Monday, 19 June 2023 | PNS | JOSHIMATH
The Soul of Steel Himalayan Challenge supported by the Indian Army in collaboration with Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW) Global concluded at Ghamsali on Sunday. The closing ceremony was attended by GOC-in-C of Central Command, lieutenant general NS Raja Subramani, GOC UB Area, lieutenant general RC Tiwari along with school students, locals and Indian army personnel.
Soul of Steel was launched January 14 at Dehradun and started in this 120th Raising Year of 9 (Independent) Mountain Brigade Group. The first of its kind, the event was conducted in forward areas of Garhwal Himalayan region with the aim to achieve the Central government’s initiative of ‘Vibrant Village’ to check migration from border areas by unlocking the tourism potential of Himalayas and create income sources for the locals. It was a unique blend of specialised skills including high altitude mountaineering, extreme cold survival, psychological and physical endurance.
The challenge attracted 1,401(including 94 women) highly skilled athletes, adventure sports enthusiasts and armed forces aspirants. These applicants were put through a grueling two-stage screening process, out of which only 23 (including two women) were finally selected to undergo a 10-week long extensive training in endurance, mountaineering, survival and rescue skills under the joint team of experts from Indian armed forces and CLAW Global. The participants were trained to operate beyond the assumed limits of their body, to discover the limitless realms of their mind, consciousness and spirit.
The final phase of the event was held from June 10 to 17 June in which 18 Soul of Steel warriors set out on a challenge to compete as teams of three along the rugged mountainous terrain of the Garhwal Himalayas, at an altitude of 17,000 feet and covered a distance of 65 kilometres through glaciers, ice walls, rock faces and snow-capped Himalayan peaks.
