Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports

This Manali institute trains people in mountaineering, trekking and other adventure sports. Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, set it up on 16 September 1961. It was called the Western Himalayan Mountaineering Institute before taking its present name, usually shortened to ABVIMAS.

Its founding aims were to give young people training in adventure sports, to put that energy to work on development and to break down social barriers. Courses are taught by experienced mountaineers, some of whom have climbed Everest, and cater to beginners as well as practised climbers. The institute also leads expeditions into the surrounding Himalaya, on routes that pass rhododendron forests, lakes and snowfields.