Hardcore Nepal - Extreme Kayaking, Rock Climbing ; Canyoning in Nepal

Kayak Bootcamp at New Camp in Nepal

2011-11-16T05:31:00.001-08:00

Kayak Bootcamp at Charaudi, Nepal

This year our kayak bootcamp is held at our private beach in Charaudi on the Trisuli River in Nepal...
And we love it!

Why this location is great -- For beginning kayakers, this is a perfect location because we have some flat water in front of the beach for learning to roll, but there is a small rapid just up river where we can walk to for practice before hitting bigger waves further down the river.

The Trisuli has class II-IV rapids, and our students confidently paddle down stream on days 2 and 3 to see what Nepal's most popular river has to offer. There are great views of local villages, farms, rock formations, and rice paddies. Kayaking in Nepal is one of the best ways to see our country and enjoy our culture in remote areas. If you haven't kayaked before, join our kayak bootcamp upon arrival in Nepal, and then head out to the Sun Koshi, Seti or Lower Bhote Koshi for some Himalayan white water paddling!

Kayaking in Nepal, Hardcore Style! www.hardcorenepal.com

Hardcore Nepal Kayaking Meets Gauley Fest USA

2011-09-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Gauley Fest 2011, Summersville, West Virginia, USA -- Called the world's largest whitewater festival, Hardcore Nepal team members showed up to check out all the latest and greatest gear from Jackson Kayak, Pyranha Kayak, Chaco, Kavu, Werner Paddles, and more...

What we came home with? Well, we are not going to tell you how cheap, but we got two Pyranha kayaks and a bunch of gear for rock bottom prices. All going with us to Nepal of course. Kayaking in Nepal keeps growing every year, and along with a few partner companies who share in their kayak enthusiasm, we went to help make Nepal a premier destination for paddlers around the world.

Gauley Fest will be on our annual list of "must-do" events. Besides all the great freebies and discounts you can get... By the way BIG dhanyabad to Chacos for giving us tons of free stuff and generally being the life of the party... There is great live music, kayakers from all over, and just a general feel good atmosphere.

Maybe we can have a Kayaking Fest in Nepal like this one, but for now, we have our Kayak Rodeo -- and that is coming up Dec. 2, 2011. See you there!

Ramesh is kayaking on the Gauley today, but will be home in time for our first kayak bootcamp (kayak lessons) in Nepal starting in Oct. !

Dream Nepal Volunteer/Training Program

2011-02-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

Dream Nepal Volunteer Program for Dalit Training

Namaste! Thank you for your interest in our program. We are a small group dedicated to helping the Dalit (sometimes called “untouchable caste”) community in Nepal. Although we do not like to use caste differentiation, the reality in our country was and is that people who come from certain “castes” or have certain “family names” still suffer from discrimination and lack of opportunity.

What we do…
In Autumn 2009, we started training three young men from the Dalit community of Bimal Nagar, Nepal, and one non-Dalit from Charaudi, Nepal, to be guides. We focused on Rock Climbing and Canyoning guiding, but also provided opportunities for Mountain Bike training and Kayaking through other companies who also volunteered to give them a chance. Within one year, two of our guides had offers for regular full-time employment for the tourist seasons, and the other two got steady freelance work.

Since then, we have had several offers from Western guides to help train our recruits further, so we decided, why not start a regular program to help men and women from the Dalit castes train for a better chance at getting a job, a better tomorrow, and a better life?

What this means…
Take for example one of our most successful trainees, Ram Chandra BK, from Bimal Nagar. Ram Chandra, at 21 years old, is responsible for taking care of his mother and six younger siblings. When we first met him on a climbing trip in his village, he had no steady employment or way of earning a living. The family was destitute and relying on whatever help they could get from other family members and villagers for food and basic needs. A few months later, when we had a small tourist group camp at the village, Ram Chandra asked us if he could please carry some equipment and help in our camp to earn some money. We employed him and two others on that trip.

He called us a few weeks later to ask if there was any work in Kathmandu. He had no guiding experience, but as we were busy with trips, we told him to come and we would find something for him to do. He was eager to help and learn anything. He quickly learned to do Climbing and Canyoning and was great with our clients. We kept training him for office work as well. One year later, another company asked him to work as a freelance Canyoning guide. They were so impressed with him, that they too offered free training and he has now learned to be a safety kayaker working along the many, many rafting trips that originate from Kathmandu Rafting agencies each season. In less than a year, a young man who had almost no way of earning money for his family’s survival has had found many different ways to get good work.

