Himachal Pradesh is the undisputed adventure hub of India and has earned special identity at international level in adventure sports. The State has moved forward in the field of adventure sports and adventure tourism under the auspices of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institute, Manali.
With an aim of enhancing the adventure sports and tourism activities the state the state government has founded Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institute at Manali 1961. Through this institute the government is offering specialized training courses for skiers, trekkers and mountaineers from across the country.They also assist government in conducting search and rescue operations in the snow-covered slopes and treacherous trekking routes under freezing condition as they have skilled manpower trained in rescue operations in high-altitude mountainous areas and its services are requisitioned whenever trekkers or tourists go missing.
Given to the climatic conditions and geography of Himachal Pradesh, the State Government is offering several adventure and recreational activities. The state offers once-in-lifetime adventures apart from the picturesque scenery and wonderful experiences. The adventure sports lovers can enjoy paragliding in toughing heights, rafting in rushing rivers, trekking in the lush rainforests, rock climbing in the abode of Himalayas and zorbing.
To promote adventure tourism the State Government has identified Tatapani and Larji dam for white water games for which Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institute Manali is soon going to establish infrastructure and other facilities in both the areas. The tourists will be provided all the modern facilities like hydro-falling, water biking and Jet vetoes, at these points.
The state government has been continuously making corrective efforts to safeguard adventure sports in the state. Recently, a 14-day Rafting Exercise class of 25 people was organised by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institute, Manali and the candidates who passed the test were issued rafting licenses.
To check the eligibility of paragliding pilot, a machine has been set up by the institute which checks the glider's capacity. In addition to these activities, the institute is providing insurance facility to the customers at Rs. 150 for Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh to the pilot at Rs. 550.
To boost the adventure activities, the State Government organised a successful international level games event in March 2019 in which 40 teams from different parts of the world participated in various adventure sports like tracking, racing, mountain biking and rafting etc. These adventure races started from Manali and reached Shimla by covering a distance of 450 kms. This event helped in popularising the state as one of the favourite adventure sports destination.
The rafting team of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institute represented the country in the World Rafting Championship organized by the World Rafting Federation in June 2019 at Turkey. CM Jai Ram Thakur has also expressed happiness over the achievement of the institute. The president of the world Rafting Federation wrote an appreciation letter to the CM regarding the performance of Indian team.
Youth Service Sports Minister Govind Singh Thakur said that Himachal Pradesh is going to represent State in Asian Rafting Championships cup next year.