Guwahati, Sept. 22: Adventure sport enthusiasts in the Northeast can now buy the best of outdoor accessories in their backyard.

The region today has exclusive outlets of branded outdoor gear for high-altitude bikers, rock climbers, trekkers, cyclists, white-water rafters to name a few, thanks to companies cashing in on the growing adventure industry.

From camping accesso-ries, sleeping tents, backpacks and hydration packs to bungee tie-downs, headlamps and Swiss army knives, the list is endless. A majority of the gear is imported from France, Germany and Canada.

New Delhi-based Outdoor School, which owns the Adventure 18 brand, was the first exclusive adventure gear retail shop in Guwahati. “It took some time for us to gain a foothold in the market, which was relatively nascent in 2006. Six years down the line, we forayed into the Northeast and opened an outlet at Paltan Bazar. There are plans to open at least five more outlets in the region by 2018,” Mohit Oberoi, proprietor of the firm, told this correspondent.

The adventure sport market, currently pegged at over Rs 5,000 crore, has grown steadily over the past few years.

While it makes business sense to open such outlets near the hills and rivers, firms believe there is a unique human-nature connect in the Northeast. “The region has the hills, rivers and terrain to woo outdoor enthusiasts who are far more connected to nature,” Oberoi said.

“A sport like mountaineering is being taken up by a growing number of youngsters. We have built several climbing walls for our clients in Assam and Meghalaya,” he added.

Till the other day, outdoor sport buffs had to either run to the metros or the big cities for accessories. The other option was to log on to junglee.com or flipkart or any other website and place an order. Now, they have a third.

Six months back, Mumbai-based Outdoor Travel Gear launched an outlet at Silpukhuri. “After Mumbai, Leh and Pune, we chose Guwahati because it’s the hub of adventure. As it is, through our sister concern, Wild Escapes, we have been organising trips and rallies in the Northeast since 2004,” Jitesh Haria, director of the firm, said, adding, “We have plans to explore markets in Shillong and Imphal soon.”

Footwear major Woodland is also contemplating adventure outlets in the country’s hill stations. “As of now, we are conducting a study to identify the key adventure zones in hill stations like Shimla, Shillong, Manali and Gangtok,” Woodland managing director, Harkirat Singh, said.

It may just be a drop in the ocean but the doors have certainly opened for adventure retail to make further inroads.

Mountaineer Tarun Saikia feels the presence of outdoor gear outlets would boost adventure sport in the region. “The presence of exclusive outlets selling gear at reasonable rates will motivate aspirants to take up adventure sport in the right earnest. People earlier had to go to New Delhi or Kathmandu to buy basic stuff. Now, they are all here,” Saikia, the first from Assam to scale Mt Everest earlier this year, said.

Bikers here are already availing of the essentials. “While we mostly buy online, now, we have the option of touch and feel. Foreign brands such as Quechua, MotoTech and Cramster are available here, all under one roof, which is great,” Abinash Taye, a member of the Bulls of Assam Motorcycle Club, said.