Nepalis want to work. They just need opportunities. The best things volunteers can do for Nepal is create jobs and educate people for those jobs. It’s great to teach everyone English, but there is no use for it if there are no jobs in tourism, trade, or technology. We cannot do everything, but we hope we have made a step in the right direction by training and employing the most impoverished and discriminated against of all Nepalis in the nation’s unique tourism industry.

Why we do it…
Ramesh BK (Bishwokarma), owner of Hardcore Nepal Extreme Adventures, grew up in the small village of Similtal along the Trishuli River. His family was the only Dalit family in the village. Ramesh remembers a childhood of having to sit outside at community celebrations, having to wash his own dishes in tea houses where he had already paid for food, and not be allowed to enter the homes of his childhood friends. The elders of the community reminded him he came from the “Untouchable” caste. Ramesh’s mother, worried for her son, would always warn him not to go into the homes of the other villagers. His father on the other-hand rejected everything about this idea, except for the inclination to fight against it. He became a village leader, a land owner, and dabbled in local politics. The family seemed to be rising above their caste status by sheer tenacity and hardwork. But in 2003, tragedy struck. The proud home they had worked for years to build was swept away one night in a monsoon landslide. The family was homeless, penniless, and nearly hopeless. They were moved to a refugee camp where they would live under a tarp by the river for 2 years. One year into their life in the tarp tent with little work to be found, and even less food for the family, Ramesh’s father disappeared in the Trishuli River while kayaking. His body was never found. Ramesh was left to fend for his family alone at 19 years old.

He survived and even thrived thanks to hardwork, a few kind souls willing to give him a chance, and the idea that his father left with him – you can transcend!
Ramesh was offered a chance to work in rafting because his father had supplied all the handmade oars for the rafting companies in Nepal. A couple great guides taught him to kayak in their spare time. Soon Ramesh was working steadily as a safety kayaker. Within a few years, he was able to not only rise above the caste discrimination, but he started to thrive, becoming a requested guide and safety kayaker for companies in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

In what seems like a short time, Ramesh BK has gone from living under a tarp in uncertainty to owning his own company (with his wife and partner Sandra Krasa BK) and starting Dream Nepal Volunteer Program as an extension of Hardcore Nepal Extreme Adventures.

Dream Nepal came out of request from the village elders of Bimal Nagar, a small village on the Pokhara Highway still unknown for its amazing adventure opportunities (they have rock climbing, caving rafting, and trekking within a stones throw). When the elders met Ramesh and discovered he was a successful guide and business owner they said, “We have boys here who are also BK (a Dalit caste), like you. Is there any way you can help them get work?” And so our training program was born. Two guys from Bimal Nagar, and two more from other villages.

Our Dream…
In November 2011, we will expand our training program for Dalits and women. They will learn kayaking, climbing, rafting, trekking, mountain biking, camp set up, conversational English and other skills which will increase their chances for employment in Nepal’s tourism industry. In 2012, we hope to add-on computer literacy classes and basic business skills. With this combination, we hope to train future entrepreneurs who will also create jobs for Nepal. As our training program and company grows, we would like to make a permanent camp at Bimal Nagar (home to a very large Dalit community) for tourism and training.

How you can help…
If you are an experienced guide – we need you! Volunteer with us for Autumn 2011 to train guides in kayaking, rock climbing, canyoning, mountain biking, etc.
If you are a company or individual – we need equipment! We are happy to take your used equipment, no matter what it looks like. It is so hard to get climbing shoes, rafts, and kayaks in Nepal. Any little thing that goes along with these activities helps.

You can also make a cash donation (accepting donations in May 2011; please check back). Just $20 will pay for food, board and materials for one Dalit trainee for one week. Typical training will be for one month per activity. Trainees will be required to participate in training six days per week and given a completion certificate upon mastering the skills required for each individual activity.

Hardcore Nepal Plans Rock Shop in Kathmandu

2010-10-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Hardcore Fans! Our owner, Ramesh BK, has been scouting around the USA to find the best equipment to bring back to Kathmandu. With a shortage of shoes and chalkbags in our country, we could use some good supplies.

Coming in 2011, look for The Rock Shop in Thamel to supply all of your climbing needs. And visit our website http://www.rockshopnepal.com as of Jan. 2011.

