Alpine Field Bootcamp

Do you love the outdoors but are afraid of getting lost in the wild? Are you looking for budget friendly hikes in the Himalayas? Do you want to start hiking independently in the mountains?

Get priority entry into the Alpine Field Bootcamp through Patreon.com

Schedule

Autumn 2023 (Sep-Oct)

• Batch 1: Sep 10-16
• Batch 2: Sep 17-23
• Batch 3: Oct 1-7
• Batch 4: Oct 8-14
• Batch 5: Oct 15-21

Spring 2024 (Apr-May)

Fixing dates and confirmations happens 3 months prior after which participants can make travel arrangements. Register below to get notified.

Each batch (8 people) runs for 7 days: Sunday till Saturday. 5 weekdays (take leave) + 2 weekends covers travel & participation. Previous Sat / Following Sun can be used for to / from travel. People usually travel through Delhi (train/flight) and take overnight bus to Manali.

Program

Location: Manali

A one week immersive learning in the mountains on independent hiking – map reading & navigation, Himalayan terrains, lightweight gears, traverse planning, topography, food & shelter, camping & managing wildlife, high altitude hiking, seasons & weather etc.

Participants will check into a beautiful basecamp in the mountains where above topics will be taught through theory, practical assignments on mobile and hands-on field assignments in the surrounding forests and meadows. They will plan and execute multiple day and overnight hikes to master the art of independent hiking.

Registrations

Interested participants for upcoming editions register here. Confirmation / payment will happen 3 months prior to the start date. Do not re-register if you already signed up earlier but did not attend.

Cost =  25K INR. This includes 7-day packed course condensing years of valuable field experience, comfortable stay and delicious food in a beautiful, remote basecamp in the mountains and personalized guidance on your future alpine hikes. This amount equals cost of 1 commercial hike and gives free lifetime independent hiking.

Agenda

• Pre-joining Fitness – participants will initiate a 2-3 months “Get fit routine” to ready themselves for the field assignments in mountains
• Himalayan Geography – understanding the geography of the Indian Western Himalayas, main ranges, valleys and rivers
• Map reading & Route planning – topographic maps, Open Street Maps, Survey of India, Satellite maps
• Navigation & Trail finding – master different techniques to navigate – GPS based, geo-referenced maps, pre-recorded routes, terrain reference, contours, compass
• Planning your journey – understand elevation profiles, acclimatization
• Weather & Seasons – importance of weather and seasons to plan your journey

• Night stay & Shelter – identifying suitable campsites, different types of shelters, how to pitch up tent, sleeping bag
• Food planning & Hydration – choose the right nutrition and planning food ration, cooking, identifying water points
• Fast-hiking & Minimalist gears – benefits of lightweight hiking, clothing, shoes, backpack, electronics & managing power, technical gears
• Himalayan Terrains – understanding valleys & streams, human settlements, high ranges & passes, forest & meadows, rock & ice, snow
• Managing Wildlife – precautions, avoiding surprise encounters
• Mapping Routes – map your own hiking routes in Open Street Maps for the international outdoor community
• Future Hikes – organizer will provide guidance in planning future self supported hiking

Benefits

• Economical – one bootcamp equals the cost of one single commercial trek and gives you a lifetime free hiking
• Sustainability – independent hiking (solo or small group) leaves a smaller footprint on the environment vs. large organized groups
• Hospitality – experience unseen humanity in unexplored regions vs. frequented touristic places
• Gratification – of planning and executing your own independent hikes is immense

• Freedom – make your own way, chose your own destination, pace and schedule
• Knowledge/Learnings – gain insight in route planning, navigation, terrain study, weather & season planning
• Peacefulness – experience inner peace while exploring the lesser known paths far away from the crowded commercial locations
• Accomplishment – sense of accomplishment is far greater than an organized trek where everything is pre-arranged
• Decision making – your decision making and planning skills are tested every day
• Prioritize – between want to have (comfort) vs. need to have (essentials)

Profile

In recent years I have explored (mostly solo) over 10 thousand kms across the Western Himalayas (Uttarakhand, Ladakh, J&K, Himachal) alpine style, self planned and navigated. I have been teaching independent hiking to the outdoor community for the past 10 years. I strongly believe in independent hiking as a more sustainable way of exploring the mountains. In the same spirit I GIS mapped the Indian Himalayas in detail to support the International outdoor community.

My motto “Die with memories, not dreams”.

Web site – ultrajourneys.org

Profile – instagram.com/petervangeit

Testimonials

Hiking Styles

Alpine Style Hiking	Organized Group Hiking
Cost effective	Expensive
Environmentally sustainable	Environmentally deteriorative
Plan own route and understand terrain	Guide shows you the way
Differentiate between needs vs. wants	Porters carry luggage, comfort
Hospitality in untouched places	Crowded commercial campsites
Sense of accomplishment	Everything taken care of
Discover yourself – push your limits	–
Total freedom	Fixed schedule, group, pace
Pre-trek preparation & fitness	–
Peacefulness	Crowded touristic places

Advanced Field Bootcamp

Schedule: 2024, 1 week

Agenda: planning and execution of a one week long OSM traverse with Peter Van Geit across a challenging (notch above above basecamp) non-touristic passes in Himalayas traversing glaciers, snow, moraines, streams providing full experiential learning on becoming an experienced independent hiker traversing the lesser known trails

Expert Field Bootcamp

Schedule: 2024, 1 week

Agenda: planning and execution of a one week long exploration journey with Peter Van Geit exploring a yet unmapped route through legacy maps in remote corners of the Himalayas. This will teach expert traverse planning and trail finding skills.