No snow on Manali’s ski slopes

MANALI - For those scaling high up the slopes of Manali in search of adventure, the deserted ski resorts without snow cover are a disappointment.

For the second year in a row, the popular Solang ski slopes, 13 km north of Manali in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, are bereft of snow cover.

“Change in climatic conditions is a matter of concern. You see the entire slopes are totally devoid of snow. This year too the nude slopes have disappointed the adventure sports lovers,” Mahavir Thakur, deputy director of the Manali-based and government-run Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, told IANS.

He said these ski slopes in the western Himalayas normally have about three to four feet of snow by this time.

“Last year (2008-09) was bad for skiing as the slopes witnessed scanty and erratic snowfall. The average temperature across the season was too high which resulted in the melting of snow within a few hours. This year too, it seems, we are heading towards the same crisis,” Thakur said.

According to the meteorological office in Shimla, the Solang ski slopes have so far seen negligible snowfall.

“The Solang slopes have so far received only 15 inches of snowfall, which melted within hours due to high temperature,” said Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office.

The slopes witnessed mild spells of snow on Nov 9 last year and Jan 4 this year.

“Balmy days and relatively high night temperatures across the state are responsible for the little snowfall,” Singh said.

Mehar Chand Thakur, a travel agent in Manali, said “professional skiers are heading towards Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir due to good snow there”.

“We are keeping our fingers crossed. If the weather obliges us with a good spell of snow, there are chances of reviving skiing here. Otherwise it will be another bad year for us.”

The mountaineering institute has already cancelled its basic and advance skiing courses.

“Like last year, this time too we will have to climb up to the Phatru ski slopes (overlooking Solang) to enjoy skiing,” an official of the institute said.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)