After chilling on Nageen Lake in the excellent 'Lake Superior' Houseboat, owned and operated by Gullam Langoo, for 2 luxurious days it was time to head back to the hub of Delhi.
Watching the sunrise over the Himalayas, with the lake people coming to life is a great way to end a ski season, or for that matter a week or three, in Gulmarg skiing. I visited the Hazbaral shrine on Dal Lakeside which had many worshippers visiting, praying and chilling on the green lawns with friends and family. I returned to chillax for the afternoon, to be paddled around Nageen Lake, finishing off a Wilbur Smith novel as the water lapped up on the Shikara sunbathing in perfect 25-28 degree sunny weather.
I normally fly out back to Delhi but was keen to go 'overland' and try something new. For backpackers and dirt bags a like 250 rupees for the (hopefully 8 hour) jeep ride takes you to Jammu (the winter capital) from Srinagar (the summer capital) connecting you to the train that will deliver you back to Delhi. We set off and it wasn't long until we passed through the tunnel and started winding our way through the deep mountain pass, with a lot of traffic ie trucks and buses, it's a little nervy with the (typically) crazy passing manoeuvres and huge drops of hundreds of meters vertical. It was a good jeep, a Chevy Tavera and I was joined with 7 others crammed into the ride, albeit fairly comfortably as we listened to some 'classic' Indian music. Good spirits and trying a some great local food & snacks a long the way ie cashew nuts (that didn't cost the earth) and an interesting kind of Kashmiri Tea (unlike the Northern Kawa) that was more savoury in which you added sesame seeds and salt - very very palatable!
We winded our way down, watched my monkeys on the side of the road and then (the inevitable happened) with us breaking a front axel on the Chevy. A bit of surprise actually as it was rather a new vehicle. We limped a long, after much debate and made it to a mechanic, which was rather hilarious watching them get the crow bar and hammer out - clearly not having a scooby doo (clue) what they were up to. Oh well 8 hours turned into 11 and unfortunately I missed my 9.45pm train (380 Rupees) but made it onto the 11.45pm having to buy a general ticket (130 Rupees) but grabbing a 2nd class sleeper seat (luckily not a full train) and upgrading for an additional 120 Rupees, so not a bad result and time to bed down on the train and awake an arrival in Delhi. The 2nd class sleeper is certainly the way to travel, especially if you can score a top berth as this is fixed, and superb for longer trips as you have a seat and the option of having a little siesta should you feel.
We pulled into a roasting Delhi of 33 degrees + and I welcomed my crazy old friend, good old Delhi, it's always an adventure and something crazy around every corner!
http://www.sunstoneadventures.com/
Kashmiri
Showing posts with label Kashmir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kashmir. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Skinning out to ‘Great White’ in Gulmarg, Kashmir
With a beautiful weather window in Gulmarg, Kashmir after 60-70cms of snow there were some tired bodies but some great weather to again get motivated for. After peeps rested a day or two it was time to make the most of the gorgeous sunny weather and great snow above 3000m. The kiwi boys were keen to head out past the ‘Shark’s Fin’ and hit a beautiful summit called ‘Big White’ following the sharky references. We headed up the gomdola and started skinning from behind G4 heading across the slope cutting off the Apherwat summit aiming directly for the ‘Great White’ summit! We headed out into the beautiful back bowl amongst huge puffy cumulus clouds looking over to Sunshine Peak. We stopped at a beautiful quartzite rock and stripped off the shirts and did a little sunbathing as it was beautifully still and warm even up at over 4000m. Pressing on we zigged and zagged our way up reaching the ‘Great White’ summit and checking out the lush powder holding onto the 40-45 degree slope below.
Once the group had gathered, a small chai stop and we geared on up. I decided to line up a perfectly formed ledge on the cornice bordering the whole slope and huck my meat. Especially as the snowpack had been stable for some time! I lined it up and cruised down the ridge line with anticipation of a nice air into a beautiful open bowl. I swung left and hit the launch pad and actually find the lip boasting me more than I thought as I fly through the air the slope keeps dropping away as my air time is extended! Unfortunately I get aways back and hit it like a bombshell. Of course hucking your carcass off a cornice in the backcountry must be done when the snowpack is stable which it was and after bombing my full weight into it evidenced this. I bounce back up and get into my turns slashing the ridge in the deep 50-60cms of sweet sweet pow, cutting under the ridge and heading down into the flat of the bowl. Now it was Ted’s turn who hurtles into the bowl skier’s right of the summit and straight lines hitting a small cliff, launching & landing, hitting big GS turns on the way out – sweet line. Scotty decided to run it through the middle of 2 rock lines in which it steepens, he drops it and slashes the ridge below soaking up the good times. Kerry was next and we directed him by radio to ski the line skier’s left of me as it was a beautiful fall line that looked nicely loaded with the sick stuff. He dropped in at the small point of the cornice traversing across a little to hit the planned fall line cruisng big laid back turns into the bowl to oomplete 4 epic lines!
We headed across the flats swinging skier’s right to cut across the low col at the end of the Shark’s Fin bowl aiming to return to the ridge where bowl 5 is and return to Gulmarg. Skiing down in the setting sun we arrived at Hill Top restaurant for burgers and coke - what a great day touring out back and scoring the goods!
