Challenging or Dangerous ? - The Pin Parvati Pass

For a trekker, an abundance of adrenaline in your veins is one of the significant factors to get on that exciting journey. That and discipline, the balance of these two, is what helps you get to the summit. For some, trekking is savoring the overflow of this adrenaline rush. For some, it’s meditation. Nonetheless, as hard they say reaching the summit is, the more robust the dibs get.

Pin Parvati Pass trek based in Himachal Pradesh connects Kullu Valley to Spiti Valley is considered one of India’s most challenging treks. Reaching the summit of this trek is considered a glory for passionate trekkers. We have been organizing this trek since 2011 with the utmost safeguard and provision. 

To make it a conversation between two fellow trek lovers, I find it better to introduce myself. 

I am Devanshi, the official writer here at TTH and a trekking expert myself. At TTH, we resumed the Pin Parvati trek for the first time after lockdown, and the trekkers couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful the trek was. I was so glad to read the reviews that came as soon as the recent Pin Parvati batch returned. As I was flowing through the web and reading more about this magnificent trek, I came across a few articles by fellow trek companies describing the trek with harsh words like “extremely high risk” and “dangerous”. A trek’s danger is only decided by the kind of safety the trek leaders provide; even a moderate trek like the Hampta pass Trek can be dangerous if proper protection and care aren’t taken care of.

I can prove the thought factually by telling you more about our recent Pin Parvati Pass trek batch that left on the 7th of August and returned on the 17th.

This trek that begins with lush green meadows and transitions to deserted mountains, giving you the experience of multiple terrains in one, was led by Virendar, or “Billu bhaiya”, as the trek leaders lovingly called him. He has been working with TTH for the last eight years and has been to the Pin-Parvati Trek at least 20 times. The trekkers tell us that trekking from Tunda Bhuj to Thakur Kaun on day 4 was the most difficult one but was safely completed giving them a good night’s sleep the following night. This day included river and rock crossing, which acted as food for that adrenaline rush. According to the trekkers, this dangerous path turned ‘’fun’’ as all the safety had been taken care of by using top-notch quality gears, ropes, and harnesses. Crossing a river with  Spine-chilling cold water up to the waist flowing from beside a pristine glacier was precisely the adventure they came for. The Pandu bridge on the 5th day of the trek is considered the most tricky patch of the whole trek, but Because of our experienced and disciplined hikers and our expert trek leaders, they could cross it safely. 

The most leisurely day of the trek was the Day 2 trek from Kalga to Kheerganga and Day 10 from Tiya to Mud which is basically just trekking on the road. A clear sky was the norm for the trekkers, except for summit day when it was a bit breezy with some clouds. The trekkers also go through a selection process before booking this trek where our sales team interviews them properly. They are expected to adhere to the previously set norms regarding fitness level, experience, etc. Hence they were a well-experienced, disciplined, loving, and supportive group of trekkers from all over India, some of whom were even in their 50s or 52s.

The group’s speed was so good that they reached the campsite at around 2:30-3:00 almost every day. There were some fun moments during the games and warmups everyone did together at the campsites after all the hard work. Every group that treks with TTH raves about the food. Every day, there is a customized menu with nothing repeated for the whole ten days except Roti and Rice. Savouring the taste of Pasta, Gol Gappas, and Gulab Jamuns at an altitude this high with a cramping body makes you appreciate the food a lot more.

As the summit got closer, the trail became steeper, mostly from Ascend to Descend. Everyone was exhausted by the time they made it to the top. In addition to making them feel even happier, the aching body was a signature of how hard they worked to get there.

Take a glimpse into the experience and what the trekker had to say about it here -

An additional challenge was crossing a boulder that had previously been easier to traverse, but it became more difficult now that it had to go through a plain rock. However, the group successfully crossed it using the ropes and gear that the trek leaders had provided.

As TTH too went for the Pin-Parvati Pass trek after a long time, there were moments of paranoia when the batch almost got cancelled because two batches from some other trek organization had to return from the Pandu bridge itself. This was because the single boulder that had to be crossed earlier had now become two, making it even more challenging to cross, but our team did it all perfectly using ropes and technical equipment. Nothing is a ‘no-go’ for our highly trained professionals.

Our team made the trek safe for the trekkers by making it challenging from “dangerous”. Trekkers choose the Pin Parvati Pass trek for its challenge. Since this trek began, our team has never faced a single mishap in any of our groups. If anything happens, it's handled with proper care immediately, and the safety of everyone involved is always a priority.

Although every individual goes through a unique trail of thoughts based on their experiences, this trek is worth it. Only a safe and trusted organization like us, trained and equipped enough to deal with any kind of challenge one faces on the trail, can be chosen if safety is your topmost priority.

Trust us on this,  the landscapes, lush greenery, intense alpine forest, wild, colorful blossoming flowers, north terrestrial sceneries, the barren valleys of Himachal, attractive villages, bright sea cliffs, and high chilling waterfalls are all worth every single effort one puts in for this glorious trek.  Pin Parvati pass Trek ever so feels ethereal.