It is perhaps the nature of work that we do.

You may think that these changes that I notice are one-off cases. They are not. I am backed by statistics. 32 percent of our trekkers are women. 80 percent of them are single women. It is hard to shake off these numbers. There is a definite change that is happening in our country.

1. If you’d like to listen to Sandhya’s TedX Talk on her journey in entrepreneurship, head over to this page – How I Climbed The Mountain Of Entrepreneurship

2. If you’d like to follow Anuja and Lakshmi on Instagram, follow these links – Anuja on Instagram, Lakshmi on Instagram.

3. If you’re inspired by this story and want to work with us: Head over to our careers page. We have lots of positions open. We also have lots of applications coming in. So the sooner you apply, the better.

4. If you ended up here by chance and were actually looking for treks to do: Then head over to our upcoming treks page. You’ll find all our Himalayan treks there.

This is the full text of the speech that Sandhya Chandrasekharayya, partner at Indiahikes, gave for Women's Web. In her talk, she speaks about very real and everyday women achieving incredible feats in the trekking world!

Some Extraordinary Stories Of Ordinary Women In The Mountains

We have opened yet another group for seniors :) This time it's starting on June 4, 2023 

Our trekking calendar is already drawn for the coming months. We are packed. But the overwhelming requests have compelled us to make a special provision.

So we are opening a third group for seniors. This time, in the Himalayas! 

The specially designed trek will be at Dayara Bugyal from 4 June to 9 June 2023. To register for the trek, click here.

Note: We will not be opening any further groups for seniors.

This trek will not follow the regular schedule of our Dayara Bugyal trek, but will follow a pace that will match the strength and stamina of seniors. 

However, seniors will enjoy all the privileges and goodness that the Dayara Bugyal trek has to offer, including being in the Bugyals. 

We love this trek! It is picture-perfect, especially in spring. To get a better idea, I recommend you watch this film about Dayara Bugyal. It is our tribute to this wonderful trek.

“For me it is very personal," says Arjun Majumdar, founder-CEO of Indiahikes. "My parents are in their 80s and no longer able to trek. Yet, I know how much it would mean to them if they could. They are the ones who introduced me to trekking.

"When I see a senior trek I see them going home with a sense of rejuvenation much beyond what a younger person experiences. The entire experience makes them add on more years to their life — at least 4-5 years more. They go home more joyous and with a strong sense of accomplishment.

"They discover they have more strength than they thought; that they are capable of a lot more than they imagined. They find more purpose in their life.

"I’ve also seen seniors connecting with other trekkers who are just like them. From a distance I see bonds forming that are likely to stay for the rest of their lives.

For me, to see our parents trekking is the biggest gift that I can give them," says Arjun.

Even though we want our parents to trek, not every trek is suited to seniors.

We needed to specially design treks that can match a seniors age and strength. Which is why we have opened a special group to the Dayara Bugyal Trek for this purpose. This is not our regular trek, but a specially designed one for seniors.

On this special trek the pace of the trek is different. We do the trek at an easier pace. We also do not go the full distance of the Dayara Meadows. 

Having said that, seniors get to experience the entire gamut of our regular Dayara Bugyal trek. They also do it in a beautiful season just when spring is setting in.

We have opened this trek specially for trekkers who are older in age. To do this trek you must fulfill the following criteria:

Age: 58 to 65 years. If you are older, please write to nandana@indiahikes.com. We’ll talk to you and assess your physical condition before taking you in. 

You must lead an active lifestyle. You exercise regularly.

For preparation, you must be able to walk 5 km in 60 minutes by the time the trek starts

Look out for these magical experiences on the trek

Walking on the biggest expanse of high altitude meadows that you will see 

Stunning views of the Mt Bandarpoonch and Kala Nag 

Sunrise and sunset on the Gangotri ranges

Staying at the Indiahikes Community Campus at Raithal — which is an experience of its own

Reflective conversations and sessions throughout the trek

The gentle slopes of Dayara Bugyal. Photo by Arjun Majumdar. 

The experience will be facilitated by our Senior Trek Leader with strong trekking and safety experience.

We take certain steps to ensure a seamless experience on this trek for Seniors. The steps are as below:

A dedicated Experience Coordinator will hand-hold you throughout your trek preparation.

There will also be a Virtual Meet with your group and Indiahikes expert. This meet would be conducted to address all your questions and to come together as a team.

