State far from being ‘Skiing Mecca’

Kuldeep Chauhan 

Himachal has produced national and international skiers over the years and has the potential of becoming “Skiing Mecca”, as natural slopes are aplenty. 

But even though districts including Shimla, Kangra, Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba and Sirmaur have ample snow during the winter months, the successive governments have failed to tap the potential of winter sports in the state. 

Himachal does not even have a single ski resort, which is equipped with modern gondolas, ski lifts, snow-beating machines and well-scrubbed ski slopes. Adding to the apathy is the fact that winter games’ bodies and clubs in the state and country remain busy only in cornering plum posts to make foreign trips rather than promoting adventure sports, believe skiers. 

Hand over Solang resort to ABVIMAS, demand skiers

Lack of political will has ruined the prospects of making Solang Nullah a world class ski resort. The government leased it to a private ropeway operator about 12 years ago. He was asked to develop the resort, but did nothing. 

Skiers want that the government should hand over the ill-equipped Solang ski resort to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, as the private operator has failed to develop the slopes ever after 12 years. 

It neither has snow beaters, nor proper ski lifts and the ski slope, too, cannot set the stage for developing the resort to hold national or international events, they said. 

Ringzin Negi, Chuni Lal, Ludra Singh Thakur, Aanchal Thakur, Rasheal, Varsha Devi, Himanshu Thakur, Hira Lal, Shivam Kainthla and Sandhaya, Satyam and Piyush are some of the skiers from the state, who have won medals in national and international events. However, the state bodies and successive governments have failed to promote adventure sports in the right earnest. 

Narkanda, too, cries for attention

Narkanda, a small ski town, has produced more than 10 international and about 50 national-level skiers, but its ski slopes, too, lack facilities. There’s no ski lift, snow beater or poles/ sticks for skiers. Skiers need safety nets around the deodar trees that stand along the slope to avoid accidents, but to no avail. There is no store on the slope and skiers carry equipment on their shoulders all the way from the bazaar. 

“Rs 25lakh was allotted to the HPDTC to install ski lift by the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, but no progress has been made so far,” said Rupesh Kanwal, president, Narkanda Adventure Sports Tourism and Rescue Club. Even the funds for the construction of ice-skating rink in Narkanda are lying with the Narkanda nagar panchayat for the past more than 10 years, as the panchayat has failed to get forest clearance so far, he said. 

Petty politics to blame 

The state and national bodies are plagued with factionalism in a bid to capture plum posts, say skiers. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) suspended the Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI). The fights over plum posts have percolated down to the state clubs and bodies marring the promotion of winter sports such as skiing, ice-skating in the state and the nation. 

RS Negi, president, Himachal Pradesh Winter Games’ Association (HPWGA), said: “The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and IOA have given a go-ahead to conduct National Winter Games in Manali from January 2 to 6, 2019. We will invite all bodies and clubs to promote sports in the state.” 

Sources said the International Ski Federation, world’s apex body of winter games, has authorised IOA and not the WGFI, to conduct the games. The skiers are the worst hit, as according to them, petty politics among ambitious office-bearers of the association has brought a bad name to winter games in the country. IOA had appointed a five-member ad-hoc committee to restructure the WGFI in March this year, after it suspended the federation last year, and directed WGFI to put its house in order by February 2019. Nothing concrete has come out so far, as the WGFI remains suspended and faction-ridden, skiers said.

Sluggish Tourism Dept

According to skiers, the Department of Tourism is spending lavishly on brochures and publicity, but doing nothing to develop adventure sports infrastructure even in identified ski resorts, forget about developing new ones. The department should equip ski slopes with snow-beating machines and gondola lifts along the course of the ski run, so that skiers get facilities to compete in international events and winter Olympics, they said. 

“No national winter games or event could be held in Manali or Narkanda. In contrast, Auli in Uttarakhand and Gulmarg ski resorts provide better facilities. The J&K Government provides Rs 1 crore budget for games every year, but little funds are given to the state bodies to organise winter games here or even to go abroad for competing in events,” said Roshan Thakur, WGFI’s former secretary general. 

“The winter games promote adventure sport among youngsters and bring in tourists in lean winter months as well. It is a pity, that none of our ski resorts have proper facilities,” said Piyush, a skier from Shimla.

Manali to host National Winter Games from January 2 to 6

The National Winter Games will be held in Manali from January 2 to 6, 2019. The International Ski Federation —  world's apex body of winter games — has authorised IOA and not the WGFI, to conduct the games. The skiers say they are the worst hit, as according to them, petty politics among office-bearers of the association has brought a bad name to winter games in the country. IOA had appointed a five-member ad-hoc committee to restructure the WGFI in March this year, after it suspended the federation last year, and directed WGFI to put its house in order by February 2019. Nothing concrete has come out so far, as the WGFI remains suspended and faction-ridden, skiers said.

"The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and IOA have given a go-ahead to conduct National Winter Games in Manali from January 2 to 6, 2019. We will invite all bodies and clubs to promote sports in the state." — RS Negi,President, Himachal Pradesh Winter Games’ Association

"No national winter games or event could be held in Manali or Narkanda. In contrast, Auli in Uttarakhand and Gulmarg ski resorts provide better facilities. The J&K Government provides Rs 1 crore budget for games every year, but little funds are given to the state bodies to organise winter games here or even to go abroad for competing in events." — Roshan Thakur, WGFI’s former secretary general

"The winter games promote adventure sport among youngsters and bring in tourists in lean winter months as well. It is a pity, that none of our ski resorts have proper facilities." — Piyush, A skier from Shimla