11 teams to vie for national skiing c’ship

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, December 17

To make the winter carnival, Manali, more attractive for tourists, the Kullu administration will organise a national alpine skiing and snowboarding championship in the Solang valley, 8 km from Manali, from January 2 and 6.

Ashwani Kumar, Deputy Director of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, said 11 teams would compete in the event in which five types of competition would be held. Competition in alpine skiing wouldbe held in slalom, giant slalom and ski cross, while in snowboarding skiing, slalom and snowboard cross competitions would be held.

The winner would be awarded Rs 25,000, while the runner-up Rs 15,000 and Rs 10000 be given to those who would secure the third place. The participant below 16 years would not be allowed in the winter sports.

He said the participants should be equipped with skiing kit of international standards. The candidates could contact the mountaineering authorities for registration.

“It is an effort to promote skiing and winter tourism. The event will attract tourists in a large number, which will boost the tourism industry of Kullu-Manali,” he added.

“The teams like the Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association, the Army, the HAWS Gulmarg, the Uttrakhand Winter Games Association, the Punjab Winter Games Association, the ITBP, the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Gulmarg, the Winter Games Association, Jammu and Kashmir, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam and the Delhi Ski Association are invited for the event,” he said.

The district administration organises the five-day winter carnival in Manali in January in which cultural and sports activities are organised. A beauty pageant is also held. The major attraction of the event is the local folk dance in traditional Kullvi dress, in which a large number of women display their talent on the stage.