Kullu: Ski mountaineering key event at Jibhi fest

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, March 29

A tourism festival ‘Shobhla Seraj’ in which the national Ski Mountaineering Championship, referred to as SkiMo, will be held in Jibhi and Jalori Pass in Banjar subdivision tomorrow. The festival is being organised by the Tourism Department in collaboration with Jibhi Valley Tourism Development Association (JVTDA).

Kullu District Tourism Development Officer (DTDO) Sunayna Sharma that competitions like tug-of-war, pot breaking and photography will be held during the festival. She added that panel discussion by keynote speakers would also be held. She said that information about the culture, food and picturesque places of Seraj region will be given through exhibition stalls in Jibhi. She added that stalls related to local traditional dishes and other products would also be set up. She further added that cultural programmes by various Mahila Mandals, Yuvak Mandals, school children and other artists will also be organised in the festival.

JVTDA secretary Lalit Kumar said that participants from Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Army, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh would participate in the SkiMo championship. He said that 24 participants had been confirmed so far and a welcome ceremony, cultural program and a march past will be held upon their arrival today.

The secretary said that Himachal Ski Mountaineering Association (HSMA) had approached the JVTDA and proposed to organise the national Ski Mountaineering Championship 2024 in the picturesque Jalori Pass. He said that HSMA president Praveen Sood said that the association had received correspondence from Olympian Shiva Keshavan, chairman of Ski and Snowboard India (SSI), ad hoc committee of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to look into the possibility of organising national Ski Mountaineering Championship 2024 in Himachal and it has shortlisted the Jalori Pass as a suitable site for the event.

The HSMA president stated that Jibhi Valley has the potential to become the hub of SkiMo events in Himachal and the national Ski Mountaineering Championship would not only elevate the Jibhi’s profile in the winter sports community but also contribute significantly to the overall development of the region and would open new opportunity for the youth of the valley.