NIM - Nehru Institute of Mountaineering

beklemmung

Hey all,

I just completed the basic mountaineering course at NIM earlier this week. While I can't make any direct comparisons with HMI or any other mountaineering institutes, I can give you my opinions and observations regarding NIM. If you have any specific questions, please post them here. Some basic info:

- I'd recommend taking your own backpack and, if you have them, your own gaiters. I was planning to use a NIM-provided pack, but the ones they issue are only around 55-60 liters and the condition can be wretched. I had a 55 liter Marmot pack that I was using just as a general travel bag, and it was just big enough to use for the course. I saw two packs in which the stitching holding the shoulder straps to the padding came undone, which forced people to tie knots with the straps (the buckles dangled uselessly) and they had no padding on their shoulders. The hip belts also seemed useless, forcing you to carry all the weight on your shoulders. Also, because we were the earlier course for the year, there was a lot of snow, and the gaiters that NIM issued weren't very good. They're fairly cheap gaiters, and many people had problems with snow coming up from the bottom. I had my personal OR gaiters and was glad I did.

- The food is nearly the exact same for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There isn't much you can do about this, but unfortunately eating became a duty, and at times it wasn't an easy one in spite of being hungry. The food isn't bad, it's just always the same.

- While I thought that, overall, the course and quality of instruction were fairly good, be warned that very few of the instructors speak more than very basic English. Our senior instructor's English was quite good, but the other 15 or so were all more or less unable to explain things in English. Other students will be keen to translate for you (hopefully you get at least one good translator in your "rope," a subunit of 6-7 people), but there will still be times when you're frustrated by language difficulties if you can't understand Hindi.

- Basic syllabus: 3 days on campus going over basics, having equipment issued, and some knot learning and artificial wall climbing. 4 days of trekking about 7km each morning with full packs to a nearby rock climbing area, where you'll practice all morning til lunch, then have a lecture and take the bus back to NIM each afternoon. 18 days in the mountains, a few days spent trekking in/out, and the rest learning snowcraft, icecraft, crevasse rescue, and "high altitude rock climbing" (climbing w/out climbing shoes).

Klysamik

Dear beklemmung,
Congratulation for completing the basic mountaineering course.
Now I would like to tell something about your experience about the foods offered to you during the course, as you described in the write up. I noticed that you are from New York, USA. In India we do not have so much fund flowing in adventure sports like mountaineering or so. We have to arrange trekking and mountaineering expeditions with our own funds. Most of the time, we don’t get any sponsor. Therefore we can not afford the luxuries like foreign teams. We have to eat same meal everyday to cut the expenses short. That is why our institutes train us in this way. We are taught not to be luxurious in the mountains.
But I agree with you about the equipments and the communication skills of the instructors. Definitely those areas should be improved.

Samik

beklemmung

Klysamik -

I tend to think the reason we were provided with more or less the same food everyday was that the cooks were army cooks, and the whole institute is run by the Ministry of Defense. I don't think that they were specifically trying to prepare the students for a future necessity, but rather just treating us as a military unit would be treated. Most of the students seemed to have no problem with the food, but I'd hazard a guess that around 20-25% shared in my frustration.

I also don't think that cost is strictly the reason for the lack of variation in the food. Given that they were cooking for between 90 and 120 people (a search and rescue course was also going on for part of the time), they would have been buying whatever they cooked in large quantity, even if they were only making one meal.

drsoptics

hello beklemmung,

So many questions! I am signed up for the same NIM course in September, and I am trying to figure out if I actually want to do it.

Gear questions - I have a (really nice with a frame) Osprey 35 liter pack. I can strap a sleeping bag to the bottom. Do you think it will be big enough for the course? What all do I need to put in it? It would really suck if I had to use a low-quality pack just to get to 55 liters. I can deal with buying gaiters, no problem, but right now I don't have trekking shoes, a jacket (parka), hat, gloves, etc. I am in Delhi now, heading for Chennai tonight, and I packed very light. Should I try to buy these things? use their provided gear? The most important thing will be the trekking shoes.

Food questions - I thought your post was kind of funny, you neglected to mention what the monotonous breakfast, lunch, and dinner actually was! (I am assuming dal and rice?) Yeah, I pretty much figured it would be boring and the same. Oh well.

Overall experience questions - Were you the only foreigner in the course? Were the other students keen on being there? Would you do it again or try to arrange something else on your own? How can I actually learn from the instructors if I don't speak Hindi???? I am wondering if I should actually do the course. On paper it seems awesome, and, judging from the tenacity of the touts in Delhi, I fear that if I just showed up in Manali or Dharamsala and tried to arrange a (shorter) guided trek on my own, I'd be paying a lot more for a shorter time and would probably be getting ripped off in some way. Any suggestions?

thanks!

beklemmung

Hey man,

Regarding the pack - you'll need to be able to carry a sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, foam sleeping pad, ice axe, plastic boots, crampons, helmet, climbing harness, a 100 ft rope or your rope's carabiners/ice screws/etc, plus all the clothes and other misc stuff that you'll need (this will vary - I didn't take the feather jacket, as I knew fleece and shell would be sufficient). I wanted to strap my sleeping bag outside my pack, but the instructors gave me hell as they thought it would get wet if it rained. I searched the market in Uttarkashi to see if I could find a waterproof stuff sack but was unsuccessful in finding a stuff sack of any kind. Perhaps you could make the 35L pack work if you put the sleeping bag on the outside, though my guess is you'd have to strap a few other things on the outside as well.

