A Mega SIV Camp Jan/Feb 2021 at Pong Dam, Kangra, HP
SIV Courses for hundreds of Paragliding Pilots over a span of two months are being organised in collaboration with ABVIMAS (Atal Bihari Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports) https://abvimas.org/ and RWSC (Regional Water Sports Centre) Pong Dam, Government of Himachal Pradesh. It will be a world record of sorts for me conducting back-to-back SIV’s for over 300 Paragliding pilots.Also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar, Pong Dam is spread over 240 Sq Kms and its strategic location of the north-west plains has attracted migratory birds from the plains of India and Central Asian countries and Siberia. More than 220 bird species of 54 families have been recorded. Being fed by River Beas its a little ocean with the backdrop of the stunning Himalayan Ranges.The Big Advantage is that we’ll be using a Winch and that saves a lot of time & stress from dicey launches like Bandla at Bilaspur. The turn-around time is quick, immediate de-brief & a fresh brief for the next flight.
Impressed by Himachal Pradesh Govt. & ABVIMAS (Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sport)‘s initiative of providing free advance Paragliding Education to HP Tandem Pilots.
Big shout out to Colonel Neeraj Rana (Director, ABVIMAS, Manali) for his vision, for making this possible & bringing Safety & Standards to this beautiful aerial sport of Paragliding.Very proud of my SIV Team of Winch Ops, Launch Marshalling & the Safety Boat & Rescue team – Ajay Kumar, Jyoti Thakur, Col.Rana, Gimnar, Sanjeev & Rakesh. Successfully completed the first batch of the SIV Course & we did 20 Reserve Deployments, the highest I have ever done in a single batch.
Batch 1 –
Congratulations to all the SIV Pilots in Batch 1 from Himachal Pradesh whose courage I admire with Reserve Deployments despite being afraid of going into water & being absolute non-swimmers. Well done boys, proud of you.Young n dynamic bunch of pilots, lovely vibes, great energy, super fun & it feels amazing to be back in action & adventure after long.We’re camping in the outdoors by the banks of Ranjit Sagar dam with wild foxes screaming their guts out at night. We hear they are mating calls.No shaving & shower, no beds & toilets, not much of a signal or connection & with night temperatures of 5 degrees freezing, life continues to be a charm.
There’s only gratitude..Love & light
Avi Malik
APPI Master Instructor
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