Difficulty Level of the Courses
The four Skiing Courses at Bikat Adventures are marked as 4, 5 & 6 level adventures on the Bikat Rating Scale as per their increasing difficulty as you advance from one grade to the next.
About the BRS: The Bikat Rating Scale rates the difficulty level of all outdoor adventures in our portfolio after taking into account their geographical and climatic conditions, terrain and skill requirements. The rating is relative and is done on a scale of 1 to 8 with 1 being the easiest and 8 being the most difficult expeditions in our portfolio at the time.
Although open for beginners, skiing ranks high on the difficulty scale because it demands physical stamina. Each day, you will be actively skiing down slopes and climbing up while carrying your skis. A strong core and good fitness are mandatory to keep up with the demands of this course.
While prior skiing experience is not mandatory (for the first two levels), it is beneficial to be physically prepared. As a benchmark, you should be able to jog 5 kilometres in under 35 minutes. This ensures that you have a certain level of cardiovascular fitness required for the course. Adding some resistance based workouts into this can ensure you complete the course comfortably and enjoyably.
The Challenges of Skiing
Like any outdoor activity, skiing comes with its own set of challenges like the unpredictability of weather and the temperature going down to -15 degrees. Maintaining balance and coordination while skiing can be another challenge for beginners. Skiing involves using muscles and movements that might be unfamiliar, leading to falls and difficulty in controlling speed. But these are all just part of learning a new skill - nothing to lose sleep over! Our course instructors are certified experts in the field and have years of experience skiing on these slopes. They will be with you every step of the way.
We are listing down some of the challenges here just so you can be mentally prepared for them and know what to expect when you come out to learn skiing this winter.
Challenge 1: Acclimatization
If you are a mountain enthusiast, you would be aware that the body takes a fair bit of time to adapt to new temperatures, altitude and terrain. While these altitudes are hard to adapt to in any case, the frigid temperatures of winters make it even more difficult to adjust to. This is especially true if you are coming from sea level. During your skiing courses you will find yourself in elevations between 3,800M to 4,300M which is quite high with no interim period to acclimatize like on treks which take you gradually up on heights. This sudden gain in height is likely to produce AMS-like symptoms. However, worry not! It is not all bleak because there are ways to lessen the chances of getting sick. Remember to drink lots of water, layer up as instructed by the leader and keep them informed of any irregularities you notice in your body so that necessary action can be taken as required.
