Embark on an adventure to this two-day festival in Leh

Over a call with Karan Malhotra we can tell hersquos far out from the bustle of a big city His voice struggles to cut through the network interference occasionally cracking and fading out Understandably so mdash the rocky roads of Jispa a remote village in Himachal Pradesh arenrsquot made for leisurely conversations over the phone ldquoWersquore making a rest stop here before we hop on our bikes and ride to Lehrdquo explains Malhotra who will set up one of the highestaltitude adventure events in the country at Stok in Leh next weekendBikers make their way to the festival site in Stok LehYoursquod be mistaken if you took the organiser for a man of few words though In the absence of mobile network at an altitude of nearly 3500 ft he is turning to striking up conversations with riders along the way ldquoThatrsquos the goal of the festival as well Offroaders bikers and trekkers share the same passion for the outdoors but they head their own ways in search of pleasure and peace We wanted to bring them all together under the same starry skies of Leh Exchanging ideas sharing notes and telling stories from their previous adventures mdash these are things that people miss out on amidst the usual loud flashy adventure eventsrdquo he sighsChildren from Nubra Valley perform at a previous editionOutback Festival the twoday celebration takes a departure from this idea and expands the radar to include music food art and dance On the lineup for the upcoming edition are familiar names such as fusionrock pioneers Indian Ocean and indie acoustic pop artiste Osho Jain ldquoThe music is curated to blend in with the vibe of the openair celebrations With a bonfire unplugged performances and large spaces for experiential activities itrsquos almost like Woodstock but for adventure loversrdquo he laughsKaran MalhotraWhen these celebrations take over the village next weekend the native residents of the valley wonrsquot be left behind ldquoWersquore constantly finding ways to give back to the local communities Last year we scouted for local talent and found a group of young aspiring musicians in a school in Nubra Valley We gave them a crash course in music with the help of our community and they opened our festival with an ethereal performancerdquo recalls MalhotraFollowing suit this year the festival will invite local women of Stok to present their traditional delicacies ldquoIf therersquos anything bikers love more than good music itrsquos grabbing delicious food and a cold beer after a long ride There will be abundance on both frontsrdquo the organiser assures us ldquoOffroaders are big foodies Last year we built an 80 ftlong open barbecue where foodies could bring their own meat and grill it with the communityrdquo he reveals The true meat of the festivities however lies elsewhereThis year the highlight of the event will be a quad track an offroad course built for quad bikes ldquoThe idea is to open these activities not only for experts but also amateurs who wish to dip their toe in offroading The quad track and similar activities spread across the festival site will provide a safe supervised environment for newbiesrdquo Malhotra reveals ldquoAs for our more experienced visitors they will have already experienced an adventure and a half making their way to the remote villagerdquo he laughs as he sets off to savour his own share ON September 14 and 15AT Chulli Bagh Stok village LehLOG ON TO theoutbackfestivalcom COST R6000 onwards excludes travel