Mars Adventures: Climbing in Bangalore

Gethnaa Open National Sports Climbing Competition 2012 Bangalore

2012-01-09T18:05:00.007+05:30

UPDATE : Competition has been postponed due to unavoidable reasons(details below)

GETHNAA (General Thimayya National Academy of Adventure) is organizing the "Open National Sports Climbing Competition 2012" at Artificial Climbing Wall, Sree Kanteerava Stadium Bangalore on 4th and 5th Feb 2012.

Event includes Lead Climbing and Speed Climbing.

Last date for submitting application is 25th Jan 2012.

More details at ClimbingIndia (climbingindia.com/climbing-competitions/2012/gethnaa-open-national-climbing-competition-2012)...

Demand Draft option is only for people who want to submit their application by post, otherwise cash is good.

UPDATE : Competition has been postponed due to unavoidable reasons(details below)

Kumara Parvatha Trek

2011-12-13T12:58:00.016+05:30

Kumara Parvatha(Kumarparvatha, Kumarparvata) is a trekker’s paradise, located on the border between the Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts of Karnataka. The highest point is the Pushpagiri temple at 1710 mts from the sea level. The whole region falls under the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary.

Biggest draw to the trek is difficulty level of the route and the freedom to pitch the tent at the top (I mean, literally at the very top). Trek to Kumara Parvatha(to Pushpagiri Temple) is considered to be one of the most challenging treks in Karnataka. There are two approaches to the Pushpagiri temple, one from Beedahalli(7kms – Kodagu district) and other one from Kukke Subramanya(14kms – Dakshina Kannada district). Generally, one side is the approach route and the other side is the descent route, based on ones choice.

We took the Beedahalli route for approach, which is 7kms to the peak from the Beedahalli Forest Office. Earlier it was 13kms but after the motor-able road was extended by a bridge at beedahalli, it has come down to 7kms.

Our first pit stop, after leaving Bangalore on friday night(9th Dec 2011), was at Somwarpet bus stand in Kushalanagara town to get the breakfast. Somwarpet is around 250kms from Bangalore.

A typical itinerary for Kumara Parvatha trek from Bangalore:
• Fri night departure from Bangalore
• Reach Somwarpet by morning
• Climb up to Pushpagiri Temple(peak) by late Saturday afternoon
• Night halt at the peak
• Start the descent to Kukke Subramanya in the morning and reach the base by Sunday afternoon
• Enjoy and Dhara river and visit the temple, if you have time
• Depart from Kukke Subramanya by late afternoon and reach Bangalore by late night

Somwarpet Bus Stand

From Somwarpet bus stand, it is another 45mins ride to the Beedahalli base of Kumara Parvatha.

We were a total of 18 trekkers, with some people coming for the first time on any kind of trek to some coming on their 10th time to Kumara Parvatha.

At Beedahalli base

Trekkers need to register at the Beedahalli Forest Office.

Overview of Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary with Pushpagiri Temple

Well, this is one of the treks where Forest department has made some efforts to make the trek easy and approachable. There is trekking trail with no signs of missing it, and there are Dustbins as well, placed at regular intervals to dispose your stuff(it would be great if anyone from Forest department actually cares to get the trash to the city to be disposed properly or rather than just dumping somewhere else in the forest)

Trekking route for Kumara Parvatha as seen on the map.

The route starts off by crossing a small stream, which during the rainy season is a raging bull almost impossible to tame.

Stream with a rope bridge.

Distance to the Pushpagiri Peak

The route criss crosses many water streams. At one of the places, it takes the form of this cut little waterfall, big enough to take bath and have loads of fun.

The way up is thickly forested.

Trekkers are blessed with an amazing view after almost 3.5 kms into the trek.

Later half of the route has couple of steep climbs on the rock surface. They are pretty long as well.

After 7kms of trek, trekkers get a chance to get rid of their back-packs and lay their bottoms on the ground :D

Pushpagiri Temple is a Shiva temple with huge reverence.

Pitching Tents for the night halt.

Sunset is staggering with amazing blend of colors.

A trek without night halt and good food doesn’t deserve to be called a trek at all.
Cooks in action :D

We were blessed to see the total Lunar eclipse on Saturday night. It was outstanding and especially beautiful with no city-lights causing any sort of disturbance. Once the moon completely disappeared, the sky was filled with innumerable twinkling stars which we are never able to see from cities.

During the night we could hear a lot more people reaching the top and pitching their tents, but we never expected to be a mela at the top. By morning, we could see more than 150 trekkers on top with tents pitched on every flat piece of the top. Nov-Dec-Jan are considered to be the best months to hike Kumara Parvatha, with very less rain and pleasant day temperatures.

Morning mela

All peaks boast of spectacular sunrises, and there is no denying that Kumara Parvatha rates at very top of those sunrises. It greeted us with a beautiful sun and blazing winds.

Our group finally managed to find a time and spot to stand together.

