Indian Mountaineering Foundation elects new president

Print this story Email to a friend

The Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) has chosen veteran mountaineer Colonel H.S. Chauhan to become president of India's apex mountaineering body.

Chauhan was voted in as president convincingly, winning 66 of the 95 votes cast, at the IMF's annual general meeting in New Delhi on 12 November 2011. He was nominated for the post by India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport.

Chauhan, who retired from the Indian Army in 1999, has a long history with mountaineering in India, including heading two of India's premier mountaineering institutions; the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling (West Bengal) and the Western Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Manali (Himachal Pradesh.)

His other achievements include taking part in an epic trek across the Himalaya as part of the Indian Army Trans Himalayan Expedition in 1981-1982. The feat involved walking 8,000 kilometres from the eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh to the northern region of Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir) via Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Kumaon, Garhwal and Himachal Pradesh in 475 days.

Chauhan has also been a leader of ten international mountaineering expeditions and been involved in organizing skiing, white water rafting and paragliding events. He currently works for India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as an adventure advisor.

For more about the Indian Mountaineering Foundation visit http://www.indmount.org/