My first Mountain course and an extremely challenging one. Structured mountain training immediately after Stok Kangri (https://tinyurl.com/y4oj6pte) definitely helped. The training was tough and so was I. Everything went off well but finally had to give up to back pain which started suddenly and got me deeply worried. There was lot of support from the training team and needless to say it was a great learning.
The course curriculum was very exhaustive and had the following modules:
- Introduction to mountain equipment (first exposure to these equipment and their functions)
- Knots & Hitches (bread and butter of mountaineering)
- Holds (types and techniques)
- Bouldering (free hand climbing)
- Rope Coiling (carrying rope in backpak & hand. Different distances and techniques)
- Bases (types, whats a base & why required)
- Belay Techniques
- Rock Craft (Climbing & Rapelling)
- Avalanche, AVD, Avl Rod (types of avalanche, avlanche rescue drill, equipment to be used if trapped in Avalanche)
- Medical & stretcher improvisation (rescue in case proper stretcher not available)
- Ice Axe & Crampon fall and arrest (Ice axe parts, its use how to arrest fall)
- 2/3/10 point
- Crevasse Rescue Drill
Best thing about basic course is everything is new here so the hunger is there to learn. During advance everything is upgraded version of basic so that course becomes less interesting.
Conclusion: One may/may not continue mountaineering but the experience is fascinating. If you like it continue with advance course else keep looking for what fascinates you. List of various Mountaineering institutes :-
- Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling.
- Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi.
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee institute of Mountaineering, Manali
- Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter sports, Pahalgham.
- National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Dirang.
IIT-kgp to Everest 