Watch: Indian Army trains 'mountain warriors' in Gulmarg for high altitude ops

The training in new techniques is being done with the latest equipment which will help soldiers with skills for successful rescue operations on challenging snow terrain.

In a bid to prepare its troops for smooth operations in extremely harsh climates, the Indian Army is training its soldiers and officers for high altitude operations in Jammu and Kashmir, reported news agency ANI. The soldiers and officers are undergoing training at High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Gulmarg.

A view of snow-covered mountains and houses in a ski resort in Gulmarg, Srinagar, on January 25, 2021. (AFP)

In a video shared by ANI, the troops are seen training in knee-deep thick snow in a group of 20-30. The training in new techniques is being done with the latest equipment which will help soldiers with skills for successful rescue operations on challenging snow terrain.

The army has included personnel of the paramilitary forces and forces of friendly nations in this training. These troops are trained in high altitude, super high altitude and glaciated terrain at HAWS, Lieutenant Colonel Dipanankar Hamalyan, a senior trainer at the school, said.

"As of now two courses are imparted in HAWS, one is the winter warfare series under which the basic and the advanced courses are provided. The second course in the mountain warfare series also includes basic and advanced courses. Once a person completes all the courses, they are known as Mountain Warriors," Hamalyan said.

After the conclusion of the training, the troops will move to their respective units and train their fellow soldiers, Lt Col Hamalyan said. HAWS trains at least 540 soldiers in a year.

The focus of the training is on military skiing which helps in the post to post-movement and patrolling in snowbound areas, Major Saleem Jafer, a trainer at HAWS, said.

"Soldiers are trained to ski with weights on their backs, initially with 5 kilograms which subsequently increased up to 20 kg. In advanced training, they will be trained to navigate 80-degree slope which will help them surveil any area no matter how snowy the terrain is," Major Jafer said.

Jafer said soldiers are being prepared to outlive extreme harsh climates and avalanches. In order to do that, a one-week survival training is imparted after which soldiers can make their own igloos, snow trenches and snow caves, he said. They are also being training for avalanche rescue at high altitude near the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

(With inputs from ANI)