Ice hockey in India’s Himalayan belt is entering its most ambitious phase yet. Royal Enfield has announced the return of its largest-ever Ice Hockey season, marking the third edition of a project that has rapidly transformed winter sport across Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Featuring structured training programs, expanded regional participation, and community-driven competitions, the 2025–26 season underscores Royal Enfield’s long-term commitment to building a self-sustaining Ice Hockey ecosystem in high-altitude regions.
Season 3 will centre around two major developmental events the Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League (REIHL) in Ladakh and the Spiti Cup, powered by Royal Enfield, in Himachal Pradesh. Both tournaments have become pillars of winter sport in the mountains, drawing thousands of fans and providing competitive platforms for emerging athletes.
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The new season begins in November with an expanded slate of training programs designed to empower local talent coaches, referees, and young players. The focus is clear: strengthen capacity at the grassroots so communities can independently sustain and grow the sport.
Royal Enfield has brought in IIHF-certified experts, including Coach Darryl Eason and Officiating Instructor Peter Gebei, to lead advanced camps in Dehradun and Leh. These programs aim to upgrade the technical skills of local coaches and officials, enabling them to run Learn to Play (LTP) programmes, scout young talent, and guide structured team development.
Key Training Components of Season 3 Include:
- Coach Training Camps (Dehradun): Designed to equip local coaches with the ability to conduct LTP camps, fine-tune technical expertise, and prepare competitive squads for the developmental leagues.
- Referee Training (Delhi): A major officiating initiative bringing together referees from the Army, ITBP, and regional associations, with an emphasis on expanding women’s participation in officiating roles a vital step for inclusive growth.
- Learn to Play & Basic Skating Programs: Over 1000 children across Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will be introduced to skating and Ice Hockey fundamentals, significantly widening the sport’s base.
- Pond Hockey Programme (Leh): A new pilot initiative bringing 80 kids for a five-day training programme, concluding with a non-contact 3v3 tournament at Gupuk pond. This serves as an entry point for first-time skaters, focusing on fun, community building, and accessibility.
Speaking about the vision for Season 3, Bidisha Dey, Executive Director of the Eicher Group Foundation, stated:
“Ice hockey continues to be a powerful expression of community resilience across the Himalayas. With season 3, we are moving from participation to progression strengthening the grassroots ecosystem through structured coach and referee training, and extending our reach across Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The real victory is when the movement belongs entirely to the people who live it.”
High-Altitude Competitions Return in January 2026
The season will culminate in January with the two highest-altitude Ice Hockey tournaments in India:
- Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League (REIHL) in Leh
- The Spiti Cup in Kaza, Himachal Pradesh
Together, they will host over 30 teams and nearly 700 players from across the region. For the first time, new teams from Kharu (Ladakh) and the Lahaul region (Himachal Pradesh) will make their debut, showing the widening reach of the sport. The REIHL, conducted in partnership with the UT Administration of Ladakh and the Ice Hockey Association of Ladakh, has become India’s flagship winter sporting event. Meanwhile, the Spiti Cup, run by the Ice Hockey Association of Lahaul-Spiti (IHALS), continues to be the heartbeat of grassroots Ice Hockey in Himachal Pradesh, drawing participation from remote communities including Losar, Lalung, Keylong, and Sagnam.
Throughout December, trained local coaches will scout players and lead regional training camps, with Coach Darryl Eason returning to Leh to provide on-ground mentorship ensuring that skills acquired in workshops translate into real developmental progress.
Season 2 Recap: A Foundation for Growth
The momentum behind Season 3 stems from the success of the previous year. The 2025 edition of REIHL and the Spiti Cup featured 30 teams across men’s and women’s divisions from Leh, Nubra, Kargil, Zanskar, Changthang, Losar, Lalung, Keylong, Pin, and Spiti. Crowds exceeding 10,000 fans turned frozen rinks into electric venues celebrating local pride and culture.
Kang Sings and Maryul Spamo defended their titles in REIHL’s men’s and women’s divisions, while Sham Zone and Center Zone topped the podium in the Spiti Cup.
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Royal Enfield’s social mission places training and capacity-building at its core. The objective is not just to create stronger athletes but to empower Himalayan communities to independently nurture Ice Hockey for generations to come. As Season 3 expands the sport to new regions, deepens community engagement, and professionalises the grassroots structure, Ice Hockey in the Himalayas stands at the threshold of its most transformative chapter yet.
With stronger foundations, wider participation, and a renewed sense of ownership among local communities, the 2025–26 Ice Hockey season is set to define a new benchmark for India’s winter sports movement.
