is great, and the crisp, cool mountain air is enough to get you into paradise itself. Besides having an amazingly brilliant driveway, Solang also boasts of having some of Himachal’s best ski slopes. The two and a half kilometer slope starts off gently from a flat ground. You can laze around in this part and check out the slope at close quarters. If you are a seasoned veteran, you can catch the ski lift part of the way, hike up the rest, and then whiz down at mind-bending speed. At the base of the slope is Solang village, where you can see a number of locals looking on in amused indulgence. You never know who you might bump into here - some of the kids here are national level ski champs. Little to one side of the main slope is where you can stop for a bite between runs.

A recent sporting craze to have hit this area is snowboarding and the locals are catching on fast. Solang is a popular place even during the summer after the snow has melted. There is always a lot to do here besides relaxing. The base of Solang is given over to horse riding, with a number of ponies to choose from.

Those in search of solitude can go on a hike beside the slope, along the Beas river right up to Beas Kund, the source of the river. After the monsoons are over in October, Solang becomes the prime paragliding country, and the adventurous ones can take turns running down the slopes and go sky borne on a parachute.

The Solang Nullah, along with the villages of Palchan and Kothi, is located at different points at the head of the Kullu Valley. The Manali-Rohtang road splits into two here - one taking off for Kothi and the Rohtang pass and the other taking off for Solang, about five kilometres away. For accommodation, there are heated dormitories in Bukhari. Many tourists descend upon the Nullah, and a whole number of noodle and boiled egg joints spring up overnight to cater to this crowd.