[am1m]

Some pointers on the Basic Mountaineering Course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling.

(Had been meaning to put this down for some time now. Triggered this morning by a response to a post on another thread and since this lock down has given me some time to do that, here goes. Since this is based on my experiences in September 2016, some of the information my be out of date, but I think overall most of it will still be a good guide.)

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I completed my BMC (315) from HMI in October 2016. Sharing some info that might help.

The HMI website is active and has the course schedule. You can do a online transfer and send the filled in application form to them. Email them the transaction ID and follow up with them at least once a week till you get your confirmation email.

About the medical, download the form, go to a hospital or clinic and get the checks done and the form filled in and signed by a doctor. Do not do the check up and send the form more than 3 months in advance of your course. A check up older than 3 months will not be valid and you will have to do it again in Darjeeling. Either way, the HMI doctor will do their basic checks as well.

The yellow Lowe Alpine rucksacks were issued to our batch and they are very good. Buy a rain cover for a 60ltr rucksack. You can get that in Darjeeling, I got mine in a shop called the Rope.

On prep. The course starts initially at the institute. The morning run is at 6am and is from the institute around the central mall of Darjeeling and back to HMI. About 5km, with some push-ups, stretching, crunches and yoga thrown in.

The next part of the course is the trek to HMI Base Camp at Chowrikang. The trek is TOUGH! An average of 12km a day, continuous uphill, muddy, cold with a 15-17kg backpack. So prepare for this. The altitude makes a real difference, so for most of us coming from the plains, strengthen your legs and lungs by running, cycling, swimming, whatever. Practice walking up slope with a 15kg backpack. This will be a real test of stamina and willpower. But it is definitely possible and will be something you will be proud of once you complete it. I'm 37, a city guy, not in that great shape, working a desk job. So, if I could do it, anyone can. I wish i had prepared better for the trek though, would have made it easier.

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In addition to the daily run and PT, the first part of the course at HMI includes theory classes on various aspects of mountaineering, knot practice, basic rock climbing techniques at the climbing wall and at Tenzing Rock. There will also be a trek to Tiger Hill and back with full backpacks, a distance of about 20km. If you find this trek difficult, then seriously consider if you really want to attempt the trek to HMI Base Camp. The Tiger Hill trek is easy compared to the route to base camp.

The second part of the course is reaching Chowrikang. The batch will be taken by Sumos from Darjeeling to Yuksom and the enterance to Kanchendzonga National Park. Early next morning you trek to Bhakim through a forest, across four bridges, where you will stay in tents or in the abandoned Forest Rest House which is in VERY bad shape. A day at Bhakim to acclimatize to the altitude. Then comes the hardest trek from Bhakim to Dzongri. Several steep uphill climbs and if you are doing the course in September, continous rain all the way. Narrow yak trails with yaks and horses (and their dung!) all along the route. After Dzongri, a still very tough trek to Chowrikang, HMI Base Camp. The hardest part of the course is done!

The third part of the course is glacier training at Rathong glacier. Thanks to global warming, the glacier is a good 2 hour trek from base camp. (Apparently in the 90s, it was much closer to base.)

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You'll head to the glacier almost every day for the 10 days that you are there for ice climbing, anchoring, jummaring, crevasse rescue and a whole lot of other fun activities. This is where you'll be assessed on ice climbing skills, so pay attention to these skills and pay attention to what the instructors tell you. One day towards the end of your time at base camp will be for height gain. Another uphill trek to one of the smaller peaks around you. Again, tough but worth it and the height you achieve will be printed on your course completion certificate.

You will return from base to Dzongri, Dzongri to Bhakim, Bhakim to Yuksom and back to the HMI campus in 3 days. Trust me, the HMI campus and hostels will seem like heaven after these 17 days away!

The rest of your time in the course will be pretty relaxed, returning equipment, a rock climbing and running competition, graduation ceremony, an easy written test, a half-day outing in Darjeeling. Finally, you graduate, get that coveted ice-axe pin and in a day or two, your course completion certificate.