In the meantime, we are still the "go-to" place for all-things-rock-climbing in Nepal; so give us a call (977) 9846375307. International clients call Ramesh at (001) 407 873 5385.

Waterfall Canyoning -- Chitwan, Nepal

2009-11-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

We thought there was no comparison to the Big Jumbo canyon along the Bhote Koshi river until we saw this massive, high volume canyon in Chitwan.

This canyon will take you two days to get through if you want to do the whole thing. It has one really long 60 m pitch, straight down into a waterfall, and several rock slides and jumping pools.

We thought we would share some pics from a recent trip with our UK client Derek Tong who exclaimed that now he knew why our company was "Hardcore" Nepal! The whole team had tons of fun, and Jalberi is becoming our most popular attraction.

If you are on your way to Chitwan or Pokhara this is a perfect stop. You can do one day canyoning which includes a lot of sliding and jumping -- fun! Or our two day trip which includes beach camping and mastering the very high monster pitch we call Topo Falls! This trip is not for the faint at heart. Even the trek up to the top of the canyon is challenging. But if you have nerves of steel and love an adrenaline rush, this canyon trip is for you!

Ramesh B.K., owner of Hardcore Nepal, getting ready to go over the falls!

Hardcore Nepal opens new office in Thamel, Kathmandu

2009-08-18T03:30:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! We just opened our new office in Thamel and it is so much fun!! Really hardcore.

It is quickly becoming everyone's favorite hang-out due to our bird's eye view of the busy street below, the cool music wafting in from De La Soul bar across the street and the good energy of our office. If you are in Thamel you MUST stop by our office and say "Hi!"

First Rock Climbing Client for Hardcore Nepal!

2009-08-17T04:08:00.000-07:00

Hardcore Nepal was pleased to have Kirby Crider from the USA as our first rock climbing client! Kirby and Ramesh headed to Nargarjun Forest on July 23rd, 2009 for a day of climbing. Kirby was an experienced climber, but loved the challenging routes at Nagarjun and appreciated Ramesh teaching him to lead climb. They also did a little bouldering at the location. Hardcore Nepal is honored to have such a great guy for our first client. Also, thank you to Emily Harding (UK), who signed up for canyoning, but was pleased to re-route to climbing training when the water was too high for canyoning on the day she planned her trip!

Here are some comments from our first clients:

Ramesh is friendly, receptive, likeable, and I came away with some real skills. I could tell that he has the knowledge and ability to work with absolute beginners all the way up to avid climbers who are looking for someone to show them what Kathmandu has to offer climbers. I felt instantly at ease, had an absolute blast from start to finish, and I learned a lot with Ramesh and Hardcore Nepal. Your guide service is excellent. - Kirby Crider, USA

Really love your service. - Emily Harding, UK

Hardcorenepal.com team on Rock Climbing web site!

2009-07-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

The Hardcore Nepal team is featured on the home page of Rockclimbing.com. This photo was taken on a training day when our climbing guru Endra Rai, was teaching us some new tricks. Endra is a great climber (and Everest summiter) and technique is very important to him. He doesn't just climb a rock, he sort of dances up the rock face in a routine he likens to Tai Chi.

Currently, Ramesh and Pasang are practicing for the rock climbing competition in Kathmandu on July 24th. They are both strong climbers and they are sure to do well. Check on Hardcorenepal.com after the 24th to find out how they did!

Getting ready for Kayaking Trips starting Sep 2009!

2009-07-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

www.hardcorenepal.com

We are getting all are gear together and are really excited about the upcoming season. Hardcore is going to be the first to offer these extreme kayak expeditions. We got the idea because, so many people who were doing the rafting were looking for a bigger challenge. Plus, the kayak groups give you the freedom to explore a little more. There is no hand-holding here; you must already be a kayaker to take our trips.

The rapids are amazing and the camping is awesome. We're just waiting to see if the real monsoon will come to know what kind of water we will have in September.

Right now Ramesh is scouting some new canyons along the Trisuli River, and we want to be the first to offer a Canyoning & Rafting combo in Nepal. He found some amazing waterfalls with pools at the bottom that our hardcore adventurers will love.

He thinks for season 2 (Spring), he wants to show people how to hunt for their own food in the jungle. Based on some of the things he's eaten... anyone who can handle the same is SUPER HARDCORE! He's nuts! That's why we love him.