With Christmas and New Years right around the corner, many people would be ready to head for the hills and enjoy the pristine beauty of snow-capped mountains. While some like me would like to believe that the upper Himalayas are buried under snow and therefore no activities are possible, many others are likely to enjoy winter sports in some exciting places.
Whether you are looking for an exhilarating trekking expedition through snow-capped mountains or an irresistible skiing, snowboarding or ice climbing, India has it all. Snowfall is no longer an attractive attraction today. Rather, tourists are looking for something new and rejoice in winter sports, as the thrilling adventures of the spine make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Although winter sports in India have great appeal among travelers and adventure seekers, the availability of latest information is limited to some extent. These are some of the adventure activities that you can enjoy this winter:
– Mountaineering – this is a perfect adventure for climbing enthusiasts. But for beginners it may take a lot of energy and stamina to get to the point. Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Manali, Sikkim and Uttaranchal offer mountaineering opportunities in the vast Himalayan range. The ranges of Lahaul, Spiti, Kinnaur, Garhwal, Kumaon, Assam, Meghalaya have a lot of mountain range. There are a large number of websites that offer mountaineering trips.
– snowboarding – This is a relatively new winter sport in which one rides a fiberglass board, feet strapped down, and sliding down a specially designed ski slope or pipe. It’s an adult version of skateboarding and surfing. Snowboarding is fast becoming the number one adventure sport among snow enthusiasts. There are mainly 3 main styles of competition in snowboarding: Alpine, Freestyle and Boarder cross. Some of the places with snowboarding facilities in India are Garhwal Himalayas, in Chamoli district, Auli, Gulmarg.
– Hiking – This is one of those adventure activities that you can participate in almost throughout the season and in almost all mountain stations. Some of the famous treks are Chadar (Frozen River) Trek in Ladakh, Valley of Flower Trek, Sikkim & Kanchenjunga Trek, Nanda Devi Trek, Har ki Dun Trek etc.
– skiing – In summer, Auli invites, but in winter it becomes irresistible for skiers with its snow-white slopes and ski facilities. It provides an excellent panoramic view of the giant mountain peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dunagiri. A 500m lift system, the longest cable car in Asia, connects Joshimath to Gorson above Auli. From Gorson, Auli’s only chairlift travels to the base lodge, which marks the starting point for all ski slopes.
For beginners, Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) offers 7-day non-certificate and 14-day certificate courses.