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Should you carry a camera? On the trek to base camp, you'll be cursing any extra weight in your ruksack. So, a heavy DSLR with several lenses is not a great idea. And it's just one more expensive thing to worry about. On the other hand, if the night sky is clear at base camp, you can get the best ever long exposure shots of the night sky. But that's still not a good reason to carry that much extra weight. A slim, small point and shoot should be enough. You will not get any phone signal beyond Yuksom. Some West Bengal telecom sim cards worked for some time at Bhakim, but beyond Bhakim, for 13 days, you will not have any phone connect or even electricity to charge your phone. Might as well leave it behind in the HMI campus lockers. Maybe each room can carry one phone between them and 2-3 power banks to watch movies at night after dinner at base camp.

Invest in a GOOD pair of trekking shoes. (Not necessarily the most expensive.) Don't buy those horrible 'thick soled' woodland-type shoes or those long 'army-style' boots. They are heavy and you'll be slipping all over the place. Go for a proper, quality trekking shoe. If you are doing the course in September, go for a water-resistent model. Don't take a brand new pair of shoes to HMI. Break them in before using them on such a hard trek. Carry a pair of sneakers for the morning PT at campus. You can leave the sneakers behind in the HMI lockers, you won't need sneakers at base camp.

If you are in the September (rainy season) batch, carry a good long raincoat AND a big umbrella. Both will be very, very useful.

Carry some money, you can buy snacks at Yuksom and Dzongri on the way and on the way back. Carry hand sanitizer and toilet paper, water supply may be erratic, especially at Bhakim. Carry a head torch, there's no electricity at Bhakim or base camp. Buy as many cheap gloves as you can in Darjeeling. Each day, your gloves will get soaking wet during ice training and they may not dry even after a couple of days. Same with socks. You can discard these on the trek back to lighten your load.

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What else? Enjoy your time at HMI. There will be times when you wonder why you signed up for this course. Still, force yourself to smile through those days. Get to know your batchmates. Help each other, don't compete. Don't just stick with people from your state or city, or those who speak your language. This is a great opportunity to get to know some really great people from all over the country and from different parts of society. Adjust and accommodate. The instructors are awesome! They will be strict, but that is only for your own safety. They are a great group of people, real mountaineering professionals and some of them are truly inspirational. Our course director was an Everester, had climbed Mt.Makalu and was in better shape than most of us at the age of 50! Give these guys the respect they deserve. Be nice to the mess guys. They wake up before you, cook breakfast, wash up, carry all the utensils, food, gas cylinders and stoves, will overtake you on the trail and will be cooking hot lunch or dinner for you by the time you halt for the day. Remember that before complaining about the food.

Always be cautious, pay heed to safety. Don't hide any illness or signs of altitude sickness. Don't worry about the grading. Complete all the activities safely and you should be fine. This course will show you what mountaineering is all about and you'll know if it really is for you. It will be something you'll be proud of doing. All the best!

[Thermodynamics]

A wonderful post. Thanks for penning down the details. It would be excellent if it is possible for you to share a few pictures of the institute, key activities, graduation ceremony etc.,

Questions: what made you pursue this course and did you continue mountaineering after graduating, is there any age limit, how safe is the training, how much it costs?

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

Questions: what made you pursue this course and did you continue mountaineering after graduating, is there any age limit, how safe is the training, how much it costs?

Sure, I'll be glad to answer these.

(Photos, I need to dig out, I transferred them from my old phone that I was using then to my old laptop. And frankly, on the actual trek to the HMI base camp, I was really too tired to take too many photos. By the end, I was just taking it one day at a time and focusing on putting one foot in front of the other! But the HMI website has some good photos.)

So about doing the course, well the idea was never really to pursue mountaineering either as a hobby or a profession. This was something I just wanted to do, and in 2016 I got the opportunity. My wife and I had taken that year off to travel around the country and I had earmarked one month for this. Fortunately got a seat for the September 2016 batch when I applied in Feb of that year while we were in Darjeeling anyway.

IMHO just doing this Basic or even the Advanced Mountaineering course does not qualify a person to start climbing mountains. And certainly does not qualify one to start leading or guiding expeditions. Even though a lot of people who do this course do it to start working in the adventure sports industry in India. And too many adventure sports agencies in our country advertise 'mountaineering course from xyx institute' as the sole qualification of their guides/expedition leaders! That is wrong and dangerous.

