WHITE MAGIC ADVENTURE TRAVEL - Key Persons
Amit Dawa like many of our staff is born and brought up in Aloo Bari village in Darjeeling. He started his trekking career during his school days and has been guiding in the himalayas for more than 15 years. He regularly leads our treks in Ladakh, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Nepal. 'Dawa' as he is called, has the ability to work in various roles and circumstances and is always up for a challange. He wears his heart on his sleeve and loves listening to Hindi and Nepali songs.
Avilash grew up in a small town of Pauri which offers an incredible 180° view of snow capped muntains of Garhwal Himalaya. In his words "when i was young i would wonder what one would see if one got to top of those snow mountains. All we were told by the elders was that there is a country called China behind them" He went for his further studies to Delhi and by the time he finished his University he was missing the mountains so much that he started looking for a vocation which would take him back to the mountains. Being a mountain guide turned out to be a dream job for him. He has been guiding trips in the Himalaya since 1997 and is very passionate about his work. His straightforward, cool and calm temperament has always drawn people to him. He has guided several mountaineers successfully to the summits of Satopanth, Mt Kun, Kedar Dome, Sudarshan Parbat, Bandarpunch, CCKN, Kangyatse, Dzo Jongo, Stok Kangri, Mentok Kangri, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua and many more lesser mountains. Some of these mountains can be seen from Pauri. He is also a highly experienced climbing instructor and has designed and executed numerous outdoor training programs. Trained in Mountain Search & Rescue he has also led a couple of life saving rescue operations. He is deeply committed to the mountains, to exploration, photography, the culture & the people of the Himalaya, to wilderness medicine and mountain rescue.
Referred to as "Bodhisattva of the mountains" by some guests, Avilash has been pushing the limits of mountain guiding in India. He heads the expedition business and oversees the safety of the entire operations.
Dhruv Joshi or the 'The Gentle Giant', as we prefer to call him, has been active and in the thick of things half his life. Hailing from Almora, mountains have been his backyard all along. After breezing through his mountaineering courses and a few high altitude treks, he set his eyes on climbing in 2007. From then on he's been on a roll, climbing year after year. Participating in expeditions as a porter in the beginning, just to be a part of the climbing team, he's come a long way to now being the preferred leader for most Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) expeditions. His recent summits include Nandakhat (6611m), Changuch (6322m), Kuchela Dhura (6250m) & Kullu Pumori (6553m), most of which he's led himself. He's also done his trip leader course and first-aid training from NOLS. Always sporting a quiet and friendly demeanour, he's one guy you can completely rely on to take you through an expedition safely. His other important mountain attempts have been Satopanth (7075m), Rimo 1 (7385m) and Plateau (7287m), apart from many other smaller summits in the Indian Himalaya. Recently he lead our Kun Expedition in 2014. When he is resting, he humours himself by scaling small peaks, in WINTERS, or finding his way across treacherous passes.
Karma Sherpa, hailing from Darjeeling is an experienced mountaineer who's innocent smile and calm nature belies his vast climbing experience. Karma has completed his Basic & Advance Mountaineering Courses from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling. He was also part of the leadership course conducted by UIAA (Union International Alpine Association) in Ladakh. Karma has previously been on mountains like Kamet (7,756m), Saser Kangri III (7,495m) and also worked as a rescue leader on Mt.Everest. Karma has summited many technically challenging peaks like Pumori (7,161m), Ama Dablam (6,812m). Karma joined us in 2021 and has already been a part of our guiding team on challenging mountains like Gangotri I (6,672m), Nun (7,135m), Kang Yatze (6401m), Bandarpunch (6,316m), Dzo Jongo (6,280) apart from leading trekking expeditions such as Dhumdhar Kandi (5490m) and Panpatia Col (5260m). His immense experience working at high altitudes on big mountains makes him an invaluable asset in any team attempting a challenging Himalayan adventure.
Our favorite guide for any trek around Manali, Kirti Sharma is a bundle of energy when it comes to regaling clients with stories from mountains where he grew up. Shuru Village near Manali is Kirti's home where he followed his passion of being an athlete and went on to represent Himachal Pradesh in track events. It was a natural shift for him when in 2009 he took to trekking and climbing after his Mountaineering courses(Basic, Advance and MOI) from Manali. He is a quick learner with a cool head and spends his time continuously in the mountains between April to October. He has led numerous trips in Kullu, Spiti and Ladakh. In the monsoons, he goes on Motor Biking Trips as the lead Biker and guide with his favourite Royal Enfield. When not on trips, Kirti spends his time tending to his apple orchards which yield some of the finest Apples in Manali.
