Himachal ski and snowboard championships begin at Hamta slopes January 31, 2021: With participation of nearly 200 athletes from the state, the two-day-long Himachal ski and snowboard championships have started at Hamta slopes near Manali on Sunday. As Solang and other slopes of the state have no snow this year, the races are being conducted at Hamta at altitude of about 10,000ft for the first time. Junior and senior alpine, cross-country skiing and snowboarding races in different categories are being organised. The best performing athletes will be selected for senior and junior national championships starting in a few days. Cabinet minister Ram Lal Markanda inaugurated the tournament and said winter sports infrastructure will be strengthened in Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts. “Both the districts have huge possibilities in winter sports. Performance of our athletes is outstanding. We shall soon host national championships,’ he said. Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association (HPWGA) is organising this tournament in the wilderness, away from Manali town. Cabinet minister Govind Thakur will attend the tournament for prize distribution ceremony on Monday. HPWGA president Ludar Thakur said, “Snow conditions on slopes are perfect for races. Unfortunately we spent the whole January in wait for snowfall. We searched for alternate slopes at Lahaul and around Manali and finally selected this slope. We plan to maintain this slope in the future as well. Now we are eying the national tournament at Auli and Gulmarg.” HP Skiing and Snowboarding Competitions from Jan 31 January 27, 2021: As athletes are waiting for good snowfall on the slopes of Himachal for two months, the professional skiers will now throng Hamta valley at an altitude of about 10,000ft for senior and junior skiing and snowboarding championships on January 31 and February 1. Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association (HPWGA) had lost hopes to host national
Himachal ski and snowboard championships begin at Hamta slopes January 31, 2021: With participation of nearly 200 athletes from the state, the two-day-long Himachal ski and snowboard championships have started at Hamta slopes near Manali on Sunday. As Solang and other slopes of the state have no snow this year, the races are being conducted at
Over 200 athletes from 23 skiing and snowboarding clubs of Himachal will throng slopes of Solang valley near Manali on January 25 to compete in different winter sports competitions. The slopes of Solang which are crying for government attention have not seen a single event this season. A national championship was held here last year, but as national competitions will be held at Auli in February, Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association (HPWGA) is organizing a state level event only. “All the clubs of Himachal have agreed to participate in the competitions in both men and women category. The top athletes in senior and junior categories will be shortlisted for national event at Auli. The slopes are covered with thick blanket of snow. We are expecting more snowfall before the event,” HPWGA president Ludar Thakur said. Ludar, who is also former coach of Indian skiing team, said, the association is working hard to provide a platform for winter sports athletes so that they could win medals for the country in international events. “We are giving equal opportunities to all the athletes but only deserving ones will represent the state and the country. We have a large number of athletes who have represented India at the world championships and Olympics. The only problem that our athletes face is lack of skiing infrastructure. We are also working hard on strengthening skiing infrastructure,” Thakur added. This is surprising that Manali has produced a large number of winter sports athletes who have represented India in Olympics and other world championships but the sole skiing slope of Manali at Solang is in dilapidated condition. The unmaintained, natural slope has no working ski lift and skiing is done on snow without grooming snow in absence of snow beating machine. The slope has no snow making machine leaving
Over 200 athletes from 23 skiing and snowboarding clubs of Himachal will throng slopes of Solang valley near Manali on January 25 to compete in different winter sports competitions. The slopes of Solang which are crying for government attention have not seen a single event this season. A national championship was held here last year,
Himachal Pradesh may get a chance to host the South Asian Winter Games at its Solang slopes in Manali if state government shows its interest, an official from Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said. First South Asian Winter Games were organized at Auli and Dehradun in January 2011. A total of seven countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Bangladesh had participated in the event organized by IOA and Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI). IOA now plans to give chance to Himachal and Kashmir to conduct the games. “We are in favour of giving chance to Solang and Gulmarg. I personally favour Himachal as the athletes here have talent but slopes are neglected,” IOA convenor Rakesh Sharma said. He added that Gulmarg is still in the race. “South Asian Winter Games at Solang slopes are possible only if Himachal government shows interest in it. Solang is beautiful. Unlike most of the slopes of the world where skiing is mostly dependent on snow-making machines, Solang gets good natural snow. The only setback is weak infrastructure here which is needed to be improved by government. If money is the problem, I assure government of possible help from IOA,” he said. Proper grooming of the slopes, installation of chairlifts, deployment of snow making machines as a back-up and requirement of snow beating machines is mandatory for organizing big winter sports events. Unfortunately, none of these are available at Solang. Skiers are using the natural slopes after natural snowfall. These days Solang’s rough slopes of with bumpy surface are hosting national level alpine skiing and snowboarding races. Besides skiing and snowboarding, ice skating and ice hockey are parts of the SAF Games. Manali has no ice skating rink for both the events. Sharma suggested state government through local MLA and bureaucrats
Himachal Pradesh may get a chance to host the South Asian Winter Games at its Solang slopes in Manali if state government shows its interest, an official from Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said. First South Asian Winter Games were organized at Auli and Dehradun in January 2011. A total of seven countries including India, Pakistan,
With participation of nearly 100 skiers from Himachal, Uttarakhand, J&K, Delhi and Indian Army, the National Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding Championships kick started on Solang slopes of Manali amid heavy snowfall on Friday. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has granted permission for the championships in Manali after many years. The slopes here are covered with over 100cm of snow while more snow is falling. The competitions started after march past. A huge crowd thronged Solang to witness the competitions. Competitive races will start from February 2. The top performing athletes would be chosen for international tournaments. “We are happy that we got chance to host the event,” Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association (HPWGA) president Roop Chand Negi said. He said the championships are being organized by HPWGA, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) and Winter Carnival Committee under the aegis of IOA. “The competitions will commence five categories -- slalom, joint slalom, ski cross, snowboarding slalom and snowboard cross. Both men and women athletes are participating,” he said. ABVIMAS joint director Ashwani Kumar said a large number of staff and volunteers are taking care of the event to make it successful. “National Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding Championships are being organized at par with international standards. Minimum age of the participants was fixed at 16. IOA convener Rakesh Sharma is present at Solang to observe every activity,” he added. Besides individual entries, teams of HPWGA, J&K, Uttarakhand, Army Sports Control Board and Delhi Ski Association are taking part in the championships. The athletes were full of enthusiasm and happy with quality of the snow. However, they were disappointed with weak infrastructure at the slope, including unavailability of snow beating machine. Arif Khan, a senior athlete from team J&K who has competed in many international events, said his
With participation of nearly 100 skiers from Himachal, Uttarakhand, J&K, Delhi and Indian Army, the National Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding Championships kick started on Solang slopes of Manali amid heavy snowfall on Friday. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has granted permission for the championships in Manali after many years. The slopes here are covered with
