Even though it is mid-January, Shimla, the former capital of British India, has not yet seen the first snowfall of the season. Due to the State capital's unpredictable, abrupt, and declining trend of snowfall over the past ten years, fans of winter sports have been forced to travel to higher altitudes in the mountains in search of snow-capped slopes where they can ski with ease. The popular tourist destination Kufri in Shimla town, which is located at an elevation of approximately 8,800 feet, used to be a skier's paradise. However, over time, as a result of increased construction on the once-pristine ski slopes and a gradual decrease in snowfall, skiers now prefer high altitude slopes in Manali's Solang valley as well as Keylong and Sissu in the Lahaul-Spiti district, which are located at an elevation of 9,000–10,300 feet.
This winter (2023–24), Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, has not yet seen any snowfall. It got a scant six centimeters (cm) of snow even last year. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports that the snowfall in Shimla town during the most recent season (2022–2023) was the third lowest in the town's history. Prior to that, Shimla town had no snowfall in the winter of 2005–06, and only 1.8 cm of snow fell there in the winter of 2009–10. Typically, the winter season lasts from November through March.
This year in particular has been concerning, according to Luder Thakur, president of the Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association, as the lack of good snow has made it difficult to organize winter sports even on the higher altitude slopes. Over the years, the ski slope regions from middle altitude hills have shifted to relatively higher reaches of the State.
“In the past few years, after Kufri started witnessing lesser and abrupt snowfall, the skiers shifted to higher altitude slopes. For the past few years, we have been organising winter sports competitions on slopes at Sissu and Keylong in the Lahaul-Spiti district, besides at Solang Valley in Manali. To have a decent and groomed ski slope for skiing, there should be at least 2-3 feet of snow on the slope, and intermittent spells should continue. However, this year as there has not been a rich spell of snow so far, the winter sports enthusiasts are dejected. We are eagerly waiting for snowfall as we are to hold the junior national winter games, which includes alpine skiing, cross country, and snowboarding at Sissu, but with slopes staying dry in the absence of snow, the wait is getting longer,” Mr. Thakur said.