The Date for Seniors Trek is from June 4-9, 2023. 

June 4: Drive from Dehradun to Raithal (Drive distance: 185 km | Duration: 9 hours). Pick up will be arranged at 6:30 AM from Hotel Grand Legacy, Dehradun.

June 5: Raithal to Gui (Trek distance: 4.2 km | Duration: 5 hours)

June 6: Gui to Chilapada (Trek distance: 2 km | Duration: 2-3 hours)

June 7: Trek to Dayara Bugyal and back to Chilapada (Trek distance: 8.0 km | Duration: 6 hours)

June 8: Chilapada to Raithal (Trek distance: 6.3 km | Duration: 4-5 hours)

June 9: Drive from Raithal to Dehradun. You’ll be back to Dehradun by 7 PM.

The grand view of Mt. Bandarpoonch as seen from the Dayara Bugyal. Photo by Swathi Chatrapathy.

The trek is already open for registration.

Note: The trek fee for senior's trek costs Rs 3,000 over the Dayara Bugyal trek fee for this group..

We have only 21 slots open for this group. Considering the number of requests we have received to open this special trek, we are expecting these slots to get filled up quickly. Do register as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about the trek or about the seniors’ program, do not hesitate to write to Nandana Kamasani, Head of Experience Coordination at Indiahikes. Her email id is nandana@indiahikes.com.

A list of high-altitude campsites that are great for stargazing in the Himalayas. Make note if you are about to go on a Himalayan trek

5 Mesmerising Campsites For Stargazing In The Himalayas

senior trek chhattisgarh old 58 TMT Dayara Bugyal

Happening in June 2023

Trekking in snow can be extremely thrilling. Yet, one wrong foot can send you tumbling down several feet. It’s important to know how to walk in snow, whether you’re trekking in peak summer or winter. There are different snow conditions you may be dealing with, and different weather circumstances. 

And that’s why, from using the right gear, to packing enough layers - it is important to understand the nooks and crannies of trekking in snow. 

In this article, you’ll read about the different types of snow, necessary gear to carry, methods of trekking in snow, and of course, how to keep yourself safe. Don’t forget to look out for the advanced tips from trekkers! 

“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together. - Vista M. Kelly. 

First, understand the different types of snow 

If there’s a snowfall when you arrive at the mountains, you know that it’s good. No scratches or scrapes for a while. Then you hear someone talking about crud snow. But what does that mean? Isn't all snow just the same? 

Once you learn more about snow trekking, you realize that not all snows are of the same type. Then you begin to wonder - how do you trek on different types of snow? What techniques are you supposed to use?

To begin with, let’s understand the two primary types of snow you will encounter during your trek, and how to tackle them.

The two main types are fresh and hard-packed snow. 

Fresh snow, as the name suggests, is newly fallen, cold, dry, and has not been compacted. Sometimes, when the snow is fresh, you sink in all the way to your knees or calf. Lifting your leg from the deep snow to take a step every time can get tricky, to say the least. So, you might have to create a path by plowing through it. 


Hard snow, on the other hand, is the product of snow accumulating and becoming firmly packed due to the cold climate. On hard snow, you might need to learn some specialized skills. As the snow hardens, your shoes must find a grip on the hard surface that can help you move in balance. We will cover more about this in the next section.

Other varieties of snow also exist depending on multiple factors such as the altitude and temperature. When the heat or wind melts the upper layer of snow powder, cold air temperature may soon follow, thereby creating a crust. Crust snow has a hard surface on top of powder snow. But what is powder snow? It is quite easy to spot: powder is fresh, untouched, and feels soft. They appear in the form of tiny flakes that create a smooth surface on the mountains. 

Imagine a lot of trekkers walking on powder snow. The snow will eventually get piled up at certain spots and become hollow at the other points: this is a type of snow called crud. The snow goes through a lot of phases too. So when the temperature becomes slightly warmer than the freezing point, the crud snow starts melting. You will see the snow crystals slowly become large packs of ice: this is when a slush forms. 

Can you guess the next phase of snow? It’s ice! Although you will rarely come across real ice on the slopes, the ice you find is usually due to the change in temperature. The ice you see occurs when the snow melts and freezes over and over again. When that happens, a hard surface of snow forms which we refer to as “ice”. 

Since there are many different forms of snow, you should also be aware of what type of gear to use and when!

