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CDI - Crag Development Initiative

@cragdevelopmentinitiative

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Crag developement projects with an aim to foster big wall climbing in India.
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Sethan is now ROMP ready.

One of my biggest inspirations for putting in the effort to create a crag up in the Himalayas was ROMP, ever since I first attended it back in 2018. The concept of ROMP is so beautiful, and I always thought, if we were to conduct something like this up North, where could we do it? There was no such crag with the same density of sport climbing and trad routes combined as Bangalore had across its different crags.

But now, we can say that we have it in Sethan – Tushitlok (Tunna) and Chika.

It feels like I have fulfilled a promise to myself and to all of you. If I may say so, I am so proud of myself for being part of this great tribe.

To all the people who supported and backed my idea six years ago and have continued doing so ever since, I have so much gratitude for you all for helping, believing and waiting 🤗 I can’t thank you all enough.

I can literally name everyone here who showed up generously for this cause. I haven’t forgotten a single person out there.

And over the last couple of years, the support from Allied Petzl has been a really big boost to the whole team. Many more new areas and lines are coming up. Our CDI team is not stopping just yet.

Keep climbing, keep learning, keep progressing and give back to the community.

Continued in comments.... by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

Honestly, EcoFlow has made a big difference for us. Before, we were hauling bulky solar panels, inverters, and batteries. Now it’s just one unit and a panel. Way easier to carry a d way less hassle. Out in the wild where there’s no electricity, it’s been a lifesaver. And we’re super grateful to Allied Safety for supporting us in not just with climbing gears but also with this amazing Eco Flow in our climbing expeditions/ trips!!

Get in touch with us or Allied if you want more details and would like to have one for yourself.

Product: Ecoflow River
Product distributor: @alliedsafetyequipments
video producer: @cragdevelopmentinitiative
Video editor: @worshipthepanda
Shoot location: Sethan & around by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

COME FOR THE ROCK. STAY FOR THE ADVENTURE. 🧗‍♂️🏔️
Never climbed before?
Been dabbling with climbing for a while?
Or just someone who’d rather be out in the mountains than indoors?
Climb in High Spirits is a 4-day immersive climbing experience in Sethan, Himachal Pradesh, built for anyone who wants to get outside, learn some real climbing skills and spend a few days getting their hands dirty on rock.
Whether you’re picking up a rope for the first time or looking to level up your existing skills, we’ll take you through:
🧗 Top Rope → Lead Climbing → Top Rope Solo
🪢 Knots, rope management & belaying
⚓ Anchor building, cleaning & rigging
🔗 Belay devices & techniques
🛠️ Practical systems & improvisation
🚨 Partner & self-rescue
🪨 Guided climbing + real terrain experience
And it’s not all ropes and rock.
We’ll hike, explore the terrain, practise yoga, hang out with the local mountain community and spend plenty of time simply being outdoors.
Because climbing is more than getting to the top.
It’s learning to move through unfamiliar terrain, understand your surroundings, work with your partner and become a little more self-reliant along the way.
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
• 4 days of guided sport climbing instruction
• Climbing & technical gear
• Ropes + technical systems
• Climbing shoes, chalk & brushes
• Event T-shirt
• Adventure insurance
FOOD, STAY & TRAVEL: not included.
New to Sethan? No stress — we’ll help you find a homestay that fits your budget and figure out the logistics of getting there. by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

Rock climbing is more than just climbing a wall, clipping a rope and rappelling back down.

This summer, our 4-day program was about understanding the bigger picture from bouldering and sport climbing skills to anchors, cleaning rock faces, maintaining belay stations, crag ethics and what it actually takes to care for a climbing area.

Because developing a crag isn’t just about bolting routes. It’s about maintaining the space, respecting the rock, and being part of the community that keeps these places alive.

Whether participants were completely new to this or already had some climbing experience, the idea was to leave with more than just a few new climbing skills but a better understanding of the places we climb in and the community we are building around them.

And yes, these workshops help us raise funds that go straight back into continuing our crag development work in this area.

And now, it’s time for the next one 🙌

When? 🗓️22–25 October 2026
Where?📍Sethan, Himachal Pradesh

If getting outdoors, learning to climb and spending a few days in the mountains sound like your kind of October SAVE THESE DATES

Only a month to go. Watch this space and get ready to join us.

#rockclimbing #sportclimbing #himalayas #workshop #adventure

Video Editing credits to the talented @cookieman.mp4 … from the same batch. 🤗 by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

Badami wasn't just about climbing, it was about doing something different. Our beginners learned to belay, rappel, and tackle chimney climbs as well- a completely different technique from your usual face climbs on skin-friendly sandstone. Besides the amazing climbs, we also explored the town, the beautiful temples and went for swim in the lake while catching golden sunset views. All in all, it was a weekend nobody's forgetting soon!!!