Descent is 14kms long to Kukke Subramanya town. The scenery and the trail is just breath-taking.

The trail is filled with lot of small stones, which make the descent a little boring with eyes always gazing the ground to find the best footing.

But the trail boasts of some of the best views on the whole trekking route. Trail can be seen on the small hill.

They are simply awesome.

No other word for it.

After almost 9kms from the top, Bhattaramane is a major resting place for all the trekkers. There is water, and there is tasty food. This place is Narayana Bhatt’s house, but becomes a preferred place for trekker’s night halt when approaching Kumara Parvatha from Kukke Subramanya side.

This is the only place which has water, since much of the descent route is not close to any stream whatsoever.

A typical mane.

From Bhattaramane to Kukke Subramanya town is 5kms with last 1km as the flat road. The first 4kms cannot be underestimated at all. It has thick vegetation with really humongous trees and literally a step like decline all the way(which will make approach from Kukke Subramanya side much more challenging than the Beedahalli approach). The other thing which makes Kukke Subramanya approach much more difficult is the absence of tree shade for the first 8-9kms from the top, with no shade and December sun coming down hard on us, we could feel the heat while descending itself. One can only imagine the heat during summer time.

Little people in grand scheme of nature

Once we reached Kukke Subramanya town, the most important thing to do is to take bath, and there is no better place than Dhara river. To our surprise, there was hardly any water in the river. The deepest point was only knee deep. But nevertheless, a wonderful place to cool down the body and wash all the sweat and salt from the skin.

River bath is a must before visiting Kukke Subramanya Temple. Lets do things the proper way !!!

Kukke Subramanya Temple with Kumara Parvatha in the background.

To get some perspective as how high we trekked, the marked top is the place where Pushpagiri temple is and it is the place where we pitched our tents and slept overnight. Awesome…

A truely memorable trek.

17th South Zone Sports Climbing Competition

2011-10-22T20:52:00.002+05:30

17th South Zone Sports Climbing Competition was organized on 20th Oct and 21st Oct of 2011.

The event featured Lead, Speed and Bouldering competitions for Men/Women, Junior Boys/Girls and Sub-Junior Boys/Girls.

A photo log of the event.

Photographs Courtesy: Lloyd Nehemiah

Men Lead Observation

Men in Action

Men Speed

Women in Action

Organisers

Junior Boys in Action

Junior Girls in Action

Junior Girls Speed

Route Setters

Sub-Junior Boys in Action

Sub-Junior Girls Observation

Sub-Junior Girls in Action

Relief

Sports Climbing Competition at PLAY X-GAMES ARENA Concluded

2011-07-27T20:42:00.003+05:30

A Glimpse of the recently concluded Bouldering, Speed Climbing and Top Rope Climbing Competition at PLAY X-GAMES ARENA organised by Mars Adventures

Men's Bouldering

Speed Climbing

Top Rope Climb Sub-Juniors

Some of the Winners.....

Open State Level Sports Climbing Competition at Bangalore

2011-06-23T18:45:00.003+05:30

Attention Climbers...

PLAY X-GAMES ARENA's First Open State Level Sports Climbing Competition would be taking place on 2nd and 3rd of July 2011 at PLAY X-GAMES ARENA, Bangalore.

Refer to poster for details or call Kamesh @ +91 9886664666

Rope Course at Somanahalli, Bangalore

2011-05-18T19:52:00.004+05:30

A new Rope Course has been setup by Mars Adventures at Somanahalli (On Kanakpura Road) Bangalore. Well, this is closest, the Rope Course can come for Adventure Junkies of Bangalore.
The place is hardly 30kms from Banshankari Temple(within an hours drive time).

The Rope Course is set against the backdrop of beautiful Ravugudlu (Somanahalli betta). The course consists of 9 different activities including a zip line.

The place is magnificent at dawn and dusk.

Along with the Rope Course, Ravugudlu has trekking route and rappelling spot as well.

Enjoy the place....

New Artificial Climbing Wall at Bangalore

2011-02-13T22:05:00.002+05:30

A new 50ft high and 12ft wide Artificial Climbing Wall has been setup by Mars Adventures at Play Arena in Bangalore. Play arena is located near Kaikondanahalli Lake(next to Total Mall) on Sarjapura Road.

The new wall is one of a kind in the world as containers have been used as the support structure for the wall. The containers have been used very innovatively to form a T – shape, on which the giant wall is put up.

The wall is now open for use. It has been used as one of the tasks in this year's edition of MTV Roadies as well.

All the climbers are welcome to use the facility. Contact Kamesh at +91 9886664666 for details.

16th South Zone Sports Climbing Competition 2010

2010-10-28T22:15:00.005+05:30

Welcome the wonderful world of sports climbing

This year's South Zone Sports Climbing Competition was conducted in Bangalore at the Artificial Climbing Wall located in Kanteerava Stadium on 23rd and 24th of Oct 2010. Needless to say it was an amazing spectacle. It was an opportunity to see the climbing skills of some of the best climbers from the South Zone.

