The 2012-13 Ice Skating Season in Shimla has begun. A red balloon was today tethered to the roof of the British-era municipal corporation building for the first time this season, signalling as it has for decades that Asia’s oldest ice skating rink in this hill town was open.

The first practice session of the winter session 2012-13 was conducted today and it was a successful event, said the Secretary of the club. At one point, the club used to organize as much as 150 sessions in one season. But the times have changed now. The climate is no more the same and even the Queen of Hill has changed a lot.

The number has today gone below under 100 and much of it has to do with the climatic shift we all have seen during the last decade. Growing population, local deforestation and increasing human activity have obviously taken their toll.

Here is a tabular record of sessions held in the last five years.

The club was established in the year 1920 and since then it has attracted thousands of tourists from across the globe. It has also given a chance to the local youth to master the Art of Ice Skating.

Ice skating in Shimla features in the Lonely Planet’s ‘Must Do Things in Shimla’ list.