Verified Dangerous but could have been beautiful UPDATE: In response to Manu Adventures reply, giving false information and denying any responsibility for exposing us to these dangerous conditions.Pre-trek Departure: you did not offer us snow equipment and you said the trek was suitable to do in regular hiking shoes (see photo).Support: offering me to come to the office for “support” when the issues were up a mountain is nonsensical.Video Posted: I was asked by our guide to make this video at the summit, before the issues began on the descent (which I also clearly stated below)Please do not spread misinformation to protect your reputation and accept responsibility for your mistakes you made in exposing us to danger.ORIGINAL REVIEW:We completed the Indrahar Pass trek 3d2n April 2025 with Anuj. Anuj was very friendly but the trek was ruined by extremely poor safety standards.The first day trekking to Snowline is lovely and I would recommend. The second day to Indrahar pass was where the problems began.We had discussed in advance with Manu Adventures which treks would be appropriate at this time of year, as we did not have snow gear or mountaineering equipment. We only had regular trainers and no equipment at all. They told us this would be fine for this trek (see photo).There had actually been a thick layer of recent snow, covering large parts of the track and requiring an ice axe to dig holes to the top. This was performed at the top of very steep slopes, requiring us to climb through the snow using our hands as handholds to stop ourselves from falling. On the way up, this was quite dangerous, but the snow was still frozen and could be relied upon to support weight.On the way down, the snow was melting and this made it really dangerous. The route down is one of the steepest I have ever seen (I am a very experienced hiker) and was lethal. Everyone in the group was sliding and falling over and we were very worried about a serious injury. Then, Anuj, Lucky and the other team members wanted us to walk across the melting snow fields without any ropes or safety equipment at all. The snow was giving way and sliding all over the place, with a very real possibility of somebody falling to their death.I voiced these concerns repeatedly, asking to be roped up and my concerns were ignored. The guides kept saying that there was no problem, we didn’t need ropes and it was just my “attitude” and that I needed to be “more positive” and “free my mind”.This is absolutely inappropriate and showed that the guides clearly did not understand the risks associated with this type of mountaineering, which would usually require ropes, helmets, ice axes, crampons etc.After raising my concerns several times, and multiple people falling and nearly injuring themselves, the guides decided we should slide down the central snow field using a rope attached to a boulder. This was also risky in parts, as the ropes were not long enough and somebody could easily have slid off the end without being able to control their speed. The guides tried to “catch” us so we wouldn’t fall down a huge steep slope.After sliding down the snow field, it was clear the guides actually didn’t know where to go and started making up a route as they went along. They kept sending a scout ahead to look for a way down, often arguing amongst themselves about the way.The sliding was fun, in some parts, when not too steep but other parts too dangerous. The guides didn’t even know how to coil the ropes up correctly to be used again. It did not give the impression they had good mountaineering experience.They took us the wrong way and we ended up having to go back on ourselves to try and find another way down. The whole trek is supposed to take 6-7 hours and it took us nearly 13 hours.Later, the guides told us they took us this strange route to avoid the “death zone” the other way. They also said it’s not usually so slippery, but this was due to too much snow and April getting too warm. Firstly, I was told this was a trek suitable to do in my trainers without any equipment - how on earth does that sound appropriate for a trek with a “death zone”? Secondly, it is the job of the company and mountain guide to perform a risk assessment and advise not to go ahead with the trek if the conditions are too dangerous.I felt that the trek company just wanted us to do the longer trek because it cost more and risked serious injury or death of participants to do that.I have done many treks around the world, through snow and at altitude, and I have never felt so unsafe on any other trek.It is a shame, as it could be a great introduction to mountaineering with the right equipment and training. Unfortunately, it was not due to the poor safety standards.Beautiful but not worth the risk.
