Solang Valley, India's newest destination for adventure sports
Indias top adventure sport destination at solang valley , manali
Manali: Winter sports is no longer confined to the
breathtaking locales of Jammu and Kashmir. Solang Valley
in Himachal Pradesh is fast turning into a popular destination for skiers and
comes alive when much of northern India retreats into the warmth of well-heated
homes.
Foreigners
and locals throng the snow-capped slopes of the picturesque valley snuggled
between the Beas Kund and Solang village for skiing, snowboarding and sliding. It is
located 13 km northwest of the hill resort of Manali at an
altitude of 8,000 ft.
The
valley played host to a first-of-its-kind skiing event, the Alpine Premier
League, this month. Over 350 participants showcased their skills in a bid to be
anointed the king of mountains.
The Feb
5-9 competition also saw state teams from Uttarakhand and
Jammu and Kashmir, besides Indian army skiers who dominated both the men's and
women's fields. Twenty-four competitors from overseas came to slide down the
slopes of Solang.
The
daunting Himalayas and the fresh powdery snow provide the perfect setting for
an adventure sport enthusiast to freak out.
Still
regarded as an elitist sport because of the expensive equipment, the locals are
getting adequate help from the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports
in Manali and private companies like Ski Himalayas to provide
skiing equipment free for training.
Shiva Kesavan, who
created history by winning India's first gold in an international winter sports
event at the Asia Cup in Nagano, Japan, in December, sees Solang as a
huge step forward for the sport.
Kesavan, born in
Vashist near Manali, is a
four-time winter sport Olympian. Highly respected and admired among the winter
sport community, Kesavan feels Himachal has a lot to offer to adventure sports.
"Conditions
here are perfect for winter sports; Himachal is fast becoming the hub for
adventure sport in the country. However, the work is still in progress. There
needs to be dedicated space for different events, the slopes are still a little
bumpy but the standards will improve gradually," he told IANS.
Youngsters
in Solang seem to be taking to skiing like duck to water.
Enthusiastic boys keenly wait for their turn to enter the Gondola, a sort of
cable car, to take them to the highest point of the slope so that they can
blaze a trail down.
Kesavan feels
these are encouraging signs and the government should take notice and provide
support.
"Youngsters
here are taking to the sport in a big way - this is great news. The Indian
government needs to start a comprehensive training programme so that
these guys can make it to the international stage," he said.
Peter Tobler, a
snowboard instructor in Switzerland, first came to Manali 16 years
ago. Since then the Durham-born Englishman has been a regular here and feels it
is one of the best places in the world to snowboard.
"Snow
conditions here are fantastic; the slope is a great challenge. Solang is a
paradise for winter sport. The valley has great potential and is as good a
place as any in the world," Peter said. ians
