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Trekking Map of Dodital Rout


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Auli Skiing




 



Indian Himalayas aren't short of exciting extreme sports regions, and if you lure to ski then visit Auli, the one of most popular ski resorts in India and the hot winter sport destination of the Garhwal hills in Uttaranchal. For those who yearn to learn skiing, no other place matches Auli. At an altitude of 2,500-3,050m above sea level, Auli offers exciting skiing opportunities to both beginners as well as professional skiers.

Winter Sports At Auli
In the summer, Auli is inviting but in the winter it is irresistible with its snowy mountain slopes and skiing facilities. Auli can be reached by road or ropeway from Joshimath. It provides an excellent panoramic view of the giant mountain peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dunagiri. From January to March, the Auli slopes are usually covered with a thick carpet of snow, about 3m deep. The stretch of 3-kms with a drop in elevation of 500m is considered to be a very good skiing ground by international standard. The background of lofty snow clad mountains heightens the sprit of the skiers.

To attract attention, skiing festivals are also conducted at Auli. These now include the national championships in the months of February and March, organised by the Winter Games Federation Of India. While skiing is the chief attraction at Auli, there are other attraction like cable car rides and rope lifts, or spend the day outdoors building snowmen, or having snowball fights.
Facilities For Skiers
The 500m ski-lift system, the longest cable car in Asia, or the trolley, as it is known locally, connects Joshimath with Gorson, above Auli. A short distance beyond Gorson lies the hill of Gorson Top, which provides excellent mountain vistas and is on the 24-km trek to kauri Pass. From Gorson, Auli's only chair lift travels to the base lodge, which is a small building that marks the starting point of all the ski runs.

An 800m long chair lift connects the lower slopes with upper slopes in Auli, making it easy for skiers to zip up in moments. Once reaching the ski start point they can ski down rapidly, while other can walk down the snow-paths at leisure. There are two snow-beaters imported from Germany, for beating the snow for skiing.

The slopes have been dressed and improved making them an ideal for hosting skiing festivals and competitions of national and international standards. Just the cable car ride is enough to justify a trip to this winter resort, with the snow-covered valleys below giving beautiful views of the Himalayas on all sides.

On the way to Auli there are various food-outlets private as well as government run restaurants available.Tourists are advised to bring woollen clothing's, cap, socks, dark glasses, gloves, mufflers, pullovers, wind-proof jacket, gum/snow boots and a torch light in their travel kit. These accessories are a must for the tourist, keeping in mind the weather conditions of Auli, where the temperature drops to as low as - 8C in winters, although it is moderately cold in the summers.

GMVN has the entire skiing equipments required for skiing activities, including the most modern alpine skis, Nordic skis, gloves and goggles. The tourists who are interested in skiing may bring the equipment of their choice with them. Skiing gear is also available on hire. Medical facilities are available Joshimath, which has well equipped hospitals and at Auli, where doctors are available 24 hours a day. However, participants are asked to bring their own first aid kit, which include a balm, footpowder and OTC medicines to take care of headaches, cols and sprains. In Auli, microwave telephones, wireless sets and walkie-talkies are available as communication.

Skiing Courses At Auli




While experienced skiers are likely to enjoy the slopes of Auli for the excitement it offers of unexplored terrain and the spectacular beauty of the surrounding Himalayas, for those who want to learn how to ski there are numerous skiing facilities available at Auli.GMVN conducts a 7-day as well as a 14-day skiing courses in the months of January-March. The course participants are also provided that basic ski equipment and lift facility, boarding and lodging.

available to the skiers are also available at competitive rates. One thing that adventure lovers should keep in mind is that Auli's season is short starting from January to March, so its better to pre plan your ski trip to this snow skiing heaven.

http://www.indianadventureportal.com/winter-sports-india/auli-skiing-tours.html

Read this article

http://epaper.indianexpress.com/IE/IEH/2009/07/12/ArticleHtmls/12_07_2009_105_001.shtml?Mode=1

Adventure sport business expanding in Uttarakhand

Source : www.business-standard.com

In the 1980s, tour operator Avinash Kohli began exploring new business opportunities in the hills of Garhwal. He found great potential in the white water rafting business on the tidal waves of the river Ganga at Shivpuri, near the holy city of Rishikesh.

That was the first time that Kohli, with the help of some Americans, set up a rafting company— Wildlife Adventure. Within years, Shivpuri, an idyllic beach, became the Mecca of adventure sport.

Despite not getting any support from the government, Kohli guided the local youth to expand the rafting business, which has now grown to Rs 25-35 crores. According to an estimate, nearly 50,000 people are associated with the adventure sport business in Uttarakhand.

Yusaf Zaheer, for example, is the owner of Himalayan River Runners, which has an annual turnover of Rs 30-35 lakh. Zaheer organises white water rafting as well as beach camps at Shivpuri. He is also now organising rock climbing in the area and planning trekking tours.

A fortnight ago, however, the tourism business comprising nearly 109 rafting companies, which operate along the 70 km long stretch between Devprayag and Muni Ki Reti in Tehri district, came to a standstill following an agitation.

These operators were annoyed with the forest department for not having issued lease permits this season and for instead adopting the bidding process. Forest officials also expressed their helplessness, saying that the move to adopt the bidding process had been taken at the highest level in the government. For nearly one week, the adventure sport business remained suspended.

The owners of these companies met Chief Minister Ramesh P Nishank to air their various demands. Nishank gave them a patient hearing and pledged to resolve all issues, following which the companies resumed their business on 19th September.

The Ganga between Devprayag and Muni Ki Reti is considered to be an ideal location for adventure sport activity. Thousands of tourists, from home and abroad, gather here at the end of the monsoon season.

The main grouse of the adventure companies, mostly local ones, is what they say is 'government interference’ in a business that they have nurtured over the years with little or no government help.

Meanwhile, Deepak Bhatt, convener of the rafting companies’ association, has urged the government to issue a new policy for promoting adventure tourism in close association with local companies.

Despite the hullabaloo over the agitation, tour operators now say that they are expanding the adventure sport business elsewhere in the state. After the Ganga, these operators have identified other rivers like the Yamuna, Tons and Kali, where they have found good scope for rafting and rock climbing. fting is organised twice a year, between March-June and September-December.

These companies are now targeting corporate houses also. Significantly, 90 per cent of the business comes from India only. Only 10 per cent of the tourists come from abroad. "The government must help us in bringing more foreign tourists to Shivpuri," says Bhatt.

But Bhatt is confident that the adventure sport business will grow further in the near future.