FOR TREKKERS .... good link to source High Altitude Porters (HAPS) and Guides

dhananjay

Hi All,
Just surfing through the net I discovered a good source for all independent travelers who look for porters and guides and are always getting $$$crewed by operators and agents ..... www.stikage.com ... follow the links to maps and recommended guides and porters ... looks good ... seems good ... Happy trails ... I request we should start a thread here where people who have done treks earlier provide the details and contacts of these HAPS and GUIDES as they are the ones who do the real thing not the bluddy operator who sits in his office and perhaps does not even know of the great outdoors .... and these are the people who need it .....

Cheers,
Dhananjay

gs_uppal

had seen lots of offers from stikage on bazee.com earlier, (dont remember if they still have now that bazee is ebay.co.in), they used to offer adventure gears besides a few trekking offers in travel segment.

dhananjay

Hi,
Yeah that is the same company ... I was browsing for some equipment when I came across this section on recommended HAPS and Guides .... I thought it shall be helpful to all us here .... which I am sure would be ... after all one thing leads to another ...

cheers,
dhananjay

-m2-

Rather than start a new thread, let's use this one as it is already a start and the title should attract members who are interested in the subject.

I encourage members with some experience with HAPS and Guides to pass on what you've found, and for those looking for information, this is a good place to ask questions.

m2

Lovemax

@ dhananjay : I would highly be thankful to you, besides I will be needing your services in due course of time as I might be looking forward for taking a sleeping bag & a small tent in future course of time.
Besides www.stikage.com seems to be a wonderful site.

jyotipg

Stikage website is great..
The promoter of Stikage Surendra Sonik is a nice chap.. I spoke to him personally few weeks back.. But I hope I could say the same about the equipments too.. I bought a kiddes carrier bag from them and within a fortnight, It started getting torn off from one end.. I thought perhaps this particular piece had a poor workmanship, but recently got first hand info from a few guys who bought thier rugsacks from Stikage and that too started getting torn..

So, dropped my plans of buying a rugsack from them (will stick to my old one for the time being) and planning to buy just an ice axe (which they dont manufacture, and prices appeared to be reasonable) from them.

dhananjay

Hi,
For good equipment I have found Adventure 18 in satya niketan, Delhi to be quite reasonable and great ... The guy who owns it Mohit oberoi is one of the best rock climbers in the country .... There is one Chogori's in Connaught place as well but is relatively very expensive .... however they stock good stuff ..... I have also tried Carabin in Okhla however they are the poorest of them all ....
cheers,
Dhananjay

AvidTrekker

Stikage has generally poor quality stuff, but his prices are equally low..... and many Indians cannot afford higher prices. The foreigners on this forum may not find his equipment upto the mark.

Mohit Oberoi has an excellent reputation. I don't know him personally, or the quality of his goods. Recently he bought a lot of imported stuff (Lucky, vaude, and other brands from europe) from the importer Avi Industries of Mumbai. [ http://www.aviindustries.com/ ] I know Avi Inds for 25 years and their eqpmt is OK. They speak well abt Mohit Oberoi.

Chogori's Hemant Sachdev has a vast stock of imported material and regularly supplies to the army [orders worth 50 lakh rupees at least]. Nowadays he does not pay real attention to small customers unless he is in a very good mood.

Others i don't know. Ashish Sood also supplies to the army and stocks reasonably good eqpmnt. I have misplaced his business card somewhere .... but he does advertise in the Himalayan Journal.

That's all the people in delhi that i have heard of in my trekking years. Dehra Dun also has Mountain Equipment and Paramount in the bazaar. Indian quality stuff at Indian prices.

That covers about all that i can write about vendors in Delhi and Mumbai. But there is no real source for haps and guides except by posting our own experiences. Stikage notwithstanding.

Many of my old guides have become rich or arrogant or both or have moved to mumbai / delhi for better jobs. Even i have to search for new porters every five to six years. Humanity moves on. These things do not remain constant. At least i have enough experience in hiring and porters can never take me for a ride or abandon my trek mid way.

We can exercise abundant caution, yet many things go wrong because a trek is not like going for a movie outing.

__________________
The Universe is an ellipsoid?... or a Spheroid?? If the sphere smiles... it becomes an ellipse. This IS Creation.

jyotipg

"Many of my old guides have become rich or arrogant or both or have moved to mumbai / delhi for better jobs. Even i have to search for new porters every five to six years. Humanity moves on. These things do not remain constant. At least i have enough experience in hiring and porters can never take me for a ride or abandon my trek mid way".


True.. Thats the reason I dont feel comfortable giving my guide info to everyone. I just gave my guide a lead to a trekkers in Hyderabad (who unluckily are going to Khatling at the same time as me).. and now he is double minds whether to come with us or the hyderabad group, where he can make more money.

__________________
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/himalaya_trekkers/

himadventures

I found STIKAGE not very good in trekking equipment.
If people are thinking to buy any equipment from them-kindly check yourself once again. Nothing again STIKAGE personaly but truth is that they do not have quality of equipment as compared to companies in DEHRADUN and MUMBAI/PUNE.

dhananjay

Hi,
Paramount in Dehradun (contact pravin - 09837036357), Krishna Enterprises in Delhi (Mr Mahipal singh 098112-51884), Adventure 18 (Mohit Oberoi - 98100-43029) ...All of these I found great for equipment ....

Coming back to guides and porters for Kinnaur and Spiti Shiv Singh at Kinner camps I remember to be great .... www.kinnercamps.com .....

Cheers,
Dhananjay

himadventures

Avid and jyoti had concluded but I add:
This is not easy for ANY company to announce rates and names of guides and porters. This is tedious business and I have personaly seen a Govt. official letter came to our office about rates of guides,porters and cook.
Govt. rates were so cheap that it will make your heart melt with pity. On the otherhand - porters and guides try to squeeze money out of agencies and that too if you have overseas clients.

FOR EXAMPLE: Names printed in LONELY PLANET...they become RICH from day one and after a year you will find that that name is not working as a guide anymore and he has opened some restaurant in base village or have gone in taxi/jeep business. Now that business is seen on commission basis and he starts selling his name and reputation.