7 days guided off-piste skiing in Kashmir, India

Detailed description:

INTRODUCTION

Skiing in Gulmarg - a wonderful combination of incredible powder skiing and the unique culture of India - one of the world’s greatest adventure skiing experiences!

Gulmarg is a small isolated hill-village situated in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir at the western extremity of the Himalayas in a subsidiary range called the Pir Panjals. It is 35 miles from Srinagar, the state capital.

Due to its geographic location Gulmarg gets some of the heaviest snowfalls in the Himalayas and it has earned the distinction of being the best ski resort in the Himalayas. Skiing was first introduced to Gulmarg by two British Army officers who established the first ski club in 1927 although it wasn’t until 5-6 years ago when Gulmarg’s name really first started to appear on the cognoscenti’s hotlist!

The village itself sits in gently undulating meadows high above the Kashmiri plateau at about 2,700m.

The area is close to the disputed Pakistan-India border and there is no escape from the huge military presence in the resort and the surrounding area. However any initial unease you may feel is quickly eroded as you discover that the locals are all extremely friendly and welcoming.

2010 PRICE - £1,525 per person

The price includes return flights from Delhi to Srinagar, local travel and transfers, all accommodation on half-board basis in twin-room share including 1 night on houseboat in Srinagar, 7 days guide fees and expenses with UIAGM Mountain Guides and uplift costs.

The price excludes international airfares (can be arranged on request), visa costs, personal insurance, lunches and drinks.

Each trip is 9 days in total which includes 7 days guided skiing, 7 nights in Gulmarg staying at the Highlands Park Hotel plus 1 night in a houseboat on Dal Lake in Srinagar.

Subject to availability rooms in the Highlands Park Hotel in Gulmarg can be booked on a single occupancy basis. The extra charge for this is £245 for 7 nights.

On request the trip can be extended and we can arrange additional excursions and sightseeing including day trips (from Delhi) to Agra and the Taj Mahal or to Jaipur (the pink city).

There are a maximum of 12 places available on each trip.

THE SKIING - “Curry Powder” skiing!

Due to its geographic location Gulmarg gets some of the heaviest snowfalls in the Himalayas and it has earned the distinction of being the best ski resort in the Himalayas. The best conditions are usually found between the start of January and the middle of March, although the season can start as early as December and run until May.

Access on to the mountain is via the Gondola. Installed in 2005 it ascends from the resort to almost 4,000m on Mt Apharwat and offers over 2,200m of vertical descent. Thanks to the gondola, Gulmarg claims to be one of the highest lift-served resorts in the world.

Gulmarg is the perfect venue for natural, wild, backcountry and off-piste skiing for intermediate to expert level skiers and snowboarders. From the top gondola station, the upper slopes and bowls of Apherwat are wide and open whilst thick conifer forest covers much of the remaining area. If you are prepared to boot pack the 30 minutes (or so) to the summit of Mt Apharwat you’ll be rewarded not only with some awesome powder turns but also with spectacular views across the Kashmir Plateau to Nanga Parbat (8126m) the most westerly eight thousander and the ninth highest mountain on Earth.

THE NITTY GRITTY

Trip Itinerary

Skill Level

Gulmarg is fantastic for intermediate to expert level off-piste skiers and snowboarders. It’s also brilliant for backcountry tours! There is no groomed terrain and chances are you’ll be skiing deep powder most of the time and so you must be a competent powder skier. No previous ski touring experience is required but on most days there is likely to be some limited walking - 20 to 30 minutes - to access or exit the best runs. Fitness is important and to get the most out of this wonderful holiday you need to have the stamina to ski all day for 7 consecutive days.

Your Guides

Our 2010 trips will be led by Nick Parks and Olly Allen. Nick and Olly are both UIAGM British Mountain Guides and Directors of Mountain Tracks. Nick skied in Gulmarg for the first time in 2008 and Olly skied there for 3 weeks in 2009. Nick and Olly will be assisted by other UIAGM Mountain Guides.

The off-piste and backcountry guiding is provided on all 7 days with a maximum ratio of 1:6.

The Accommodation

In Gulmarg we stay in the Highlands Park Hotel which was built in the 1960s and is run much like you’d imagine a hotel in the era of the Raj with old world colonial charm and uniformed staff on hand to cater for your every whim. The hotel is made up of a series of small cottages each sleeping 2-4 people and heated by wood-burning stoves. The rooms are basic but clean and all have private bathrooms.