What these courses do is give you a basic idea of what Indian Mountaineering is all about and if it is for you. You do get the opportunity to meet people who are serious about mountaineering and to make contact with more experienced professionals who can guide you on the path to becoming a safe mountaineer and who can include you in future expeditions where you can learn under them. There is no substitute for years of actual climbing experience and years spent learning under a steady and good mentor.

The cost when I did it was about 7,500 INR for Indian nationals. It is now about 15,500. (But still peanuts for the facilities and equipment you get and the training!) The upper age limit for the courses is 45 years on the website. In reality, the majority of the batch will be people in their early and mid-twenties. (Though I remember the upper age limit was 40 when I applied. I was 37 when I did it and there were a couple of batch mates in their 40s, so perhaps some of us older guys managed to change their minds by not dying on the way and actually successfully completing the course )

About safety, well, it's as safe as they can make a course like this with 70 high-spirited (mostly) young people with no prior experience in the mountains! The instructors are awesome and very experienced. True mountaineers. They will look out for you and prepare to the best extent they can, but there will not be any babying or hand-holding. Accidents can and will happen. Two guys got injured during training at Darjeeling itself. A few more were not allowed to make the trek to base camp after the medical check up. Two trainees had to leave from base camp because they developed altitude sickness. One more just got discouraged on the way and turned back. There was enough opportunity to injure ourselves on the glacier itself.

Ultimately safety is in your hands, if one follows instructions (orders really- after all the Ministry of Defense is involved in the institute and the Principal and a lot of the staff are armed forces officers and service personnel!) and if one doesn't try to be 'extra-smart', all will go well.

Are the equipment/methods/logistics at these institutes for trainees the best in the world and comparable to world-class international mountaineering expeditions? Definitely not. (Though for the expeditions that these institutes do mount on the really serious peaks, they do procure the best.) I'd say what is issued to trainees is new and in good condition, but two or three generations behind the best money can buy. Is it good and safe enough? Definitely yes.

I don't have any plans to join any expeditions or scale any peaks. I still toy with the idea of doing the Advanced Course though. Theoretically, I still have 4 years left before I cross the upper age limit. But don't think it'll happen. I really enjoyed my time there and I'm proud of completing the course, but I really don't think mountaineering is for me. (Plus I don't think I'll be in a position to take that much time off work again.)

Finally, it helps to understand whom this course is targeted for and to tailor expectations. It is not designed for city boys like me who are just hobbyists and looking to experience the mountains. It's designed to provide an avenue for people with fewer opportunities to get into adventure sports as a career. And to do it with all the restrictions that any government enterprise manages with. So if one goes in expecting a private institute/college setting with always polite and encouraging teachers and a daily fun experience, well it's not. I'd say the NOLS courses (https://www.nols.edu/en/coursefinder...ip-leader-TLI/) are better suited for people with those expectations. (And are much more expensive too!)

[am1m]

Oh almost forgot, there's another common question that many people ask and it was a big question on my mind as well before I went there. I have myopia and wear spectacles. I wasn't sure if that would be an issue. The answer is not at all. Glasses are fine. Get couple of pairs as spare and a couple of pairs of sunglasses with your power specification as well.

I managed with disposable contact lenses and normal sunglasses. But there were batch mates who managed fine with wearing their spectacles as well.

[Samurai]

My wife and I (non-trekkers) did the Yoksom-dzongri-Yoksom trek in 2005, and I had posted a travelogue on it. It was a very memorable experience. Thanks for bringing back the memory.

Originally Posted by am1m

Early next morning you trek to Bhakim through a forest, across four bridges, where you will stay in tents or in the abandoned Forest Rest House which is in VERY bad shape.

I still have nightmares about this place...

Originally Posted by Samurai

The government guest house at Bakhim was really pathetic and we too didn't want to spend one more day there. The building could house 50 people, but had only one toilet, and without any running water. When I enquired about flushing, they told it will be flushed once for all after everybody is done with it. A refreshing thought!

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I still have nightmares about this place...

