Adventure Sports
Introduction
Career in
adventure sports is a broad and generalized term. Adventure sports may be
divided into three types broadly – Air Sports, Land Sports and Water Sports.
Air Sports: Bungee Jumping, Paragliding,
Sky Diving, Sky Surfing etc.
Land Sports: Rock Climbing, Skateboarding,
Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, Trekking, Adventure Racing, Land and Ice
Yachting etc.
Water Sports: Scuba Diving, White Water Rafting,
Kayaking, Canoeing, Cliff Diving, Snorkeling, Yacht Racing, Powerboat Racing,
Wind Surfing etc.
This is mostly a
male dominated career field as the work necessitate to spend a lot of time away
from home, in remote locations. But today more women are coming forward to
participate in adventure sports. To promote interests of women, schools like
'Indian Institute of Skiing & Mountaineering, Gulmarg', has started courses
exclusively for women.
ELIGIBILITY:
Ø Talking about
personal attributes, main trait required for a career in Adventure Sports is
physical and mental fitness along with sporting spirit. Also required is team
spirit and leadership qualities, high levels of responsibility and a strong
sense of commitment.
Ø To secure
employment in this field, certification from any Adventure sport institute is
enough. Proficiency in swimming is mandatory for water based sports. For
getting jobs in Excursion agencies and Holiday resorts proficiency in any
foreign language is necessary as the candidate might have to deal with tourists
from across the world.
Ø There are lot of
courses available for both beginners and experienced sports people. Institutes
like Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and Nehru Institute of Mountaineering
offers Basic mountaineering, Advance mountaineering courses which are of 28
days duration.
Ø National
Institute of Water Sports, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and
Allied Sports, Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports are the
other prominent institutes that offer courses in various adventure sports.
JOB PROSPECTS IN
ADVENTURE SPORTS:
Ø
Adventure sports are gaining popularity throughout
the world specially in the tourism sector as part of Adventure Tourism. Due to
the involvement of the media (National Geographic, Discovery, AXN etc), people
have become more aware of adventure sports activities around them and want to
plan an adventure holiday. (Adventure holiday destinations in India)
Ø
There are a number of career options to choose
from, one can either specialize in one particular sport or a number of them.
These specialists may work as free lancers or may be recruited by specific
agencies. Career options in adventure sports sector can be as Adventure Sports
Instructor, Adventure Sports Athlete, Outbound Training Facilitator & Trainer,
Adventure Sports Photographer, Adventure Tourism Facilitator, Adventure Camp
Counselor, Extreme Sports Specialist, Water and Aero Sports Specialist,
Trekking & Mountain Guide, Adventure Tour Guide and so on.
Ø Opportunities for
adventure sports professionals exist in Excursion agencies, Holiday resorts,
leisure camps and commercial recreation centers, Sports centers and athletic
clubs. You can set up your own adventure sports center offering services and
impart training in your area of specialization. They can work as instructors to
teach students in institutes.
Ø Another option is
to work in a training organization specializing in outdoor training.
Ø
One can also opt Adventure Sports Photography as a
career.
REMUNERATION:
Ø Sports like
mountaineering and trekking are considered more lucrative since they attract
the maximum number of foreign tourists.
Ø An adventure
sports instructor can expect a pay package starting at Rs. 9000 - 10,000 per
month. This can go up to Rs. 20,000 - 25,000 per month depending on what sport
the instructor is dealing with.
Ø An experienced
professional can earn between Rs 600 -1500 per day.
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