With Christmas and New Years just around the corner, many people would be ready to head to the foothills and enjoy the pristine beauty of the snow-capped mountains. While some like me would like to believe that the upper Himalayas are buried under snow and therefore activities are not possible, many others are likely to enjoy winter sports in some exciting locations.
Whether you are looking for an exhilarating trekking expedition through snow-capped mountains or an irresistible ski, snowboard or ice climb, 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 thrilling spine adventures 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 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 reach the desired 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 great range of mountains. There are a lot of websites that offer mountaineering trips.
– snowboarding – This is a relatively new winter sport in which one rides a fiberglass board, feet strapped, and slides down a specially designed ski slope or pipe. It is 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 snowboarding competition: Alpine, Freestyle and Boarder cross. Some of the places with snowboard 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 all season long 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.
– ski – In summer, Auli invites, but in winter it becomes irresistible for skiers with the snow-white slopes and ski facilities. It provides an excellent panoramic view of giant mountain peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dunagiri. A 500m lift system, the longest cable car in Asia, connects Joshimath with Gorson above Auli. From Gorson, Auli’s only chairlift travels to the base lodge, which marks the starting point for all the ski slopes.
For beginners, Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) offers 7-day courses without a certificate and 14-day courses with a certificate.