We notice several trekkers making a mistake here. They treat all kinds of snow similarly, often using the wrong gear in the wrong kind of snow. For instance, very often we see trekkers using microspikes in very fresh snow, which doesn’t create any extra traction. 

Keep reading to find out how to plan your gear. 

1) Microspikes: For hard-packed snow, it is advisable to use microspikes. While your normal trekking shoes stop providing traction in ice, microspikes give you Spiderman-like grip in snow. 

2) Trekking poles: Using trekking poles gives you extra support and balance. It is so very effective to propel yourself forward when you are stuck or feeling tired. Make sure your trekking poles have their baskets on, to keep them from sinking into snow. 

3) Gaiters: When you climb on fresh or semi-fresh snow, you will find that a lot of snow enters  your shoes from the top. This is a worst nightmare for a trekker. Snow starts entering your shoes, making your feet cold, wet and numb. Even worse, it never dries for the rest of the trek. Wearing gaiters creates a seal around your shoes, and will keep the snow from entering in. 

4) Gloves and mittens: Trekking on snow can be very fun, but the chances of tripping are high. Although it is fun to fall on snow and feel the fluffiness, you don’t want your hands to meet the cold surface. On hard snow, you might even end up scraping yourself. To avoid all of this, always carry extra gloves. 

5) Sunglasses: During your trek, if you notice the sun shining, immediately wear your sunglasses. The reflection of sunlight on bright white snow can damage the eyes and cause snow blindness. Ensure to wear sunglasses with UV protection to protect your eyes.

What are the different methods of trekking in the snow?

Similar to choosing gears, there are different methods of trekking based on the type of snow. Sometimes, you may also have to choose a combination of methods to reduce risks and increase the level of effective trekking. 

1) Kicking steps: In fresh snow, you will need to use your trekking shoes to kick with your toe box and create small dents in the snow. With every step, you’re creating a small, flat resting spot for your foot. However, when the snow gets too thick or if it is too difficult to kick steps, you can use a crampon.

2) Stomping steps: When the snowpack are much wetter, you may need to stomp on them to climb comfortably. Here’s how you do it: stomp the sole of your feet on the snow to support your weight or use a combination of this and kicking steps. 

3) The French technique: If you are planning to follow this, be assured that it is an invaluable technique to climb big mountains. In essence, French technique means you have to keep your crampon flat on the snow surface, instead of kicking your toe area into the ice. You need to place your foot flat and make sure that all points of the crampons are in contact with the ice. (Keep in mind, do not use this technique when the slope is too steep). 

4) Crampon: While trekking on snow, you may sometimes have to cross glaciers, snowfields or icefields. Crampon is a device that you attach to your boots. It gives you incredible traction in these snow conditions, and improves your mobility during the climb. 

Although we covered the logistic areas like types and gears, the most important thing to keep in your mind is safety. While ascending, the biggest challenge you will face on fresh snow is your footing. Here is a classic tip to tackle the situation: cut through the fresh snow using ice axes to move freely. Cutting through the snow will also help you stay in balance — a key factor!

On the other hand, when you descend the slope, the snow might become slippery. To avoid any risks, we provide microspikes to trekkers to ensure that everyone has a good grip. 

Slippery snow also means that you can slip or slide down the snow. To avoid this, do not hesitate to use your full body. It is quite common when trekkers feel embarrassed to get on all their fours to slide down. But really, it is the best way to minimize risks and use our body to the fullest potential. 

And lastly, here are some advanced tips for trekking in snow! 

1) Snow in the mountains can wipe out everything sometimes. Yes - including the trekking trails. It might become too hard if you lose sight of the trails, so always stick with the team and follow the path of the trekker who is in front of you. But what if you are a solo trekker? Well, we have answers for that too. 

2) When it comes to solo or DIY treks, a smart idea would be to book your trekking slots cautiously: either before, during, or after Indiahikes treks. We recommend this because if Indiahikes is trekking on similar dates, you can immediately reach out to them if you face any difficulties during your trek. 

3) Here are some simple but effective ideas to stay warm throughout the trek. Keep sipping warm water at regular intervals, and place the bottle inside your sleeping bags. You can even keep them near your feet. Your body will stay warm due to the lukewarm water. Remember the classic tip? - it is always easier to stay warm than to get warm! 