(Sportclimbing, rockclimbing, climbing community, experentialtrips, workshop) by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

This weekend at Badami!! Join us if you have been thinking to start rock climbing and/or upskill yourself. If you have been wanting to learn some advance skills from experienced climbers who keep learning in a practical and fun way at the forefront with a serious focus on safety as well.

A weekend get away with @holyxxviii who loves teaching esp in an outdoor environment and @ind_ravi - the local legend of Badami, who knows the rocks like the back of his hand, is going to be an ultimate learning experience for you all!

Make the most of the Ganesh Chaturthi Weekend and these three days will be the days you will remember forever.

For more details, comment below or DM us right away!
Workshop Dates - 12th, 13th and 14th Sept 2026

And like always- past participants of any CDI event/workshop, this workshop will be at a special reduced price for you!

#rockclimbing #workshop #hyderabad #bangalore #pune by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

Badami, red rock & a long weekend made for climbing.

Make the most of the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi long weekend and come climb with us, learn with the team, and leave with a few new skills for your next outdoor adventure.

Three days of red-rock, open skies and good weather.

Think of working on the technical side of climbing focussed on knots, belaying, lead climbing, rope systems, trad gear placements and removal, route reading, projecting and movement techniques on the wall with sessions personalised to your experience level.

Spend your days training hard, projecting and pushing your climbing. And when the ropes and sun comes down, go for a swim while chasing Badami sunsets, explore the local food scenes and wind down with the crew.

Led by @ind_ravi and @holyxxviii - the epic duo!!!

₹9,500 | Max 10 climbers

Sign up through the link in Bio! Have questions or doubts, call us or DM!

Every workshop with CDI is a small step towards a bigger dream, of developing more climbing areas in the Himalayas, continuing our work in Sethan and Chika, and creating opportunities for more climbers to go outdoors. by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

The Hampta valley is a place i call home. In the past 5 years i have spent well over 100 days exploring the Hampta region.

The Hampta pass trek is possibly one of the most sought after trek in the country. You get to see the landscape transform from the lush green forests of Kullu to the barren high altitude deserts of Spiti.

What you see in the video above is just the tip of the iceberg. The thousand people on the trek is not the problem, the way they behave and treat the ecosystem is what is heartbreaking. The trekking organisations and the authorities are not be blamed fully. They are just capitalising on the herd like mentality of the average Indian “adventure seeker”

The real trouble maker is the privileged guy from the city who does not have any sense of outdoors whatsoever. He/she is ill-prepared, ignorant, arrogant and foolish.

If you are someone who thinks of yourself as a trekker just because you completed this amazing feat of completing a trek, let me tell you that all you really have done is paid a fee and have dragged yourself from point A to Point B.

So the next time you pay for a trek/trip in the outdoors ask yourself why am i doing this in first place and if were to do it how would i want to do it.

With that said, what you did doesn’t really matter rather how you did does!

The future is ALPINE!

Let me know your thoughts on the above topics in the comment section below!

If you want my thoughts on how to be a more wholesome outdoor person, check the comments below :) by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

Between earth and sky lies a valley of stories untold.
Where rivers carve through ancient mountains, stars light the night, and adventure becomes a shared journey. From rock and river to trail and sky, come write your story in the heart of Ladakh.

SuruFest 2026
10–25 September | Suru Valley, Ladakh
Registrations Open

www.surufest.com by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

My third visit to Sethan comes to an end, and it feels like this place has given me something deeper each time.

To be outdoors, on real rock, surrounded by nature in its most honest form, is a reminder of why I started climbing in the first place. It was never just about reaching the top, but about seeing the world differently, from the face of a wall, the top of a boulder, and through those quiet moments where effort turns into stillness.

This trip deepened my respect for the work Paaji and Tulsi are doing through the Crag Development Initiative. To witness people give their time, skill and heart towards building something for the larger climbing community was truly inspiring.

It was also special to reconnect with Suraj, who has been quietly pioneering his own work in the area, especially on the big walls of Sethan. The kind of development he is doing for future sends, and the possibility of more multi-pitch lines in the region, is something I deeply admire. The conversations, the small learnings, and the time spent around him are things I know I will carry into the bigger projects I take on in the future.

Sethan, once again, gave me more than climbs. It gave me perspective, inspiration, and a deeper sense of why the outdoors will always feel like home. by @cragdevelopmentinitiative

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

Join us in the Suru Valley from 10–25 September 2026 for two weeks of adventure, community, learning, and exploration.

Register before 30 June and get 10% off your registration with full payment.

Whether you're coming to climb, paddle, ride, fly, create, learn, or simply experience life in the mountains, this is the best time to secure your spot.

See you in Suru.

#SuruFest2026 #suruoutdoorfest #comefindyourproblem #AdventureCultureCommunity by @cragdevelopmentinitiative