Subject to availability rooms can be booked on a single occupancy basis. The charge for this is £245 for 7 nights.

The two restaurants in the hotel serve a good selection of Kashmiri, Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisine. The bar - one of the few in Gulmarg - is the place to relax after a hard day on the hill! The hotel is located at the far end of the village about a 10 minute walk to the Gondola base station.

In Srinagar you will spend 1 night in a floating houseboat on Dal Lake. There are hundred’s of houseboats, most very fancifully decorated, and staying in one is a fascinating experience. Most boats have a balcony, lounge, dining room, pantry and 3 or more bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. The boats face the Lotus Garden and have a view of the mountains. A small motorboat takes you from the shore to the houseboats and back.

Water and Food

Gulmarg has its own recently upgraded water filtration system and so you should be able to drink the water without complication. Nevertheless most travellers continue to utilise bottled water for drinking and cleaning teeth.

In the Highland Park hotel you will find both International and local Kashmiri food of a good standard. However in our experience guests often crave a few items that are not readily available in Kashmir e.g. marmite or fresh coffee! The hotel has a bar and beer and some spirits are available, if a tad expensive. If you are a wine drinker, the hotel owner promised us he was starting a cellar… you might want to bring a few bottles just in case he hasn’t got round to it yet!

What to Take

To really enjoy the light, dry powder wide all-mountain skis are essential (a minimum of 95-100mm under the boot is recommended).

Our 2010 ski recommendations are:

Your skis should be mounted with touring bindings. Touring boots are recommended but are not essential as the walking distances are not very great. Without touring bindings you will struggle to walk in deep snow and on the odd occasion when the lift isn’t running – i.e. if there’s too much wind – we will go touring. (Going up through the wonderful forest in deep fresh snow is almost as good as coming down!)

If you only have skis with downhill bindings then you will need to reserve a pair of Alpine Trekker bindings in advance from Mountain Tracks. These bindings convert downhill bindings to free heel bindings and are suitable for this trip.

Snowboarders must bring snowshoes and collapsible ski poles.

As always everyone must ski at all times with avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe. These can be hired from Mountain Tracks if required.

Bring a small day pack (25ltr max) to carry these and other bits and bobs - skins, camera, water, snacks etc which you might want during the day.

It is essential that you have proper skins that fit your skis. If you are unable to find skins to fit your skis, you can reserve a pair of skins from Mountain Tracks. Our guides will have 4-5 pairs of split skins that can be used on any skis.

You do NOT need to bring ski crampons, boot crampons or an ice-axe.

There is a local hire shop that has reasonable skis but these are all fitted with standard downhill bindings and their other kit e.g. skins is of poor quality. The hire shop in Gulmarg should really only be used as a last resort and we strongly recommend that you bring all your own gear.

Edge-2-Edge in Crawley, Sussex (www.edge2edge.co.uk) have a small selection of suitable skis (Volkl Mantra with Marker Griffon bindings) to hire this winter. Contact them directly on 01293 649300.

You might also want to bring any old jackets, sallopettes etc that you no longer use. You will quickly become the most popular person around as far as the locals are concerned!

It is also well worth bringing some decent snow boots with good grip for getting around the hotel grounds and Gulmarg itself in the evening. The paths are often deep channels through the snow and can be very slippery or powdery.

Getting There

The most convenient way to get to Gulmarg is to fly to Delhi and take the 1 hour internal flight from there to Srinagar. From Srinagar it is approximately 2 hours drive (37 miles) to Gulmarg. On the return journey at the end of your trip we recommend that you spend 1 night in a houseboat on Dal Lake in Srinagar before continuing on to Delhi for your international connection back home. If you want to spend a few extra days in Delhi or visiting other areas/cities e.g. Agra and the Taj Mahal, we can arrange this on request.

International flights to Delhi arrive at the International Terminal and the connecting flight to Srinagar departs from the Domestic Terminal. The 2 terminals are a few miles apart and it takes 20-30 minutes to travel between the 2 terminals by taxi. It is essential that you have at least 3 hours between your scheduled arrival into Delhi and the connecting flight to Srinagar.

The last flight to Srinagar leaves Delhi at about 1pm (times change slightly depending on the date) which means your international flight should arrive no later than 9am.

