Heli-skiing set to start while green activists oppose

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 2

Heli-skiing, a high-thrill snow sport, is set to start its operation from Manali at high-altitude ski-runs located in the wildlife rich region of the higher Kullu valley on February 7.

Environment activists had slammed heli-skiing operators, pointing out zero-tolerance adopted by the National Green Tribunal to pollution in the higher snow ranges of the Kullu-Manali area.

Choppers will pick skiers from Ambassador Resort in Manali and drop them on snow fields near Rohtang Pass, Sagu nullah, Bhrighu Lake, Jobri, Jagatsukh nullah, Hampta nullah, Kalo nullah, Solang area, Talapat Glacier and Bant Ruar Thach, a hot spot of biodiversity in the upper Kullu valley.

Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF), however, had given its nod to operate choppers on the three-and-a-half hectare area in Mathiban uphill Kothi.

“We cannot monitor heli-skiing as the entire area is covered with four to five feet snow,” said the field forest staff.

Animal lovers and hoteliers said the NGT had taken cognisance of pollution in Rohtang and Manali, but heli-skiing choppers would wreak havoc on rare snow cocks, musk deer, ibex, ghoral, brown bears in the upper Kullu valley.

If one goes by the data dished out to the Tourism Department by the Manali-based Himalayan Heli-Adventures Private Ltd (HHAPL), which operates two choppers for heli-skiers, the sport has even failed to rope in the dollar-rich market of foreign skiers for the past 10 years.

Secondly, this high thrill sport remains out of reach of Indian tourists and Manali hoteliers and travel agents are not enthusiastic over the sport.

“Heli-skiing is also losing sheen in global banking and finance sectors in Europe and Russia, which are the main market of heli-skiing,” said Manjiv Bhalla, director, HHAPL. “This time we have a good response and operation will begin from February 7, when our first lot of guests will arrive here,” he said.

Last year, the operator flew 83 skiers and last year it was 101 skiers from across the world in the nine-week long snow season, Bhalla said. Bhalla said they have got all mandatory clearances from MOEF and Ministry of Defence for using the radar system and 46 ski-runs and 90 helipads in snowy mountains.

“The animal life is in the South face, below 3,200 m range, while our choppers operate above 3,200 m on the North face of the valley floor,” Bhalla said, defending heli-skiing.

Company managers on the other hand said heli-skiing was out of reach for Indian skiers. “The company charges €7575 per head for seven-day package (Delhi back to Delhi),” he said.

“We also pay $350 (US) to government as royalty per skier per week, we renew permission each year and take care of safety factors as per world standards,” Bhalla said.