In the realm of sports climbing, time is limited, whether it is difficulty climb(5mins) or speed climb(hardly 10-15secs). This time limit brings out the best from the climbers, be it the planning of the route or the swift moves.

Junior Boys observing the lead route.

This year's competition had only Lead and Speed climbs for Seniors(aged above 16), Juniors(aged between 13 and 16) and Sub-Juniors(aged below 13) categories. Sadly no bouldering for this year.

Day1(23rd Oct 2010) was filled with the semi-finals for Lead and Speed climbs for all the categories. Finals took place on Day2(24th Oct 2010).

Nakul on his lead climb

More than 120 climbers from Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh participated in the competition. A descent number, which needs to grow many many times more in the upcoming years. Well, it was good to see climbers from Tamilnadu and Kerala, keeping in mind the fact that Karnataka has been the bastion of sports climbing in South Zone, or rather in whole of India.

South Zone has been winning the coveted National Sports Climbing Trophy for more than last 7 years. Bangalore climbers have proved it every year.

Sunil on his lead climb

Coming back to this years competition, there was excellent display of climbing from Mars Adventures Climbers.

Isha on her Top Rope climb

Divya on her lead climb

Aakriti on the Roof section of her lead climb

Uthkarsh on his lead climb

Flawless climb of Nishanth Patel was the start attraction of the Junior Boys Lead Category.

Nishath and Nakul on their speed climb

Kids getting a lesson from the Coach

Mars Team

An excellent performance by team Mars, with Nishanth, Uthkarsh, Swaroop and Divya being selected for the 16th National Sports Climbing Competition to be held on a new wall in New Delhi on 9th, 10th and 11th of Nov 2010.

GETHNA, the administrative body for sports climbing in Karnataka made some welcome announcements.
A new speed wall to be ready by next year end
A new covering roof for the existing wall
Platform up-gradation of the existing wall structure

Well, now its time for GETHNA to perform on the wall as well!!!

P.S. None of the final routes were completed, that's shameful. We definitely need better climbers, come on guys, you can do much better than that !!!

Mobile Climbing Wall for Kids

2010-06-06T11:44:00.002+05:30

Now kids can have a climbing wall, on which they can go around and around and around......literally endlessly.

Welcome the Telephone booth shaped wall !!!

Mars has just finished a highly Mobile Climbing Wall, specially designed for kids. It has even wheels to move it.

The wall is in the shape of a box with dimensions of 4ft x 4ft x 8ft.

It has fibre coated climbing surface on the four sides of the box, each measuring 4ft wide and 8ft high.

When the kids were introduced to the wall, their joy was palpable. Enjoy the pictures.

Kids can start from one side and traverse all around the wall.

Keep Climbing !!!

Rope Challenge Course in Coorg

2010-03-08T23:13:00.003+05:30

On 27-Feb-2010 we visited Jungle Gym @ Now or Never Land - a place of enthusiastic people who want to get away from comfortable city life, enjoy and test themselves into different outdoor activities.

Situated in one of the sleepy coffee estates of Virajpet taluk of Coorg, is the gym conceptualized and developed by Mars Adventures, Bangalore. Don't get afraid with name gym; the "jungle gym" is a series of physical activities designed to boost self confidence and morale coupled with brought alive by marvelous engineering effort. It is also widely known as Rope Challenge Course.

Have you ever been thrilled about commando exercises? Imagined walking literally on a tightrope? Or daring to challenge yourself to overcome fear of heights? 'Jungle gym' is exactly the place you would die to visit.

The reception is curved out of fallen trees.

The look and feel has been kept adapt with the surrounding nature.

There is something special about the way standing platforms are constructed - are you smart enough to notice bullock cart wheel?

Wall of rope net, it takes persistence to cross this.

This wooden bridge weights more than a ton; how did it rise up there without a crane? Neeraj took up Rohan's challenge and crossed it in less than 30 seconds, how? Looking for answers?

(Swinging Plank Walk)

Kamesh Sir leading from the front - as a participant.

Nothing less than tightrope walking

(Single Rope Walk)

Balance and keeping the correct foot is the key; so true with life as well.

(Swinging Log Walk)

Neeraj crossing the Barrel

(Barrel Crawl)

Wish real horse ride would be this smooth

(Horse Ride)

Zip Line - gives you the feeling of flying without wings.

(Zip Line)

Ever rode a cycle in the air?

(Bicycle Ride)

The combination of self confidence, right technique and perseverance can get you through this

(Zig-Zag Swinging Log Walk)

Not everything in life is a cakewalk, this is where we need guidance and experience to keep balance

(Pole Walk)

(Pole Walk)

Every ride is smooth in the end if we stay commited, the visit to jungle gum turns out to be a more spiritual experience with nature being our guru exposing our own strengths and weaknesses; thanks to Mars Adventures for setting it up amidst stunning beauty without harming nature.

