HIMACHAL SKIING - The Real Taste of Himalayas

Skiing is a new adventure sport in himachal but is popular in India from many years. Himachal being nestled in the laps of the great Himalayas offers wonderful places for skiing like Manali, Kufri, Lahaul & Spiti, Rohtang Pass, Kinnaur, Kullu etc. People from all over the world come to experience this enthralling adventure activity in himachal. Best time for Skiing in himachal is from January to March. But Rohtang Pass and Patalsu are the only slopes in the country where you can enjoy skiing in summer season. Solang Nallah in Manali also plays host to the National level ski competition.

It involves substituting air craft for ski lifts thereby enabling the skier a greater choice of runs. Heli skiing is expensive because participants are taken to high mountain tops or the ridges by the helicopter and dropped there. The skiers then ski down through the unknown route on the slopes. Skiers also choose their own slopes or terrain thus they need not waste time and energy in climbing up the slopes.The sport is immediately available in the area bound by the Hanuman Tibba, Rohtang Pass, Deo Tibba and Chanderkhani Pass near Manali. A major feature is the compactness of the Heli-skiing area. A sortie of ten minutes can carry the skiers to the top of a 14,000 foot high slope. Skiing is an old sport but it was recognized in 1930's in the modern form.

 

Skiing as a competitive sport is either racing or jumping with feet attached to runners, known as skies, over snow surfaces of varying angles. Skiing is divided into 2 main sections viz. Alpine and Nordic. Alpine skiing is racing down on steep prepared snow slopes one after the other and the fastest skier is the winner. The races are divided into 3 categories viz Down hill, Giant slalom and slalom. Nordic skiing includes cross country i.e. running over undulating surfaces and ski jumping from an elevation platform.

The standard distance to be covered varies from 5 km to 50 km. Different types of cross country are available around the world and so it has since included in the Olympics. Himachal Pradesh lies among the Himalayan ranges of Dhauladhar, Great Himalaya, Shiwalik and Pir Panjal; of the western Himalaya, where most of its higher reaches remain under snow for a long time. Thus one can undertake the ski tour at any time to any height. There are very good slopes in Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and rohru region of Shimla Destination, which have been surveyed by the government to develop them in a big way.

 

Skiing in Himachal is a very old recreational activity and Kufri is perhaps the best places to enjoy snow skiing. Kufri lies around 12 km north of Shimla on the Hindustan Tibet road and is also the venue for an annual winter sports festival in the month of February. This festival aims at promoting adventure sports in Himachal Pradesh.

Another similar ski slopes in Laka and Triund above Dharamshala were explored during the same time...But the Triund area remained neglected till today having been away from capital Shimla On the other hand Kufri slopes were developed and a regular winter sports club was founded and is still continuing where the enthusiasts flock during winter. The club has some ski equipments for hiring and providing basic instructions to the tourists.