World's Highest Hockey Stadium in Shilaroo - Stunning location surrounded by snow covered Himalayan Peaks in Himachal

Shilaroo Hockey Stadium is located around some of the most beautiful Himalayan ranges in Himachal Pradesh state of India. This Hockey ground is a training centre for hockey players at high altitude and that makes it World's highest Hockey stadium.World's highest cricket ground is also in Himachal Pradesh state of India as well, but we will focus on Shilaroo & it's beautiful Hockey Stadium in this blogpost. 

Above photograph shows a view of  World's Highest Hockey Stadium in Shilaroo from highway which connects Shimla with Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh. I have crossed through Shilaroo hockey stadium a few times when went to Kinnaur or Spiti regions of Himachal Pradesh. And when you are on highway, it's hard to ignore this beautiful hockey ground on left side of the highway while going from Shimla to Spiti valley. 

Hockey stadium at the Sports Authority of India's high-altitude training centre in Shilaroo is approximately 50 km away from state capital Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. This part of Himachal is also popular for it's fruit orchards. If you are around Shilaroo during fruit harvest season, you may witness some awesome sights. Each fruit harvesting period is different. Irrespective of that, following fruit orchards can be seen around Shilaroo - Apples, Peach, Cherries, Apricot, pear etc. 

Whenever I crossed through Shilaroo Hockey ground, I found it very well maintained most of the times. And I always wondered if this ground is maintained like that throughout the year & how the staff may be doing it. Heavy rainfall & snowfall is common in this part of Himachal Pradesh, which can certainly make maintenance more challenging for the staff there. Given how I witnessed it always, I would like to appreciate efforts in keeping it like that. These beautiful colours of Hockey ground around these mountains look stunning and I wish see the stadium when there are white mountains peaks all around due to snowfall. 

The Sports Authority of India Centre in Shilaroo is located at an altitude of 8000 feet in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The ground is surrounded by picturesque Narkanda and Hatu peaks, has excellent indoor facilities for handball, volleyball, badminton, basketball, table tennis, fencing and wrestling apart from gymnasium and hostel facilities. 

Most of the other facilities were on other side of the main stadium. Hills in the background are famous Hatu peaks.  

The Shilaroo stadium is one of the most modern facilities for hockey like synthetic turf etc. The stadium was opened in 2010 by Sports Minister of India MS Gill. Shilaroo Hockey Stadium (Netaji Subhash High Altitude Training Centre) is a multi-purpose stadium in Shilaroo, Himachal Pradesh. The stadium was constructed and maintained by Sports Authority of India. 

This institute is spread over 195 bighas of the land in Shilharoo near Shimla. Under the authority of Sports Authority of India, it provides training for different sports including athletics, hockey, basketball; skating, boxing etc. The main idea is to help the players to acclimatize with high altitude conditions.

Above photograph shows sunset around hills of Shilaroo region of Himachal Pradesh. 

Normally, the quantity of oxygen which is necessary for our life is thick on the sea level. As the altitude increases, the air gets thiner and consequently the quantity of the oxygen in the air. Shilaroo was chosen by keeping in view the similarity between the climatic conditions of this place and most the venues in foreign countries which are a host to several international meets. As most of the indian players belong to the plains, the environment in the high hills is conducive for building stamina and endurance of the players. The high altitude facilitates quick recovery of the players after heavy training sessions in the morning and evening. 

While we were going back from Spiti Valley to Shimla, we met these 2 kids on road-side who were selling cherries with their father. While their father was busy attending other customers, we thought of interacting with them. My friends & I bought 2 boxes each for our homes and a handful cherry boxes for our next journey till Shimla. If you are in this region & find these road-side kiosks selling fruits, make sure you stop and buy few. These are usually fresh, juicy and cost effective. 

So if you are in this region of Himachal Pradesh or driving towards Kinnaur or Spiti valley, find some time for a quick break around Shilaroo Hockey Stadium & appreciate it's beauty and thought process of Indian Sports Association around training of Indian Hockey players at this altitude & temperature to prepare them for World's diverse hockey grounds.