Explorers Connect

SUP Teammate Wanted for First Descent of River Ganges

Join a TeamBelinda KirkComment

Join Shilps and Spike on the paddleboard adventure of a lifetime.

In September this year Shilps and Spike will set off to do the first-ever descent of the River Ganges by stand-up paddleboard.

After hiking from the Himalayan glacial source to the confluence where the Ganges proper commences and we can launch, we will paddleboard down the River of Life from the rapids of the upper reaches, across the plains of North India to the mighty delta in Bangladesh.  We will pass through the holy towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar as leave the mountains, later we will paddle through Varanasi, Allahabad, and Dhaka.

To prepare for this journey we are looking to do some training around the British Isles in June, July and August including one longish trip.

Would you like to join us and complete this awesome team? To give you some background, Spike is an International Mountain Leader and has completed several long paddleboarding missions, including circumnavigating Martinique, CrossEngland and TransAlgarve.  Shilps has pretty much done a 180degree from her time on the trading floor in the City of London to a life of adventures with purpose.  We’re both positive upbeat people with a passion to take on adventures in the world around us, sharing them through education, writing and public speaking.

We’re not only excited about this adventure of a lifetime but we also intend to raise awareness in India and globally for the huge plastic-related water pollution problem.  This is greatly needed as the issue impacts not only Asia (where the problem is exponentially accelerating) but essentially the ecosystem within our oceans.

The journey itself will take us approximately three months to complete.  We’re looking to zoom in on the ideal team mate soon so if this is the trip for you please send us an email at gangessup@gmail.com.  Tell us a little bit about your interest and motivation for the expedition and your current life circumstances.  We’ll take it from there via phone or Skype.

Requirements of the ideal team mate

- Genuine excitement for the project

- Paddle or rowing experience

- Expedition experience

- Positivity and love for banter

- Ability to commit to this journey after meeting with the rest of the team

- Reasonable to good level of fitness

- Ability to swim!

- Happy wild camping for most of the time

- Ability to shoot stills and film some of the expedition (preferred)

- Ability to contribute their equal share (time and expense) in the run up to the expedition and during the journey itself