ADVENTURE OPPURTUNITIES
IN HIMACHAL
 The
valleys of Himachal offers adventure sports with beautiful surroundings
exudes deep religious and cultural traditions and an amazing diversity
of people. But apart from touching the spiritual aspect, it also
excels in various adventures sports. A Trek in Himachal’s
magnificent mountains and valley is a special and rewarding holiday.
Himachal Pradesh has some of the most thrilling and challenging
trekking and mountaineering opportunities in the world like Skiing,
Kayaking. Paragliding and Hang gliding. All this and the salubrious
climate and some of the most enchanting sights has made Himachal
Pradesh the most exciting tourist location in the whole country.
Trekking & Mountaineering :
The trekking season in Himachal Pradesh runs from mid-March to mid-November.
The Himachal Pradesh tourist office has a brochure on trekking which
briefly details a number of treks in the state. They also have three
excellent large scale maps of Himachal Pradesh, invaluable for trekkers
in the lower country in the Kullu or Kangra valleys, or around Shimla,
there are many rest houses and villages.
Heli-Skiing :
For mountains thrills perhaps nothing can surpass the magic of Heli-skiing.
Under a deep blue sky, you are carried by a helicopter to a snow
draped peak. It is a thrilling experience as you rapidly zoom down
the slopes. The sport is available in the area bound by hanuman
Tibba, Rohtang Pass, Deo Tibba and Chanderkhani Pass near the resort
town of Manali (Kullu). A major feature is the compactness of heli
skiing area. A sortie of ten minutes can carry the skiers to top
of a 140000 feet high slope.
Skiing :
Kufri, near Shimlais one of the oldest places in India to be associated
with skiing and the slopes are still in use during winter. Above
Kufri, the Mahasu ridge also has good slopes. Comprehensive facilities
exist at Narkanda, 64 km from Shimla. There is a range of slopes.
Including a beginner’s run, an advanced slope and a slalom
run. Manali (Kullu) offers a variety of courses and facilities for
skiing.
Ice - Skating :
The Shimla ice-skating rink has the largest open-air area with naturally
frozen ice in this part of the world. ice skating normally begins
in early December and carries on to February. Clear skies and low
temperatures provide series of uninterrupted sessions. There are
two sessions everyday, in the morning and in the evening.
Paragliding :
The bald peak of Billing, above the Buddhist monastry of Bir in
Kangra, has been the venue for five national and three international
hang-gliding rallies since 1984. A fairly recent sport that is steadily
gaining popularity. Para gliding is possible at various places in
the state. Places where para gliding is done regularly are - Bundla
Dhar near Bilaspur, in the kullu valley and at Intkali in the Pabbar
valley near Rohru in Shimla district..
Water and River sports :
The Maharana Pratap Sagar reservoir in kangra with its 42 km length
and 2km breadth, offers a variety of activities in close collaboration
with the Directorate of Mountaineering and allied sports, river
rafting, white- water rafting as it is also called is swiftly making
Himachal a focus for the sport. For a torrent of Adrenalin to gush
through every vein and surge over every muscle you can race over
the state’s river rapids in an inflatable rubber dinghy. Sport
is now being held on the Sutlej near Shimla on the beas near Kullu,
Ravi near Chamba and Chandra in Lahaul.
Mountain Cycling :
Gear yourself for high adventure with an expedition on cycles. You
can pedal your way past high passes or simply make a day-adventure.
The tour can be coupled with camping and can be carried on for several
weeks over diverse terrain. the lower regions of the state - Kangra,
Una , Hamirpur and Bilaspur offer gentle routes.
Mountain and Rock Climbing :
Rock climbing is often seen as the basic stage for mountain climbing.
It can also be treated as an independent sport, since it is basically
climbing a rock face, using only, hands and feet with a safety rope.
The area around Manali, presently forms the core of mountaineering
in Himachal. The Chandra Bhaga ranges, the Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar
are existing. The state also has several other areas where Institute
of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali and its branch at Dharamsala
(Kangra) offer this opportunity
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