Winter sports Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold area ...

are common in India in the Himalayan areas. Ski tournaments take place every winter in

Gulmarg Gulmarg (), known as Gulmarag (; ) in Kashmiri, is a town, hill station, popular skiing destination, and notified area committee in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located at a distance of from Baramulla and from Sri ...

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

and Manali. Winter sports are generally more common in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

(formerly Uttaranchal), Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

snow rugby Snow rugby refers to forms of rugby union that are especially adapted to be played in winter conditions, particularly in deep snow. It is played in Canada, the Kashmir region in India, the Baltic states, Russia, the northern United States, and Fi ...

, snow cycling and snow football are few of the common sports played in India. Skiing is more popular although India has taken part in Luge in

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

since 1998. The Bandy Federation of India is headquarters are in

Mandi Mandi may refer to: Places * Mandı, Azerbaijan India * Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir * Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh ** Mandi State, former princely sta ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

. Luge is practiced in a big way by the mountain residents in an improvised form called 'Reri'.

Shiva Keshavan Shiva Keshavan, (born 25 August 1981) is a six-time Olympian and the first Indian representative to compete in luge at the Winter Olympic Games. He set a new Asian speed record at after beating the previous record of and won a gold medal in ...

is the only Indian to have won medals in international meets in winter sports (Asian Gold 2011, Asian Silver 2009, Asian Bronze 2008, Asian Silver (Doubles) 2005, Asian Bronze (Singles) 2005), and to have participated in four Olympic Games. He is currently the Asian Speed record holder at 134.4 km/h, making him the fastest man in Asia on ice. Ski-mountaineering is another form of skiing, usually conducted in remote areas. There are beginner and intermediate level of slopes where skiers can choose from. It is sort of wilderness skiing. It is also called back country skiing. It was introduced in Kashmir in 1979 when two local skiers Muhammad Yusuf and Mehraj Din undertook a ski - touring expedition to Lidder Valley. In 1984 a team of 10 skiers, led by Muhammad Yusuf, undertook an expedition from Lidder Valley to Sindh Valley over Sunmous Pass. It is still a record. With the passage of time ski-mountaineering has become a competitive sports. Championships are conducted in Europe regularly.

References

Sport in India {{India-sport-stub

See also

References