-- By Rohan

15th National Sports Climbing Competition Gwalior India

2010-02-05T10:50:00.003+05:30

Well, this year the nationals was on a new wall and in a university campus. The wall is nice.

This wall is definitely the best artificial climbing wall in the country.

The rock face is the most impressive feature. It gives the same rock surface feel with zero accidents.

The event was organized in the Laxmi Bai National Univeristy of Physical Education, Gwalior, M.P. The wall is an indoor structure placed in their multi purpose hall.

This year’s South Zone team was big, 28 participants.

The event was inaugurated by the Gwalior’s Mayor. Participants at the inauguration.

Isha, aged only 8 years, did a demo climb during the inauguration. A very nice way to start the event.

Purushothama during lead semis.

Uthkarsh during lead semis.

Womens and Girls had the privilege of climbing on the rock face for their semis and finals. That’s unfair to the boys!!!!!!!!!

Kala during lead semis.

A new permanent Bouldering structure was also created specially for the event. It has definitely got good standard. It provides four different surfaces with lots and lots of scope for setting really crazy routes. Nice!!!

Divya during bouldering semis

Our Rancho, Nakul.

Nishanth has got rave reviews about his climbing. His climb was beautiful and an absolute pleasure to watch. Nishanth during lead finals.

Men during observation for third bouldering route.

Divya during speed qualifiers.

Mars team along with Kala in the background during her bouldering semis.

Now comes the winning moments.

Praveen with 3 golds, definitely proved once again as he is the best.

Kala, with 2 golds is not far behind.

Winners waiting for their roll calls.

Divya with her silver medal.

Nishanth with his Gold medal.

South Zone team with the winner’s trophy.

Fruits of hard work.

Evolution and a very fine performance by the martians with 3 golds, 2 silver and 1 bronze in the 15th National Sports Climbing Competition.

Well, to close it off, we have always seen bikes and cars running in a well, on Television. It was really breath-taking to see in front of your eyes. We had a chance to go to Gwalior Fair, and it was nothing less than spectacular to watch this crazy stunt show.

Hats off to the bikers.

Mobile Artificial Climbing Wall Setup at Forum Mall Bangalore

2010-01-16T22:37:00.004+05:30

Well, the mobile artificial climbing wall is going places.

Updated with the pictures of the wall after the recent burst of creativity!!!
23rd Jan 2010

Event promotion at the Garuda Mall, Bangalore

The wall after the art work.

A stark difference with the wall before.

From Hyderabad to Functions to Schools and now Shopping Malls.

The mobile artificial climbing wall setup was a novel way for the promotion of the new UTV action movie channel.

The wall is 8ft wide and 20ft high. The setup is very much refined now and it takes only couple for hours for the setup.

Wherever the wall has been put up, the response has been very good. Well, this is acting as a means to popularize the sport as well, which is very much needed :D

Badami Rock Climbing Trip

2010-01-08T21:24:00.003+05:30

Beyond any doubt, Badami is THE paradise for Rock Climbers.

Pictures will speak for themselves. A photo log of the year end climbing trip.

It has the most wonderful lead routes and equally crazy bouldering moves.

It’s a big crazy dyno move.

There are more than 200 bolted routes. But sad to say that some of the burden-to-the-society people have stolen the starting hangers :( Very bad, which has resulted in some really high first clips. Like this one at more than 20ft.

The rocks are made up of sandstone and limestone. Thus we could climb for 4 continuous days. Compared to Ramanagram granites, they are super smooth, very very nice.

Some bouldering routes are really scary, like this one with the finishing hold at more than 25ft.

And some are really technical.

There are routes literally every where. You just have to look up and bingo, there is a route.

Great Shot!

Apparently, for non-climbers, Badami is most famous for its Cave Temples.

Tree Top House in Bangalore

2009-12-14T22:03:00.003+05:30

What do these logs of wood suggest?

Having a personal Tree Top House was never so easy. Mars has just finished building a Tree Top House in Koramangala, Bangalore.

The Tree Top House is made up of Casuarinas wood. The construction of the house was split in two parts, first creating the frame at the Mars Campsite and then assembling and erecting it, at the final place.

Ground work for the Tree Top House, at the campsite.

The Tree Top House has been erected in the spacious backyard of the house. The frame being assembled.

If you are interested in dimensions, then you would be amazed to read that the floor area measures 12ft x 14ft, that is more than enough for a Double bed, Sofa set and other luxuries. But, don’t turn the Tree Top House into a bedroom, let it be the place where you feel being part of nature.

It has a never-before-seen flooring. The flooring work in progress.

Well, the Tree Top House is built on four wooden pillars at the height of 8 feet from the ground. There is a jack fruit tree in the backyard as well, but it is still very young, not very strong. Jack Fruit tree has its own share of contribution to the Tree Top House, the tree goes right through the floor and through the roof of the Tree Top House.