Orginally from Sikkim, Palden now lives in a Sherpa village in Darjeeling. He has been guiding treks in Nepal, India and Tibet for over ten years, and has been working in the trekking industry for even longer. He handles all our Sikkim and Darjeeling trek logistics. He is highly knowledgeable about the various cultures of North Eastern India. He has often demonstrated his organisational skills by altering itineraries to ensure trips succeed when the weather turned bad or when there were road blocks or strikes. He is deeply committed to delivering a high value customer experience and would go to any length to ensure that. He is highly compatible and has an infectious laugh.
Nawang hails from a remote village of Kaban near Gulabgarh in Kishtwar District of Jammu & Kashmir. He was persuaded by his friend to accompany him on a trek near his village and his journey in the mountains began ever since. Nawang has been trekking since 2009 and has been leading treks for us since 2015. His fluency in Ladakhi meant he spent a lot of time working in Ladakh before exploring Himachal and Uttarakhand. He has experience of leading trips such as Stok Kangri, Kang Yatze II, Markha Valley, Kanji La, Rumtse - Tso Moriri etc., in Ladakh; Gaumukh-Tapovan, Panwali Kantha, Darwa Pass, Har Ki Dun - Ruinsara Lake, HMOG in Uttarakhand; Deo Tibba Base Camp Trek and Dev Roopa Trek in Himachal; and of course, he has curated and been a part of many exploratory treks and expeditions in his own backyard - Kishtwar. Apart from the mountains, Nawang is interested in Buddhist philosophy and has been a monastery guide as well.
Nima Sarki Sherpa - Hailing from Darjeeling, Nima is an enthusiastic guide who is vastly experienced. He is a veteren in the industry with over 15 years working in the outdoors donning multiple hats. He has worked with us as a Sherpa on innumerable trips notably on 6000 & 7000m peaks such as Kang Yatze II, Dzo Jongo, Nun & Kun. His proficiency lies in navigating tricky high altitude passes like Panpatia Col, Auden's Col, Traill's Pass, Khalindi Khal, Saraswati Col etc, where . He was a proficient cook working with us for the last 6 years before he took to guiding. He is interested in birding too & has started to identify various species of Himalayan birds. He is also a very passionate musician with a love for singing & playing the guitar.
Born and brought up in Chandigarh, Pawan actually hails from Pauri Garhwal, in Uttaranchal. Smitten by the mountains ever since he was in college, he completed the Basic & Advanced Mountaineering Courses from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi with top grades by the time he turned 21! He is a graduate in Tourism Management and has worked in the travel and tourism sector since 1997. He has led trekking trips extensively in Ladakh, Himachal, Sikkim, Nepal and not surprisingly, he knows the mountains of Garhwal and Kumaon like the back of his hand.
He has been on several mountaineering expeditions and loves to share his experiences. Gifted with an infectious sense of humour and engaging smile, he will have you chuckling in no time.
Heads the trekking operations and ensures that everything runs smoothly. From allocating the resources for the trips to juggling with the schedules and availability to the last detail, Pawan has been doing it effortlessly and with an infectious sense of humour.
Rajeev is a soft-spoken yet extremely experienced guide hailing from Aloo Bari village in Darjeeling. He started his career as an assistant cook and has quite a reputation running the kitchen. He took to full time guiding after completing his education from Darjeeling Govt College. He has over twenty years worth of experience leading treks in Sikkim, Darjeeling, Uttarakhand, Ladakh. Over the last four years, he regularly leads treks in Nepal such as Annapurna Base Camp, Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Ri as well. He is a certified mountaineer and has climbed multiple 6000m peaks, having lead various teams to the top of trekking peaks like Stok Kangri, Kang Yatze II etc. He is a veteran guide on treks like Dzongri-Goecha La, Singalila Ridge, Markha Valley, Lasermo La, among others. While he is not in the mountains, he likes to strum his guitar & sing beautiful Nepali tunes.
