Hi, I am Ritik Kratzel from Manali, India. I live in the Himalayas, surrounded by huge mountains, rivers, and greenery. I’m 21 years old. Sometimes I work as a web developer, and at other times, I do wedding shoots. Besides that, I enjoy watching TV, and solving Rubik’s cubes is my hobby.

Tell us about what you’re doing and why?

On January 1st, 2024, I began a skateboarding journey from my home in Manali to Kanyakumari, the southernmost point of India. I covered a distance of over 3,500 km, completing the trip in 90 days. After reaching Kanyakumari, I skated back to my town, Manali, from Leh (the northernmost region), bringing my total journey to 100 days. I started skateboarding back when I was in school, using it as a way to commute. Skateboarding isn’t well-known in India, and I was probably the only one in my town doing it at the time. The desire to push my limits and see how far I could go inspired me to start this journey.

Have you ever done something like this before?
No, this was my first long-distance skateboarding journey. Before this, the farthest I had traveled was 40 km to visit a friend. That experience helped me gauge my stamina, and 40 km became my average daily goal for this journey, considering the tough conditions of Indian roads. While I’ve managed to cover up to 70 km in a day, I chose 40 km as a safe average.

How did you get into skateboarding?
Skateboarding is still a rarity in India. Growing up, we didn’t have real skateboards, but we used to make similar ones out of wood, metal wheels, and nails, like what you see in Back to the Future 2. The first time I saw an actual skateboard was in The Amazing Spider-Man and a National Geographic show called Science of Stupid. Eventually, my siblings and I saved up enough to buy a skateboard from Decathlon, and that’s where my love for skating began.

What are some of the challenges you’re facing?
During the journey, one of the biggest challenges was stray dogs—many times they would chase me, often in packs, and I had to be really careful or call for help. I also had to deal with extreme temperatures, reaching 42°C (107°F), as well as poor road conditions, especially in steep areas. Finding a place to stay was tough in remote areas where hotels were scarce, but local people were very generous and often let me stay in their shops or homes. Currently, my biggest challenge is with video production. I shot and edited 90% of the journey using my Android phone. Without a proper laptop or computer, it’s a slow process, and managing storage is difficult, so I’ve been relying on USB drives to store footage.

Once you’ve completed this, what other goals do you have?
The trip is now complete, and I’m focused on editing and sharing the remaining videos. My future goals include doing more long-distance skateboarding trips in other countries or even continents, but that will depend on getting sponsorships. Meanwhile, I’m working on building a skatepark near my home. Since I live in the mountains with no proper skate spots nearby, I’ve decided to create one myself. I plan to level the ground manually first and design it myself, then bring in professionals to help with construction. I also hope to visit skateparks across India for inspiration. Ultimately, I aim to do one major skate trip each year, whether across a country or a continent.