Somewhere in the Western Sector

[HVKumar]

Feb 7, 2016, 635 pm
The sun was setting as we climbed down the 10,000 feet pass & we descended to the more pleasant weather of 0 - 5 C.

I was in the driver's seat of my 2005 Mahindra Scorpio 2.6 Turbo - as usual - and Jeep Captain Shibu Varghese giving me invaluable offroader tips on how to tackle the snow on the road.
It was very tricky, very important to plant the tyres in the right place - where the other tyres had run - since even a slight change in direction could mean the car fishtailing badly & crashing into the walls of white or sinking into the soft trenches by the road side.

We were probably the last car to climb down that day & the country side was quiet, dark & the road was empty of any cars

Videographer - Shibu Varghese
Driver - HVK
Car - Scorpio

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Feb 5, 2016 9.27 am

[Adithya Ramesh]

The unexplored part of Heaven on Earth.
Eagerly waiting for more.

[The Roadographer]

Sooper Roadography. A decent speed on this descend (y)

[laluks]

Yeh Kahan aa gaye hum

Chief writing a log after long. This must be interesting.

[karanvaid2013@gmail.com]

Mind blowing Chief... Waiting for more

[HVKumar]

Feb 5, 2016, 927 am


It was never easy to drive after dark, but driving by day was never easy either.

This particular stretch was narrow. Just 1 car width. For nearly 5 kms. If any vehicle had come from the other end, one of them would have had to reverse all the way.

There was no shoulder. There was no question of clambering onto the icy sidewalls lest the tyres sink in & get trapped.
When we got into this road, we were totally taken unawares that it would go from total tar to total snow within a few hundred metres. And before we knew it, it had also narrowed down to permit passage for just 1 car - and the only place to turn around was 5 kms away....

We were just lucky that this was not exactly a "public" road but we were hounded at the rear by a BEACON (BRO) truck leading us to the end of the "civilian" road at an army post. Luckily, there was a place to give way & turn around. The army post jawan - who incidentally got excited seeing my car which was MH registration (he was also from Maharashtra) - bide us wait for another truck, but finally gave up & directed us to go on. And we ran into the truck, who luckily reversed & climbed up into the side ledges giving us way.

The Mallu jawans were excited too when they saw two of their brothers in a Scorpio, bemused that anyone would want to come to this wilderness in the winter cold, but happy nonetheless to chat with us in their mother tongue.

Videographer - Shibu Varghese
Driver - HVK
Car - Scorpio

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[Roshun]

[SIZE=14px][FONT=georgia][FONT=verdana]Feb 5, 2016, 927 am
It was never easy to drive after dark, but driving by day was never easy either.
This particular stretch was narrow. Just 1 car width. For nearly 5 kms. If any vehicle had come from the other end, one of them would have had to reverse all the way.
There was no shoulder. There was no question of clambering onto the icy sidewalls lest the tyres sink in & get trapped.
When we got into this road, we were totally taken unawares that it would go from total tar to total snow within a few hundred metres. And before we knew it, it had also narrowed down to permit passage for just 1 car - and the only place to turn around was 5 kms away...

And doing this road with a 4x2 Scorpio and no immediate chance of rescue is also quite a feat. Keep it coming, this is getting interesting. Were those the jawans at the end of the video?

[HVKumar]

And doing this road with a 4x2 Scorpio and no immediate chance of rescue is also quite a feat. Keep it coming, this is getting interesting. Were those the jawans at the end of the video?

The fun is in driving it in a car which everyone says cannot do it: 2WD, no chains, etc
With the Army & BEACON all over the place - and the ubiquitous Sumo taxis in most sectors - help is never too far away.
I sunk into a badly-covered OFC trench in the road shoulders, and within 30 minutes, I was hauled out by a bus! Part of everyone's car kit is a tow rope in these parts!

Yes, they were jawans, the day light video is in a very remote place with hardly any villages but with a reputation for being a passage for infiltration by terrorists, hence lots of patrolling by jawans

[HVKumar]

Feb 6, 2016, 229 pm

You can see in this video - a the end - how the Bolero skid & started sliding back & sideways.

The slopes are slippery & very tricky. One misstep - if you put your tyres other than on other tyre tracks - and you could lose traction & start skidding towards the sides & get bogged down for sure .

I had the Jeep Captain Shibu Varghese by my side & his expertise with 4WD offroading meant I had an abundance of tips on how to tackle such terrain. Some of the things I did were:

1. First gear - or second gear, based on terrain
2. No acceleration or deceleration, steady on the pedal
3. No braking
4. Stick to the tyre track path
5. No stopping

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[Biju Jose]

This is going to be one exciting TL. Waiting to read on your experience on the unexplored western sector Chief, and for some visual treats from Shibu aka Jeep Captain.

[Tojo_01]

That's a great TL. Waiting for the rest. Good to see the Scorpio exploring the unexplored. Do post more videos and photos.

[laluks]

Videos are really great. It would have been one hell of a drive through the snow. Getting interesting with every post.

[HVKumar]

Videos are really great. It would have been one hell of a drive through the snow. Getting interesting with every post.

Lots of snow driving - approximately 100+ kms in different sectors!

This year, locals were lamenting that due to a mild winter, there was hardly any snow!

Everyone was surprised that anyone would want to visit their region during winter, it being a summer destination for a handful of tourists who do come there in July-August.
The Police were taken aback - and become suddenly very deferential & super-friendly, the chai wala refused to take any money & everyone else went out of their way to be extra friendly, warm & hospitable.

[HVKumar]

Feb 5, 2016, 1210 pm

It was not always snow!

I normally don't give lifts. Strangely, I did that morning - the man who I asked for directions to the next town asked, Can I? And I agreed.

He turned out to be a very interesting person, working for Government, filled us in with lots of stories about the region & told us, let us go to this unknown Lake.

That is how this drive happened - I can imagine how much prettier this road will look like during spring & summer.
A completely lonely road, the last 1 km was to be a walk to the Lake through some pretty Deodhar jungles, but unfortunately the Lake was all dried up.

But we loved this drive!

Videographer - Shibu Varghese
Driver - HVK
Car - Scorpio

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[laluks]

Lots of snow driving - approximately 100+ kms in different sectors!
This year, locals were lamenting that due to a mild winter, there was hardly any snow!

Hardly any snow !! That place looks like a snow bomb just exploded. Then what would it be really their kind of winter ?