Manali, Climbing’s Next Shangri-La?

It was a difficult decision to make, but we desperately needed to escape the punishing 44 degree C temperatures of Southern India. Though they beckoned for the snap of our quickdraws, we had to forgo Badami’s beautiful bolted lines altogether. The time had come to travel north to the land of snow capped peaks and yak cheese.

Several weary days of bus rides and train travel brought us to India’s refreshing Kullu Valley. This gorge is situated in the northwestern state of Himachal Pradesh, just below the infamous region of Kashmir, a mere 150 km west of the somewhat ‘unstable’ Pakistani border. But the area is very traveler friendly, leaving your only worries to be what to do with your day. Here, you will be ushered in by magnificent 5,000 meter Himalayan peaks that will surely bring a tear to your eye.

Among the villages that sprawl along the valley floor, Manali is the largest. It’s where the bus will dump you off and is the area you probably will not want to linger around. The air is often thick with 2-stroke exhaust fumes and the streets are packed with tourists. To make your escape, just take the bridge across the glacial river and climb north for 5km to the small village of Vashisht. The village is nestled amongst flowering apple groves, lined with hand carved stone walls and winds along a colossal granite canyon wall. Try not to drool.

Needless to say the alpine climbing opportunities in the area are nearly limitless. Sitting at a rooftop café, sipping masala chai and studying the neighboring couliers and ridges I found myself strongly compelled to move into a mountain hut and send home for my ice tools immediately. Turning in my seat, looking now at the southern valley wall I figure that my folks should probably toss in my trad rack as well. This place is that ridiculous.

If you’re looking for sport routes, you are pretty much out of luck for the time being. There are two conservatively bolted 6B lines just outside the neighboring village of Aleo, near the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports. (This facility was an amazing resource to us while trying to gather beta on the surrounding area.) As far as public sport routes go, that’s pretty much it for the Valley. Or, so we’re told.

Now if you are willing to shell out 750 rupees (approx $15 U.S.) per day to climb on some private land, head over to the day glow orange building of the Himalayan Extreme Center. Fork over your cash and they’ll take you to over seventy lines that they personally cleaned, bolted and promptly closed off from public use. And there’s no discount for bringing your own gear. Considering that our daily budget for India is $20 per day, this was not quite an option.