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Once the group had gathered, a small chai stop and we geared on up. I decided to line up a perfectly formed ledge on the cornice bordering the whole slope and huck my meat. Especially as the snowpack had been stable for some time! I lined it up and cruised down the ridge line with anticipation of a nice air into a beautiful open bowl. I swung left and hit the launch pad and actually find the lip boasting me more than I thought as I fly through the air the slope keeps dropping away as my air time is extended! Unfortunately I get aways back and hit it like a bombshell. Of course hucking your carcass off a cornice in the backcountry must be done when the snowpack is stable which it was and after bombing my full weight into it evidenced this. I bounce back up and get into my turns slashing the ridge in the deep 50-60cms of sweet sweet pow, cutting under the ridge and heading down into the flat of the bowl. Now it was Ted’s turn who hurtles into the bowl skier’s right of the summit and straight lines hitting a small cliff, launching & landing, hitting big GS turns on the way out – sweet line. Scotty decided to run it through the middle of 2 rock lines in which it steepens, he drops it and slashes the ridge below soaking up the good times. Kerry was next and we directed him by radio to ski the line skier’s left of me as it was a beautiful fall line that looked nicely loaded with the sick stuff. He dropped in at the small point of the cornice traversing across a little to hit the planned fall line cruisng big laid back turns into the bowl to oomplete 4 epic lines!
We headed across the flats swinging skier’s right to cut across the low col at the end of the Shark’s Fin bowl aiming to return to the ridge where bowl 5 is and return to Gulmarg. Skiing down in the setting sun we arrived at Hill Top restaurant for burgers and coke - what a great day touring out back and scoring the goods!
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Friday, 19 February 2010
3 days of epic powder at Gulmarg, Kashmir!
After snowing for nearly 2 weeks I was seriously starting to lack vitamin D and needed a sound dosing of sunshine! The Gulmarg snow safety team planned to get an early start and avalanche control work underway in the morning, but as per usual it was contingent on the military delivering the explosives. They arrived late and bombing didn’t start until late morning and after some waiting we finally got the green light at 2.30pm as the sun was shining. As a season’s pass holder I was lucky to be able to go straight to the front after a lie in, and skinning up monkey hill from the police station it was poised to go off. The first gondola delivered us to nearly 4000m and we could see the acres of fresh light powder in the shadowy light, as it licked off from a light breeze, completely untouched and ready for us to purge. I hit the steep fall line leading me into the gun barrel and it was deep 60-70cms of pure smoke – the lightest powder we’ve had this season! What a run and with closing time normally 3pm the Gulmarg snow safety team did a great job, with plenty of sunshine left in the day, to keep the gondola open until after 4pm. I managed to get in 2 more sweet sweet runs into 2nd bowl which were steep and deep, some of the best powder I’ve skied in my life and a just reward for putting up with power outages, no internet, blocked water pipes and backeris over 2 weeks and we finally got what we were all waiting for – Super Pow!
Day 2 I was guiding Swiss clients Jerome and Laura – ex ski instructors from Champrey and really expert skiers – the perfect clients to go rip fresh lines with. We hit the ‘Shadowlands’ nailing 4 runs before lunch, including our first run in 4th bowl completely to ourselves then onto Shaggy’s face. Shaggy’s face is named after an Australian guy ‘Shaggy’ tragically lost his life on this face in 2007 being caught in an avalanche and dieing due to trauma. It’s a steep face that gets lots of loading and gets great north-facing snow. After lunch we hit the summit, to Laura’s delight, traversing behind the ridge to 5th bowl (skier’s left) and again not too many tracks down there, skiing the bowl fall line getting it fresh. Laura and Jerome were cranking turns and for the second time Jerome, pulled a front flip within his turn (not hitting any lip) and kept on skiing – just brilliant! Down to their hotel for a well deserved beer - what an epic day!
Day 3 I went riding with the kiwi boys and skinned in behind the Apherwat summit going direct to the Shark’s Fin Col. Kerry and Scotty dropped the bowl, while Ted and I climbed to the summit and headed down the ridge to the ‘Bananna Chute’. A very steep 50-55 degrees colouir that is rock walled and needing full commitment. We had a great ski and skinned up to the ridge making our way over to 6th bowl (skier’s left). We climbed through the rocks to access a chute in between 5th & 6th that leads back into 5th bowl and it was super light powder - again. We traversed across skier’s left getting absolutely primo and just let it rip all the way down into the forest coming out above the High Altitiude Warfare School, where they had set up camp with igloos, little pine huts and snow made pot plants. Gulmarg always seems to come up with little surprises!
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Day 2 I was guiding Swiss clients Jerome and Laura – ex ski instructors from Champrey and really expert skiers – the perfect clients to go rip fresh lines with. We hit the ‘Shadowlands’ nailing 4 runs before lunch, including our first run in 4th bowl completely to ourselves then onto Shaggy’s face. Shaggy’s face is named after an Australian guy ‘Shaggy’ tragically lost his life on this face in 2007 being caught in an avalanche and dieing due to trauma. It’s a steep face that gets lots of loading and gets great north-facing snow. After lunch we hit the summit, to Laura’s delight, traversing behind the ridge to 5th bowl (skier’s left) and again not too many tracks down there, skiing the bowl fall line getting it fresh. Laura and Jerome were cranking turns and for the second time Jerome, pulled a front flip within his turn (not hitting any lip) and kept on skiing – just brilliant! Down to their hotel for a well deserved beer - what an epic day!
