patra on the way to lidderwat valley,in a forest the beginning of a small ridge to lidderwat .
Tag: kashmir ski
Kashmir Ski
Lidderwatt Kashmir
gulmarg snow ski
kashmir gulmarg snow ski was first established as a ski resort by the british who had set up the ski club of india here in 1927.gulmarg snow skiing had become very popular preindependence years of india.gulmarg snow ski resort used to host two major skiing events,one each during christmas and easter.in 1938 to39,about500 skiers are said to have participated in christmas and easter ski race .gulmarg ski resort;s atmosphere was identified with europe ski resort of the 1940's and 50's.the alps of good old day's.it has good sunshine as well as good snow.the gulmarg ski season usually commences just before christmas mid december and continues till early april.during 1998 gulmarg snow ski resort hosted the first national winter games of india .for which the facilities were enormously improved and upgraded.modern eqipment like kasse bohrer snow beating machines for preparing skiing slopes and snowmobiles were imported,as also the first phase of gulmarg gondola cable car was commissioned,the gulmarg snow ski resort facilities were further improved and upgraded for the national winter games .which were also held here during 2003and 2004.
Among the numerous slopes are some which are not serviced by ski lifts,these are quieter than those immensely popular with average skiers.trained skiers take to these slopes and even ski mountaineering in snow for several hours to the top of apharwat range,to make a descent lasting no more than 30 minutes.and now with setting up of the gondola cable car,kashmir gulmarg ski has become the highest lift served ski resort in the world providing a downhill ski run 5.2km from height of 14000ft in the apharwat range.it is also the longest gondola served ski lift in asia.
The two-stage ropeway ferries about 600 people per hour to and from the gondola main station in Gulmarg to a shoulder of nearby Mt. Apharwat Summit (4,200 m (13,780 ft)). The ropeway project is a joint venture of the Jammu and Kashmir government and French firm pomagalski. The first stage transfers from the kashmir Gulmarg ski resort at 2,600 m (8,530 ft) to Kongdoori Station in the bowl-shaped Kongdori valley. The second stage of the ropeway, which has 36 cabins and 18 towers, takes skiers to a height of 3,950 m (12,959 ft) on Kongdoori Mountain, a shoulder of nearby Mt. Afarwat Peak (4,200 m (13,780 ft)). snowboarding gulmarg another exciting winter sports is also being introuduced and promoted here.
kashmir gulmarg ski training and eqipments
good quilty equipment including skis,boots,sticks.gloves and goggles are all available on hire from government run ski shop.trained instructors are at the hand for the guiding amateur skiers.kashmir gulmarg ski is the one of the best ski resort among the asia,with high himalayas slopes and some untouched virgin snow in sonamarg and aru liddervat area makes it fantastic for ski lovers around the world,
Kashmir Ski Mountaineering Expedition
Kashmir Skiing Mountaineering
In March 2011, a group from Bavaria in Germany headed by Mr. Oliver came to Kashmir to take advantage of virgin snow in Gulmarg, Lidderwatt, and the Kolahoi Glacier. Day 1 took us to Gulmarg, and after fantastic skiing there, the party ventured on a skiing/mountaineering expedition to Sunrise Peak. On day 2 we returned to Srinagar to an enthusiastic reception by the press. As the first ski mountaineering expedition in twenty years, we attracted a lot of attention. This was, of course, flattering, but it meant we set off for the Aru Valley and Lidderwatt much later than expected.
The delay was compounded when we found the road to Aru blocked by an avalanche, but everyone pitched in with ice picks, shovels and whatever came to hand, and before long we continued. Needless to say, we reached the Aru Valley at a time that made our 5am start for the Lidderwatt Valley the following morning seem even earlier. Even so, we set off almost as planned. While a team of twenty porters carried the gear, the expedition began skiing in eleven feet of snow, and by 3pm we had reached Lidderwatt where we stayed overnight. Next morning we started out for Satlanjan where we encountered heavy snows and a number of fresh avalanches. The group went on to the Kolahoi Glacier with a local guide for a two day ski trip. Upon their return to Lidderwatt, they climbed the kolahoi summit peak up to 5300 meters.
On 20th December we had taken a pair of girls from Lithuania to Lidderwatt, where the temperature in the Aru Valley had dropped to minus 12 during the day. Even so, we went on a great day trip in deep, virgin snow. The previous spring an Indian group had come and enjoyed it immensely. With the tremendous success of the the Kashmir Ski Mountaineering Expedition of March 2011 we can honestly say that Kashmir is a great place to adventure out into the snow.
