Vikram Joshi: This Man Is Always High

Who can possibly have more gyaan on fitness than someone who has conquered most of the dangerous peaks in the world including one that almost stands at 7000 metres above sea level, has just returned from an exhaustive expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro, and is ready for yet another similar task? So over to the conqueror… The mountaineer dedicated his Kili climb to his father and a relative who he lost to cancer.

What was the turning point that got you interested in this insane hobby?

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

I guess the interest was built during my formative years, when I used to see my dad go on various big climbing expeditions following his climb to Mount Everest in 1965 – the year I was born. My father was in the army and was the principal of the High Altitude Warfare School, Kashmir and The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi; so as kids we spent a lot of time in the magnificent outdoors.

Tell us about your highest climb?

The highest climb was to Reo Purgial, a mountain in Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh. I went along with a few friends of mine and we climbed around 7000 meters. It was a fabulous alpine style climb with minimal usage of porters.

At what point did you realise you were getting hooked to all these activities?

Just after my graduation I got the opportunity to learn how to raft and whitewater kayak and moreover, got paid to do that. After college, I got through a premier MBA institute, but instead of going for that I chose to pursue the wonderful outdoors. That’s when everyone knew that I was hooked.

Which has been your most dangerous climb or outdoor activity?

I’ve been in adventure for 25 years and honestly, there have been numerous dangerous climbs, raft and kayak expeditions. It’s hard to pinpoint just one, however two activities that stand out are my attempt on a mountain called Gya in Ladakh and the first commercial raft trip of Aquaterra Adventures on the river Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.

Really? Why were these dangerous?

It’s not about dangerous activities, but crazy incidents, like people getting lost on a trek, rafting flips and kayaking troubles that make it even more dangerous. I remember I nearly lost my kayaking buddy on the upper reaches of the Alakananda River. His boat got pinned in an undercut rock and he was extremely lucky to survive. The incident occurred quite a few years ago, but is still extremely vivid in my mind.

You recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, right?

The Kili climb was dedicated to my father and a relative who I lost to cancer. It was for the cause of Cancer Awareness, so we at Aquaterra Adventures were more than happy to be the technical consultants for Outcause Explorers Kilimanjaro climb.

Do you fatten up before setting off?

Not at all! I eat everything, but avoid sweets as much as I can. A climbing diet is rich in carbohydrates and I stay vegetarian on the mountains.

For stamina, do you gym and workout?

Believe it or not, I don’t gym at all. Instead, when I’m not kayaking, rafting, trekking or climbing, I run and do lots of freehand exercises.

Is it ever scary being alone and so far from home?

I have travelled alone and it’s not scary. Foremost, we miss our near and dear ones for sure, but the thought that runs in the head is – “Rivers yet to run, Mountains yet to climb, Adventures still to come”.

Do you ever ask yourself why you’re doing all this?

To be honest, I never question myself. I absolutely love what I do and if I was given the chance to start all over again, I would still choose the great outdoors any day.

So you’re constantly trying to evade your own sense of boredom with the regular world…

I have a civilian life – I’m married, have two boys and work with Aquaterra Adventures. Since its inception in 1995, we’ve built a reputation of being a leading, safe, quality adventure tour operator, offering one of the widest ranges of adventure trips in India.

Tell us about your biggest achievement?

The biggest achievement has been the ability to still go kayaking, rafting, trekking and climbing after all these years, with the same childlike enthusiasm and complete awe for the fantastic, beautiful outdoors. I guess that’s what the outdoors does to you – one can never have enough of it.

From the December 2012 issue of FHM India.