I’ve never been much of a city boy, so when I moved to Delhi in November I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Fortunately I have been working for a sick new magazine covering all kinds of outdoors sports, had a sweet pad and wasn’t actually that far from the Himalaya. I could finish work on a Friday, jump on an overnight bus to Rishikesh and blast the sweet class III+ big volume section of the Ganga, or carry on up to my good friend Shalabh Gahlaut’s house on the banks of the Alaknanda.
I was a big fan of the Ganga, but Shalabh’s set up near Rudrapryag is too good, so I spent most trips up at his place. Not only does Shalabh have a sweet house, but he’s also got a playwave IN HIS GARDEN!!!! It was exactly what I needed after a week of work in Delhi, a small paddle-on wave which you could front surf till the sun set, backed up by a wave/hole great for all kinds of tricks, backed up by a sticky shallow hole to punish you for messing up…
It was so nice crashing with Shalabh, checking out maps and making plans for the future. I’ve always known India has a load of unexplored whitewater, but never really appreciated the scale until we hit the maps. We’ve already hatched a plan from July onwards this year and I can’t wait.
I’m supprised that India doesn’t recieve more low water kayak tourism, between October and May the Himalaya has some of the sickest super chil alpine boating. Unfortunately its too much fun to stop and photograph so you’ll just have to take my word on that.
