Mustang witnesses 4th National Ski Championship 2022

Nepal Ski Association had organised the fourth National Ski Championship in Mustang recently. Sahas Ram Shresthaof Kathmandu and Sangita Lama of Kakani, Nuwakot declared winners for gold medals in the sports event.

Among the ladies participants, Debora Timalsina of Lalitpur and LaxmiRai of Dhanakuta won second and third prize respectively. Similarly, among the men, Dinesh Kumar Bohara of Dhanadahi and Tshering Tenzing Sherpa Solukhumbu won the second and third prize respectively. In the snow sports championship, a total of 16 men and 10 women skiers had participated in. The locals were also invited to take part in the event took place on February 15. The event was inaugurated by Chaturanand Baidya, the vice president of the association.

A training and orientation session was conducted a few days earlier at the venue for participants to be prepared for the event.

The association has a plan to develop Mustang area as a hub for ski sport. Mustang is a suitable location for snow ski in Nepal, although there are a number of places where snow ski game could be promoted. The facilities and infrastructure needed are the main hindrances to develop the ski rings. Most of the potential locations need to develop road access, accommodation, artificial snow making system, plenty of water and transportation from ending point at down level to go up at starting point for the skiers. Similarly, the ski gear also required to be easily available for purchase or rent. The location in Mustang has a road access but still needs to have developed facilities suitable for ski sport.

Nepal, being home to eight of the highest mountains in the world, can allure skiers from around the world. Nepal has so much to offer that it would take a lifetime for skiers to more than once or several times. The time between December and February can be taken as skiing season. The skies are generally clear with no rains to disturb skiing, and the weather remains nice during the said period. The weather forecast in Nepal is also has been reliable so as one can take needful precautions if weather might go unfavourable.

The Himalayas have made skiing immensely popular in the past decade. It is now an attention-grabbing sport. Adventure lovers have found ski hideouts in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, the hills of Kumaon and the North-eastern states of India.

People from within Nepal and other tourists visit the place to enjoy the pleasure of skiing. It is turning to attention grabbing sport. The heights are tempting enough to magnetise the adventure seekers. Skiing in Nepal Himalayas offers a fantastic opportunity of experience excitement while sliding down the snow clad slopes of the Himalayas. You can enjoy snow skiing as well as the heli-skiing. Heli-skiing in Nepal is a more expensive but totally worth the adventure and thrill the mountain slopes offer.

The holiday withy adventure arrangers are in a bid to create ski as a new product in international and domestic market. India can be a good market for skiing in Nepal as well. The marketers assure a thrilling experience with inclusive deals of accommodation, transportation and relevant facilities.

Snow ski can be promoted for winter games. This is a potential product for tourism to develop in the winter season when tourism arrival drop significantly in the normal condition. Ski sports can be operated in minus degree Celsius that remains around 2 months in December – February.

Therefore, the government needs to consider promotion of ski sport in Nepal by supporting development of infrastructure and facilities suitable to ski sport as a tourism product as well.

Ski is a recreational game at a part, while it is a health sport as well. For Nepal, this can be more as a tourism product.