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Zoom off and ski

Beat the anticlimax of all the hedonistic New Year parties with winter sports

Now that the New Year has had a great welcome, it is time to go off on a sporty vacation to wear off the fatigue of 2005. Logon to the following sites and find more information about winter sports and where to play them.

Biathlon

http://www.bulgaria.com/travel/resorts/borovets/: Biathlon is a Winter Olympic Sport, which combines cross-country skiing with precision target shooting. Though a seemingly unlikely combination of events - one an aerobic activity that requires strength, speed, and endurance and the other a passive activity, the biathlon concept evolved from two activities with a long history - hunting and winter warfare. Borovets is the oldest and the biggest mountain resort in Bulgaria and is situated 1,350 m above sea level on the northern slopes of Rila Mountain among age-old pine trees and provides a complete experience of winter sports. If it is Biathlon, then it has to be Borovets.

Bobsleigh

http://www.igluski.com/resortresults.cfm?rid=90240: Two and four-man teams (men only) fly down a mile-long, ice-covered course in an aerodynamic sled at speeds of as much as 90 mph. Lillehammer,

Norway's oldest winter sports resort, with stunning architecture and scenery has plenty to offer skiers.

Curling

http://www.ricelaketourism.com/winter2005/: Curling is an interesting game played between two four-member teams who use stones with different coloured handles.

The aim of the game is to throw as many stones closer to the button. Rice Lake with its large base of curling resorts is an ideal place to go curling.

It also has a beautiful landscape dotted with winter wildlife making for an exotic picture of winter vacations.

Ice hockey

http://www.skiswitzerland.com/davos/winterinfo.html: Davos Magic Mountain attracts snowboarding and skiing enthusiasts from all over the world.

Its high-tech ropeways offer access to five extensive skiing areas.

Visitors who prefer cross-country skiing will find 75 km of prepared tracks to choose from. Davos also sports Europe's largest natural skating rink as well as two artificial ones for ice-skating, ice stick shooting and curling.

Luge

http://www.sentosa.

com.sg/explore_sentosa/

attractions/sentosa

_luge.html: Sentosa brings you the first ever luge in Southeast Asia.

Part go-cart, part-toboggan, pure excitement - the luge is a fun-filled gravity ride that is safe for all ages.

With a unique steering and braking system that allows you to make the ride as leisurely or as exciting as you want, Sentosa should be your ideal luge retreat.

Skating

http://www.hawkresort.com/winter/iceskating.html: Hawk Recreation Centre maintained specifically for recreational skating, with the famous farmhouse ponds serves as a perfect winter gathering place, to either show off your talents to curious passers-by or, just kick around and have some fun.

Skiing

http://www.jktourism.org/cities/kashmir/advent/skiing.htm: Skiing has gained immense popularity all over the world and in the past decade has become an attention grabbing sport. The vast open spaces above the snowline of the Himalayas have been flung open to skiing enthusiasts.

A plethora of ski locales in Jammu and Kashmir, the hills of Kumaon, Himachal Pradesh and the North Eastern states of India have become favourite ski hangouts for adventure lovers.

L. S. ROHIT

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