International Porter Protection Group guidelines

Trekking ethics
IPPG (International Porter Protection Group) recommends the following guidelines:
1. Clothing appropriate to season and altitude must be provided to porters for protection from cold, rain and snow. This may mean: windproof jacket and trousers, fleece jacket, long johns, suitable footwear (leather boots in snow), socks, hat, gloves and sunglasses.

2. Above the tree line porters should have a dedicated shelter, either a room in a lodge or a tent (the trekkers' mess tent is no good as it is not available till late evening), a sleeping pad and a blanket (or sleeping bag). They should be provided with food and warm drinks, or cooking equipment and fuel.

3. Porters should be provided with the same standard of medical care as you would expect for yourself, and life insurance.

4. Porters should not be paid off because of illness/injury without the leader or the trekkers assessing their condition carefully. The person in charge of the porters (sirdar) must let their trek leader or the trekkers know if a sick porter is about to be paid off. Failure to do this has resulted in many deaths. Sick/injured porters should never be sent down alone, but with someone who speaks their language and understands their problem, along with a letter describing their complaint. Sufficient funds should be provided to cover cost of rescue and treatment.

5. No porter should be asked to carry a load that is too heavy for their physical abilities (maximum: 20 kg on Kilimanjaro, 25 kg in Peru and Pakistan, 30 kg in Nepal). Weight limits may need to be adjusted for altitude, trail and weather conditions; experience is needed to make this decision.http://www.ippg.net/guidelines/

Zanskari Trekking Guides

What are the benefits of employing Zanskaris?

• Employ Guides with intimate knowledge of the areas you want to visit. This is especially important for trekking off-the-beaten-track and winter trekking on the Zanskar River.

• Many of the Zanskaris you employ will have family and friends in the villages that you visit - you will have the privilege of experiencing Zanskari hospitality first hand.

• The direct employment of Zanskaris will benefit the local economy.

• By employing Zanskaris you have a greater chance of experiencing and understanding Zanskar's traditions, cultural heritage and contemporary issues. Your visit to Zanskar becomes more than just a walk through a 'living museum'.

http://www.trekzanskar.org/whyzanskariguides.html


Sonam Stobgais 'Jimmy' sonam_zanskar[at]rediffmail.com
Ganskit, Padum, Zanskar, Dist. Kargil, Pin. 194302, J&K State, India • sonam_zanskar[at]rediffmail.com
Sonam, also known as 'Jimmy', is one of Zanskar's most experienced chaddar (frozen Zanskar River trek) guides. He can also organise just about any other trek in Zanskar, and source guides for off-the-beaten-track routes.


Dorjey Gyalpo dgyalpo2001[at]yahoo.co.in
, S. Khangsar, Padum, Zanskar, Dist. Kargil, Pin 194302, J&K State, India • dgyalpo2001[at]yahoo.co.in
Dorjey is a knowledgeable trek and tour guide with both winter and summer experience, he can organise almost any trek in Zanskar and he also works extensively as an interpreter on research projects.


Urgain Dorjay
Khanggok, Padum, Zanskar, Dist. Kargil, Pin. 194302, J&K State, India • urgainkhangok[at]yahoo.com
Urgain specialises in a number of treks including the Kang La, Poat La, Umasi La, Stongde La, the Junglam (Zangla to Markha), and the Darcha - Padum - Lamayuru trek.


Jampal Singay
Tetsa, Stongde, P/O Padum, Zanskar, Dist. Kargil, Pin. 194302, J&K State, India • jampalsingay[at]yahoo.co.in
Jampal has experience from leading treks on the following routes: Stongde La to Takh, Junglam, Lamayuru - Darcha, Kanji - Rangdum, Kanji - Lingshed, Nyerak - Zangla, Markha and Lamayuru to Chilling.