Sanjeev hails from Kashmir - a place they call "Heaven On The Earth ". He had his first tryst with the mountains when he was a 13 yr old lad. He trekked to "Amarnath " from "Baltal-Sonmarg" , inspite of a warning sign which read that "Beyond this Point You Are no longer responsibility of Indian Govt." and returned via Pahalgam in 24hrs flat. This was a climber born. After finishing the academics Sanjeev went on to become a successful electronics engineer. The love for mountains drew him to various corners of Himalaya and he did many treks in Garhwal, Himachal and Ladakh. Avilash & Sanjeev met on a trek in 2007, became good friends and went on to do many treks together. The love for the mountains was so strong for Sanjeev that he eventually gave up his engineering career.
Sanjeev is also passionate about photography and is an animal lover (as you would make out from his profile picture here)
Heads the sales team and ensures that you choose the right trek for yourself and come rightly prepared. He ensures that the responses are clear and prompt. Sanjeev intends to do all the treks which we offer and is knocking them down quite quickly.
Sanjeev Rai is born and brought up in a small village called Aloo Bari in Darjeeling (a village of trekkers and mountaineers). As a kid, his curiosity towards trekking grew as he saw people carrying huge rucksacks and were walking into the hills. He was further intrigued after hearing stories from trekkers and climbers describing the beautiful mountains. His uncle gave him an opportunity to go on a trek during his school holidays and he fell in love with the mountains right away. Starting from 2001, he worked for close to 6 years as an assistant cook during his school and college holidays. After he completed his education, it was a natural progression for him and he is now a full time mountain guide for over fifteen years, a cumulative 20 years experience of being in the mountains. In his formative years he was mostly guidning in areas around Sikkim & Darjeeling but now leads treks and trekking expeditions in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Nepal - literally all corners of the Himalayas. Sanjeev in the last 5 years has transformed himself into a formidable climbing guide, having lead multiple successful expeditions to Kangyatse I & II, Dzo Jongo, Mera Peak, Spagnak Ri, Friendship peak and Bandarpunch. He has been on expeditions to 7000m peaks like Nun, Kun and Himlung Himal and also lead a trip to Kilimanjaro. Beyond climbing peaks, he has a keen interest in the Himalayan flora & fauna and is an avid photographer too.
Hailing from the southern state of Karnataka, Sharath completed his Basic & Advance Mountaineering courses from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering before he turned 19! Having been exposed to hiking in the Western Ghats from an early age, his love for mountains only increased after visiting the Himalaya. He has summitted Draupadi-Ka-Danda II (5670m) in Garhwal Himalaya and has been a part of multiple expeditions to 6000m & 7000m mountains in the Indian Himalaya. He is an avid cyclist who likes to go on long self-supported tours and has a thing for classical music.
Hailing from the village of Gangajamuna Dhading, 150kms away from Kathmandu, Shyam is our Nepal expert. He leads trips into the Everest Valley atleast a dozen times each year and has been doing so for more than a decade now. He is equally experienced in leading treks in the Annapurna, Manaslu and Langtang regions. Beyond Nepal, he has lead treks to Kailash-Manasa Sarovar for 7 times. A cheerful guide who always has a smile on his face, Shyam has recently started leading treks in Ladakh as well, having worked on our trips to Markha Valley, Lasermo La, Kang Yatze II Climb, etc.
Born in Mahalla village of Doda district in Jammu & Kashmir, Sunny moved to Ladakh in his teens. After juggling various jobs in & around Leh, he eventually got to manage a fixed camp on the Stok Kangri trek route where he learnt Ladakhi language. Soon, he started guiding on Stok Kangri and worked as the in-house guide at the base camp. Till date has climbed the famous 6000m peak more than a 150 times! He has completed his Basic & Advance Mountaineering courses from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. Sunny has worked with us on peaks across the Himalaya such as Friendship Peak, Spangnak Ri, Kang Yatze-II, Dzo Jongo, Kolahoi, Bhagirathi III, Gangotri III, Kang Yatze II (Winter) and has climbed two 7000m peaks - Nun, Satopanth. While not amidst the big mountains, he leads treks in the lower Himalaya as well. When he is away from the mountains, Sunny enjoys his cricket and is an ardent fan of the game.
Tenjee is a veteran climbing Sherpa with more than 2 decades of experience. He calls Darjeeling his home & has been on multitude of big mountains in the Himalaya like Nun, Kun, Kedardome, Swargarohini, Momostong Kangri apart from many other 6000m peaks & high passes. He served as an instructor at Himayalan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling & Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi, two prestigious climbing institutions in India. He has a calm demeanor & his humor comes through effortlessly as you converse with him. Tenjeee now works with us on treks and trekking peaks in Darjeeling-Sikkim and Ladakh regions.