BASE jump from Bhairavgad, Moroshi, Maharashtra - Sajid Chougle

Since the year 2017 I've been observing the all mighty pinnacle of Bhairavgad in Moroshi Malshej Ghat region of Sahyadris. You simply cannot miss it as you drive from Mumbai towards Naneghat or towards Konkankada. Through my research I found that that its slightly over 300 ft which meant that it's jumpable. I was waiting for my experience in BASE jumping to be good enough for me to tackle this project.

I came across Toshith Naidu some time in 2023 thanks to Instagram. He was a regular on this pinnacle guiding hikers up and down. We stayed in touch and in late February we decided to head to Bhairavgad over a weekend in order to recce it and if possible, make the jump. We made a list of all equipment we may require on the mountain and left on the morning of Feb 24 which was a Saturday.

I rode on the al new Himalayan 452 thanks to ‪@royalenfield‬ while Toshith drove in his car. We reached the start of the trail, which is close to the highway, it took us about 3.5 hours. We quickly gathered our stuff and started the hike at around 10am. The hike starts easy but soon the gradient starts increasing. It took as 2 hours to reach to the top. Sadly that day we could not check the actual exit point as we didn't have an extra rope to be able to rappel down further from the edge. So we decided to head back and call for a backup rope from a friend named Sandeep.

Although I did cramp terribly that evening due to exhaustion, I was able to get enough rest for a mission on the next day. We decided to hike up at 6am on Sunday the 25th Feb in order to avoid the sun as well as skip the queue of hikers that flock the pinnacle. We reached the top by 8am and quickly setup the ropes to be able to scout the exit point. It took us some time but we found the exit point and knew it was jumpable. There was a small patch where I could stand comfortably while Toshith stays locked onto his rope. Thanks to Prashil who helped us with some drone shots that gave me the confidence. I geared up and was ready to rappel to the exit. Toshith followed on on the other end of the rope.

I had taught him how to deliver a PCA (Pilot Chute Assisted) jump and he seemed confident enough. The rock drop was 5 seconds and so I knew I had enough margin. I jumped successfully at around 10am and landed right next to the trail head. I could hear the shouts and screams of trekkers as they saw my canopy glide over the forest cover.

This for us marks a new beginning in the history of aerosports in Maharashtra. This also marked my 4th exit point in the Sahyadris and it'l be my mission over the next few years to keep exploring our beautiful mountains.

A big heartfelt thanks to everyone who made it possible! Thanks to ‪@RYNOXGEAR_YouTube‬ for helping me with the riding gear.

The video has been shot entirely on ‪@GoPro‬ cameras, Hero 12 and the MAX.

#thespirited #bhairavgad #sahyadri #basejump