Ladder work in progress.

The roof of the Tree Top House is rain proof, now you where to sip hot tea and eat spicy pakoras, isn’t it?

The Tree Top house can easily take load of up to 8 adults.

Now, Behold for the finished version of Tree Top House!!!

The interiors work is still in progress. Kamesh has some marvelous ideas for the interiors as well. Well, I can the see place being used in immense number of ways in future. Few being, a hangout place for kids, casual party place and place to do lots and lots of chit-chat for the ladies!!!!!!!!!

South Zone Climbing Competition 2009

2009-12-02T22:10:00.003+05:30

15th South Zone Climbing Competition, held in Ooty between 27th and 29th Nov 2009 was superb, especially with amazing performances from Sub-Junior/Junior Boys and Girls.

It was a pure pleasure to watch these superstars climb.

First of all, the wall at Ooty.

MRC(Madras Regiment Centre) Artificial Climbing Wall at Wellington.

The wall has 2 faces for difficulty climbing and one face each for speed and ice climbing. Ice climbing face is the white one, don’t be confused be the real ice on the wall, it is a synthetic material which simulates ice behaviour.

Let’s start with the youngest climber at the Competition, Isha, aged 7. She is by far the best climber with not-to-give-up attitude.

Crossing the roof for sub-Juniors was indeed tricky.

Her elder sister, Anya.

Anya, at the roof.

Anil, in the Men’s category along with the Isha and Anya make a full climbing family.

Our Sub-Junior Rock Star, Nishanth. There is no route which is not possible for him. He secured first place in Sub-Junior boy’s category, sharing the prize with Bharath, another prodigal climber.

Nishanth at the roof.

A stunning morning at MRC.

The weather was perfect for the event, with clear sky and the bright sun, a very inviting prospect for the climbers. But some of the events held in the late evening were just ridiculous, when climbers had to climb on wet holds and dripping mist. This is not the way to test a climber’s potential.

I guess, this was the first time in India that a movable hold was used in Climbing competition. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome the Bell Hold!!!!!!!!

It was placed right at centre of the roof, there was no way to cross the roof without using the bell hold. Only very few climbers could get the best of the hold. The bell handling more or less decided the Men’s difficulty category results.

Nishanth: First place in Lead Sub-Junior Boy’s category.

Utkarsh: First in Lead, second in speed and bouldering in Junior Boy’s category. Giraff climber.

Divya: First in Speed and Bouldering in Junior Girl’s category. Very inspiring climber.

Sachin: Third in Lead, Speed and Bouldering in Junior Boy’s category.

Purush: Second in Lead Men’s category, our deft Bell hold handler.

Kala: Second in Lead, Second in Speed and Third in Bouldering in Women’s category.

Speedster from MRC, no one even came close to Arunbaby on Men’s speed. All three places in Men’s speed were well deservedly secured by MRC folks. There are some really amazing climbers from MRC. With only 4 months of training, MRC secured 3 speed places and 1 bouldering place, that is very remarkable as compared to other Men's category participants which have been climbing for many years now. Hats off to MRC.

Mars Team at MRC, some of the members are missing as they had left early. All in all, a very good performance by Martians. Now they are all geared up for the National Climbing Competition to be held in Gwalior in last week of Jan 2010.

Nishant and Swaroop having fun time at Mysore.

Rappelling Performance at IWAS World Games 2009

2009-11-23T20:00:00.005+05:30

Bangalore has the pleasure of organizing the International WheelChair and Amputee Sports World Games 2009 and Mars Adventures has the pleasure of delivering a thrilling rappelling performance at the Opening ceremony of the games on 24th Nov 2009(Tuesday).

Kanteerava Stadium is the host of the games.

Mars Adventures is performing a rappelling event at the opening ceremony which involves a rappel from the roof of the stadium to the chief guest dais and handing over the bouquet to the chief guests, Mr. B.S. Yeddyurappa and Mr H.D. Deve Gowda.

Nishanth and Divya are the brave performers.

The event is scheduled between 6 PM to 6:30PM Indian time. The opening ceremony will be telecasted live on DD1 and will be telecasted in 19 more countries as well.

Nishanth and Divya practicing for the event.

Catch the Martian Performance at the Kanteerava Stadium or live at DD1 between 6PM to 6:30PM on 24th Nov 2009(Tuesday).

Updated on 25th Nov 2009….

IWAS opening ceremony on 24th was indeed very colorful.

Nishanth and Divya ready for the event at a height of almost 80feets.

Finally, after a waiting period of 1 hour they got their chance to come down…

Divya

Nishanth

Both of them in synchronization

And concluding the performance by handing over the bouquet to the chief guest.

Well Done…

Outdoor Rustic Furniture at Mars Campsite

2009-11-18T20:48:00.001+05:30

Man’s creation has no limits.