Haha, well I don't think they did much refurbishment between 2005 and 2016!

This is what it was like when our batch spent the night there. 60-odd guys with about 10 instructors and 7-8 mess staff. But we were really glad to have it because it was raining most of the time!

[am1m]

Some pics (and my long-winded accompanying commentary ):

Pic 1 shows the gear that you need to fit inside the backpack. Those blessed snowshoes are the worst to fit in! (I think now they transport them to base camp before hand, not sure.)

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Pic 2 is the run from our daily PT session. And what I wrote in my diary at that time about it:

The morning run at 6 is cold and painful, usually in a tracksuit that still hasn't dried from the rain two days ago. The wife and I walked these paths in February under blue skies, crisp air, happy with life. Now I share the road with 68 sweaty guys, cursing each step. The instructors devise new tortures. Today we had to carry each other up the final slope. But the run is essential prep for the trek ahead of us. (At least that's what we say to console ourselves after, when the pain hits.) The route even passes through a part of the zoo. The snow leopard is disturbed in her enclosure and the tiger looks longingly at all that food passing just in front of him. The cockatoos screech abuse at the 69 pairs of shoes that pound past their cage every morning. And what a diverse set of shoes!

There's a middle-aged Lieutenant Colonel from the army. One person's father is a sherpa who's been to Everest five times. There's a special forces paratrooper (just about the toughest unit in any army) who jogs in his shiny black jumpboots. There's a civil engineer from the Delhi Metro who quit his job to do this course. Lots of college students. A partially sighted young man. A chap who wants to start an outdoor sport venture in his home state. A guy from namma Karnataka Forest Department. Someone from the West Bengal Fire Department. A naval helicopter pilot. Soft city boys like me, just here for fun. Even an Israeli who learnt to fire a shoulder-mounted stinger missile during his stint in their army. All of us cursing the steep slopes of Darjeeling and the push-ups and crunches that follow. Since it all begins way toooo early in the morning, there's not even the mitigating factor of the pretty Darjeeling women who usually can be seen all over town. (Note to the wife: Or so they tell me, I never noticed.)

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Pic 3 is the only decent view of the mountains we got from base camp. Every single day it just rained and rained and rained. Even the instructors said we were pretty unlucky with the rain that year. My wife still laughs when she says she got a much better view of Kanchenjunga sitting peacefully at Glenary's (a popular cafe at Darjeeling) sipping hot chocolate in February than I did tramping all over Sikkim in September in the rain!

My diary entry for the third pic (Note: neither of those pics is of Kanchenjunga though):

I was ready to quit on the second day of the trek to base camp. Half-way through, it started to rain, my feet were wet and we were still 3 hours of steep uphill away from Dzongri, our halt for the night. I was getting ready to tell the head instructor that I was going back down, to hell with the grading and the course. After all, I'm 37 and the average age of this batch seems to be about 23! And I'm just doing this for the heck of it anyway. Before I could say anything, he looked at me and asked if I was ok. That moment, I simply could not tell this man who climbed Makalu at 40, was an Everester at 44 and was now outpacing us at 50 that I was going to quit. So I just said I was fine and put on that damn backpack again. Made it to the night halt and then to base camp the next day. Had one glorious clear morning the next day. The mountains were right in front of us. It all seemed worth it. Then the damn rain and fog came down for the next 10 days and nothing was visible again. I should have gone back when I had the chance.

[GTO]

Thanks to Vinay Bhamidipati for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Related to the Himalayan Mountaineering course article, I wanted to share links from Shubhangi Jeswal's experience:

1. Podcast link (https://bit.ly/2XRvIVU; will have to scroll down a bit)

2. Website review (https://bit.ly/3boTPyR) Listened to the podcast a while back when commuting and remembered while reading am1m's article.

Thanks.

[VijayAnand1]

The term "The Mountains are Calling" should have been the title. Happy to see a lovely article on this. The joy of camping, mountainerring is a different sort a rush. I always wanted to do a trek of these sort somewhere with a bunch.

Do keep posting more on this, subscribed.

