Making Career in Adventure Sports — Canyoning or Canyoneering
Adventure sports are mostly seen as a medium for detoxing from mundane day-to-day life. We love challenging our boundaries and overcoming over fears. However, none of us really thought of adventure as a career option.
In India, there have been extensive evidences proving that ancient people have explored through canyons. The historic temples are present inside canyons or the famous Ajanta caves which a UNESCO accepted heritage site.
The temples in and around Ahobilam of Andhra Pradesh and all the temples like Kapila Theertham, Kailasa Kona, Thumburu Theertham etc are also proofs of temples built inside canyons.
Canyoneering or canyoning is an extreme adventure sport that combines hiking, wading, swimming, jumping, sliding, boulder-hopping, scrambling, down-climbing, sometimes pack rafting and always rappelling — often over waterfalls!
So what’s the scope of canyoning or canyoneering in India? Speaking in layman terms, where ever there are mountains, there are possible canyon opportunities. Starting from the Southern Western ghats between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The Western ghats on the west coast of Karnataka, the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, the red rock deserts of Badami and Hampi, high altitude class C canyons in the Himalayas, the sandstone canyons of North East India. Pretty much everywhere there are canyons.
India being a country with a vast diversity of nature in terrain, flora and fauna has ample scope for many adventurous activities. India is blessed with a long shoreline on three sides which are blessed with beautiful beaches and many unexplored islands.
This has opened the doors to a number of scuba diving and other underwater exploration activities. India is also blessed with beautiful mountain and hill ranges such as Himalayas, Aravalli, Sahyadri, Western Ghats etc. giving rise to a number of mountaineering, trekking, rock climbing and other related adventure sports.
With the increasing popularity of adventure sports among the Indian population, many old, as well as newly discovered adventure sports, are making an appearance.
Some popular adventure sports in India are –
Scuba Diving — If you are interested in discovering the underwater world then you must try scuba diving at least once in your life. With places such as Lakshadweep, Goa, Karnataka, Pondicherry; India has a great opportunity for scuba diving.
Trekking — When it comes to getting close to nature, there is no better way to do so than by packing your rucksack and heading on for trekking in India. Tiger Hills, Bhrigu Lake Trek, Gomukh Tapovan Trek are some of the wide options for Trekking in India.
Bungee Jumping — Bungee Jumping is one of the most talked topics among Adventure-seekers all over India. Rishikesh is the highest point for Bungee jumping in India. The height of Bungy Jumping (Bungee) in Rishikesh is around 83 meters. i.e approximately 272 feet high above the land.
Water Rafting — Rishikesh is one of the best places for White Water River Rafting in India. One gets to experience the mood-spectrum of the river on the rapids through various difficulty levels of Grade I to Grade IV. With unusual names like Sweet Sixteen, Double trouble and Three Bling Mice, there are a total of 13 thrilling river rapids in Rishikesh starting from 9 km to 36-km long stretches.
Parasailing — Parasailing is one of the best sports for those who love flying and speed! One of the top places in India offering an array of watersport-adventures is Goa. Along with exciting nightlife and a range of unlimited hippie street shopping, you could also take yourself on a parasailing trip. Offering a spectacular aerial view of the Arabian sea and the gorgeous Goan beaches, parasailing would definitely be the highlight of the adventure.
STORY’anz spoke with Gokul Ramachandran, India’s first-ever canyoning instructor and founder of Bangalore Adventure School about the scope of canyoning in India, how to build a career and network in this out-of-box field and what does it take to build it as a business.
Watch him LIVE on YouTube talking about his journey and most importantly, making a career in adventure sports.
STORY’anz is an exclusive online events platform. An Astorianz Industries initiative.