Day 3 I went riding with the kiwi boys and skinned in behind the Apherwat summit going direct to the Shark’s Fin Col. Kerry and Scotty dropped the bowl, while Ted and I climbed to the summit and headed down the ridge to the ‘Bananna Chute’. A very steep 50-55 degrees colouir that is rock walled and needing full commitment. We had a great ski and skinned up to the ridge making our way over to 6th bowl (skier’s left). We climbed through the rocks to access a chute in between 5th & 6th that leads back into 5th bowl and it was super light powder - again. We traversed across skier’s left getting absolutely primo and just let it rip all the way down into the forest coming out above the High Altitiude Warfare School, where they had set up camp with igloos, little pine huts and snow made pot plants. Gulmarg always seems to come up with little surprises!
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Tragedy strikes with huge avalanche and a visit from Kiwi High Commissioner to India
After a huge snowfall of over 4 meters on the top of the gondola in Gulmarg snow conditions were treacherous. During the storm a group of soldiers from the High Altitude Warfare school ventured into exposed terrain on an exercise. A large avalanche came down and buried some 35 soldiers and 21 were not able to be revived resulting in fatalaties. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends of these tragically lost lives.
The storm kept raging and as a result the very weak layer described as ‘ball bearings’ was crushed by the heavy snow fall, which for powder hounds was a great result to have the deathly weak layer removed. After a very cold night the snow lightened and we hit the ‘Baba Reshi Temple’ run for a couple of days spinning loops being picked up by Jeep while we waited for snow control to take place and the 2nd phase of the gondola to open. This is a great ‘storm skiing’ or ‘gondola closed’ option as it provides some 1000m vertical of 40-45 degrees if you take the right guide to show you the right lines. It was great smashing the powder mushrooms and cream caked rocks, trees and logs making for some extreme powder jibbing and road jumps! Quite a unique environ and very different than skiing my home field of Craigieburn in New Zealand. Kerry, a fellow Kiwi couldn’t stop saying ‘champagne, it’s bloody champagne mate’ which is often what the Himalayas provides, the cold and altitude often retain or create very dry snow conditions!
We were privileged to have a visit from the New Zealand High Commissioner to India – Rupert Holborow, his wife Polly and 2 children. Rupert has been instrumental in helping Billa Bakshi (ski guide extraordinaire from Gulmarg) to bring a container of donated skis for the New Zealand Ski Club of Kashmir providing equipment for local Gulmarg kids. Often Kashmir has a reputation of a slightly edgy place to travel to and it was a great testament to have the High Commissioner visit showing that Gulmarg is a safe place to travel, although caution in Srinagar should be taken. This is a big step in the development of Gulmarg as a world class ski destination, the snow is some of the best in the world and now if we can look to improve facilities and infrastructure it is a very positive outlook going forward.
The opening of the 2nd phase was keenly awaited and when the floodgates opened riders took full advantage of the main bowl. Slightly wind consolidated and sporting huge cornice s on the ridge again, you always have to play it safe in Gulmarg and ‘ratchet it down’ a level! Although the north and north-east faces were to be wary of the south faces were lovely skiing and consolidation meant for safer riding. More snow in the late afternoon – does this place ever stop snowing!
www.sunstoneadventures.com
The storm kept raging and as a result the very weak layer described as ‘ball bearings’ was crushed by the heavy snow fall, which for powder hounds was a great result to have the deathly weak layer removed. After a very cold night the snow lightened and we hit the ‘Baba Reshi Temple’ run for a couple of days spinning loops being picked up by Jeep while we waited for snow control to take place and the 2nd phase of the gondola to open. This is a great ‘storm skiing’ or ‘gondola closed’ option as it provides some 1000m vertical of 40-45 degrees if you take the right guide to show you the right lines. It was great smashing the powder mushrooms and cream caked rocks, trees and logs making for some extreme powder jibbing and road jumps! Quite a unique environ and very different than skiing my home field of Craigieburn in New Zealand. Kerry, a fellow Kiwi couldn’t stop saying ‘champagne, it’s bloody champagne mate’ which is often what the Himalayas provides, the cold and altitude often retain or create very dry snow conditions!
We were privileged to have a visit from the New Zealand High Commissioner to India – Rupert Holborow, his wife Polly and 2 children. Rupert has been instrumental in helping Billa Bakshi (ski guide extraordinaire from Gulmarg) to bring a container of donated skis for the New Zealand Ski Club of Kashmir providing equipment for local Gulmarg kids. Often Kashmir has a reputation of a slightly edgy place to travel to and it was a great testament to have the High Commissioner visit showing that Gulmarg is a safe place to travel, although caution in Srinagar should be taken. This is a big step in the development of Gulmarg as a world class ski destination, the snow is some of the best in the world and now if we can look to improve facilities and infrastructure it is a very positive outlook going forward.
The opening of the 2nd phase was keenly awaited and when the floodgates opened riders took full advantage of the main bowl. Slightly wind consolidated and sporting huge cornice s on the ridge again, you always have to play it safe in Gulmarg and ‘ratchet it down’ a level! Although the north and north-east faces were to be wary of the south faces were lovely skiing and consolidation meant for safer riding. More snow in the late afternoon – does this place ever stop snowing!