This is what you get when you want to stay close to nature and be creative at the same time!!!

Classic outdoor furniture made of Casuarinas wood. The strong casuarinas wood has given the furniture an extraordinary degree of strength and sturdiness. The furniture is ideal for an outdoor place/lawn and is maintenance free.

Well, it can act as a standalone table as well.

A furniture to sit on and enjoy the sun & the gentle breeze.....(only if rain god permits!!!)

Bouldering at Turahalli, Bangalore

2009-10-05T20:57:00.008+05:30

Well, this ought to be the best kept secret in Bangalore. Turahalli is a place which is hardly 20 kms from the city centre.

The place is awesome for Bouldering, may be the best Bouldering site in India.

There are boulders all around and every boulder has all kinds of routes on it. Every grade is available here.

We started off with warmup on the easy routes.

Thankfully, we had reached the place at around 10AM, rocks were still not very hot and still dry enough to climb.

The first boulder itself, had so many routes on it that we ended up spending almost an hour there.

Boulders with lot of overhang section are the most difficult ones. And here they are in plenty.

Nagu, trying out.

Purush also gave it a shot.

Even the smallest boulder are full of fantastic moves.

The top of this boulder is not a flat surface but it has upwards slope. The slope can not be seen from this angle. :D

Turahalli is truly a Boulderer’s paradise. It is at a kissing distance away from Bangalore, rather it is should be correct to say that, it is within the city limits.

Just make sure that you don’t come here on a hot and sunny afternoon, which rarely happens :D

Keep Climbing...

Mars Adventures Camp Site in Bangalore

2009-09-22T22:18:00.004+05:30

Mars Adventures Camp Site in Bangalore is truly a place where beauty meets the action. The container setup at a lush green lawn, just takes the heart away.

The site has turned containers into a setup, which is hard to believe.

From a distance it does look like the dumping ground of Robots for those who have seen iRobot. Will Smith is indeed on his way to liberate the Robots.

There is a well(bawi) as well to serve the water needs. Well this well is an artificial one, till the point someone actually looks into it. Nicely done.

The site boasts of a 40ft artificial climbing wall as well.

The best kept secret of the Site is the roof hidden in one of the containers.

During the run-up to the Climbing competitions, the roof asks for the mercy of the climbers.

The container is no where less than a indoor climbing gym.

The site acts as a place for team events, rope techniques courses, trainings and camping site.

Green peace participants taking part in the Rope Techniques Training.

Rock Climbing in Ramanagram near Bangalore

2009-08-24T11:54:00.006+05:30

It was one of those days when your body is itching for the dose of climbing and nothing less than Ramanagram rocks can satisfy the hunger.

Beautiful saturday morning.

The weather was perfect for an absolute full day of climbing. One of the best things about staying in Bangalore is the most amazing weather in the whole of the world and one of the best climbing place, only a kissing distance away.

The rock face.

Well, this is the famous rock face, where 6 routes are bolted. All with grades around 5.

Now, I don’t think anything else needs to be said, photographs will say everything. It was a pure bliss.

Dhanalakshmi during the lead climb.

John with Top Rope.

Full view.

John.

Swaroop.

Theresa.

Purushotham.

The group.

Nagu on the left-most route.

Nagu on the left-most route.

Rain god, pounding on us.

Unfortunately, in the afternoon, rain played the spoilsport. Once it came down for 30mins and the next time for more than an hour. And more so, over the face of the rock.

Then it was the time to call it a day. Rock climbing in Ramanagram always leaves me with burning fingers and hell lot of satisfaction. Keep Climbing.

Kalhatti Falls And Kemmangundi Trek 8th-9th Aug 2009

2009-08-10T21:55:00.004+05:30

Heavy rains have made the Chickmaglur region very enticing for the treks, especially the Kalhatti Falls and the Kemmangundi Area. Foothills of Kalhatti Falls is around 270 kms from Bangalore. A not so bad 6 hrs ride away.

Chickmaglur district is indeed one of the most beautiful regions in Karnataka. But the state government looks to be doing a half hearted job of promoting this region.

Karnataka Tourism’s name is indeed here but sans the good access roads. Lets not spoil the beauty of Kalhatti Falls by giving references to government’s in-actions.

Trek starts from a temple located at the foothills. Many people have misunderstood this to be the Kalhatti Falls. Well, you are bound to be mistaken, big time.

The initial trail cuts through a very dense forest. Looking at these very very tall trees, realizes us the position of mankind, in the tall order of nature.

Now behold, one of the best kept secrets of Chickmaglur is about to be unfolded, the Kalhatti Waterfall. It is magnificent.

Unlike Hebbe, not a single soul comes here to spoil the beauty. During whole of Saturday, we could not see any other human form apart from our trekking group.

The water fall is in two parts. The top part is mostly inaccessible, but when the water touches the ground in the second half, it is one of the most awesome places to feel the bullet piercing the bodies.(I mean taking bath :D)

Side view of the waterfall.

