Tip toe down a rock face at top speed

You are at the top of a mountain looking down on nothing except giant-sized boulders that look the size of breadcrumbs.

You are at the top of a mountain looking down on nothing except giant-sized boulders that look the size of breadcrumbs. A sudden acrophobia you didn't know existed, grips you. Getting up the hill wasn't that tough; the sky lent you enough motivation to keep going. Getting back to ground zero is a different ballgame.

Rappelling or abseiling, a technique of fast descent from vertical faces using ropes and specialised equipment, gives you an adrenaline fix little else can. If done right, it helps you put your trust in strangers and unfamiliar devices. As you stay there, suspended over a gorge, the feeling of conquering heights merges with the power you place in your own hands, making it a heady concoction.

Make sure the tour company you go rappelling with is equipped to handle emergency, has qualified guides and uses high quality equipment. Nature Knights is conducting a rappelling camp at Ratnagiri's Bhate beach on February 13 and 14 (Rs 3,900 per person). Rappel as the waves crash onto the shore, just below the mountain you descend from. Call on 9821081566 / 9820169693 for more details.

The Kandivali unit of the Youth Hostels Association of India will organise a rappelling camp at the Takmak point at Raigad from February

5 to 7 (Rs 1,750 per head). Once used to push down criminals from, this high point provides a thrilling view. Call on 9867911009 / 9869174605 for more details.