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
A 400m ride of my life in an avalanche in Gulmarg Ski Resort, Kashmir
With more snow falling on a very sugary layer of snow, conditions have turned lethal in Gulmarg Ski Resort, Kashmir. The layer is sitting on what could be described as ball bearings and is creating a layer of friction that is setting off slides on all aspects. Gulmarg ski patrol kept the field closed for 2 days, and rightly so, after the storm performing essential avalanche control work ensuring the main bowl was safe for snow riders.
I was guiding 3 clients - ‘The Love Party’ when we decided to score some cheeky turns above 1st bowl skiers right which was advised as considerable risk in the backcountry. I could see 5 tracks that h and been made in this area and then the skiers had traversed back – still room for a few and to bug out back into the controlled area of the main bowl. We headed in and I stopped skier’s right close to the ridge anticipating to traverse back before the bowl steepened into the critical 35 degree + zone. Rich was loving the sweet 40-50cms of fresh powder as we all were hitting the wind lip and carving it up. He’d already been nicknamed ‘The Loneranger’ as he’d strayed a couple of times, but nothing serious and this time he kept going further near to the entry into the guts of the chute. I thought to myself ‘bugger we’ve gone too low and this feels sketchy’ and headed towards him going far lower than initially planned to start a traverse out and get the hell outta there. The 3 clients Jules, Rich and Michele were at a safe point so I started to traverse, as we were going to go one-by-one. The next I knew the slope cracked in front of me and before I could do anything, I shouted ‘Avalanche’ I was accelerating down a narrow couloir being tossed and turned upside down and feeling that drowning feeling I’d felt twice some years before.
The weight and strain of the snow was draining as I struggled underneath the snow fighting with my arms and every ounce of strength I had, I felt like giving up but thought ‘you either fight to get on top or you’re a gonna’! The Taylor omelette with 2 pouched eggs on top for breakfast gave me the energy to really fight but suddenly I was accelerating and must have reached between 50-60kms per hour (observed as one of my skis flinged meters into the air) it became a blur of blackness and suffocation, ‘must kept fighting’ I thought but at this stage with the gaining speed I thought I was toast, the speed just kept on increasing. I kept fighting and struggling thrashing my arms and suddenly after the 30 second ride I slowed up with the weighty snow compating around me and with my head coming to a rest just out of the snow as I was buried horizontally. I gasped for air and realised I’d come to a stop finally which seemed like an eternity. I gained my breath as my heart tried to burst out of my chest and struggled to raise my hand out of the snow to signal to my clients. Rich was on the scene within about seconds it seemed and pulled me out – good job he had gone straight for a visual search and had spotted me very quickly. I was 2 skis and I pole less so if anyone finds some K2 King Fujas with Craigieburn and Sunstone stickers on them please let me know. I couldn’t care less about the skis – that's what insurance is for right? I was a live and had a real close call - life had flashed past me but I had grabbed it and had the survival instinct to not give up but to fight to the end - but I had got lucky as I had just missed rocks on both sides of the narrow choker in the couloir travelling at speed and walked away with no injuries!
My 3rd avalanche in my ski career one at Craigieburn, Chamonix and now Gulmarg. I was thankful that the clients had taken on board the Sunstone avalanche training at the start of their 10 days and were already experienced backcountry riders. A very slick response indeed. We made our way back to the main bowl as I shared a ski with Jules to get across the exposed slope as quick as possible to avoid further risk. I had ended up 400m down 1st bowl near the very dangerous ‘Shaggy’s Face’ so named because ‘Shaggy ‘ an Aussie guy was taken by a large avalanche back in 2007 and had tragically passed away.
This is a real reminder to take maximum care and precautions when approaching backcountry terrain. In hindsight it was never my intention to ski this slope but putting turns above it and putting ourselves in that situation, in hindsight, was risky and we should have avoided this area altogether. As the saying goes ‘the last powder turns are often the best’. Fortunately I’ve still got loads more to come!
I was guiding 3 clients - ‘The Love Party’ when we decided to score some cheeky turns above 1st bowl skiers right which was advised as considerable risk in the backcountry. I could see 5 tracks that h and been made in this area and then the skiers had traversed back – still room for a few and to bug out back into the controlled area of the main bowl. We headed in and I stopped skier’s right close to the ridge anticipating to traverse back before the bowl steepened into the critical 35 degree + zone. Rich was loving the sweet 40-50cms of fresh powder as we all were hitting the wind lip and carving it up. He’d already been nicknamed ‘The Loneranger’ as he’d strayed a couple of times, but nothing serious and this time he kept going further near to the entry into the guts of the chute. I thought to myself ‘bugger we’ve gone too low and this feels sketchy’ and headed towards him going far lower than initially planned to start a traverse out and get the hell outta there. The 3 clients Jules, Rich and Michele were at a safe point so I started to traverse, as we were going to go one-by-one. The next I knew the slope cracked in front of me and before I could do anything, I shouted ‘Avalanche’ I was accelerating down a narrow couloir being tossed and turned upside down and feeling that drowning feeling I’d felt twice some years before.