After the rush of adrenaline, it was time to head to the top of the Kalhatti Hill. Camp site for the nigh halt.

Campsite was next to the water stream, which eventually becomes the Kalhatti Waterfall. It is very intriguing that till now no one has found the origin of the water source. The story goes that, whoever has tried to find the origin, has not returned. The origin lies in a dense forest somewhere in this region. The forest is extremely dense and is infested with King Cobras. Well, no one knows how true it is, but very very interesting.

The next morning was straight out of a Hollywood movie. A stunning morning.

Finally we did take a group photograph. Kids indeed made the trek very noisy but very exciting as well.

Super Priya playing the Dumb Charades.

The trek from the Campsite to the Old English bungalow and then to Kemmangundi, definitely made the Microsoft windows wallpaper look very mediocre.

We were left speechless.

There is an old English bungalow on the way to Kemmangundi. It is on top of one of the adjacent hills. It is now completely in ruins, but even now, looking at the location makes me feel jealous of the occupants of this place.

They had a swimming pool as well.

From the Kalhatti top, it is mostly downhill for the Kemmangundi. After slipping at many places we made it to Kemmangundi. Well frankly speaking, after being at the top of Kalhatti Falls Hill, Kemmangundi seems to be a much hyped place. Apart from z-point(hill top) and few gardens there is nothing much in it. Sorry to say, but that’s what it is. There are couple of eating places and guest houses at the top.

The best location in Kemmangundi is the garden at the top; it indeed provides some breathtaking views.

Well, we made full use of the sharp drop at the top, for Rappelling.

To close this blog, hats off to Super Priya. I have never seen a 7 year old, doing every bit of trek, enjoying every bit of the waterfall bullet and every bit of rappelling.

Artificial Climbing Wall Setup

2009-08-06T11:15:00.004+05:30

The prospect of a Climbing wall in a corporate campus, would be a dream come true for Climployees (Climber + Employees). Yes, don’t bother to look in dictionary, it is a new word.

I think the biggest beneficiary of such a wall would be the company itself. Well it is a simple sport which teaches a lot lessons even without giving a single lecture. Here no one is standing on a stage giving a hard-to-say-not-boring lecture nor are the employees sitting in a conference room and looking at some sleepy slides.

The aim is simple, there is a climbing wall in front of you and the only thing you have to do is to reach the top. Well, concentrate, look at the holds and the route, make the plan and execute it to the perfection, whatever be the obstacles, which may come.

Mars Adventures did an Artificial Wall Setup at a corporate campus in Hyderabad very recently. The theme of the event was ‘Scaling new heights’. There is nothing better than making employees climb a wall to make them geared up for the higher goals.

The club has been setting up the temporary walls for corporate events, for quite some time now. Well this was the first time that Mars was invited to Hyderabad for such an event. This definitely makes it an occasion to write about it and moreover we got some really nice photographs.

Artificial Wall at Moming, Bangalore

This time, we had used a very robust and mobile frame for setting up the mobile wall. The whole wall weighed hardly more than 400kgs.

Wall in making

The whole structure can be assembled and disassembled in 3 hrs flat. Believe me that’s a very good time.

The expected number of people to climb the wall was only around 40. But by the end of the day more than 200 employees had climbed the wall. Many of them were repeaters who desperately wanted to reach the top.

All in all, it was a hugely successful event for the corporate firm and a very satisfying one for the Mars.

Climbing in Bangalore

2009-07-01T19:53:00.007+05:30

In India, Bangalore is the most touted place for Rock Climbing and Artificial Wall Climbing. It is evident from the number of National Champions that Bangalore has produced. I think it has been an unbroken streak for more than 5 years now.

Bangalore is blessed with the ideal infrastructure for the Climbing and for nurturing National and hopefully World Champions. A 50 ft artificial wall structure is available for artificial climbing in Kanteerava Stadium. Its three faces are lined with walls of different difficulty grades.

Wall for beginners.

Wall in full use.

Second wall with two overhangs.

This is the main wall, with roof.

People of all age groups can be spotted on the wall. Right from 4yrs to 50+. Some people love the wall so much that they come to the wall everyday. I know it’s a big ask, but love is blind :D

Kids seem to enjoy the most. It gives them a whole new meaning to a sport.

Baby Spiderman

Devaki M’aam on the second wall. Btw she stood first in her age category, in this years Sunfeast 10K marathon. She is definitely a star.

Without any doubt John Sir is the age defying guy among us.

Purushottam on the main wall

Nagu crossing the roof

At top of the main wall.

Well, He is our instructor Kamesh, very approachable and not to mention, crazy about climbing. He is one of the guys who can bring out the best from people. He can be contacted at +91 9886664666.

This is really a sport which has no limits; it is limited only by an individual’s will.