4) Here’s a great tip from one of our trek leaders: work hard on your leg muscles. Winter trekking might be just a little harder than what you experience on summer treks. Your primary balance and weight will be on your legs and you really need to strengthen them up! So, other than ensuring that you have the basic fitness, try to focus more on those leg muscles too. 

Trekking in winter is a great experience! You will do great if you learn how to trek in snow and if you keep the advanced tips in mind. 

Let us know in the comments section if you have any questions (or more tips to add), and we’ll be happy to answer you. Happy trekking! 

Article on how to trek expertly in snow. Includes topics such as different types of snow, essential gears to use in snow trekking, safety in snow, and advanced tips to trek comfortably in snow

How To Trek Expertly In Snow (Includes Advanced Tips)

Trek in snow, types of snow, essential gear, trekking methods, safety on snow

Winter is one of the most unique seasons for trekking. There are so many sights and sounds unique only to this season, especially in the Big Snow Season of January, February, and March, that you’ll not see them at any other time of the year. 

Yet, 75% of trekkers don’t know about these experiences. 

They walk right past it without realising the uniqueness or rarity of the experience. I don't want you to make the same mistake. 

Which is why I'm penning down some rare experiences to expect this winter. These are more likely in Jan, Feb and March (compared to December), when true winter has set in. A lot of them are made possible only by the expertise of our Trek Leaders and technical team, so it is also subject to whether you’re trekking with Indiahikes or not. 

Without further ado, let me share the 5 unique winter experiences with you. 

Sliding is one of the most fun experiences of trekking in snow. It can turn even the most seasoned trekker into a gleeful 5-year-old! 

But what most trekkers don’t realise is that to experience snow slides outside of winter, you have to climb up to altitudes above 14,000 - 15,000 ft. So you see snow slides on challenging treks like Rupin Pass, Buran Ghati and Hampta Pass. These are tough treks, not ideal for beginners.  

Here’s where winter works its magic. Winter is the only time when beginners have a chance to experience snow slides at lower altitudes. You’ll find slides on all treks like Dayara Bugyal, Deoriatal-Chandrashila, Kedarkantha and Brahmatal. 

“From Brahmatal top, we slide almost all the way back down to the campsite in January and February. It’s the most amazing fun,” says Mrinal, a Trek Leader and Trainer at Indiahikes, who spent the previous winter season at Brahmatal. 

Just for this sliding experience, winter trekking is worth it.

Here’s a rare visual experience that is reserved only for winters — winterlines at dusk. You may have seen these winterlines in photographs, where the horizon turns into a fiery shade of red, almost like it is on fire. 

A winterline above a sea of clouds at Sandakphu. Picture by Geet Tryambake

What’s even more rare is that winterlines occur only in the mountains, and have been observed mostly in the Himalayas and the Swiss alps. These winterlines are false horizons created during sunset. It is believed that it “occurs due to refraction of light when the dust particles, moisture, and smog, rising from the plains below, meet the cooler mountain air.” 

“On treks like Sandakphu, where you’re above a sea of clouds, the winterline makes for spectacular visuals. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime visual experience,” says Dhaval Jajal, senior Trek Leader and Filmmaker at Indiahikes.

A winterline at the Pukhrola campsite on the Kedarkantha trek. Picture by Nitesh Kumar 

Walking in the forest in winter is one of the most unique experiences, especially immediately after a snowfall. “In winter, the forests are so quiet that when you stop to rest, all you’ll hear is the gentle thumping of your heart,” says Nitesh Kumar, Senior Trek Leader at Indiahikes. 

There’s a reason behind the silence. Most of the birds and animals either migrate to lowlands or go into hibernation in winter. This leaves the forests extremely silent. All you hear every now and then is the soft rustle of snow drifting to the ground from trees. 

“I love to make trekkers have a silent walk in these forests. All it takes is 10 minutes of silent walking. It changes the whole mood of the group. It brings in a kind of calm that trekkers have never experienced elsewhere,” he says.

A frozen forest walk at Kuari Pass. Picture by Sandhya UC

Here’s a winter experience that requires some skill and technique, but our teams have been able to pull it off in the past — snow shelters.  

“Trekkers find it hard to believe that you can be warm sitting in the heart of snow, without a tent,” says Dushyant Sharma, Senior Trek Leader at Indiahikes and the face of Youtube show Chalein Trekking Dushyant Sharma Ke Saath. 

