Sliding soles in Solang!

The next day was hectic right from the start. We were set to leave hotel at 7.30 to avoid the rush at the fascinating Solang Valley. I had decided to rise the earliest. Did my bit , but there was a single loo for 5 people and I was thrashed for "procastinating" inside :P. Anyhow, we were all set by 8 and set out for Kothi, the last settlement on the road to Rohtang Pass( A trip to Manali, however great, is not complete without reaching the highest reachable pass in Asia, we realized) All along the route were shops renting out furry coats, gloves and gum boots, absolute necessity for the icy cold winds and snow of the heights. Kothi was as windy as an "aerial Tsunami" and was as freezing as a frost-free refrigerator.


The wind of could have blown NR except for his weight!!

But with passage of time, we got used to it. After our sumptuous breakfast with Dahi and parantha, we saw our first glimpse of snow and the people who ride on them, the skiers!!

We quickly descended to level ground and took the route to the Solang Valley, the queen of the "points" in Manali. Enroute to the destination, we came across the Army camp where The Anil Sharma thriller "Tehelka" was shot. Talking about movies, Hadimba temple also was the spot where the famous Kidnapping scene of Arvind Swamy in Roja was shot! The more informed of the readers, correct me if I am wrong!!

So we reached Solang valley with Kaku telling us stories about the local crops, languages and culture. "Bombay ke fashion aur Manali ke season ka koi bharosa nahin" will take some time to forget this quote and how true it was !!! We reached Solang Valley at around 9.30 and it was pretty deserted at that point of time. We bargained well again and got a "full" day deal for ski equipment and coaching by local boys for just 200 bucks per head. I and NR were all smiles at yet another bargaining triumph !!! We climbed up the narrow foottrack to the ski slope which was wet and laden with horse dung.

The view up there was amazing. Guys and gals, kids and the old, all dressed up in colourful dresses were busy honing their skiing skills. There were plenty of amateur options at the erstwhile venue of Indian winter sports: para-gliding, snow scooter riding, free slide , or for the totally risk averse, chat stalls abounded at the side. Unlike Kothi , at this place , there was no wind and the sun soon made us forget that we were in the snow.

we soon booted up and were taking the initial lessons in skiing. " Bend down on your knees , hold them firm but don't sit, keep the skis at your side and push them back. Lean forward always, that will help you keep balanced...blah blah.. So much for the word, but we only learn when we have had our share of falls. Our tutor took us to the height of around 25 meters up the slope. Then we skied down, one by one, I fell miserably on the half way point on my maiden descent. AS sailed along perfectly, not only did he do that once, he kept doing it all 4 hours. One of his perfect runs!!



How he managed to be so stable and slow, and he could also control his direction. How?? ,no one could including himself could figure out. AB was not too far behind, almost perfect, only falling down when he failed to stop.



I was okay, my performance kept undulating. NR and CV struggled big time. CV was the one who resigned most easily.. ha ha .. the sight of his falling..

in an hour or two, the place became too crowded for a free descent. There was one occasion when i rammed into a sardar kid from behind spoiling what was otherwise a perfect run. The crowd all around as burst out laughing. But with skiing, let me tell you, even falling is fun!! We rose further up the slope and this time it was around 50 odd meters and a different slope.AS was as perfect as ever. Then we had the camera rounds where everyone wanted to be clicked as the next giant slalom champ in the winter Olympics. I nearly had a perfect pic to boast of but CV messed up and clicked when I had finally fallen.



Until I had the perfect picture clicked, finally :)


So we kept climbing up the slopes and reducing our fall rates, when finally fatigue and boredom took the better of us.



We clicked some snaps and then set out to fill our hungry tummies. Litchi juice and chowmein was all that was available there, so no comments on the food..

The blazing sun made sure that I , and everyone else , wore that tan which my Mom always used to warn against when I used to go out to play cricket in the ground in Bhopal. But , I loved it this time, my Mom would pray that it goes of before PN's marriage.