The weight and strain of the snow was draining as I struggled underneath the snow fighting with my arms and every ounce of strength I had, I felt like giving up but thought ‘you either fight to get on top or you’re a gonna’! The Taylor omelette with 2 pouched eggs on top for breakfast gave me the energy to really fight but suddenly I was accelerating and must have reached between 50-60kms per hour (observed as one of my skis flinged meters into the air) it became a blur of blackness and suffocation, ‘must kept fighting’ I thought but at this stage with the gaining speed I thought I was toast, the speed just kept on increasing. I kept fighting and struggling thrashing my arms and suddenly after the 30 second ride I slowed up with the weighty snow compating around me and with my head coming to a rest just out of the snow as I was buried horizontally. I gasped for air and realised I’d come to a stop finally which seemed like an eternity. I gained my breath as my heart tried to burst out of my chest and struggled to raise my hand out of the snow to signal to my clients. Rich was on the scene within about seconds it seemed and pulled me out – good job he had gone straight for a visual search and had spotted me very quickly. I was 2 skis and I pole less so if anyone finds some K2 King Fujas with Craigieburn and Sunstone stickers on them please let me know. I couldn’t care less about the skis – that's what insurance is for right? I was a live and had a real close call - life had flashed past me but I had grabbed it and had the survival instinct to not give up but to fight to the end - but I had got lucky as I had just missed rocks on both sides of the narrow choker in the couloir travelling at speed and walked away with no injuries!
My 3rd avalanche in my ski career one at Craigieburn, Chamonix and now Gulmarg. I was thankful that the clients had taken on board the Sunstone avalanche training at the start of their 10 days and were already experienced backcountry riders. A very slick response indeed. We made our way back to the main bowl as I shared a ski with Jules to get across the exposed slope as quick as possible to avoid further risk. I had ended up 400m down 1st bowl near the very dangerous ‘Shaggy’s Face’ so named because ‘Shaggy ‘ an Aussie guy was taken by a large avalanche back in 2007 and had tragically passed away.
This is a real reminder to take maximum care and precautions when approaching backcountry terrain. In hindsight it was never my intention to ski this slope but putting turns above it and putting ourselves in that situation, in hindsight, was risky and we should have avoided this area altogether. As the saying goes ‘the last powder turns are often the best’. Fortunately I’ve still got loads more to come!
Friday, 15 January 2010
First clients for Sunstone at Gulmarg Ski Resort, Kashmir for 2010
A good pick up from the airport in the lush ‘scorpio’ with super driver Manzoor at the helm and we scooped team Sissons - father and son duo who were venturing not just to India for their first time but Kashmir. After a quick stop to Dal Gate to pick up a few boxes of Kingfisher Premium beer and some cash from the ATM we headed o Gulmarg passing the villages with classic driving antics that were certainly an eye-opener for the newly initiated! We checked the boys into Sahara Hotel and ordered a feast of full tandori chicken, sheesh kebabs, tomato paneer, rice, chapatis and washed down with traditional Kawa and sharing a cheeky beer to finish.
We headed over to Gulmarg Powder Guides to sort out rental skis, poles, transceivers, probes and shovels from the ever helpful Rashid. Dark was upon us and an atmospheric power cut ushered the boys back from the market to the legendary cosy Bakshi’s restaurant for a pre-brief of Gulmarg Ski Resort and a look at the trail map that was on the sunstone laptop. A few beers later and Terry was off to hit the hay having travelled from Wellington in New Zealand, Sam and I old school friends, of course had a few more beers as we chatted with a few of the local westerners who were here for the season – Roland, Kerry, Toby, Cindy and Kat. It was soon bed time and great to have the first clients arrive with no delays or hiccups – sweet as!
Day 1of skiing and I picked up the guys from Sahara meeting Mustaq, our Kashmiri ski guide and legend ski racer having won the Gulmarg top-to- bottom ski race in 2009. What a time he nailed it in – 6 minutes 26 seconds from top of the Gomdola (3950m) down to Pine Palace Hotel (2600m) in variable conditions to win the race and be crowned ski champion of Gulmarg! We walked the 15 minutes to the gondola and headed up to ‘Kongdoor’ mid station to get the guys briefed on avalanche safety and have a practice with the avalanche transceivers finding a buried transceiver and practicing with our shovels and probes. All went well with the guys getting the hang of it very quickly and Sam even finding a transceiver on our last practice in 29 seconds – a superb effort.
It was time to head up the gondola and have a run down the main bowl. Mustaq & Terry hit the chopped up powder while Sam and I carved turns on the chalky gun barrel carving and getting some nice pockets of windblown. A quick rest and up for another ski on the top ridgeline skiers right, with Mustaq & Sam heading down to hit the sheltered, deeper snow in Mary’s shoulder and Terry and I hitting the lovely wind lip in half bowl. We had some lush pow turns, as not too many people had been down there, particularly because it runs out of snow and the option skiers left is bush waking but we headed down a small steep colouir and out right bush waking into bowl 2 which led us to the traverse around to the teahouse to meet the guys for lunch in the sun! The Kiwi boys got stuck into Chicken Biriyani, Chicken curry and parathas washed down with Kashmiri Kawa. We cruised down the 1st phase in the lovely forest and cruised back to Sahara Hotel. A great day to ease the boys in. In a few days once they’ve acclimatised we’ll grab the fatter skis with Alpine Touring bindings set-up & skins and head out for some adventuring into the backcountry – good times!
www.sunstoneadventures.com
We headed over to Gulmarg Powder Guides to sort out rental skis, poles, transceivers, probes and shovels from the ever helpful Rashid. Dark was upon us and an atmospheric power cut ushered the boys back from the market to the legendary cosy Bakshi’s restaurant for a pre-brief of Gulmarg Ski Resort and a look at the trail map that was on the sunstone laptop. A few beers later and Terry was off to hit the hay having travelled from Wellington in New Zealand, Sam and I old school friends, of course had a few more beers as we chatted with a few of the local westerners who were here for the season – Roland, Kerry, Toby, Cindy and Kat. It was soon bed time and great to have the first clients arrive with no delays or hiccups – sweet as!