Bangalore to Ramnagram Cycling Trip (14th Jun 2009)

2009-06-16T23:45:00.004+05:30

To give out the figures first, Ramnagram is around 50kms from Bangalore. So, a return trip of cycling means riding the bicycle for 100kms in a day. To be on the record, we left at around 7:00AM and were back in the city by 8PM. The real riding was for 8 hrs.

First pit stop.

Ramnagram is considered to be the best place for Rock Climbing in India, truely a climber's paradise. It is full of granite formations, with rocks of all shapes and sizes. It has some of the best Bouldering routes along with equally amazing chimney and double pitch routes.

Well, this time it was a Cycling cum Bouldering trip for Mars Adventure folks. With a short notice of only 2 days, 14 Martians turned up for the trip. Each of us was armed with a decent geared bike. For a ride of 100kms, geared bicycles are a must.

Folks checking out a Firefox.

Some mandatory things that are must to be carried for such trip are; a first aid kit, a puncture kit, a hand air pump, spanner of common sizes, a cap and not the least, lots of water(or enough money to buy water :))

Bikes should be in top notch condition, with ample air pressure in tyres, seat adjusted to a comfortable height(to avoid un-necessary knee pain) and good brake pads.

Just outside Bangalore.

Ramnagram is connected by the State Highway no. 17, thus riding is mostly on the smooth tarred roads. It is relatively busy higway, specially during eveings. The highway is laced with greenery and uphill & downhill roads(not a very good thing :P).

Just after Kengeri, a very sorry looking river which has become a nala now.

What pollution can do to a river? Does anyone wants anymore proof?

The age group of the Martians was 10yrs to 35 yrs. The profile of the group was ranging from school kids to techies to full-time adventure freaks. Bikes were rented out from a shop in Jayanagar along with few personal bikes. The shop charged us an in-humanly 500 bucks a piece for 24 hrs. With this much money one can easily buy a second/third hand geared bicycle from any JC road shop.

Men at work

Well, we stared at 7AM from Jayanager, with first break at Rajrajeswari arch for a very early morning snacks. After a brief photo-session, which is a must, we planned out to reach Ramnagram in 3 and 1/2 hrs, without including the breakfast break. BY 9 Am, we had covered good distance, weather seemed to be on our side. But soon after, Sun started to suck our energies, the breaks became frequent and body started to demand good amount of water and glucose. The water never before used to taste so sweet :D

Giving bikes some rest :D

Bidadi is 35kms from Bangalore and famous for its Thatey(plate) idlis. Definetely a worthy place for breakfast. After overfilling our stomachs, we started cycling again.

Men at rest

We reached Ramnagram by 12:30PM, and had just enough time for some amazing bouldering session. Some Martians had the chance to perfect their bouldering moves and some had the first taste of bouldering on real rocks. It was totally worth it after such a long and arduous effort.

Kamesh showing his moves.

Divya at her best.

Finally a group picture. (Alex you missed it!)

2hrs passed in no time and we had to start our return trip. Bangalore being at elevation with repect to surrounding areas and with our swollen butts it was expected to take at least 5 hrs to ride back.

Likhit caressing his injury.

We managed to get back with few breakdowns, not to mention spanners and air pump were of immense help. We were in for a wonderful experience, when we entered Banshankari. Some real estate folks belonging to the locality stopped us and started treating us like celebrities( for our supposed to be a "feat" activity). It was a indeed a different experience.

Now, After a butt cracking experience, Martians are geared up for longer and even more challenging Cycling trips but only with Firefox or Trek bikes :D

In the end we created a sort of World record by loading 7 bikes and 7 humans onto a 1 tonner auto.

Rock Climbing

2009-06-12T20:12:00.014+05:30

Well, there is no need to define Rock Climbing. It is only for those who do it or who strive to do it. It is definitely not for those who want to see it and enjoy it.

Why people do it? well, i cannot answer for everyone but, some do it, to challenge themselves, some do it, to push themselves harder than ever, some do it, to reach that elusive "hard to get" goal, some do it, to take the hardest route and still make things happen. In the end, it is nothing but "making the impossible happen".

This sport is a perfect example of how you want to look at a situation. It is all about your attitute. When climbing a rock, one can see in-numerable number of routes in it, it is about choosing the right one and making the right moves. One may like to give up at every hold, on the contrary, one may like to see every hold as a new challenge. It is also about gauging the situation and making the most of what is available. A good climber is one who takes time to observe the route, who plans his every move and executes them to perfection.

Many a times, we are faced with situations that demand the one extra push, the one last push to reach the goal. It is very similar to climbing, when you are near the top and only one hold away from it, facing a very difficult and next to impossible hold, it is all about bringing oneself together and giving the one last push, to make impossible possbile.

Rock Climbing brings out the best and the worst from people. It is definitely the way to beat the worst and to get the best out of us.

Be tough, be the best. Life is too short, to not to push oneself, to not to challenge oneself, to not to achieve the impossible.