You won't need a parka, as NIM will give you one. You'll need to bring your own hat and gloves. I brought my old (but well taken care of) Montrail boots and was glad I did, as I feel very conscious about spraining an ankle when hiking with a pack. Most of the Indian students hiked in simple low-top trainers/sneakers and changed to their plastic boots when we got to the snowline. It's up to you.

The breakfast monotony didn't bother me, I suppose because I usually had the same thing every day in the States. Breakfast was either "porridge" (very thin) or corn flakes, along with four pieces of white Wonder bread, some butter and jam, and what they called an omelette (I'd guess it was two eggs). All in all, no complaints. Lunch and dinner was rice, dal, potatoes and cauliflower, occassionally mutton, soup (usually tomato), and dessert was either jello, custard (flavorless goo), or when we were really lucky, kheer. Strangely, if you take mutton the cooks won't want to give you dessert, but persistence on your part will always prevail. I'll be damned if I'm going to be denied my kheer.

I wasn't the only foreigner - out of an initial 80 students, there was also a French guy and an Australian. There was also a guy of German descent, though he'd been living in and around Bangalore for half his life. 72 students graduated, meaning 8 dropped out. I would say most of the students were happy to be there, though virtually all of us were ready to get out of the mountains by the 10th or 11th day. If I find myself in India again in the future, I'll take the advanced course, though perhaps from HMI just for variety's sake.

You'll learn from the instructors by observing, and the Indian students who speak English well will definitely be keen to translate for you. However, I did feel that the language barrier did prevent me from having as edifying an experience as someone who understood Hindi could have had. On a few occasions (this happened with the other foreigners as well), I would ask a question or request clarification, and even with other students translating to Hindi, something was lost and in the end I wasn't wholly satisfied. I must also point out that the instructors really do make an effort to get their point across to the best of their abilities, and genuinely wanted me to get as much out of the experience as I could.

The touts in Delhi got to me too, in spite of my feeling that I was ready for them. I don't think that having taken the course will put me in any better position when dealing with touts in HP or wherever. If I was to join a team that was climbing a peak that required rock or ice skills, or if I had to negotiate crevasses (and possibly pull someone out), I'd feel infinitely more comfortable now than I would have before the course. I feel that I have a solid understanding of the basics of belaying someone, using the correct knots, climbing and placing protection myself, rappelling, climbing fixed ropes, etc. I don't plan to do these things during the rest of my trip, but I'm very glad I have the knowledge, as I will use it in the future. However, like I said, as far as arranging a trek in HP or Ladakh is concerned, if it's only trekking and not technical climbing, I don't think the course would have any impact on that.

pahadi

hi there,
i have just signed up for the BMC starting end may. it was good reading some messages. don't have any specific queries right now but thought let me just get on to writing!
am so totally kicked about the course!! wanted to do it for a long long time and finally doing it now!
all tips, suggestions, warnings most welcome!!

rhushan

hi,
i did the BMC last year.
went through a whole gamut emotions over those 28 days.
would be happy to answer any questions

rupshu

hi beklemmung,
Congrats on having done the course. I have done it from HMI,Darjeeling. I am poor in Hindi and I can say over there English is the main language of instruction,so u won't feel uncomfortable if u do your Advanced from there.
Rupshu

pahadi

Hi there,
a silly question, but just wanted to know if we can leave some luggage behind at the institute while we go in the mountains? do they put everyone's stuff together in a cloak room or seperate lockers or what? i was planning to travel around a bit after the course, so needed more stuff and was wondering if i could take it with me there and leave it in a suitcase or a bag of sorts while we trekked.
also, one thin sweater, and two medium warm sweaters should suffice? what about the raincoat? i have a thing that doesnt really keep my legs below knees dry, should i get those raincoat pants to add to my ponchokinda thing?
pls let me know! i am leaving by end of this week!!! phew!!

beklemmung

Yes, you can leave luggage at the institute while in the mountains. They'll put everyone's things together in a locked room, so if you want to be extra safe you can lock your bag as well.

Clothing depends on what time of year your course is. We were in the mountains in late March and early April, and I didn't take any feather clothing, only a lightweight and heavyweight fleece. Wearing both of these with my shell was enough to keep me warm. Temps at night were generally no lower than -5C.

You should have gaiters for your lower legs (or NIM will supply some), and they'll supply "windproof" pants as well. I took my own waterproof pants, but it never rained. On some days snow will get in around your gaiters, and your lower legs and feet will get wet, regardless of your pants.

pahadi

Hi beklemmung,
thanks for the reply. I am leaving tomorrow for Uttarkashi and will start on 24th. I hope it doesnt rain when i am there too.
Will get back with my experiences when i am back
Thanks
Apoorwa

andre_marek

I'm a newbie here. I'm planning to go for adventure course this october. Can anyone tell me how can I reach NIM from mumbai, all possible options that I've. Is there a bus service from delhi to uttarkashi and how much will it cost. Please give me approx cost details of road travels. Thanx.

AvidTrekker

Mumbai to Delhi by plane or train

Delhi to Haridwar OR Rishikesh by bus [6 to 7 hrs]

Hari / Rishi to Uttarkashi by bus [6 to 8 hrs]

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andre_marek

Thanx...and i hope buses are easily available...i hav not been to delhi or rishikesh either....hav no idea

andre_marek

Can i reach uttarkashi easily frm dehradun?