Day 1of skiing and I picked up the guys from Sahara meeting Mustaq, our Kashmiri ski guide and legend ski racer having won the Gulmarg top-to- bottom ski race in 2009. What a time he nailed it in – 6 minutes 26 seconds from top of the Gomdola (3950m) down to Pine Palace Hotel (2600m) in variable conditions to win the race and be crowned ski champion of Gulmarg! We walked the 15 minutes to the gondola and headed up to ‘Kongdoor’ mid station to get the guys briefed on avalanche safety and have a practice with the avalanche transceivers finding a buried transceiver and practicing with our shovels and probes. All went well with the guys getting the hang of it very quickly and Sam even finding a transceiver on our last practice in 29 seconds – a superb effort.
It was time to head up the gondola and have a run down the main bowl. Mustaq & Terry hit the chopped up powder while Sam and I carved turns on the chalky gun barrel carving and getting some nice pockets of windblown. A quick rest and up for another ski on the top ridgeline skiers right, with Mustaq & Sam heading down to hit the sheltered, deeper snow in Mary’s shoulder and Terry and I hitting the lovely wind lip in half bowl. We had some lush pow turns, as not too many people had been down there, particularly because it runs out of snow and the option skiers left is bush waking but we headed down a small steep colouir and out right bush waking into bowl 2 which led us to the traverse around to the teahouse to meet the guys for lunch in the sun! The Kiwi boys got stuck into Chicken Biriyani, Chicken curry and parathas washed down with Kashmiri Kawa. We cruised down the 1st phase in the lovely forest and cruised back to Sahara Hotel. A great day to ease the boys in. In a few days once they’ve acclimatised we’ll grab the fatter skis with Alpine Touring bindings set-up & skins and head out for some adventuring into the backcountry – good times!
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
High End Rescue at Gulmarg Ski Resort and a trip down to Srinagar
Well no more snow since arriving at Gulmarg and with lots of solar about there’s definitely a few rocks poking around especially on the exposed ridges. There are still lines to be found for the adventurous on the north-facing aspects and especially where snow is sheltered and kept cold by the tree line. It’s a super cool crew of old and new faces in Gulmarg and everyone is using the time to hone up on essential avalanche transceiver skills and techniques, trying other snow disciplines and partying it up with DJ Alex throwing 3 great parties (including a Russian Christmas Party) where the house definitely ‘went off’.
Brian Newman, Gulmarg’s Avalanche Forecaster runs an avalanche class every Tuesday from 7pm at The Pine Palace Hotel which is both a theoretical look at avalanche risk and some excellent practical insights into the huge terrain offering that is Gulmarg. Already we have had some incidents at Gulmarg including a Russian women fracturing both legs about 8 bowls skiers right of Mt.Apharwat in the ‘Drung Bowls’ that lead you down to the village of Drung in an amazing 20 something kilometer ski and over 2000m vertical. The alert was raised around 8.30pm and she was located at 10pm with an amazing effort of some 30 ski patrol and gondola workers it took 6 hours to retrieve and a successful rescue was made. In appreciation we all donated a bunch of rupees towards the guys who put on an amazing effort – government workers (Gulmarg Tourist & Development Board) who don’t get paid over-time let alone double time and still had to work the next day unlike other western resorts in which a day off in lieu would certainly be mandatory. A Big thanks goes out to this superhuman effort. We all signed a t-shirt for the women who is recovering in Srinagar hospital and our positive thoughts go out to her for a speedy recovery.
A fellow kiwi Kerry and I headed down to Srinagar on the local bus which was 15 rupees from Gulmarg to Tangmarg (the village below Gulmarg) and a further 18 rupees to Srinagar which is great value for a 2 hour ride mixing it up with the locals! We were heading to a houseboat and wanted to give the body a little break from riding and soak up some of the exotic local culture that is Kashmir. We headed to Cafe Arabica (in front of Grand Mumtaz Hotel) for a latte and some pizza. A bit of a treat as a little expensiony coffee was 65 rupes and pizza started from 200 rupes but not a bad pizza on my ‘Indian Pizza Scale’ NOT my ‘World Pizza Scale’ probably a 7/10 as it was from the wood oven.
