Nehru Institute of Mountaineering

Whither sarcasm? Two barsaatis are genuinely required when its raining/drizzling and you want to sit down.... else you will be sitting down on soggy/wet ground. Pindari is crowded generally... which is why you have so many temporary dhaabaas comoing up in season for the trekkers. Its not a place to discover some isolated terrain which is so important to any trekker... anyway.... you can't make everyone happy... sorry i commented

See Nidhi you can improvise. Instead of taking two barsaatis here is what you can do:

This is what I have done and it really works, without hindering your movement.
Take a big size good quality (slightly thick) polythene bag (Size: 2.5 feet wide and approx. 4.5 to 5 feet long depending upon your height). Then place it on the ground. mark an arc towards the right hand side of the sealed end of bag. The arc size should be slightly smaller than your head size. Now, cut it with a pair of seizers. Put it on with your head sticking out through this hole. (you may need to increase the size of arc for proper fit). Now, if it goes with slight effort , half work is done. OK.

Now, the thing to remember here is that the edge of the poly bag should be in your front. Ok. The rest of the untouched sealed edge shall be behind your head. Ok. Now, ask a friend of you to mark a small circle starting from one of your shoulders. This circle needs to be cut out through the poly bag in such a way that there is a hole through and through that is for each of your hands. And since both our hands are on the same level (mine are …lol) you can cut this hole in one go. Now, put this improvised rain gear again with your head through the top hole and both your hands sticking out through each side holes. (You can increase the size of the arm holes so as to accommodate your swatter/ Jacket). Now, you can reinforce the upper head hole with cello tape if you like for greater durability. As far as head is concerned you should use a plastic wide brim hat so that water does not enter inside through the neck area. When the rain is heavy you can sit down at a spot with your rucksack inside this rain gear apart from your head and hands inside the poly bag. Try out this system in your home shower for practice.... lol.

If you have any problems do ask questions. I can also send you a sketch as attachment, if required. I have used this for two of my Himalayan treks and this works really great without hindering movement.

Waiting for your feed back.

HELLO NIDHI,

even i would love to take this 1 month course, but is it safe for gals to be alone NIM??. n my fears are genuine as i think its better to go in a group of atleast 2 or 3 ppl but i am not fInding any company.

NIM Conducts separate courses only for gals.. So, dont worry..You wont be not the only gal in the country going for this course..

JP

....... has got a waiting list nowadays!!! It is the best run mountaineering instt in India and attracts a few foreigners as well because it is inexpensive. Banish your fears of "no girls on the course???" You might not get admission in the first year itself! [this is not the rule... but happenns once every three years or so]

Hi Nidhi , i have gone in that region twice an as far as i know it wont be a nice experiance in end of june. it will definitely rain in that time, and you will not enjoy the trek , it will be cloudy and you will not be able to see those magnificient peaks. it will be wiser to go in the end of august or erly september.

Hi Nidhi,

I totally agree with Cliffhanger that's why I requested you to reconsider your plan. I think that you are not a hardcore trekker/ mountaineer who enjoy Mother Nature in all its fury, at least at the moment. So it will be wise to get the feel of it when the weather is ideal, conditions are perfect, and so is your fitness. Believe me when I say that even seasoned mountaineers get sapped by bad weather in the Mighty Himalayas. When the things start pitching they may get quite worse. You are new in the field, better start in fair weather and I am sure in due coarse of time, with enough time and experience you will be able to enjoy the Himalayas in all its glory.

It is suggested that you start off around fourth week of August or early September. This is the time when the temperatures are Ok (nights not too cold, however days may get hot along with occasional showers towards second half of the day) but in totality high chances of fair weather.

Rest is up to you,

Have a safe and enjoyble climbing,

Rahul

I dont agree with you, I have done my basic and advance from HMI and i dont think they abuse trainees or treat them as army recruit. as far as rules are concerned it should be strict as it is a very dangerous game and any thing could happen to u. it is true it is toughest of all , but i will still recomend NIM because it is technically more superior.

These places are not tourist spot so before going there make sure that u can cope up with the pressure and condition of the course, and u should be physically very sound. these places ar very safe for all ,even mix courses are safe for ladies.

Agreed 100%. I have first hand experience with NIM and can recommend that it has superior technical know how, the instructors are more experienced. Many of them have summited Everest very recently. Moreover, the Principal of the Institute
Col. Ashok Abby has indeapth knowledge of the subject and is an Extremely able Leader. Under his able leadership the institute also holds the world record for Most members of climbing team on summit - Total 136 members summited Everest (Joint Indian Army and Royal Nepal Army Everest Expedition - 2003).

Rahul

Sorry i beg to differ, but in term of experience NIM even does not come closer to HMI. HMI have some of the legends of mountaineering amongst its authority. Gombu, kunga Bhutia, kusang Sherpa, Ang Shering....................... ........... the list is huge and never ending. and see the feets they have achieved .I could even repeat the courses to meet them.

No problem with being disgreement RAHUL ! but this is my personal opinion.
I know NIM and knows very well that they had produced very good crop of climbers from that institute.
Moroever-may be with passage of time,things would have changed...I am talking about more than 10 years !!

hi rahul,,,

can u plz give a sketch of ur invention.....

That's good idea. I have done trekking with TSAF in Uttar Kashi Area. We had used something very similar. And it's really cool as it keeps the water off you, it's easy to carry and too cheap to have a spare one ready too.

Find attached the crude sketch of the rain gear I have improvised.
Can do it very easily and it works very well.

Rahul.

there seemed really some activity going on this lastyear but nothing this year... i just signed up for the BMC at NIM and am really looking forward to it as it's a dream come true for me. any specific tips pls send in.
read about the rahulmade raincoat and socks saga and on another thread about monotony of food (least of my bohters) and am hungry to get to know more!