16/07/2024
Some horrible news from Himalayan treks last month. Lives lost, injuries, both physical and emotional, confusion and fear. But it’s not the mountains, it’s the people, specifically the greed of people, which is to blame. Highlighting some important points -
1. The biggest factor in any Himalayan trek is the guide to client ratio. It has to be 1:4 or lesser, one trained guide for every 4 clients. Any compromise here means your trekking agency is not just skimping on cost, but putting lives at risk.
2. The maximum group size should not exceed 12. You might save some cost by joining a bigger group, but at a very high risk. Not worth it.
3. Know your trek agency and guide beforehand. Do some basic background check. At least one guide should have done a mountaineering and rescue course, others some basic first aid course.
4. Also find out how many treks are being organised by your trekking agency. If they are spread thin, doing a few treks simultaneously, you should be wary.
Bottomline is that you can’t take a Himalayan trek casually, like you would a trip to a hill station. Don’t sign up for “packages” with the sole criteria of how cheap the trek is or how cool the Instagram reel looks. Take Himalayan trekking seriously, and it will reward you, way beyond the monetary investment.