With full bellies we headed to Lal Chowk where there was a bit of ‘action’ a couple of days earlier where 2 militants had been gunned down after being holed up in a hotel – the Indian Army taking care of business so we were a little cautious but this is not particularly unusual for Srinagar. When accessing Gulmarg Ski Resort it is relatively safe as the route from the airport to Gulmarg skirts the outside of the city and has Indian Army lining the road all the way up – which of course they have foreign & Indian tourists within their interest to protect. As we came across the bridge walking towards Dal Gate there was a heavy police presence and the shops in the outer market roadside seemed to be closed which was odd, it not being a Friday (a day of worship). We peered into the market and saw a barrage of rocks and stones being hurled at the police by locals. Apparently a local boy had been killed by the police and a 3 day strike ensued in protest of the police barricade intimidating the local community. Well the first bit of action I had seen, so it was head down and around the corner to Dal Lake. We had a good wander down the shores being badgered for Shikara rides and had arranged to meet Gulum our houseboat host. We met Gulum who is a lovely laid back local from Srinagar and is helper shokot who paddles us over to the ‘Highland Queen’ houseboat which would be our abode for the evening. We had the customary Kashmiri Kawa tea (made with saffron) and biscuits as we took on the locals paddling past in Shikaras and smaller vessels coming and going as the sunset. As it cooled with the departure of the sun we headed inside to the beautiful living room which was rather like being in your posh grandma’s house with chandeliers, intricate wood panelling, carved tables, exquisite couches and chairs set on the finest Kashmiri carpets. We sat down to roast chicken, potatoes, carrots and green beans – wow just fantastic with a fruit custard dessert a welcome change to curry. We planned an early morning rise to visit the legendary ‘floating vegetable market’ which kicks off at first light. We snuggles up in a bed fit for a king with a hottie (hot waterbottle) into dreamland.
We awoke to masala chai and headed out on the shikara at 7am, wrapped up in our down jackets, covered with a warm blanket, more hot tea and sharing the ‘winter wife’ – a flax made bucket that holds hot coals taken from a fire that the Kashmiri men place under their pharans to keep warm. We paddled through the frozen lake wonderland as it came to life arriving at the site of the trading. Probably over 100 small vessels were pulled up and the vegetable haggling, bartering and selling began in what is probably one of the more unusual markets in the world. The vegetables were all types of carrots, haq & palak (types of Kashmiri spinach), onions, potatoes and so on. We also had a little brekkie snack of Kashmiri bread with a lovely (not too sweet) sugary coating which was delicious. 200 photos later and with the sun coming up over the lowland Himalayan hills we paddled back for breakfast via the local bakery. The sun hit the frosted snowy Lakeland creating beautiful crystal reflections in the water – a photographers dream! We were again treated to great food -omelettes and Kashmiri bread washed down with Kashmiri kawa tea. After good conversation we left Gullum and hiked up the opposite hillside to the Shankaracharya Temple. You can’t take mobiles or cameras in due to security and unfortunately it has a military base surrounding the beautiful Hindu temple. 243 steps up and down was good cross training for skiing that’s for sure! Great views over Dal Lake really put the huge body of water into perspective and I started to hatch a plan of a lake circumnavigation! A mission for another time.
Some beer shopping (it’s located about 200m after Dal Gate opposite the lake front on the left side of a group of a shop front complex) and it was time to track down some Momos at Ying Yang restaurant (near Cafe Arabica towards the market before the bridge on the left). Awesome Momos made by the Nepalese crew and it was another mad tuk tuk ride to the local bus station to re-trace our steps back up to Gulmarg watching village life from the bus and arriving back to our peaceful little haven.
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Brian Newman, Gulmarg’s Avalanche Forecaster runs an avalanche class every Tuesday from 7pm at The Pine Palace Hotel which is both a theoretical look at avalanche risk and some excellent practical insights into the huge terrain offering that is Gulmarg. Already we have had some incidents at Gulmarg including a Russian women fracturing both legs about 8 bowls skiers right of Mt.Apharwat in the ‘Drung Bowls’ that lead you down to the village of Drung in an amazing 20 something kilometer ski and over 2000m vertical. The alert was raised around 8.30pm and she was located at 10pm with an amazing effort of some 30 ski patrol and gondola workers it took 6 hours to retrieve and a successful rescue was made. In appreciation we all donated a bunch of rupees towards the guys who put on an amazing effort – government workers (Gulmarg Tourist & Development Board) who don’t get paid over-time let alone double time and still had to work the next day unlike other western resorts in which a day off in lieu would certainly be mandatory. A Big thanks goes out to this superhuman effort. We all signed a t-shirt for the women who is recovering in Srinagar hospital and our positive thoughts go out to her for a speedy recovery.
A fellow kiwi Kerry and I headed down to Srinagar on the local bus which was 15 rupees from Gulmarg to Tangmarg (the village below Gulmarg) and a further 18 rupees to Srinagar which is great value for a 2 hour ride mixing it up with the locals! We were heading to a houseboat and wanted to give the body a little break from riding and soak up some of the exotic local culture that is Kashmir. We headed to Cafe Arabica (in front of Grand Mumtaz Hotel) for a latte and some pizza. A bit of a treat as a little expensiony coffee was 65 rupes and pizza started from 200 rupes but not a bad pizza on my ‘Indian Pizza Scale’ NOT my ‘World Pizza Scale’ probably a 7/10 as it was from the wood oven.
