Posted as guest by dlfif:
Hi from Nice (FR),
I am a frequent consumer of the information provided by camp to camp, but this time I have some experience to share regarding my climbing-trip in India.
I just return from 1 month in Karnataka, with two major destinations for climbers : the well-known bouldering paradise called Hampi, and the more confidential village called Badami for sport (and trad) routes.
I will not say much about Hampi, as a lot of info exists on the web. Just say that there is a small climb shop, held by two young locals, who call themselves « Tom and Jerry », a place where you can rent crashpads, shoes or find chalk. They also opened, mid October, a small bar, the ideal place to relax, drink cool, and meet your bouldering partner for the next day. It is located just at the entry of the main bouldering site. Tom and Jerry can be found and reached through facebook. Only bouldering there (spots everywhere), on pink granit (say bye-bye to the skin of your fingers).
Badami, less known, deserves a little more information. This is a wonderful place : a small village, surrounded by red sandstone cliffs. There are 10 to 12 climbing spots (150 sport routes, bolted, from 10 to 35 meters). The climbing spots are dispersed, at walking distance of the village, but some require short, but demanding, jungle trecks. Most of them take place in red, impressive canyons that you will never forget. The stunning video of « Ganesha 8b+ », by Gerome Pouvreau, can be found on the net and gives a taste of India/Badami.
Some topos exist on the net, but they are outdated. It seems to me that a local partner is really necessary to find the sites, to identify the routes ; and more than that … to add some bolts when they are missing (which is quite often the case).
Luckily, there is a local climber who deserves to be known : Ganesha Waddar. He knows all the spots, all the routes and is the perfect partner (sécure, interesting, knowledgeable etc etc).
He can be reached through the website climbingbadami.in
Warning, his english is quite basic, but he is highly trustable and will bring great value to your climbing trip in Badami.
Ifever you happen to go to Badami, you may consider to bring him a (correct) pair of used climbing shoes, or your old harness, as getting climbing gear is complicated (and expensive) in India, and this will greatly help him in his personal project to create a community of climbers in Badami.
I didn’t say, but the climbs are just fantastic (see photos on the web). This is a must-go destination for a climber traveling in India.
More info on personal mail, if required.