The Sunday Tribune

Soaring safely

Even as adventure tourism is exploring new territories, safety concerns need to be
addressed on a priority basis, writes Pratibha Chauhan

IT is away from the hustle-bustle of the crowded concrete jungles of Shimla-Manali-Dharamsala that a new passion for adventure activities like heli-skiing, river rafting, paragliding, mountain biking and rock climbing is attracting hordes of tourists, especially youngsters who are game for their high-risk thrill.

Places like Bir-Billing in Kangra and Solang Nullah near Manali are famous for paragliding

Heliskiing attracts many adventure lovers

Trekking camps in the hills are popular
among students and youngsters

The cut-throat competition in adventure sports like river rafting is leading to a decline in standards Photos: Amit Kanwar

Those wanting to visit the hills are looking for something different, something that offers a lifetime experience. It is areas like Manali, Tattapani, Bir-Billing in Kangra, Pong Dam and the rugged terrains of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti which are emerging as the happening places for adventure activities. There is immense potential for adventure tourism in Himachal Pradesh, which offers everything, right from heliskiing, paragliding, river rafting and kayaking to rock climbing, mountain climbing and trekking to suit everyone’s interest. Every year, lakhs of tourists flock the state for a memorable experience of thrill and the numbers are constantly rising.

The government Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institutes at Dharamkot in Dharamsala and Manali have contributed tremendously in popularising adventure activities. Now, the private sector has also taken to it in a big way.

The new-found craze for summer camps has hordes of students from schools and colleges in places
like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal flocking to Himachal Pradesh.

With tourism tipped as the second-most important sector after power for generating revenue as well as creating employment, the youth can make adventure tourism a big money spinner, the dividends of which can be reaped even by those living in the inaccessible areas, which have much more in terms of virgin and pristine locales to offer.

Bir-Billing in the Baijnath area of Kangra is considered one of the best aero sports sites in the world, with the take-off point being located at an altitude of 2600 m, while the landing point at Bir is at a height of 2080 m. The site offers opportunities for high-altitude and cross-country flying for more than 200 km. It was French pilot Xavier Redmond who made a world record when he flew 132.5 km to and fro from Bir. The organisers of the Pre-World Cup Paragliding annual event will collaborate with the Aero Club of India and Federation Aeronautical International for holding the event this year.

It is people like Vinay Sharma, India’s national champion in paragliding and the person behind the Para Gliding School at Solang and Gulaba, near Manali, who have promoted the sport and made it popular. "Gone are the days two decades ago, when I had to go from hotel to hotel showing videos of paragliding to persuade people to go for at least a joy ride in a tandem flight, as today there is no dearth of daring people keen to enjoy the sport," he says. He offers camping sites, trekking, rock climbing and other activities besides paragliding.

Though it was Haryana Tourism which introduced river rafting at Pirdi in the Kulu area, today many local youth have set up successful ventures offering an exciting experience. Those not short of money can enjoy the lively experience of heli-skiing, which offers the privilege of skiing down the virgin sun-kissed snow slopes from mountain tops reached through choppers, which are out of bounds for others.

There is cut-throat competition in the field of adventure sports like river rafting and even aero sports, resulting in a decline in professional standards. "Today, it has become very difficult to offer quality services with complete safety measures, as untrained people have jumped on the bandwagon, offering river rafting for Rs 50, making it difficult for others who have trained guides and equipment," emphasises Vivek Chander, a trained rafter from Rishikesh, who is rather dismayed at the manner in which people want to make quick bucks at the cost of safety.

Similar sentiments are echoed by Mohit Sood, who has been the brain behind a mountain biking rally, a recent addition to the high adventure sports in Himachal Pradesh. "There is immense potential for adventure sports but lack of infrastructure, like an international airport and use of poor quality equipment, are areas that need to be addressed," he opines. He says it is unfortunate that a few people have a monopoly over these sports, as there is an absence of experts to train the local youth, who could contribute immensely to popularising such sports and, above all, maintaining professional standards. He has been holding the mountain biking event for the past five years. With the participation going up every year, it is gaining popularity among tourists, mostly foreigners.

Then, there has been the Himalayan Car Rally, which meanders through the serpentine mountain roads and passes, boasting of one of the most treacherous and rugged terrains for such events in the world.

While there is no dearth of daredevils who dare to accept its enchanting challenge, there are many who not only participate but enjoy every bit of the event. "Himachal has locales which are out of this world with so much to offer but connectivity is a huge problem as travelling by road takes a lot of time in the absence of reliable flights," remarks Richard, a tourist from America who loves paragliding.

Those keen to offer something very unique and different are being innovative.

"I not only plan to have tented accommodation but also offer the exhilarating experience of living in tree houses, which will be atop the majestic deodar trees in my peach and strawberry orchard," says an excited Neeraj Thakur, who is working overtime to get started at the earliest at his farm near Rajgarh in Sirmaur.

Reducing risk

IN view of the fact that adventure sports and other related activities definitely have a high-risk element, ensuring that the laid-down safety guidelines are adhered to is of utmost importance. Even though activities like paragliding have been undertaken in the state, mostly in Bir-Billing in Kangra and Solang Nullah, near Manali, for the last two decades, safety continues to be a grave concern, requiring much more care and attention.

There have been several mishaps during the conduct of these sports, as they cannot be completely ruled out, but when these occur due to the absence of adequate safety measures, it is a cause for concern. A case in point is the calamity involving the death of a Gujarati tourist last year during the monsoons, a season when river rafting is banned. "Since the catchment area of the Beas is huge, the river can be treacherous and turbulent and as such river rafting is banned during the monsoons," says Subhash Sharma, a Kulu-based travel agent.

The various paragliding events in Bir-Billing, too, have not been without accident, including the death of a foreign pilot last year, leading to the cancellation of the Pre-World Cup Paragliding event. The incident forced the Tourism Department to get serious about ensuring safety guidelines laid down by the national and international regulatory authorities. The deputy commissioners and sub-divisional magistrates in the entire state of Himachal pradesh were directed to ensure that permission was sought from them so that they had information about any pilots flying in the area and in case of trouble, the authorities were not caught unawares. Though the Tourism Department is keen to gradually withdraw from all such activities to allow the associations and bodies concerned to run the show, the government will have to act as an effective regulatory body. However, that can happen only if experts and specialists in the field are involved in the highly technical exercise at the government level. — PC

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