Bhanu Teja Nalla (Y16 MTech EE) :

I am a fitness freak and I always loved to do workout in the mornings. The only place in IIT Kanpur which would accommodate the above requirements is Adventure Sports Club. Though I wanted to play football but I left it after I started doing conditioning with the Adventure Club. Such was the influence it had on me. Some people come to conditioning only because it is compulsory for going to trek. But, on the contrary, I came to conditioning for the love of it. People like Praveen, Shubham, Mahesh put their hearts in training the people which influenced me a lot. Going to trek only became secondary. After my first trek, I thought I would never go back to the mountains. But within no time, I got pulled back and 3 more expeditions ensued in that span of 2 years. I found many good friends who had a similar thought process as mine with respect to fitness. Till date, these friends motivate me to push my limits. Association with Adventure Sports Club IITK is one of the best things that had happened to me and I hope this culture stays the same.

Mahesh Singh Bisht (Y14, EE, PhD):

I have always been a morning person. So, I was quite overwhelmed with the mail from Adventure sports club in my second semester in IIT Kanpur. Actually I was thrilled by the mail which said that they would train us for around 40 days and on the basis of fitness they would select us for treks. I had a little fear about my fitness, which brought up questions (inside me) like whether I would get selected or not. At that time, Ajeet Choudhary and Manish Awaidhya were coordinators and I must say they were very fit and strict. During conditioning I used to push myself harder to get to their levels and this sense of constructive competition genuinely enhanced my fitness which I, myself, would never have thought about. Though, in that semester, I couldn’t go for any trek even after not missing conditioning for a single day (I was lucky not to get injured) due to some of my PhD related obligations, but the time spent in conditioning surely motivated me to such an extent that I never thought of leaving the club ever since. I felt like I finally got something which had been missing in my life for a long time. I felt so connected to the conditioning, club’s work ethics, their motivation for the mountains, motivation for fitness, just amazing. Then onwards it became an integral part of my daily routine to get up early and going to PE ground.

I finally managed to go to my first trek during March 2016 which was actually a cycling expedition in Sikkim (Gangtok to Gurudongmar lake and back). I know most of those who have been to mountains think the same as I did, I was astonished by such a pristine beauty and observing the nature so closely. Though I have always been a nature lover but this expedition taught me so many things which a book can never teach. It taught me about team work, camaraderie, compassion, the importance of people in our life, importance of the mother nature and so many other life lessons which cannot be learnt within the boundation of walls.

I would take this opportunity to thank previous coordinators of the club for their untiring effort to keep this tradition of adventure, fitness alive in the campus. I would also encourage everyone (reading this) to give it a try and as the club say, “come out of your comfort zone, explore the marvelous nature, and instill happiness within you”.

Ishan Madan (Y17 IME):

I went to Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek in Sikkim in March, 2019. This was my first trek and also my most memorable experience so far. I experienced temperature as low as -10 degree celcius, passed through snow storm and saw some spectacular landscapes. Treks with Adventure Sports Club are not just an opportunity to see new places but an opportunity to test your physical limits, an opportunity to meet people from campus, make new friends, improve your physical strength and much more. You might curse yourself everyday for giving up sleep for those odd 40 days of conditioning in winter mornings of January and February but the changes in your mind and body after 2 months of harsh training makes you feel, it was worth it. I would recommend everyone to be part of this club while your stay at IIT Kanpur.

Deepayan (M.Tech '18):

1. Health: both physical and mental health receive innumerable benefits; daily dose of endorphins basically.
2. Discipline: for those who do not find self-driving mechanisms, owing yourself one trek forces you to attend conditioning regularly, building a habit, inculcating discipline.
3. Motivation: the club attracts experts from several fields, ranging through Marathon runners, swimmers, cyclists, trekkers and other sportspeople; it's really easy to find people doing conditioning even after treks are over; sometimes you find your passion from these people.
4. Treks: basically what the club is for; conditioning and traveling together form new bonds; besides nature's treat, makes you responsible and allows testing and increment of the limits you set for yourself.

Ravi Kumar (UG,Y17):