A snow shelter is a waist-deep pit that you dig into freshly fallen snow. The packed snow around you traps heat and keeps the cove warm. Additionally, since you’re underground, you don’t feel any cold surface winds. “With a foam mat and a sleeping bag, you can actually feel warm and cosy in the shelter,” says Dushyant.

However, you need the right settings to make snow shelters — the right amount of snow and the right hardness. It is possible only in peak winter months of Jan, Feb and March, when there’s a deep deposit of snow at the campsite.

Senior Trek Leader Dushyant Sharma settles into the cozy snow shelter at Pukhrola on the Kedarkantha trek.

At Indiahikes, we have always aimed at helping trekkers become independent. We strongly believe that DIY is the future of trekking. So this winter, we are introducing a Winter DIY Masterclass, where you pick up winter trekking skills on your trek. 

We’ll have sessions like (a) How to arrest yourself if you’re slipping in snow (b) How to create a campsite in fresh snow (c) How to make walking on verglas safe (d) How to cut steps in snow on a summit climb. 

These are just some of the learnings you can expect on a winter trek with Indiahikes this year. Even as we speak, all our Trek Leaders are undergoing training to be able to facilitate these learnings to trekkers.

Indiahikes technical team member clearing out a trail in deep snow, one of the skills trekkers can expect to learn this winter. Picture by Manoj Singh Bisht

These are just some of the unique experiences to expect in winter. There are so many more, like a high-adventure summit climb in snow, or how the meadows turn into vast snow fields. 

Within the Indiahikes team, the excitement is palpable, now that winter is coming. It is one of the most adventurous seasons of the year. “Everyday is action-packed in winter. Not a single day goes by without some thrill,” shares Dushyant. 

It also comes with its challenges — for us as well as trekkers. Expect every trek to become one grade more difficult. You’ll have to work on your fitness well in advance to enjoy all of these experiences. 

So if you haven't started planning your winter trek yet, it's already getting late. Plan immediately. You’ll find all our winter treks here. 

To give you quick access, here are links to the top winter treks in our country:

If you need any help, head over to this page for some helpful information. You’ll also be able to contact us from there.

Winter is one of the most unique seasons for trekking. Yet, not many trekkers know about the uniqueness of the experience. Here we outline 5 such experiences that you can expect to have on winter snow treks.

5 Unique Winter Snow Experiences in Himalayas

winter treks snow treks kedarkantha dayara bugyal deoriatal chandrashila kuari pass sandakphu brahmatal winter experiences snow slides glissade 

The most important aspect of trekking or hiking is knowing where you are, and where you are going. I feel that everyone who enjoys the outdoors should learn and practice navigation. This is especially important if you travel solo. However, even in a group, relying on someone who knows the trail is not good enough. Sometimes circumstances could force you to get separated from your group and lose the trail. According to a study by SmokyMountains.com, wandering off trail is the number one reason, ahead of bad weather, that hikers get lost and require rescue.

In this article, we will take a look at the following navigation techniques:

Navigation by observing topography and maps

The more options you have for navigating, the better. Your ability to navigate shouldn’t depend on a single device or technique. So, let’s get started!

In my opinion, the most important navigation technique is to pay attention to your surroundings. As you walk through the wilderness, observe everything that is around you. Observe the trees, the rocks, the mountains, the streams. These features can be important navigation aids. Pay close attention to what they look like, and how they are different from similar features around you. Once in a while, turn back to see the terrain from the perspective it would appear during your way back. The same features look different from a different perspective. 

Whenever I go to an unfamiliar trail, I take a few moments to observe the things around me. Then, as I walk, I continue this process to develop an “internal map”. This process also helps me stay connected with my surroundings.

Next, try finding the features that you see around you on a topographic map (we will talk about topographic maps later in this article). Using this technique, you won’t even need to pull out your GPS or compass to keep track of your position. Using a map and continuously observing the terrain is often sufficient.

Using a GPS device is probably one of the easiest ways to navigate. Most of us use smartphones that are already equipped with GPS capabilities. So, there really is no excuse for not learning to use one. GPS based navigation works even when you are outside network coverage. However, you do need an internet connection to download maps. So, make sure you download offline maps prior to your trip.

Never want to be lost on an outdoor trail? This artcile provides a detailed information for people to learn and practice navigation in the outdoors

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