Our Expedition Team, Mt. Nun
To read more about our expedition to Mt. Nun, please read the article linked below.
Our Expedition to Mt. Nun
2.In addition to providing a systematic career growth, the trek leaders are trained in emergency procedures for flash floods, forest fires and many more.
These trainings are not available anywhere in India.
3.Apart from the natural progression to leading mountaineering expeditions, trek leaders also get the excellent opportunity to diversify their outdoor skills.
Bikat Adventures is primarily an adventure learning organisation. Apart from treks, we also hold skiing courses, cycling expeditions (Manali-Khardungla and Tawang Bumla), and wild-life spotting activities.
These are remarkable avenues for trek leaders to hone and build upon their skills in the outdoors.
“As a trek leader, Bikat is one of the best places to begin building your career. It offers excellent avenues for learning and growth, be it progressing to leading mountaineering expeditions or diversifying your skills in equally demanding and challenging outdoor activities.
After slogging for many years in the corporate sector, I wanted to change my field. I wanted an offline life where my buddy (Bullet bike) and I could explore freely. I researched several options like food blogging, wine tasting, etc. But, everything required me to be hinged to a computer. Finally, after a long search, I landed upon the mountains!
After finishing all the necessary courses in mountaineering I started working as a Trek Leader. I have led multiple treks for several operators but there was something missing. I was looking for a more organized firm where I could make my mark and earn some experience. Thankfully, I found Bikat.
Bikat Adventures identified the potential I had and helped me branch out into a Managerial Position with time. And my most favourite part about working here is the encouragement that is given to pursue activities outside of the job. When I expressed my interest to master Scuba Diving, Bikat Adventures was not only encouraging but also supported me in my endeavour to make my dream come true.” – Sandeep Kumar (aka captain), Operations Manager, Bikat Adventures
Lastly, one of the biggest quirks of joining a relatively small but rapidly growing organisation is that you have the freedom to don on multiple hats.
“After working as an instructor with a couple of firms, I was looking for a versatile platform where I could employ many of my skills and learn newer ones as well. That is when I joined Bikat. I was the second employee here.
I gradually began learning everything I could on the field. So, to fit my style of working, Bikat Adventures gave me the freedom to ideate and take risks. They encouraged me to experiment with new things.
To give you an idea, I was a trek leader first, then became an Operations Manager, and eventually even handled Corporate Sales. Now, I handle Corporate Adventure Programs, lead expeditions and dabble with customer care sometimes.
And this has been rewarding for both of us. Together, we have done close to a 100 treks, implemented a plethora of programs like rock & wall climbing, safety workshops, mountaineering workshops, etc across industries (from corporates to Schools).”- Gulam Jeelani – Head of Adventure programs & B2B
These are some aspects that make working at Bikat Adventures a highly demanding but exciting experience. We encourage our team members to experiment, experience, learn and grow from all that we have to offer.
“I am thinking of taking a break from my corporate job for a year”. Can I work as a trek leader at Bikat Adventures during this time?
This is a question we have often received in our inboxes from enthusiastic trekkers over the years. And it is a request we have had to turn down, regrettably, every single time.
On the face of it, the job of a trek leader in the Himalayas has a glamorous appeal to it. Taking a break from corporate life to gain some outdoor leadership experience is a tempting offer, no doubt.
But, as attractive as the above propositions sound, we urge you to reconsider the hefty liability that goes hand in hand with the job.
Right from the moment you embark on a trek, you become responsible for the safety of every single participant in your group.
Surprises can pop up even on the most familiar of treks, the treks you think you know well and have led multiple batches multiple times like what happened with Piyush on the Rupin Pass.
“We have led countless batches to the Rupin Pass over the last ten years. Yet this was the first time, we had received a call about a trek leader who has gone missing along with the participants.
We arranged for a local rescue team to scour the camping area in and around Ronti Gad by foot immediately. It went futile.
The trek leader and participants were nowhere to be found.
At 3PM that day, much to the relief of everyone, Piyush with the remaining participants was located making his way to the campsite looking exhausted but unharmed.
Later in the day, I got on call with Pijush to find out what had happened. He told me that an independent trekker from another group was in no condition to walk after they had crossed the Pass. To make things worse, the weather was turning bad, edging closer to a white out by the minute.
It was going to be impossible for that trekker to make it to Ronti Gad that day. That much was clear. Between the participants and himself, there was enough food (aka snacks) to last them for the night.
So, after losing some altitude, Pijush quickly dug out an igloo (an emergency procedure taught in mountaineering courses and practised annually in our training programs), in the snow for the trekkers and himself to stay in for the night.
And that is how the missing members of the team had managed to survive the frigid night despite the bad weather and no access to sleeping bags or tents”- Pankaj, Founder
We will leave the longer version of this story replete with the finer details for some other time.
That said, this is the reason why we don’t encourage applications for short term roles in trek leading. It is a field that revolves around risks and uncertainties, most times known and sometimes unknown. Growth in Trek Leading demands an ungodly amount of time, patience, energy and hard work.
Only people who are truly passionate about the mountains and determined on building a career in it find the will power to stay.
