How to take up Mountaineering as Career in India

Well I am writing this as i kept getting the following questions ” What should i do after Basic mountaineering Course ?” , ” How to make career in Mountaineering?”, ” I dont want to work in routine 9 to 5 job, what should i do? ” , ” I love mountains and they keep calling me. Can someone pay me to roam in mountains? “, ” Is mountaineering as career in India viable option? “.

The above questions are asked to me by many mountain lovers. Also these are the questions which crop up in my mind when i am in office with my mind wandering in Himalayas. So i will put down my research for all the like minded mountain monkeys.

Mountaineering institutions of India

More Waiting Time 

• NIM – 1965- Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi
• HMI – 1954 – Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling
• JIM – 1983 – Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering, Pahalgam
• ABVIMAS – 1961- Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali

Less Waiting Time

• NIMAS – National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Dirang-Arunachal Pradesh.
• IISM – Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Gulmarg ( More famous for Skiing)
• SGMI – Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute, Gangtok ( Only trains army – not sure )
• PNSMTI – Pandit Nain Singh Surveyor Mountaineering Training Institute (Younger bro of NIM )

More famous institutions have longer waiting duration. That doesnt mean other institures are not good. I did my BMC from NIMAS and am happy about it.

Mountaineering Education

If you dont already know then the first step to get into this world of adventure is to take part in mountaineering academics. This is education ladder

1. BMC – Basic Mountaineering Course – starter course which teaches the basic techniques of movement on rock, ice and snow.
2. AMC- Mountaineering Course – Teached advanced techniques with focus on planning & executing expeditions.
3. MOI – Method of Instruction  – Qualifies you become an instructor for mountaineering & allied sports
4. SAR – Search & Rescue- course teaches first aid and navigation along with techniques to search and rescue on the himalayas.
   

 

Mountaineering Progression

Consider your life as a game and these are the various levels you would have to cross to set a strong career in mountaineering

Level ZERO

Train hard. Improve Endurance , stamina & Core strength. Go for treks to hills around you. Practice rock Climbing. Do Himalayan Treks with established organisers.

Level ONE

Apply for BMC courses from the above institutions. ( I did my BMC from NIMAS- beautiful pics to get you excited)When you would complete this course you would get a feel of mountaineerings and get your basics in place. You will either love it to the core or hate it. If you are lucky you will love it and by the end of the course you would not be able to live like a normal person. Eg- If you used to work in IT, once you are back to the normal world, computer apke saamne hoga but apka mind will be roaming in the mountains. Make sure to get an A in BMC to qualify for AMC

Level TWO

Go for more Himalayan treks with your new buddies from BMC. IF they are not available join some Himalayan Treks of mountaineering nature. Gain more experience in the Himalayas. The people who keep asking me which trek I should i do after BMC, my answer is:

1. Stok Kangri ( July )  –  6153 m – non technical
2. Freindship Peak ( Winter ) –  5289 m – technical in Winter
3. Kang Yatse 1 ( July ) – 6401m – slightly technical
4. Deo Tibba ( Winter Trek ) -6001 m – technical.

This will get you used to high altitude and technical routines. You are now ready for AMC

Level THREE

Time to plan for AMC from any of the institutes available in your time frame. This is the last phase of your graduation. i.e. this will make you qualified to do support most mountaineering activities in India. Make sure to complete AMC immediately after BMC. Better to complete it quickly before you get to lazy.

Level FOUR

once you are done with your graduation ..err.. i mean AMC with an A grade. You can either look for jobs for higher education. By higher education means you take up MOI and become a trained instructor to teach young mountaineers or can take up SAR to join rescue operation. Or you can do neither and directly take up an available opportunities in the mountains ( will discuss these jobs later)

JOBS in Mountaineering 

Now that you are atleast reached LEVEL 3 , you are qualified to enter world of mountaineering. so here are the few jobs you can get
1. Himalayan Porters : Porters are the workforce/ lifelines if mountains. If you reading this blog i seriously doubt you would be looking at these kind of works. Porters are mostly locals who have been acclimatised to high altitude by default i.e. they are much stronger than most of you. Plus the pay scale would be very less .( INR 10k-20k per month)

2. Himalayan Trek Leaders :  Few of my freinds joined as trek leaders after BMC. Apart from mountaineering skills people should also have good communication & people skills. There are many adventure institutes in India that will pay you XXXXXX money for these. Just go their websites and look for the Careers section. ( INR1000- 2000 per day & if lucky INR 20k-40k Monthly on payroll )

3. Himalayan Climbing Guides: These are kind of trek leaders which are mostly hired by foreigners landing up in India for treks. You will need to have lots of experience in the mountains and will need good contacts to get constant work which will take some years. The work is far off and between but will pay you good (INR 3000 + per day). Word of caution: I have met enough people on internet who started off as a guide and started some other job after 5 years to support family. This job gets respect & money outside India.

3. Himalayan Trek Organisers: Most city people dream of starting their own trek companies. By outsourcing the majority of work to the local guys and just handling a website seems to be an easy way out , but i personally believe it is unethical. Unless and untill you are in this to help the locals with good income and be one with the nature, I would not recommend this to anyone. Plus this a highly competitive market. I have seen many trek companies started with excitements and shut down within 2 years. Those lucky earn by hordes in lakhs per month

4. Sahyadri & Local Adventure Organisers: You can also start trek companies which provide adventure services like Sahyadri trekking, Camping experiences, Rock- climbing & Bouldering day camps. If you have sound financial background you can start adventure shops like say Della adventure. Again scope for lakhs

5.  Sponsored Mountaineers: If you become celebrity then people will pay you to trek and advertise. Eg: Only example i can think of is Arjun Vajpai who is being sponsored by Mountain Dew. As you may have guessed this has very less probability when every other person is trying to be Instagram famous. 

6. Government Vacanies: After MOI you can get instructor positions with the mountaineering institutes mentioned above. Also with SAR you may get jobs with rescue teams with state enterprises. If you become Everester there is every chance of getting a honorary job with the government. 

This is the mountaineering ladder i could think off. Mountaineering as a sport is gaining huge traction in India where every other person seems to be getting ” Called” by the mountains. So if you taking baby steps in the world of mountaineering I hope you have some more clarity now

Thoda Philosophy

At the start of your mountaineering journey let me give you a heads up on taking this route. Once you are with a family and settled taking time out for mountains becomes difficult. So it is better to start as early as possible.

If you have to choose mountaineering as your job, make sure to have some other back up which will support you financially as well. Mountaineering as a fixed income career is very unstable and may not be able to support a family of 4 in the long run. It will definitely provide your a feeling of macho-ness and liberation in the short run. But in the long run only few stable and determined people will make through

Like any business/job in life anything you want wont reach you by windfall. It will take time & whole lot of efforts. So be patient and keep giving your best.

My story

 I have reached level TWO and have plans to continue on this mountaineering journey. My mountaineering journey till now . I had a slow 2018 because of excess office work but have big plans for 2019 ( i have not left my day job).

If you have any doubts add a comment at the end of this post or reach out to me through my social media channels. All links at the bottom of this page. Below are few more mountain related posts you may like: