Climbing in Mumbai

Date: June 4, 2022.

Place: CBD Belapur, Mumbai.

Route type: Top rope, sport (bolted) as well as trad possibilities. 

Best season: Preferably winter (Oct-Mar), summer is hot but possible.

Climbing level: Suitable for all levels.

Accommodation: Lot of places in Navi Mumbai.

Contact person: Franco (Basalt project, 98699--89542).

Misc: You are in Mumbai city; there are climbing gyms, food and many other attractions.

One of the easiest to access and active climbing site in India; here, you get a great climbing experience as well as get to hang out with a lot of cool and inspired climbers.

The best thing about this area is, it is accessible using public transportation. From CBD Belapur station, you can take a 5 minute auto ride or walk to the climbing area. There are two different crags for climbing, depending on the direction of sun, only one area is suitable to climb. 

We explored the morning area (right side crag), it has routes of varying difficulty. I strongly recommend trying the Grigri and the Crack route. In summers, it was very hot to climb after 12 pm. My advice is to go early (before 8 am) and have a 3-4 hour session (keep around 2 litres of water). The other area (left side crag) is better to climb after lunch, but we didn't explore it.

This is one of the oldest climbing areas in India, the group of Bong da (Abhijeet Burman) and Franco has been climbing in this area for decades and best suited to introduce you to this area. They were a gracious host and I really enjoyed my trip.

Few lessons I learnt (got reinforced) from this trip:

1. Always keep your belay device, prussik and personal anchor system on your harness when going to climb outdoors :).
2. Don't just look at the rating of the climb, sometimes easier routes are more beautiful.
3. Enjoy your climb and make sure that it has no (minimal) impact on surroundings.

Climbing in Nainital, Uttarakhand

Date: 21st May 2022.

Place: Kilbury road, Nainital, Uttarakhand.

Route type: Top rope, sport (bolted) as well as trad possibilities. 

Best season: Around the year, sunny days in winter.

Climbing level: Suitable for all, more routes for intermediate and advanced climbers.

Accommodation: Youth hostel Nainital, homestays and hotels in Kilbury area.

Contact person: Anil Belwal (Tony Da) and Vinod (TCS, 89796--48412).

Misc: Good spots for birding around the area.

One of the beautiful sites to climb in India, the weather is perfect and you can enjoy climbing whole day. I have pointed to Kishan Da's store for location because of two reasons:

1. The crag is very close to the shop, go from the main road to the store and stay left, the crag is at 100 meters from the shop.
2. The aloo paratha, chai and samosa at Kishan Da is great, it is a perfect lunch break in a day full of climbing.

There are other areas in Nainital for climbing too, we explored only this area for this trip. Tony climbing school (Anil Ji and Vinod) are perfect people to introduce and guide you to the area. Anil ji is a legend in Nainital climbing scene and has bolted/opened many routes. We were guided by Vinod, he is an amazing climber and a great teacher. I strongly suggest contacting them, if you are planning to climb in this area. 

My other suggestion is to take accommodation in Kilbury area (instead of the main Naini Lake/Mallital area). That will keep the need for car redundant, you will be in a walking distance from crag and restaurants. More importantly, you will be away from the painful weekend crowd in Nainital.

Climbing in Dhauj, Haryana (near Delhi)

Date: 20th March 2021.

Place: The Crashpad, Dhauj, Haryana (around 1:30 hrs from Delhi).

Route type: Trad or top rope, single pitch, multiple areas. 

Best season: October to March (too hot in summers)

Climbing level: Suitable for all, beginner as well as advanced climbers.

Accommodation: Camp at "The Crashpad" or day trip from Delhi.

Contact person: Jammy (Jamyang) and Sandeep Maity (Delhi climbs).

Misc: For detailed route guide, refer to the Book by Mohit Oberoi.

One of the best places to climb outdoors close to Delhi, Dhauj, has been developed by delhi climbers for a long time. Fortunately, Delhi climbs has a small area there and provide a great facility for any level of climber to experience rock climbing in an outdoor environment.

We were a group of five climbers from Kanpur. All of us, except one, knew how to lead and had decent experience on climbing walls. Two of us had climbed outdoors too. So, we were looking for a place to climb and some help regarding where to put the ropes, what routes to climb etc. 

We had a great experience with Sandeep and others. They not only showed us (and set up) routes, but also taught some knots and anchors. We camped at the same place and shared meals. Overall, a great outdoor climbing experience.