When I started my position as program manager of Ehrlo Sport Venture Library I never would have imagined that I would be standing in the middle of Leh, India. I saw the importance of sharing some of the knowledge and the great

Indian national team Indian national team player in red in penalty box

India gets cold! The temperature ranges from -5 during the day to -25 at night. The houses are not insulated, so we spent 18 days without heat other than a small stove that could only be on for a few hours at a time

  • Building a full size rink without the technology that we take for granted is a process that takes several sets of hands and several long days to complete. To try to level the rink, we used two 2x4’s nailed together. It took aplumber from another village a few days to get there to find a way to flood the rink. We often ran out of gas for the generator and the lines froze.

  • The elevation in Leh is 3524m above sea level. In contrast, Regina is 577m above sea level. It took almost three days to acclimatize.

  • The region is fly in only during the winter months which means it is difficult to get equipment or food to the area.

  • We ate a lot of rice, naan bread, and barley. There were very few vegetables because they cannot grow them in the winter and very little meat because the region is predominately Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu. When we did have meat it was often mutton.

  • The cold temperatures means that there is no running water. You would be surprised how long you can go without a shower when a bucket of boiled water and a room that’s -15 is your only option.

  • Ladakh toilet. That is all. Google it.

  • We spent many afternoons skating on a frozen part of the Indus River which flows through Tibet, into Jammu and Kashmir (the region I was in in India)and Pakistan. It is one of the seven sacred rivers in Hindu culture.

  • We were guests of honor at an Indian National Team tryout, a match that saw the Indian Army team vs the Jammu Kashmir team. It was played on a pond, the penalty box was a lawn chairand there were no boards, just small pieces of wood around the rink to keep the puck in. The players and referee would often step over it and stay in the play.

  • Tea is served to the referee’s during halftime. In fact, tea is served several times a day and was often brought to us while we were coaching at the pond.

  • One hockey stick is worth approximately one months’ salary for many people in the region.

  • Coaches and kids saying goodbye Coaches and kids saying goodbye

    We spent much of our time in a house on a police compound which was located on part of the military base. We slept on sleeping pads on the floor and spent many of the nights listening to the compound dogs bark at the stray dogs (there are a lot in the area) or at donkeys who wandered into the yard.


  • It was an INCREDIBLE experience! The people in the region are amazing and their love for hockey is astounding. It means so much to them and is relatively new to the area.


    • main street Leh Main street Leh