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| Approaching Manali valley over the boonies from Bir. |
I am off to India in early October, guiding with Himalayanskysafaris .
The first tour is now fully booked, but from the 26th October I will be available for guided day trips from Bir to Manali.
It is an amazing flight of approx 50km, with 30 of them being over a remote high landscape devoid of roads or amenities,and often even some snow, so 'going down' means a long long walk, and maybe even a difficult one! On the rare classic days with absolutely ideal flying conditions it can feel technically straightforward...but on a normal Bir flying day it is far more challenging, and the view north east over the boonies towards Manali is enough to keep most pilots stapled to the home ridge.
And with good reason...every year there are tales of long walk outs, sometimes lasting days.
So the first time you go through it, taking a guide is probably pretty sensible...
but please don't forget that you still have to fly it!
I have now flown it 5 times, in very varied conditions... and the crucial wild section up to the final crossing many many times, so I feel I know it quiet well. Last year I guided it twice with pilots on HSS tours, and on the 2nd trip bivvied high above Manali at 3300m, and flew back the next morning. It felt very very special to me, with a night out up in the mountains next to a campfire, knowing we had the flight in the bag, & wondering if we could catch the 9am thermals and be back in Bir for lunch. Definitely one of the best Himalayan bivvy flights of all time. And not too hardcore :-) .
You can do it as part of a HSS TOUR for a supplement of £275 if you are a 1:1 client, or as a day pilot for £550.
However, for day pilots who I have never flown with before, we will need to fly together beforehand on the Bir/Dharamshala ridge for reasons of safety, and the daily guiding rate of £275 will be applicable.
Pakistan Update.
A very successful trip that did get to fly Rakaposhi's north wall, and then do a multi day vol biv all the way to Boonie, thanks to the expert guidance of Brad Sander who has made this route a classic. Lots of Karakorum photos and words from 2012 on http://www.findgrey.blogspot.co.uk/ . Although Grey wasnt actually a client, he mixed in, enjoyed Manzoors many charms, and sums up a trip to Pakistan's Northern areas perfectly.
Hopefully much more info to follow...and roll-on 2013 .
