Shimla. The thrill of ice skating in Lakkar Bazaar of Shimla is at its peak these days. Amidst the harsh cold, there is a craze for ice skating among children and elderly people. Two skating sessions are being organized in Shimla in the morning and evening. Even after the end of the Winter Carnival, tourists are reaching the ice skating rink in large numbers. Even though there has been no snowfall in Shimla yet, people are enjoying the snow in the ice skating rink.
Due to clear weather, the entire rink is now covered with ice. Skating is being done in the rink from 8 to 10 in the morning and from 6:30 to 9.30 in the evening. Till now, a total of 22 sessions have taken place in the rink, in which 122 people have taken membership of the rink. Apart from this, 10 to 15 tourists are also reaching the rink every day to enjoy ice skating.
The fee for one session has been kept at Rs 300 for each person. For those who come to the rink daily for skating, a fee of Rs 3000 for children below 16 years of age and Rs 4500 for people above 16 years of age is being charged for the entire season. So far this season the rink has earned an income of Rs 4 to 5 lakh. For this fee, skating shoes are also provided to the people who come to skate in the rink.
This year more people are reaching the rink for skating than last year. Last year there were a total of 35 sessions, but this time it is expected that there will be at least 50 sessions. Skating coach of the rink, Pankaj said that if the weather cooperates like this, then competitions will also be organized in the rink, in which competitions like racing, musical chair, figure skating etc will be organized for the children. Along with this, speed skating and ice hockey coaching is also being given in the rink for the National Level Championship.