I came to know about the treks organized by Adventure Sports Club in May '18. I attended the introductory session and thought to join the conditioning and explore this side of life too. So, I joined the conditioning along with three of my Hall members. They gave up after one week, but I didn't. I also got a chance to connect to two of my own batch mates and many other seniors UG and PG students. Although the conditioning was very difficult in the starting 1 week, slowly and gradually, I got accustomed with that level of conditioning. I still remember the countings of Mahesh Ji, climbing (or better to say running on) the stairs of OAT, especially in the end with rucksacks filled with just rubbish stuff :-). The cross country runs were not of a good experience for me as I wanted to go for Pin Bhabha Trek, but due to my bad timings in the cross countries, I was compelled to go for the Hampta Pass Trek. But still, I do not regret that. I also enjoyed the morning cycling trip to Ganga Barrage where we played volleyball, clicked many good photographs and the best is that we enjoyed a lot there. Then came the end of conditioning and as far as I remember, I missed about 3-4 days of conditioning. Finally came the time to venture on the trek. Yes, I was going on my first trek with adventure club members who were more than friends for me. The memories of that dinner on the platform of Lucknow station, that train journey from Lucknow to Chandigarh, then the journey from Chandigarh to Manali, that one-day enjoyment at Manali, the trek, the last day in Manali, the journey back to Lucknow and then to Kanpur, all are unforgettable. Coming to the trekking part, the one thing I must say is that in those mountains, being away from the rest of the world and staying with just chunk of people created a different psychological situation, which I can't express in words especially because we were unable to contact to any of our family members. And at that time, team spirit in us and the feeling that after the completion of the trek, we will get a chance back to contact everyone encouraged us to finish the trek. And yes, how can I forget UNO and mafia, which were our time pass in those mountains and on the train.

I would like to conclude that my experiences with the Adventure Club and the trek were very memorable and challenging and I am proud of myself after achieving those challenges and barriers. I would like to thank all the club members who helped me attain this and create so many good memories. I would strongly suggest all those reading this to come out of their comfort zone and challenge their limit of fitness. I assure, you are never gonna regret it.

Akhilesh S. Tiwari (Y18 Mtech AE):

Joining Adventure Sports Club at IITK is the second best thing that I did (first is joining IITK itself). The "conditioning" activity, which is compulsory for everyone in the club, involves various exercises to "condition" your body, in order to handle the physical and mental pressure during the trek. The atmosphere created by the club is motivating and inspiring, and the never ending stream of support and constant encouragement from the club leaders will instill in you a great desire to reach new heights (quite literally) and to push your body to its absolute limits. Going on a trek is an amazing experience, you feel one with nature: the rivers, the trees, the mountains. Trekkers must prepare themselves for the unexpected before going out for a trek, and indeed, the whole experience will teach you to cope with unforseen situations in real life too, among many other things. For me, trekking truly helped me to discover more about myself. After being part of the club, I am more health conscious in general. As they say, "Trekking Impacts Your Mind, Body, And Spirit". I would really encourage you to go out on a trek and experience the joy yourself.

Balbir Pandey (Y15 PhD CE):

I joined Adventure Sports Club in the year 2016 and going for conditioning in early morning was the most difficult thing for me to do. However, when I finally managed to go on a trek I got mesmerized from the magnificent beauty of the mighty Himalayas. From the memories I had there, I became addicted to the club activities. The association with the club helped me a lot in keeping myself fit for my academic and other activities too. Now I feel Adventure Sports Club as a part and parcel of my life @IITK and I am so privileged to be a part of it.

Mohit Mudgal (Y17 MSc-PhD Phy):

That was the first time when I started to wake up early in the morning. But I tried, as you always do and I woke up, I would tie my shoelaces and go to the ground. Literally the first time I pushed myself beyond my boundaries. I remember those inspiring words when I was running 5 or 10 km cross country, and at a point, I stuck. I was barely able to move forward, and suddenly Mahesh Ji shouted on me "Mohit, tez bhag ye mara mara kyu bhag Raha hai" and Rahul said " bas abhi thak gaya." Really guys these words hit me hard so much that I did which I never thought to do. The journey of the trek was undefinable. It's not about, you packed your rucksack and went there. No, you have to make yourself, you have to gain confidence, build a mindset otherwise believe me you can't come for 40 days long strenous conditioning session in the morning. So, after all, I started my journey, packed my bag and we went by bus to Shimla and then to kaafnu (base camp, from where we started our trek (Pin Bhaba pass trek in Himachal Pradesh)). But that's not a small journey as I have written here, its a long journey during which you make friends, do 'Masti' and lots of other memorable stuff. So the first day when we started our trek, I was quite confident that I could do it easily, but that did not come easy to me. We reached our first site through dark forests, fast flowing rivers, and some fun. Then the most special moment came..." Maggie". It gives you supernatural powers. Then you spend your remaining day clicking pictures to make it even more memorable, playing cards and telling about some crazy stuff of your life to each other. Yup, one thing I forgot to mention is ' the night sky.' You will gonna go mad at it. The trek went over, and we came back to campus, but it never ends up like that. The memories remain always with you, you see your pictures many times, listen to videos, there are lots of memories to share, but I can't share them all. Please, go and see what you will get. Mountains will give you a hangover which never goes off. This time I went again on trek Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek in Sikkim but unfortunately, my ankle got twisted just before the trek, and I could proceed with it. But anyways, I won't stop, I will go back to the ground, do the conditioning and again go to the mountains because " mountains calling us, we have to dare." Such is the spirit of fighting with my worries, I acquired during my association with the club.