For very long time I had been thinking to do something euphoric. Being a designing student , I was advised to do summer courses which will help me throughout. Keeping all this career tips in mins I did something contrary. I signed up for the basic mountaineering course at one of the four leading mountaineering institutes in the country the Jawahar institute of mountaineering and winter sports ( JIM & WS) located in Pahalgam, a mountains and snow capped town in Kashmir, North India. The institute came into existance in 1983 under the leadership of Brig. Gyan Singh, an Everester. The institute comes under the jurisdiction of ministry of defense and having 4 sub centers in state. I recieved mail from the institute your seat is confirmed and report on 30th of June at Thajiwas base camp near Sonamarg. I was off to start my basic mountaineering course (BMC-121) My excitement new no bounds as the terrain…show more content… From dawn to dusk and even after that, the valley surprised me with it's beauty even during backbreaking endurance sessions. The nights were spectacular as day, the snow covered peaks bathed in moonlight and millions of stars gazed down at us weary mountaineering students. Soon first 15 days sized past. Time had stopped for me in the last few days and being cut of from civilization definitely added to it. The next 7 days were dedicated to snow/ice craft and this meant walking in snow boots (6kg wt of pair) and carrying all our equipments ropes, crampons, ice axe etc. to the Thajiwas Glacier. We were taught crevasse rescue methods, base making, various climbing methods. We went for two day-long treks during the training. The first trek was to 'Happy Valley' followed by 'Table Top'. They said good weather it picnic and bad weather is training and you'll are here for mountaineering