Google Earth Image- Kinner Kailash Circuit

KINNER KAILASH CIRCUIT- Google Earth Image

Snowfall at Rohtang Pass in May

As northern India is facing an intense heat wave, Rohtang Pass in India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh has emerged as a “hot spot” for tourists escaping the searing heat of the plains.

The 13,000-foot-high Rohtang Pass was opened to tourists last week. It’s the highest point on one key road in the region.

The pass is an important destination on the itinerary of tourists visiting the picturesque Kullu valley and also an adventurer’s dream destination.

A variety of adventure activities like ski scooters, snow tubes, skiing, sleigh and yak rides attract thousands of tourists every day to the scenic area.

Tourists visiting the area are extremely excited about seeing snow in the middle of a summer season.

[Amit, Tourist]:

“Look at the snow, which is coming mildly. Although it’s very cold but I’m actually enjoying it… This is my first time. Can you believe it? I’m 33 years old and this is the first time in my life I’ve seen snow falling like this. I’ve seen snow covered mountains but I have not seen snow falling like this so this is an awesome experience.”

Though the snow brought a chill in the air, the cold did not dampen the spirits of the tourists.

Source: http://english.ndtv.com

Some memories of Sjoba Rally-2009

SJOBA is the alumni association of St. John’s High School, Chandigarh, voted as amongst the top 10 schools in the country by Outlook magazine. SJOBA was founded in 1980 and now has over 2,500 strong members and a global presence with a Chapter of the Americas also. Apart from the Rally, SJOBA organizes various events through the year like the SJOBA Winter Ball,  Blood Donation Camp and the Mini Marathon.

The idea of Motor Sport came into being, when SJOBA decided to do something for the region. Ideas were thrown about and SJOBA decided that motor sports would be its forte. So, the first SJOBA Motorcycle rally was held in 1981 and this graduated to the SJOBA Open Rally in 1982 where, for the first time, amateurs in the region were exposed to motor sports in a professional way.

Heat in plains of north- people running to himalayas

Dramatic rise is heat in plains of North India has forced either people to remain indoors or to run for himalayas which is getting busier each day by thousands of vehicles running into it.

Char dham yatra has started and Srinagar and Manali are HOT destinations.

Desert Strom 09- Kamaldeep Sidhu stood second

Kamaldeep Sidhu- Winning Desert Strom 2009

No snow, No cold…weather changing fast

With no rain or snowfall reported from anywhere in the state, the mercury rose today, easing cold wave conditions across the state.

Shimla recorded a minimum temperature of 6.5°C, Met office sources said.

Temperature in Manali rose to 3.4°C. It was 1°C yesterday. Though there was no report of fresh rain or snowfall, there was no let-up in cold wave conditions in high-altitude areas.

Keylong, district headquarters of Lahual and Spiti, recorded the lowest temperature of -6.9°C, while it was -2.5°C at Kalpa.

The Met office has forecast light to moderate rainfall or snowfall at isolated places in the state over the next 24 hours.

Nights would be colder as minimum temperatures were likely to fall by 1 to 2 °C, sources added
SOIURCE: http://tribuneindia.com

Weather Updates- North India

Temperature dropped further in the high altitude tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh while it slightly rose in capital Shimla on Wednesday in the absence of rain and snowfall.

Lowest temperature in Keylong plummeted to minus 9.7 degrees Celsius while it was minus 1.5 degrees in Kalpa, Met office sources said.

Shimla saw a sunny day today. The minimum temperature here rose to 5.6 vis-a-vis 8.1 degrees on Tuesday, they said.

There was no report of rain or snowfall from the state.

The Met office forecast mainly dry weather in the state in the next 24 hours with chances of further fall in the night temperature over the higher reaches.

For Shimla, it forecast mainly sunny days and not much change in the night temperature.

Latest Weather – North India

Rain in plains and snow in mountains

Heavy snowfall is still going in mountains of North India while plains are getting rain with thundershowers.

* Temperature
Maximum: 22.0 ºC
Minimum: 12.2ºC

Fresh snow: Tourists make beeline for Solang

The entire higher reaches of the Manali region experienced a fresh spell of snow while the lower parts of the region were lashed by rain, reviving the chilly weather conditions in the upper Manali region.

The higher reaches of the upper Kullu valley, including the Rohtang Pass , Pir Panjal range, Bhrighu ski slopes, Hamta slopes, Chanderkhani, Marhi, Gulaba and Dhundi experienced fresh snow.

The famous ski slopes of Solang valley also had a fresh spell of snow yesterday. But due to lack of sufficient snow for skiing on the main ski slopes, the ski lovers were disappointed a lot.

However, fresh snow was expected to revive the influx of tourists. Vehicular traffic on the Manali-Rohtang road was disrupted due to fresh snow at Kothi, 13 km from here. But the Solang valley has nowadays become a popular venue with tourists. Tourists made a beeline for Solang valley where there was enough snow to enjoy.

The sky remained overcast and icy winds lashed the region throughout the day, bringing a sharp decline in the day temperatures. The apple growers in the upper Kullu valley are hoping that the weather god will oblige them with a good snowfall. The snow which is considered as a white manure for the apple orchards is essential for a good harvest.

CHAMBA: The north-western ranges of the Himalayas in Chamba and Lahaul-spirit districts of Himachal Pradesh and the adjoining ranges of Pir Panjal mountains in Jammu and Kashmir have been experiencing heavy snow for the past 24 hours, according to reports pouring into the district headquarter town of Chamba on Saturday.

The lower areas have been experiencing heavy widespread rains. However, the road network is open and the transport services are operating as usual. Intermittent snowflakes are reported from the hill resorts of Dalhousie and Khajjiar. As a sequel to this, the entire region is in grip of chilly winds.

The heavy snow and rain have also prevented the telecommunication services with the highlands of this region. Official reports said due to heavy snowfall, the link of Pangi tribal valley had been cut off from the rest of the state due to the closure of Saach Pass situated at an altitude of 4413 metres connecting its district headquarters at Chamba.

According to district soil testing officer R. L. Chauhan, who is an agriculture expert, though the heavy rains were beneficial for the ‘rabi’ crops yet the fallings of snowfall is indispensable for the fruit crops, particularly the apple production.

Chances of snowfall in mountains.

Weather has changed slowly in North with plains of India getting cooler day by day…there are chances of light to moderate snowfall on higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh. Amritsar was coolest in plains with aprox 4.5 degree celcius in night.