Cheers!
VJ

[am1m]

Some more anecdotes from the course of incidents that changed my perspective on a few things:

We were on one of the 'height-gain' treks, must have reached around 14,500-15,000 feet when (as usual!) it began to drizzle. Our group of about 5 was lagging behind when we came across one of the batch sitting down, exhausted. He asked us if any of us had any water. For that brief moment, I saw the same look flash across all our faces- we wanted to help, but we were all hoping someone ELSE would be the one to shrug off that heavy backpack, take out the bottle and put on that damn backpack again! Someone eventually did (I am ashamed to say it was not me). But I realized what a superhuman effort it must take to help someone else at heights such as 25,000+ Till then like most people who have never actually climbed, I too was pretty judgemental about those reports of people leaving other climbers to die near the summit of Everest. Now I think that if we were hesitating to take some small extra effort at 15,000 feet, how can someone in the 'death-zone' be reasonably expected to help anyone else?! Beyond a point, it's every man for himself and everyone who climbs mountains must understand that. Which also makes it crucial to not undertake such a climb and turn back if one is incapable of it, or in any sort of trouble.

(I also understand why the old school climbers like Messner (and most of the instructors at HMI!) disapprove of guided expeditions to peaks where sherpas basically drag clients up to the summit!)
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After a couple of days at base camp, most of us quickly abandoned the idea of unnecessary washing! Just washing my face and that mess tin after eating was more than enough. Even the younger army and navy guys started letting their beards grow. But there was one gentleman, a Lieutenant Colonel from the MEG Regiment who, without missing a single day, would squat in the middle of the ground, even in the slush, splash freezing water on his face and scrape at it with a blade every morning. Such discipline.

My last experience of any sort of disciplined life was waaaay back in school with the NCC and I've never fancied that sort of life, I don't think I have the temperament for it. But after the course, I found I was missing some sort of the structure to the day. There is something undeniably good and some pride to having a training purpose and being a part of a team that pulls together to achieve something, even in some small way.
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Sometimes, you remain sane only because of your friends. Any friendship, any relationship for that matter, really grows only when you go through something difficult together. The little things start to matter. When you're among the last to arrive at the end of a day's trek, your buddies have saved a dry spot for you to spread your sleeping mat. When only one of us was feeling brave enough to get out of his sleeping bag and get dinner in the rain at base camp, he always brought his mess tin back so the rest of us could eat as well. Taking turns carrying the climbing rope, deflecting an angry instructor's attention, sharing socks, gloves, umbrellas. You make really good friends in such a short time, under tough conditions. And with people you never would have imagined getting along with under normal circumstances!

[masterChief007]

I did my course from NIM, and as usual I had read up all the things that were going to happen and it didn't scare me. I was decently fit and at home also I was following some sort of regime, so wasn't afraid of the daily schedule/PT and what not. Boy I was wrong. I am the sort of guy who will do long shifts of hard work out, but once back at room and rest mode I am the most laziest of dudes when taking rest.

This exactly was the issue there. After the whole military styled regime from morning 5.30 am till evening 6 pm, they will fill up the evening time too with some sort of session or other starting at 7 pm again !! Even in mountains at 13,500 feet we will have classses on Avalanche/Mountain safety/Geology etc etc ! And your presence is always mandatory. The daily PT and treks were not much of an issue with me, the issue was the theory sessions in evening. And no, chappals/crocs/sandals/shorts are not allowed anywhere outside your dorm room, else get ready for a dressing down.

Even on "rest-days", i.e just before moving to the mountains and the graduation day, it will be filled with some sort of "gear-inspection" or some activity. All 28-days your don't have a "holiday".

But we did celebrate diwali on 13,500 feet it was a great experience ! Standing in a 1.5 hour queue to call back home via the sat-phone of the institute was another fun.

It was a fun experience, and I encourage anyone who has interest in outdoors to undergo this experience. If you are disciplined and can put up with a little bit of hardship you will come out with a bunch of friends and memories for life. But yes you will need a decent level of fitness if you want to enjoy, else you will have a very hard time during the 5-10 k mountain runs/ and the loaded up treks for the first week or so.

P.S: I also gave my highest altitude exam written and practical (rope-test) at 13,500 feet And got an A for it too.