relief effort to the victims of cyclone aila in sundarban tiger reserve

This morning Subroto, Raja and Abhijit started for the road heads of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundarbans_National_Park).

 

This time we were not going for a pleasant river cruise. We were not in holiday mood at all. We had collected medicines, food, clothes for victims of cyclone Aila. We could get in touch with our friends in Bali island. They had come down to God khali jetty in a boat to meet us.

 

It has been almost an week since the cyclone visited the mangrove delta tiger reserve. But in most of the remote villages there is still acute shortage of water, medicines and food.

 

I have attached some pix from our today's venture (May 30, 2009). Now with more knowledge of what exactly is in need for the helpless people of Sundarban, we are organizing another relief effort on June 4, 2009. Anyone interested to join hands with us can send me email or call.
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Adventure Mania
official website: www.adventuremania.com
Upcoming Trips blog: http://adventuremania-india.blogspot.com
Raja's personal blog:http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
Call Raja:  +91 97487 61139
Optional Number :+91 92305 11139

Check out Aila aftermath

Cyclone Aila Tomorrow Raja and Subroto (Babua) are leaving for Sonakhali, near the Sundarban Tiger Reserve with food and emergency medicines. This is a venture by Adventure Mania to reach out to the victims of the cyclone. Its a small effort but this can make a difference. I will post photos of this relief effort when we are back. Those of you who are not aware of Cyclone Aila can check out the following video that I found on NDTV See: Aila aftermath

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Exploration Climbing November 2009

In autumn,2008, a four-member team from the Alpine Club became the first climbers to explore the head of the little-known Obra Valley, an area of sub-6,000m peaks west of the Bandarpunch-Swargarohini Group in India's far Western Garhwal.  

After driving to the road head at Jakhol via Mussoorie, Derek Buckle, Toto Gronlund, Martin Scott and Bill Thurston made a three-day trek to a scenic grassy base camp at 4,055m, arriving in early October.

The middle reaches of the Obra are dominated by the splendid icy Ranglana (5,554m), which had previously been the main objective of the only other climbing team to visit this valley: the British pair Gerry and Louise Wilson, with Indian Himalaya guru Harish Kapadia and seven friends.

Conditions were poor during a 2006 visit and only a lower summit, Dhodu Ka Gunchha (5,130m), was climbed. Ranglana was not attempted, and neither were the highest peaks, Pts 5,849m and 5,760m, which lie at the head of the valley above the Devkir Glacier. The 2008 expedition climbed Peak 5165m (Alpine PD).

Ranglana and all the other peaks remain unclimbed...still.

You can read the whole report in the following link : http://www.thebmc.co.uk/News.aspx?id=2878

In November 2009, We are organizing an expedition to the Obra Gad valley with aims to climb several peaks including Ranglana (5554m) and Peak 5760m in Upper Devkir Glacier. The duration of this expedition will be 3 weeks ex Delhi. The image with this post is the peak 5760m.( courtesy The BMC website)

 Interested? write me an email for more details.

--
Adventure Mania
official website: www.adventuremania.com
Upcoming Trips blog: http://adventuremania-india.blogspot.com
Raja's personal blog:http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
Call Raja:  +91 97487 61139
Optional Number :+91 92305 11139

Trips and Expeditions ahead in 2009

We are now all set for upcoming expedition to Mount Manirang (6593m) the highest peak in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. Its going to be small team with faces old and new in Adventure Mania.

 

Martin Muecke, a climber whom I met in Russia and raced on Elbrus is coming down. Rajeev Ranjan who had joined me in one of exploration treks in remote kishong valley of North Sikkim in 2006 is back with us this year. Matthew Duffy, currently living and working in Mumbai is the new face.

 

Its going to be same team from Adventure Mania as well with me and Thendup leading the climb; Kiran and Indra will act as support crew. Since I have tried to keep the costs low, it will be a lightweight, semi-alpine style dash on the mountain with the factors of altitude in mind and body. I have called Kaza and Keylong this morning to find out that the high passes of Rhotang and Kunzumla will open by end of this month. And the roads till the last village of our climb is in good condition.

 

This year, we at Adventure Mania has been suffering terrible from cancellation. I have no hesitation to admit that Adventure Mania is small. We do not have marketing networks or offices. Word of mouth and some contacts in mountaineering community in UK, Ireland, France and Germany gives us work to sustain. I must also admit we have good friends in other countries like the USA or even Iceland! But strangely enough this year work is vaporized.

 

So has the global recession, the so called financial meltdown panic has hit Himalayan Mountaineering too? I guess the answer is yes! I was talking to my friends in the Indian Mountaineering Foundation the other day. Statistically, there is very little foreign expeditions booking in the Indian Himalaya this year so far. Indian teams are going to the mountains alright, since they never had to pay the huge permit fees ( and most of the Indian mountaineering ventures are either subsided by the Army, IMF or Clubs).

 

But is it just the panic to lose one's job, thats stopping a climber to travel to India now, or do we have more contributors to that paranoid feeling: terrorism? Swine flu?

 

But life can not just stop for us who has to climb mountains to sustain with self esteem in this society. So we are still hoping we will get some interests in the following expeditions:

 Mt Meru North Expedition- August 6- 27, 2009

We are also inviting people to join our Parangla Trek

Parangla Trek: September 2009

Dates: September 3, 2009- September 26, 2009

This trek will have Yoga Sessions by Hilde Wasserfall (Germany). Please email us for more info.


--
Adventure Mania
official website: www.adventuremania.com
Upcoming Trips blog: http://adventuremania-india.blogspot.com
Raja's personal blog:http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
Call Raja:  +91 97487 61139
Optional Number :+91 92305 11139

September Ladakh Trek & Easter Trek 2010

Parangla Trek: September 2009
Dates: September 3, 2009- September 26, 2009

Easter Trek to Singalila Ridge: March 2010
Dates: March 27, 2010 to April 11, 2010

Note: both these treks will have Yoga Sessions by Hilde Wasserfall (Germany). Please email us for more info.



--
Adventure Mania
official website: http://www.adventuremania.com/
Upcoming Trips blog: http://adventuremania-india.blogspot.com/
Raja's personal blog:http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com/
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
Call Raja: +91 97487 61139
Optional Number :+91 92305 11139

west sikkim objectives

West sikkim objectives around goecha la area. I took this pictures about 10 days ago. This peaks have not been attempted from this side ever. The glacier in the foreground of the pictures is Onglathang glacier. The mountain kanchenjunga is unmistakeable of course. But some of the pictures show opportunites and may be possible lines up Talung, Kabru and Forked peak. There has not been many crossing of the Goechala. Talung glacier can open up a possible approach to Kabru and some lesser peaks from a completely different angle.

 

I am very excited about my plans to cross Goechala this month and then traverse the Talung glacier to the East and then follow the river all the way down to Mangan. It has NOT been done for last 120 years. Claude White the first political officer to Sikkim did this exploration expedition in 1890. I was lucky to find his book in the Darjeeling Oxford book store and since then it has been insipiring me to go on this journey following his footsteps.

 

I think if I can do this I will come back with some unforseen photographs of South Simvu and Tongshiong glaciers and its peaks and approaches.

 

 

--
Adventure Mania
official website: www.adventuremania.com
Upcoming Trips blog: http://adventuremania-india.blogspot.com
Raja's personal blog:http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
Call Raja:  +91 97487 61139
Optional Number :+91 92305 11139