Alpine Skiing
Learn about the experience of skiing at Solang Valley in Himachal Pradesh
Aanchal Thakur describes her experience of competing at the 2023 Himachal Pradesh Skiing and Snowboarding Championships conducted at Solang.
As Aanchal Thakur lined up at the start of the giant slalom event at the Himachal Pradesh Skiing and Snowboarding Championships in January 2023, her mind was racing.
The view of the valley from the top of the hill was a familiar sight, having ridden the slopes in Solang on multiple occasions in the past. But competition stirred mixed emotions within her, somewhere between nerves and excitement.
The day was unusually warm and she asked her brother, Himanshu, to stuff some snow around her neck for respite. She was aware of the challenge posed by her closest competitor, Promila Thakur, who had improved by leaps and bounds in the recent past. Aanchal was the more experienced skier of the two, yet she knew it could be anyone’s race at the end of the day.
It was down to this run and Aanchal knew what was at stake.
A participant competes at Solang Valley
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Stepping stone to international skiing
The state championships had 10 categories in all (under-12, under-14, under-16 for boys and girls, and under-21 and seniors for men and women) for both the slalom and the giant slalom events. Around 200 Himachali athletes from Manali, Kullu, Shimla and Lahaul were part of the competition, where the top-4 in each event made the cut for the national championships.
“The state championships may be a small event, but it’s really important in the larger scheme of things. This is the first step towards international competitions since it helps qualify for the nationals. One small mistake can cost you the race and the opportunity to take on better competition,” Aanchal says.
Aanchal visualised the course in her head and in the next moment, the loudspeaker announced her name. By the time she got her run underway, she was in another world, focussed on the job at hand.
As she hit the tuck position on the final downhill, the roar at the finish told her she had done enough. She had not only routed Promila by a big margin, but also beaten another local skier and her India teammate, Sandhya, by three seconds en route the gold. And the following day, she came back to pick up another gold, this time in the slalom event, pipping Sandhya yet again by four seconds.
For both events, Aanchal ensured that she didn’t have to rely on her second run.
“The temperature in Solang tends to rise rapidly. So the snow is harder during the first run, which allows you to go faster. By the time the second run arrives, the ice tends to get slushy. It’s just not possible to pick up speed, so you have to make the most of the first run,” Aanchal says.
Participants at 2023 Himachal Pradesh Skiing and Snowboarding Championships
© Tharvan Studio (@tharvan_studio)
Erratic snowfall and missing infrastructure
Solang is one of three recognised sites alongside Auli in Uttarakhand and Gulmarg in Kashmir for competitive skiing in India. However, only Auli has been approved for international events by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), the world governing body of the sport. But there are other challenges that these locations face due to rising temperatures.
“Once you receive snow, the weather needs to be cold enough for it to last on the ground. That’s the problem with both Solang and Auli. Once the sun is out, the snow disappears,” says Arif Khan, an international skier from Kashmir, who first competed in Solang during the Junior National Championships in 2005 where he picked up gold.
As a local skier, Aanchal is aware of how things have changed over the last few years. While growing up in Burwa, a short hop from Solang, her first brush with the sport was on makeshift skis made of walnut wood, which would be strapped to her regular shoes using strings. But hailing from a family of skiers, it took her little time to start riding the big slopes.
“Earlier, we could begin training in October and it would go on until at least March and at times, even mid-April. But over the last six-seven years, snow has started arriving only mid-December onwards,” Aanchal says.
“Luckily we got some snow in November last year, and I hit the slopes the very next day. So, before the state championships, I could train for 30 days in all,” she says.
But the lack of ski lifts means a lot of energy is expended walking up the slope and to the start point, rather than on the skiing.
“It takes about 30 minutes to just get to the top of the slope. So I really cannot put in as many runs as I would like to during training. They also don’t have a snow beater machine, so we are usually practicing off-piste skiing, where there are bumps and the snow is not consistent. These are some of the challenges that remain in Solang,” Aanchal says.
Training on and off the snow
Due to erratic snowfall, Aanchal has adapted to a regimented training routine off the slopes. During the summer months, she takes to rollerskating on the slopes around Manali, besides mountain biking, and strength and core training at the gym.
“Mental training is an important aspect of my sport. Yoga and meditation keeps me calm during crunch situations. I also take on new challenges like paragliding and wushu, where I often find myself in unfamiliar situations. This helps me overcome my fears and gives me the confidence to tackle anything that could come my way on the snow,” she says.
Last year, Arif spent six-seven months training abroad, which was possible only due to the backing of sponsors. Aanchal too benefitted from her training stints in Austria that helped her pick up bronze at two international events in 2018 and 2021. However in 2022, she could only go to Dubai a few days prior to the race. She made her experience count this time around, picking up four silver medals in slalom.
“The sport is seasonal in India, so it’s a major setback when you cannot train longer, especially when you want to compete internationally,” Aanchal says.
The slopes at Solang Valley
© Tharvan Studio (@tharvan_studio)
Potential for growth
But with a few concrete steps, there’s tremendous scope for alpine skiing to grow in the future. Arif highlights the case of Uzbekistan, Lebanon and Georgia where the sport has picked up over the last few years. These are countries that always had snow but lacked facilities until recently.
“They started grooming slopes and constructing ski lifts, and it has taken their athletes to the next level. In India, similar efforts need to be made to develop infrastructure. Once it is set up, it can be used by athletes for a few hours in the morning and for the rest of the time, it can be used for tourism. This will not only help the sport grow, but will also benefit the local economy,” Arif says.
Arif believes the upper regions of Solang have a lot of potential for top level skiing. Even better is a spot, just two-three kilometres from Solang, where he was impressed with what he experienced.
“The snow here remains for a longer time because the slope lies in the shadow region. This can certainly be developed as an intentional ski slope,” Arif says.
Aanchal sees tremendous scope for ski resorts to be put up in Spiti and Lahaul, which lie further north of Manali.
“Snowfall here begins in November and the snow lasts a good six months. There are some big mountains and the slopes are devoid of vegetation, so there’s no need to clear trees either. It will be a big boost for the sport if this area can be developed,” she says.