From the UK British Airways offers the most convenient connections with 2 flights daily from Heathrow arriving in Delhi at 0155am and 0455am. Virgin and Airindia both have 1 flight each day from Heathrow but both flights arrive after 11am which is too late to make the connecting flight to Srinagar on the same day.

The departure times for flights from Delhi to Srinagar are 10:20, 11:30 and 13:10.

With the last flight leaving Delhi at just after 1pm (times change slightly depending on the date) your international flight should arrive into Delhi no later than 9am.

If you need (want) to arrive early and spend the night in Delhi we can arrange accommodation in the Hotel Shoba which is conveniently located within 20 minutes drive of the airport and the cost is £70 per person including transfers.

Air India Express have (allegedly) introduced flights from Dubai direct to Srinagar (a 5½ hour flight) which would be a good alternative if you want to avoid travelling to Delhi. To-date we have been unable to obtain information on their 2010 schedule, so flights via Delhi remain the most viable option until we hear otherwise.

Flight Information and Delhi Transfers

International flights to Delhi arrive at the International Terminal and the connecting flight to Srinagar departs from the Domestic Terminal. The 2 terminals are a few miles apart and it takes 20-30 minutes to travel between the 2 terminals by taxi. It is essential that you have at least 3 hours between your scheduled arrival into Delhi and the connecting flight to Srinagar.

The last flight to Srinagar leaves Delhi at about 1pm (times change slightly depending on the date) which means your international flight should arrive no later than 9am.

From the UK British Airways offers the most convenient connections with 2 flights daily from Heathrow arriving in Delhi at 0155am and 0455am.

Virgin and Airindia both have 1 flight each day from Heathrow but both flights arrive after 11am which is too late to make the connecting flight to Srinagar on the same day.

If you need (want) to arrive early and spend the night in Delhi we can arrange accommodation in the Hotel Shoba which is conveniently located withing 20 minutes drive of the airport and the cost is £70 per person including transfers.

Kashmir, Security and Travel Insurance

For the past 10-15 years the UK government has advised against all but essential travel to Kashmir. This is due to the ongoing troubles between Pakistan and India and the threat of terrorist attacks. We take this advice very seriously and continuously monitor the threat level. However based on our experience over the past 2 years, the experience of other tour operators and travelers and regular contact with locals in Kashmir, we believe it is safe to run these skiing trips. Although our trips in January and February 2009 took place only 2 months after terrorist attack in Mumbai in November 2008, our clients and staff encountered no problems whatsoever whilst travelling via Srinagar to Gulmarg or in Gulmarg itself and the local Kashmiri people were, without exception, friendly and helpful and very pleased to see tourists coming to their beautiful country.

As a result of the UK government’s advice against travel to Kashmir it is difficult to find UK-based insurance companies who will provide insurance cover for this trip. We therefore recommend the insurance provided by IHI, a Danish subsidiary of BUPA.

The Weather

Mid-January to early March is the optimum time to visit Gulmarg for powder skiing on dry, light powder! Expect similar or slightly colder temperatures to the Alps at this time. When its not snowing the clarity of the Himalayan winter mean the mountain views are wonderfully clear.

Visa Requirements

All foreign nationals visiting India require a visa and for this trip, a short term tourist visa is required. This will cost £30 plus the visa application fee and any relevant postage charges. The visa must be obtained in the UK prior to departure. In May 2008 the Indian High Commission has outsourced the visa application to a private agency called VF Services (UK) Limited You can apply for the visa online by going to the VF Services website: http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk

If you are going to use the postal application service you should allow 15 working days to process the application. Alternatively you can apply in person at one of the Visa Application Centres – there are 5 in the UK - head to http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/vacs.aspx for details. On the application form you need to provide the names, addresses and telephone numbers of 2 referees in India. We will provide these in our trip pack at the time of booking. Together with the completed application form you also require your passport, 2 passport size photos and the visa fee. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months.

Altitude Sickness

Gulmarg resort is at 2650m which is not an elevation at which altitude sickness is typically experienced, however the gondola goes up to just short of 4000m and altitude sickness is possible.

The symptoms of altitude sickness are headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, mild shortness of breath, dizziness or light-headedness, slight swellings of hands and face.

To minimise any risk of discomfort and inconvenience from even mild altitude sickness, guests should take the following measures on their arrival in Gulmarg:

Let one of the guides know if your feeling unwell. There is a quick and simple cure to altitude related illness…simply to go to a lower elevation.

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