Solang, Kullu Valley

New Photos at Magic India

Only 12 km up from Manali is a different world, via a fabulous drive up the valley, the road continuously turning back on itself, passing huge moraine mounds and deepening river valleys, huge swiss style mountains are all around. Solang is a small quiet ski village, tucked away in a valley west of Roatng an Indian style ski village, 5 small hotels, a few Dhaba's (chai, snack shop), and a couple of small ski lifts. It is cited for change however, with a gondola is being proposed and further up the valley the 20km tunnel through the mountains to bypass the Rotang pass is supposed to go, however this has been on paper for 20 years. There is no snow here now at 2400 mtrs, a few scraps on the faces above the village, but lots more above 3500. For 3 nights I hang with really nice American brothers Trevor and Rob, and a Canadian couple Jeff & Dusty. Jeff and Trevor have both spent lots of time in NZ, climbing and skiing etc so we have lots of common ground. They head off to Rotang pass for another week in the snow in the untracked wilderness. The greater Kullu valley is the premier ski touring area in India, there is an extensive guide book for the region covering the Solang, Rotang and Hampta valleys. Makes me want to dust off the ski's and get some touring back in Aus this winter, some snow required of course. Funnily enough today I met a Chilean guy who had hiked up from Manali. His sister is off to Aus to teach skiing this winter, despite his suggestion and my agreement that (rightly so) Aus has no decent snow and she should try NZ.

When one approaches some mountain peak aright it may put stillness into one's mind, silence upon one's lips and quietude within one's heart, for peaks and pinnacles carry a purer atmosphere than the plains and valleys. they are less tainted by emanations of human crowds, less familiar with scenes of human greed, misery and savagery. And in their pointed summits they image forth for us the lofty lesson of aspiration toward a perfect life, the broad expanse of sky which covers them being as the broad expanse of God who enfolds us all. Mountains and hills have for ever been associated with the idea of sacred and holy. To Tibetan and Hindu alike, the towering snowy giants of the Himalayas carry an inheritance of holiness unequalled by anything else in their lands. Paul Brunton

Later at the hotel I bump into the large photographic, film and model contingent that IceBreaker clothing has sent to India for their annual catalogue shoot. I have many memories with IceBreaker, having had many excellent adventures, particularly climbing trips with and later travelled to Canada with one of the company directors on the first ever outside Australasia sales trip in 1997/8. I have seen their clothing go from good to amazing and trendy! They are now a huge multimillion dollar company in NZ, buying most of New Zealands merino wool production and sponsoring international sporting events with a super high profile internationally. The crew had been in Rajasthan and now here for the shoots. I am paragliding with my IceBreaker jacket and thermals so we have a laugh at how degrees of separation can be so small.

The paragliding is done on the lower ski field, which slopes gently for 200 mtrs or so, but is a sweaty climb up with a harness, helmet and glider on my back. The first day is very hard, I have to pull the glider up behind me to vertical with the wind assisting, then run a few meters until I get enough airspeed for the sail to gain lift. But after 2 or 3 successful flights, the fear lessens and i get some kind of control. The second day is much better, although I am sweaty and tired from many walks up the hill, I am not exhausted and I get many good solo flights at over 50 feet off the ground for the whole length of the field with ok control on most of the flights. To stall is to fall, and only one stall so far, but i got out of it before any major disaster could occur. The pilots that train me are nice guys and are really encouraging. By the end of the third day I can steer more or less and zig zag my way down the field. Of course it is a long way from high mountain launches yet, but it is a pretty amazing and exhilarating, yet at the same time very shanti 'sport' and I want to get back into it at home, once various domestic difficulties have been dealt with.

So good bye to India is only 3 days away...a weeks wind down in Thailand is next,
so until then.. enjoy the last installment of Magic India pictures