Tag: Annapurna Base Camp

1st snow of the year & Plan for the season

skisnowboardnepal

The first western disturbance arrived in Nepal last week and brought heavy snow showers throughout the country. Here are some impressions from our first lines on Kalinchok. Utsav Pathak and Sukdev Thapa already ventured out to the village of Kuri to inspect the ski lift and the amount of snow that has fallen. Infact it is quite an early snowfall in the season and we expect the snow will disappear within the next week. Nevertheless, it is a perfect start in the new season an we are happy to announce several ski & snowboard events in Nepal.

In January 2020 we will join the Mountain Academy of Nepal (MAN) on a Ski expedition to Mustang. We want to attempt  to skin up to Bhrikuti Shail (6361m) which is covered by a wide system of glaciers in upper Mustang. Since the glaciers are not too steep and only have few crevasses in winter, it is technically relatively easy. We are looking forward to be back skiing Nepals glaciers to demonstrate the potential for SkiMo tourism in Nepal together with MAN as an official project of the #VisitNepal2020 campaign.

Brikhuti Shail 6361m and glaciers in Mustang

For February 2020 we will organize another major event in Annapurna Base Camp 4150m in Kaski, Nepal. During a 13 day event we will provide European Ski instructors and teach 35 Nepal students how to ski and snowboard. This event will also be organized in cooperation with MAN and the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). The training consists of a beginner ski course (Level 1), an advanced ski course (Level 2) and snowboard courses. Furthermore, we will conduct a theoretical and practical avalanche course to teach locals, mountain guides and Skiers about the risks and assassement of avalanches.

20170215_094317

In March 2020 we hope to be back in Humla to continue our ski training with locals, students and trekking guides. March is the perfect time to find big amounts of poweder snow in western Nepal. Therefore we are planning to fly to Simikot with European instructors to conduct beginner courses in skiing and conduct skitours to various passes and peaks.

Finally, we want to send a group of our Nepali ski instructor aspirants to Gulmarg for an intensive 14 day training course. The goal is to go really indepth and focus on how to teach skiing to others. We can greatly benefit from the amount of snow in Gulmarg and the vast ski lift infrastructure in India. After the training, a licensed ski instructor will examine the aspirants and if successful, award the international instructor certificate. From thereon, its just downhill. Nepalis will go skiing.

Ski for Nepal 3 – Annapurna Winter Festival

skisnowboardnepal

76706918_1122713441264808_7943819086587232256_o

Finally we are launching the next Ski training in Annapurna Base Camp. This year we will cooperate with the Mountain Academy of Nepal, an institute affiliated with the Ministry of Tourism in Nepal. The training will take place from the 10th until 23rd February and we will provide gear and ski instructors from Europe. As in the last years we will conduct a beginner Ski course, an advanced course and a Snowboard course. Furthermore, we will teach all students about avalanche awareness, rescue techniques and conduct practical trainings on how to find avalanche victims. After the training we will also organize a Ski, Snowboard and Skimountaineering race.

The advantage of Annapurna Base Camp as our location for this festival are manifold. First of all, there is plenty of snow. Especially for advanced skiers it is important to Ski various kinds of terrain and different snow types to progress. In February and March there can be up to 2 meters of snow in the Annapurna Sanctuary which is ideal for Ski mountaineering and splitboarding. Especially last year, there was so much snow, that the lodges at ABC had to close and some of the roofs collapsed due to the weight of the snow.

Second of all, the terrain in ABC provides different kinds of slopes. First of all, there are gentle slopes for beginners. Furthermore, there are slopes with more incline for advanced and professional skiers. Infact, the slopes are part of the north face of Hiunchuli 6441m. Due to the northern exposition, snow remains cold and hence fresh powder. You can ascend with climbing skins from ABC at 4200m up to 5200m and enjoy almost 1000m of descend.

Finally, the lodges in ABC provide great comfort to all students and instructors. After a long ski day it is better to enjoy a warm dinner in the heated dining room then to sleep in tents. Also the costs are significantly lower then in tents due to the gas, kitchen gear, food etc.

We hope to find about five to six instructors and about 30 Nepali students. Also we are planning to subsidize all Nepali students to keep the costs as low as possible. Currently we are still negotiating with the Mountain Academy, MoT and the VisitNepal2020 campaign office about a budget and are looking for private sponsors.

We will also soon upload a registration sheet for all the participants to faciliate insurance, ski gear and other equipment. Looking forward to ski with you in ABC! #skisnowboardnepal

Preliminary schedule:

1 Drive from Kathmandu to Ghandruk with the team and gears. Overnight at Ghandruk.
2 Inauguration Day at Ghandruk.
3 Trekking to ABC (Overnight at Sinuwa/Bamboo)
4 Trekking to ABC (Overnight at Himalaya/Deurali)
5 Trekking to ABC (Overnight at MBC/ABC)
6-9 Annapurna Winter Festival and basic training for trainee/locals/students/guide
10 1st National Ski/Snowboard Championship and Annapurna Winter Festival closing day.
11-13 Trekking to Siwai,Ghandruk
14 Drive back to Kathmandu

Impressions from 2017

20170215_132202

IMG_1151

20170215_104323

Pasang

Lisa

vlcsnap-error083

DSC01693

20170215_094317

Cooperation with Vacation with a Cause

skisnowboardnepal

Humla 9

The Foundation is happy to announce its cooperation with the Austrian company “Vacation with a cause”. Lisl Leitn, the founder joined us already in 2017 and was part of a group of european Ski instructors in Annapurna Base Camp.

We decided to team up, since the Foundation faced drastic financial problems in the last years. Funding a ski school in Nepal is quite a challenging task. Although we rely on volunteers and sponsors, it is difficult to organize trainings without any cash. While our sponsors such as Mammut, Contour Skins and Dynafit did provide us with vital gear such as avalanche tranceivers and Skitour skins these donations consist of gear, but not cash.

Therefore, we decided to initiate a social sustainable business model and reach out to travel agencies for cooperations. This step was important to provide job opportunities for our ski and snowboard guides and to promote skiing in Nepal to a global audience. Furthermore, our cooperation consists of combining ski tourism to Nepal with trainings for locals, guides and kids.

Humla7

We could not have found a better partner than “Vacation with a cause” since their business model does exactly do that. Lisa´s company offers Kite surf and surf trips to Brazil and cooperates with local surf schools close to Fortalezza. Her clients are looking not only for epic waves and beautiful beaches but also want to give back something to the surf community. Hence, the clients spend half of their vacation sharing their passion with local kids and enjoy themselves for the rest of the trip. They also provide English classes to the kids that will eventually significantly benefit their education in the long run.

Now its time to adopt the same approach in Nepal. Therefore we sat down with Lisa and planned for the winter season 2020 and drafted two fixed departures for interested SkiMo and Splitboard enthusiasts. The first group will trek to the Annapurna Base Camp and join us for Skitours in the mornings and subsequently teach locals in the afternoon. The second group will fly to Nepal in March and explore the hidden powder slopes of Humla, while continuing our ski training in Simikot and Hepka Valley.

Sounds interesting? If you want to be part of the first Ski school in Nepal and enjoy Himalayan Powder please contact Lisa. She will provide all details, costs and a concise itinerary:  info@vacations-with-a-cause.com

https://vacations-with-a-cause.com/en

Dates:

Annapurna Base Camp 14 Days: 25.02-09.03.2020

Humla 15 Days: 11.03-27.03.2020

Some impressions from our previous trainings:

ABC7

 

ABC 4

ABC8

ABC3