Sukanta’s Dream Come True: A Snowy Sar Pass Adventure with Thrillophilia

One fine day, I, along with my office colleagues, decided to go for a trek to Sar Pass. It has always been one of my earnest wishes to do this trek. And this was that perfect opportunity, like a call from destiny, or the Sar Pass itself!

Since I had already gone on several treks with Thrillophilia before, for this one also I connected them. They were very apt in responding to our needs and requests, curating the perfect itinerary.

For me, I was interested only in the trek, not the parties in Kasol after that. I wanted to witness a nice snowfall as in all these years of trekking I have never had the luck to experience one. I was already doubtful about my wish to witness a snowfall, thinking the weather would not permit so. Yes, only because it was May.

Since I was the experienced one in our group of 3, I helped them all pack their rucksacks properly, with enough layers of clothes and jackets. Thrillophilia had also created a WhatsApp group with our batch of trekkers to Sar Pass, and it helped us a lot in understanding the itinerary.

We knew Sar Pass is a moderate-level trek that requires one to prepare well in terms of stamina and strength. And for that we had prepared for one month straight, going jogging and eating healthy every day till the departure date.

A Himalayan Wonderland
Kasol.

It was our first stop. Our trek started from there and on the first day, we reached this serene village called Grahan. Its views were mesmerising, and I did want to stay there a bit longer but time did not allow us to. We had to leave for Mung Thach the next day.

It was a valley so beautiful that no one would ever want to return from there. We camped there and spent the night before moving on to Nagaru the next day. That is when things started to take a turn for the better (or worse).

Clouds started huddling up and we were afraid that we would not be able to complete the trek if it rained. Fortunately, we made our way to Nagaru without any difficulties, but upon reaching there, we started to experience chills and windy weather. By nightfall, it had started to snow.

There were two problems-
One, we were not prepared to trek in snowfall. Two, it was a clear sign of global warming.

We all felt a bit disheartened, but our inner child was happy to see snowfall.

I was happy to see the snow!

By the morning, the snowfall had stopped, and we had left for Sar Pass. That very day we had to head to Biskeri Thach to spend the night as it was not possible around the Sar Pass.

After steep climbs and a long walk, we finally arrived at a plane. There was snow all around us, knee-deep and spring white. The sunlight reflected on the snow, almost blinding us. It was difficult to see even with the sunglasses on.

Everywhere our eyes went, we could see snow, it induced a feeling that I could never put into words.There was a point on the trek where our trek leaders, very knowledgeable and technically adept, had to climb up a slope and roll down ropes to help us climb. We had to attach ourselves to the rope, and then pull ourselves up to the upper level of the mountain where the guides stood.

This was not the usual drill, since it had snowed at a very unexpected time of the year, they had to skip the longer route and do this instead. It was quite thrilling, to be honest. In all these years of trekking, I had never done this.

But this was not the end.

We reached Sar Pass and admired the beauty of the place. We had a few laughs together, enjoying the fact that we completed this trek!

Making lemonades out of lemons
You guessed right. There were more lemons on this trek.

On our way to Bikrei Thach, we encountered another such span where trekking was not possible. The heavy snowfall had blocked the path.

So, we had to resort to another way of reaching our destination- Snow Sliding!

I got so excited when our trek leaders told us that we could have to tie the rucksack tightly on our backs and waists, then sit on our jacket, hold on to its helms, and then slide down the slope! The hems would help us to steer the direction and the jacket would offer enough friction to control the speed.

Not just me, my colleagues were blown as well. Some were tired and they would not be able to do it, while some looked blue with fear. Our trek leaders were compassionate and calm. They handled the situation well, and one by one started sending people off the slope. My turn was 7th, and till the time came, I was observing how everyone else was doing it. It seemed easy.

When I took my slide, my heartbeat reached straight to 150 from 80. It was such an exhilarating ride that the world around me seemed to spin! There was a part of me who wished to try that again, and another part, the more sensible one, stopped me from uttering this sentence out of my mouth. But I could not control myself.

There was a local guide, to whom I went and said this.

He said, there might be another place where we would need to implement this same technique, but he also said that it is a difficult stunt so not to get too excited about it.

He was right. The last remaining guide, while taking the slide, almost slipped, and it was scary to watch. Thankfully, we did not have to do this again.

Our last night of camping was quite memorable, singing and dancing our way, celebrating our lives!

My dream had come true, something I never thought would happen on this specific trek. But, it was what it was, and I could not have hoped for a better trip with my colleagues! And as usual, Thrillophilia did a spectacular job!

So, till my next trek, adieu! Oh, and that will be with Thrillophilia again for sure.

Read More: Thrillophilia Himachal Trek Reviews