Adventure sport climbs popularity peak in city

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Recently Delhi-boy Arjun Vajpai became the youngest Indian to scale the Mount Everest. The 16-year-old’s triumph has inspired a large number of teens to scale heights this summer vacation. Mountaineering clubs, camps and coaching centres in the city have witnessed a surge in the number of enrolments. City youngsters are also now joining expeditions and taking up professional lessons to joining various mountaineering-dedicated online forums. And especially in this scorching heat, the idea of “freedom in the mountains” itself is enough to make youngsters just backpack and go.
The seeds of mountaineering are sown in school. A lot of schools in the city for long have been inspiring children to take up the sport, and are organising annual expeditions in association with mountaineering and adventure sports clubs. “We have an annual mountaineering and trekking camp for children. Whereby, we send 20 to 25 students (chosen on the basis of their Physical Therapy grades) for a 10-day trekking camp to the Himalayas. We usually choose students over 13 years of age,” opines Sandhya Sabu, principal of Ryan International School, Mayur Vihar. School authorities believe that indulgence in adventure sports such as mountaineering induces confidence in children, which eventually contributes to personality building. “Children returned yesterday from a mountaineering and trekking camp from Mussourie. We have noticed tremendous change in their personalities after such trips. Though parents are asked to pay for the food and lodging of their children, rates are subsidised,” informs Meeta Rai, principal of DPS, R.K. Puram.
However, for students the initial act of convincing their parents to allow them to go for mountaineering is a daunting task. “Having a mountaineer in family always helps. Thankfully, my uncle had gone for a few mountaineering trips to Nepal, so it helps,” opines Siddarth Behl, a 17-year-old student. “Though it’s easier said than done. The trick is to convince your parents that professional mountaineering is usually safe. Carry a cellphone and update them about your status from time to time,” opines Swapnil Mehra, a mountaineering tour organiser.