Mountaineering activities including climbing expeditions and trekking in Himachal would be possible for a limited time period as a thick blanket of snow on the peaks which is taking too much time to melt has shrunk the season. The winter season this year experienced several spells of heavy snowfall. Fresh snowfall is still continuing on high hills of Himachal. Not just tourists would be able to visit Rohtang pass in May end or early June, the trekking and climbing expeditions would start only after June. The Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar and other major mountain ranges above 10,000ft are still covered with a thick blanket of snow. All the major trekking routes in the state pass through Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Kangra or Kinnaur. The multiple days trekking generally involves traversing the high mountain passes which are expected to be open for trekkers by mid-June. Usually, trekking starts from May. Kaushal Bhardwaj, a mountaineering guide, said Hamta Pass, Pin Parvati pass, Kullu-Bada Bhangal, Lahaul-Zanskar, Spiti-Tso Moriri, McLeodganj-Chamba and Bhawa pass are the most sought trekking tours which are expected to open by mid or end of June. “The passes and the routes are deep under snow. Organizing trekking tours on high altitude is very risky. Even professional mountaineers avoid going such trekking these days as it would be very difficult for rescue teams to reach them in case of emergency,” he said. Sachin Sharma, a mountain expedition organizer, said, some people go for climbing in low altitude peaks but all prominent peaks in Himachal have altitude more than 18,000ft and expedition in this season can prove fatal. “The main danger is avalanches and covered crevasses. The heavy snowfall had led to the early closure of the season last year and it will now delay the opening of season as well. We advise our
Mountaineering activities including climbing expeditions and trekking in Himachal would be possible for a limited time period as a thick blanket of snow on the peaks which is taking too much time to melt has shrunk the season. The winter season this year experienced several spells of heavy snowfall. Fresh snowfall is still continuing on
Tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh may soon get a world class eco-friendly tourist destination as Hamta in Kullu valley which is close to open for tourists in few months. A team of officials from tourism and civil aviation, administration, forest department and local stakeholders led by Manali sub-divisional magistrate Vinay Dhiman visited Hamta to check its feasibility as a tourist destination on Thursday. According to sources, the team found everything right and Hamta may open for tourists after inauguration by chief minister during Winter Carnival in January 2014. The main challenge for safe conduct of the tourism activity in Hamta is approach road to Hamta from Manali with more than 40 hairpin bends and large gradients at some points. The team found that road was worth taking the load of tourist crowd. Road to Hamta is under jurisdiction of Allain Duhangan Hydropower Ltd (ADHPL) which has commissioned its 192 MW hydropower projects here. Dhiman said that plan is to promote Hamta has an eco-friendly tourist destination and a sub-committee will be formed to prepare a detailed report on Hamta. He said, “The committee will forward its report to ADHPL authority for final approval. We checked the various aspects like safety, security and conservation of environment. The number of vehicles and tourists will be restricted to Hamta to conserve the natural resources here.” He said ADHPL authority will be requested to co-operate with them in promotion of the new tourist destination. Hamta is famous for least seen exotic and beautiful locations along with ski slopes, religious sites, old trekking trails and wildlife. Dhiman said that joint inspection of Hamta has brought positive results and now they were looking forward for co-operation from ADHPL. “If Hamta opens for tourists, it will also decongest Rohtang pass by drawing traffic.”
Tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh may soon get a world class eco-friendly tourist destination as Hamta in Kullu valley which is close to open for tourists in few months. A team of officials from tourism and civil aviation, administration, forest department and local stakeholders led by Manali sub-divisional magistrate Vinay Dhiman visited Hamta to check its
