Himalayan Outdoor Safety Initiative gets mentioned in the Guardian!
Himalayan Outdoor Safety Initiative: Elevating Safety Standards in Nepal’s Adventure Tourism
Welcome to the Himalayan Outdoor Safety Initiative (HOSI), by HAL to improve safety standards in Nepal’s adventure tourism industry. Our goal is to help outdoor enthusiasts and professionals create and implement safety protocols that ensure successful and safe outdoor trips.
What is happening?
In the great outdoors of Nepal, there are many adventure companies and freelance guides leading trips with clients. However, not all of them practice good safety protocols either through ignorance or lack of know-how. HAL believes that adventure and safety go hand in hand, and we have been upholding safety standards at the highest level since 2014. We want to share our expertise to help the industry professionals create safety standards that will enable them to run safe and successful trips.
Why now?
As Nepal’s adventure tourism industry grows, it’s essential to maintain safety standards. We recognize the need for safety protocols to be accessible to all adventure companies and freelance guides, regardless of their size or resources. Through HOSI, we aim to promote safety in adventure tourism while also promoting HAL’s adventure trips.
How it works?
Through HOSI we help you:
- Create emergency protocols for trips
- Provide Thuraya satellite phones with credit, and Garmin InReach satellite trackers with subscription and short demo on how to use them
- Handheld transceivers
- Medical insurance and search and rescue coverage (covers <5,000m) for outdoor guides
- Access to a remote medical doctor who specializes in wilderness medicine
- Weather forecast service
- Dedicated base camp manager in Kathmandu
Benefits for freelance guides and adventure companies
By equipping guides with these tools and resources, we hope to raise the safety standards of trekking in the Himalayas. Here are some of the benefits for freelance guides and adventure companies who sign up in HOSI:
- Utilize satellite devices with dedicated plans to communicate with base camp, report daily updates, or initiate emergency evacuation.
- Remote tracking feature for friends and family to see where the team is located and to communicate via text or call.
- Access to a world-class (remote) doctor with specialized training in wilderness medicine
- A dedicated weather forecaster
- Includes search and rescue plan up to 5,000m.
- Assistance with creating dedicated emergency protocols for each trip.
- Access to a dedicated backstopper in Kathmandu who is on standby to provide any help the team may need.
Pricing
| HOSI offerings | |
| Permits (issued by HAL) | Yes |
| Emergency protocol | Yes |
| Satellite phone (includes 25 min of call) | Yes |
| Inreach (Basic plan) | Yes |
| Handheld transceivers | Yes |
| Medical insurance (For guides) | Yes |
| Heli evac (For guides <5000 m) | Yes |
| Remote doctor on-call | No* |
| Weather forecaster | No* |
| Backstopper | Yes |
| Total | $170 |
*Provided upon request, at additional cost.
Interested in Enrolling?
Are you a freelance outdoor guide or adventure company looking to improve your safety standards? Fill out the interest form below, and we’ll get in touch with you soon. Join us in our mission to make adventures in the Himalayas safer for everyone!
Note: If you’re a foreign national and looking to sign up for HOSI the fee is USD 275 per person. A $25 fee applies for additional participants. This helps to subsidize for Nepali nationals.
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