Choppers to rescue climbers Mountaineering school inks pact with Air Force

The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling. File picture

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Jul 30, 2018, Darjeeling: India's premier mountaineering school has tied up with the Air Force to deploy helicopters to tackle emergencies during climbing courses in Sikkim Himalayas and decided to impart training in use of satellite phones and GPS map reading.

The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is based in Darjeeling and it takes three days to reach its base camp of Chauri Khang (14,600ft) in West Sikkim by road from here.

The climb school was set up on November 4, 1953, a year after local hero Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary had scaled the Mt Everest for the first time. The institute has so far trained more than 45,000 students, including 2,500 from abroad.

Chauri Khang is considered the "soul" of the institution. Trainees are encouraged to scale Frey and B.C. Roy peaks in the vicinity.

"We have decided to deploy helicopters in case of emergencies while conducting courses (at and above Chauri Khang) and have already tied up with the Air Force station at Bagdogra," said Wing Cdr. Devidutta Panda, the vice-principal of the HMI.

In June, a chopper ws sent to Chauri Khang for the first time to rescue a trainee girl who suffered a mild stroke, leading to blood clot in the brain. "Weather permitting, it would take half-an-hour to rescue one from Chauri Khang," said Pande.

Through the year, the HMI conducts 16 scheduled courses in basic and advance mountaineering and special coaching for differently-abled persons. Besides, a course is on offer for mountaineering instructors also.

The climb school also decided to introduce map reading through Global Positioning System (GPS) in the curriculum. The GPS is a constellation of satellites that orbit the earth and make it possible for people with ground receivers to pinpoint their geographic location.

Pande, who is a pilot by training, takes GPS map reading classes and trains HMI instructors. The HMI has 11 permanent instructors, apart from three on deputation from the army.

The institution also procured a satellite phone. "We will provide training in use of satellite phones. Knowledge of GPS map reading and use of satellite phones are vital for climbers," said Pande.

The HMI is run jointly by the central and Bengal governments and administered by an executive council whose president is the defence minister and the vice-president is the Bengal chief minister. Representative of Nepal and Bhutan governments are also included in the council apart from the chief secretary of Sikkim.