Mountain Goat Expeditions concludes its Mountain Goat 4WD Winter Marathon 2021

Mountain Goat Expeditions, which prides its events as the biggest 4x4 meeting points in northern India, recently concluded the Mountain Goat 4WD Winter Marathon 2021. Held from January 11 to 16 in association with ExxonMobil, the drive was flagged off from Shimla by Anil Kumar Khachi, Hon’ble Chief Secretary, Himachal Pradesh and celebrated 50 years of Himachal Pradesh’s statehood. As many as 44 SUVs of all brands, comprising 120 people from all over India participated in the drive, which covered around 1100km via Kalpa, Chitkul, Jalori Pass and Lahul, before reaching its destination in Manali, and passed through a host of remote and unexplored areas of Himachal. Besides, the expedition made history as it was the biggest convoy to reach Darcha, the base of Baralatcha La in the winter time on the north side of the Rohtang Pass through the Atal Tunnel.

About Mountain Goat Expeditions

Mountain Goat Expeditions was started in 2015 by the duo of Suraj Tayal and Shashwat Gupta. While Suraj has specialised in Tourism Management from Auckland University, New Zealand, Shashwat holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from Cardiff University, United Kingdom. A common thread, however, has been their love for both exploration and motorsport, especially off-road motorsport, as characterised by their participations in events such as the Raid De Himalaya and Desert Storm. To that end, the various drives that Mountain Goat Expeditions organises also include a timed run component, which is determined via GPS coordinates of the participants’ vehicles, netting them points and ultimately a chance to win prizes at the end of that particular expedition.

About the 2021 Winter Marathon

The week-long expedition actually started off prior to the flag-off. As the participants arrived, they were first given some basic training as to how to handle the different driving scenarios they may encounter during the expedition. Next, the participants’ winter gear as well as vehicles were scrutinised and the requisite stickers were added to their vehicles before officially flagging off the drive. The convoy then indulged in a timed drive to Kalpa, a distance of 232km, on day one. The next day was when things got interesting, with participants getting driving experience across a 100km stretch with snow, black ice and off-roading into snowfields around Kalpa and Batsari. The next two days, too, continued with loads of driving in the snow, first along the 300km timed run from Batsari to Manali, and the next day in a 100km circuit from Manali to Keylong and Lahul. The expedition concluded with a prize distribution ceremony in Manali, besides which all the participants were conferred with a completion certificate.

The next event on Mountain Goat Expeditions’ roster is the Mountain Goat Summer Marathon, which will kick off from Spiti and conclude in Manali, traversing via Zanskar, Leh, Baltistan (Turtuk), Pangong Tso, Hanley, and Tso Moriri. For further information regarding particulars such as dates, you can visit their website or Instagram page.