A group of 13 adventure sports instructors has set a world record by rafting the Beas from close to its origin till its end point in Himachal Pradesh in four days. The feat was achieved by rafting day and night. Two rafts and three kayaks were used in the expedition. All the participants were the instructors from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, led by director of the institute Colonel Neeraj Rana, who wanted to prove their mettle in the adventure sport besides popularizing water sports in Himachal. The expedition starts from Manali on October 23 and ended near Pong Dam in Kangra. Formal announcement of the record would be made by Limca Book of Records in a few days after analyzing the video footage and other records. “This was much difficult than we had imagined. I am extremely happy that my team has made it to the record books by being first to raft from Manali to Dehra in four days,” Col Rana said. He added that the total distance calculated by the expedition was 210km. “None of us had knowledge about the river flow, depth, falls, speed and entire geography. It was full of adventure and two days we had to raft in night time – one day till 2:30am as well – to achieve the deadline of four days.” Rana added that contrary to their belief that the stretch between Manali and Kullu has the most challenging rapids, the stretch between Mandi and Sandol had the grade-4 and grade-5 rapids. He further added that with the fast flow, high rapids and tight gorge, this area challenged them where it was difficult to maneuver the rafts. As a large number of tributaries meet the Beas, its water level keeps increasing. While water was
A group of 13 adventure sports instructors has set a world record by rafting the Beas from close to its origin till its end point in Himachal Pradesh in four days. The feat was achieved by rafting day and night. Two rafts and three kayaks were used in the expedition. All the participants were the
A 13-member team of adventure enthusiasts from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, will attempt to set a world record this month by scaling the length of the Beas river riding two rafts and three kayaks. ABVIMAS instructors under the leadership of director of the institute will start the arduous journey from Manali on October 23. The challenge is to reach Dehra in Kangra district in four days after covering distance of about 230km. So far nobody has attempted to do this. Limca Book of Records officials will closely observe the expedition. If successful, it will be a world record. The river is wild and fast with high rapids and sharp boulder between Manali and Raison, while water can be shallow and slow at some places. The Beas river has two reservoirs – one at Larji and another near Pandoh in Mandi where rafts and kayaks will be lifted manually to the other side of the dam from where the members will start rowing their rafts. The team did a recce of the Beas and discovered that they will have to lift the rafts and kayaks for 5km beyond Larji dam as the stretch has very shallow water due to all waters being diverted through reservoir to generate electricity. Most stretches of Beas are dangerous for rafting and only a few stretches have been approved by government where tourists enjoy rafting. ABVIMAS director Colonel Neeraj Rana said each raft will have five rafters while three kayakers will give them the company. “The kayaks will ensure the safety of the rafters. Our target is to reach Dehra bridge on October 26. If we feel that we are unable to cover the distance on time, we shall travel in night time too. It’s a big challenge but
A 13-member team of adventure enthusiasts from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, will attempt to set a world record this month by scaling the length of the Beas river riding two rafts and three kayaks. ABVIMAS instructors under the leadership of director of the institute will start the arduous
