Unusually warmer weather this winter has even impacted the extreme winter sports like ice hockey and 105-kilometre Chadar trek in the cold desert mountains of Ladakh, where minimum temperature drops up to minus 40 degree Celsius and is considered the country’s coldest place.
Ice hockey rinks in Ladakh’s Kargil town witnessed rare scenes on January 13-14 when the organisers switched on fans in the night to add to the freezing temperatures.
“The formation of the ice surface was not up to the mark this year. It could have proved dangerous for those practicing and playing ice hockey matches. Electric fans helped in the freezing process and made the rink playable and safe,” an ice hockey player from Kargil said. However, ice hockey was not majorly impacted in Ladakh’s Leh.
Officials of the Department of Youth Services and Sports said the extra measure in Kargil was put in place for “the safety of players”.
Ice hockey required around minus four Degree Celsius to provide a favourable environment. However, days have been warmer and brighter this season in Ladakh’s Kargil.
“The months of November and December have been much warmer than last year in Ladakh. Snowfall is also deficient,” Sonam Lotus, director of the Meteorological Department in Ladakh, said.
According to MeT figures, there has been a deviation of four to eight degrees in temperature from the normal weather pattern in Ladakh.
The impact of unusual weather was also visible on the 105 km Chadar trek this year, where trekkers from across the globe trek over the frozen Zanskar river connecting Kargil with Leh.
The Chadar trek was shortened this year due to late formation of ice sheaths over Zanskar river. It started six days late compared to last year, when the trek was flagged off on January 8 compared to January 14. Most trekkers have registered for four night and five days trek this year compared to eight-nine days when the lake is completely frozen and the temperature drops below minus 30 degree Celsius.
Officials said a recce team visited the Chadar trek in the first week of January and “described it risky for adventurers”. In the latest recce conducted the last week, a team of Union Territory Disaster Relief Team and Ladakh Mountain Guides Association found that up to 15 km Chadar trek was “formed very well”.
The Chadar trek is one of the extreme sports in the country and is held only when temperature drops between -30 to -35 degrees. However, the minimum temperature has been hovering around minus eight degree Celsius in Leh in January and the maximum around four degree Celsius.
According to MeT figures, Leh has recorded a scant 1.2 centimetres of snowfall in November-December compared to 2.6 cm last year for the same period. The snowfall in 2013 was the highest when 13.6 cm of snowfall was recorded. Ladakh is home to the second coldest place in the world, Drass, where temperature could even dip below minus 50 degree Celsius.
