The 6th Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, marked a breakthrough for Indian winter sports. Athletes dazzled on the pistes, but their secret weapon? Intensive training at the High Altitude Warfare School (HWS), credited by participants as the real game-changer.
From diverse backgrounds—civilian states, Army units, CRPF, ITBP—competitors hailed HWS’s pivotal role. Founded in 1948 by Brigadier General K.S. Thimayya, it started as a ski school for the 19th Infantry Division, later becoming a winter warfare powerhouse with elite A-category recognition in 1962.
Famed for altitude battles and ice survival, HWS now doubles as a sports academy. Shillong’s Kajal Kumari Rai, 25, saw snow for the first time pre-2024. Post a 15-day HWS stint, she dominated Nordic 15km and 10km sprints. ‘CRPF opened doors, HWS ignited my belief,’ she recounted.
Similarly, 23-year-old Bhavani T.N. from Karnataka, a snow newbie, grabbed gold in women’s 1.5km Nordic sprint and bronzes in longer races via HWS and IISM guidance.
Army men ruled men’s categories: Padma Namgyel (gold), Aman (silver), Manjeet (bronze) in 10km Nordic; Sunny Singh, Shubham Parihar, Manjeet in 1.5km sprint. Namgyel emphasized, ‘HWS equips everyone—funding flows, coaching excels, Europe trips for the best. We thrive on brutal conditions.’
Annually, HWS molds 250-300 servicemen and a handful of civilians with state-of-the-art facilities: ski simulators, roller skis, fitness centers, indoor arenas. Nutrition and equipment rival international benchmarks. Even CRPF is rising through HWS polish.
Gulmarg’s podiums celebrate athletes, yet HWS stands as the unsung hero, sculpting India’s winter sports future from Gulmarg’s icy heights.