Spring 2014

It has certainly been a while since I posted a blog!

However, we have been extremely busy and it is time for me finally catch up on what has been happening….

As one of the worst Winters on record in the Arlberg was drawing to a close, we headed out to the Indian Himalayas for what was to be a remarkable adventure.  

We had been commissioned to make a film about our adventures and just why we head each year to the Himalayas in search of solitude in a country of over 1 Billion inhabitants!

The first part of our adventure saw us head to the River Uhl in Himachal Pradesh.  The Lower Section had never been kayaked and had been talked about for decades.

The previous year we took our Royal Enfield Bullet motorbike on a mission to check out the Lower Uhl and what we found was pretty impressive!

After keeping the secret for the whole Winter, we headed back in the Spring and dropped into the unknown….

What we found was an amazing river, with some sweet drops and fantastic whitewater all set in a deep gorge

 There were a few portages along the way

and now and again we headed past a couple of houses by the side of the river

As the temperature was rather pleasant, we spent nights under a tarp to keep the odd pre-monsoon shower at bay 

Once we got back to Manali our bodies were craving food and what better places to go and stock up on some serious chicken than Martin's Himalayan Sports Club and of course Johnsons restaurant.

With the weather looking stable it was time to unpack the ski kit and head into the mountains.

The Winter had been a good one in the Kullu Valley and the snow line was still low and so base camp was to be on snow!!

It was our first time ski touring in the Himalayas and it was great to feel a new experience.  We tour a lot at home in the Arlberg but with so much lift access there is no need to hike for hours and hours to reach some solitude and great conditions.

Here in the Himalayas it was certainly different.  We were skinning up for 6 hours across old avalanche terrain, up river valleys just to get to the slopes that we wanted to ski!

Hanno was along not for the ride but to film everything we were doing.  If I thought the journeys were difficult, Hanno was carrying a HUGE rucksack full of camera kit, sometimes even the drone!

The effort was certainly worth it as the views were amazing and the descents was unbelievable!

 I have never been a great lover of corn skiing but here in the Himalayas it rocks!  We skied the best corn in our lives and not just a few spots, a whole 1100 vertical metres of it!!!

The skiing was over and it was time to go and see Chris, Shanta and the family.  Every year we head up to their house high up in the mountains.  It is one of my favourite places on the planet, not only is it peaceful, you can also drink the tap water as they have a spring just behind the house.

 Hanno brought the drone up with him and course this caused quite a commotion, especially when it lost its GPS signal and went spiraling down into the village below!!

It was a great finale to an amazing trip, we were so happy to have Hanno not only to record it all but to share first hand just why we head to the Indian Himalayas and especially Himachal Pradesh.

"Good Karma - Looking for Solitude in the Indian Himalaya" will be shown at the St. Anton am Arlberg Film Festival on Thursday 28th August.  

For more information check out: http://www.filmfest-stanton.at

Ram Ram