With full bellies we headed to Lal Chowk where there was a bit of ‘action’ a couple of days earlier where 2 militants had been gunned down after being holed up in a hotel – the Indian Army taking care of business so we were a little cautious but this is not particularly unusual for Srinagar. When accessing Gulmarg Ski Resort it is relatively safe as the route from the airport to Gulmarg skirts the outside of the city and has Indian Army lining the road all the way up – which of course they have foreign & Indian tourists within their interest to protect. As we came across the bridge walking towards Dal Gate there was a heavy police presence and the shops in the outer market roadside seemed to be closed which was odd, it not being a Friday (a day of worship). We peered into the market and saw a barrage of rocks and stones being hurled at the police by locals. Apparently a local boy had been killed by the police and a 3 day strike ensued in protest of the police barricade intimidating the local community. Well the first bit of action I had seen, so it was head down and around the corner to Dal Lake. We had a good wander down the shores being badgered for Shikara rides and had arranged to meet Gulum our houseboat host. We met Gulum who is a lovely laid back local from Srinagar and is helper shokot who paddles us over to the ‘Highland Queen’ houseboat which would be our abode for the evening. We had the customary Kashmiri Kawa tea (made with saffron) and biscuits as we took on the locals paddling past in Shikaras and smaller vessels coming and going as the sunset. As it cooled with the departure of the sun we headed inside to the beautiful living room which was rather like being in your posh grandma’s house with chandeliers, intricate wood panelling, carved tables, exquisite couches and chairs set on the finest Kashmiri carpets. We sat down to roast chicken, potatoes, carrots and green beans – wow just fantastic with a fruit custard dessert a welcome change to curry. We planned an early morning rise to visit the legendary ‘floating vegetable market’ which kicks off at first light. We snuggles up in a bed fit for a king with a hottie (hot waterbottle) into dreamland.
We awoke to masala chai and headed out on the shikara at 7am, wrapped up in our down jackets, covered with a warm blanket, more hot tea and sharing the ‘winter wife’ – a flax made bucket that holds hot coals taken from a fire that the Kashmiri men place under their pharans to keep warm. We paddled through the frozen lake wonderland as it came to life arriving at the site of the trading. Probably over 100 small vessels were pulled up and the vegetable haggling, bartering and selling began in what is probably one of the more unusual markets in the world. The vegetables were all types of carrots, haq & palak (types of Kashmiri spinach), onions, potatoes and so on. We also had a little brekkie snack of Kashmiri bread with a lovely (not too sweet) sugary coating which was delicious. 200 photos later and with the sun coming up over the lowland Himalayan hills we paddled back for breakfast via the local bakery. The sun hit the frosted snowy Lakeland creating beautiful crystal reflections in the water – a photographers dream! We were again treated to great food -omelettes and Kashmiri bread washed down with Kashmiri kawa tea. After good conversation we left Gullum and hiked up the opposite hillside to the Shankaracharya Temple. You can’t take mobiles or cameras in due to security and unfortunately it has a military base surrounding the beautiful Hindu temple. 243 steps up and down was good cross training for skiing that’s for sure! Great views over Dal Lake really put the huge body of water into perspective and I started to hatch a plan of a lake circumnavigation! A mission for another time.
Some beer shopping (it’s located about 200m after Dal Gate opposite the lake front on the left side of a group of a shop front complex) and it was time to track down some Momos at Ying Yang restaurant (near Cafe Arabica towards the market before the bridge on the left). Awesome Momos made by the Nepalese crew and it was another mad tuk tuk ride to the local bus station to re-trace our steps back up to Gulmarg watching village life from the bus and arriving back to our peaceful little haven.
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Journey to Gulmarg Ski Resort, Kashmir, India
Edinburgh – London – Delhi.
After an overnight stop in Delhi it was great to pick up some last minute things before flying the 1 hour 20 minutes to Srinagar in Kashmir, India to make my way to legendary ski resort of Gulmarg! I always stay in the Main Bazaar of Parha Ganj in Delhi as its good value, a well placed location for connecting and there is always something to see. A pomegranate & orange juice followed by a superb masala dosa and a full head shave was just what the doctor ordered. The main bazaar is a hectic backpackers spot but always full of action and interest with storage facilities, cheap shopping, some great local food haunts and some nice places for a quiet beer!
I arrived in Srinagar airport and travelled up to Gulmarg ski resort in good time (2 hours) as there was not too much snow about on the roads. Passing villages with people going about their day-to-day business, shopping, playing cricket, building and travelling in all sorts of vehicles from large jeeps, trucks, buses and even by horse & cart – a step back in time. We wind our way up past the village of Tangmarg on the Gulmarg road through the beautiful forest and finally pull into the valley arriving at the legendary Bakshi’s restaurant at Gulmarg ski resort. Gulmarg literally means valley of flowers and in summer is a riot of colour in which the Indian middle class come to retreat, play golf and take in the spectacular views from the gondola and around. This is how the ski resort has developed on the back of this summer retreat and with the extension of the gondola from 3000m to the top elevation of 3950m. it has opened up access to some 20 huge bowls across the Pir Panjal range offering some of the best steep, powder skiing in the world off the highest ski lift in the world.
A warm welcome from all the boys at Bakshi’s restaurant on my return and it’s a traditional cawa Kashmiri tea to settle in. I unpack and come down for dinner feasting on their signature dish - Afghani chicken with potatoes and green salad. Reports were that snow was needed and waking up the next morning it started dumping. Sunstone had bought the snow – but to be honest for a resort that gets over 20 meters of snow per year – odds are fairly good that snow is never far away! The Gondola was closed with white-out conditions and it was a good day to get my bearings again, sorting my room out (above the ski shop again) getting my gear ready for some fresh powder tomorrow – yee haa! We walk over to Pine Palace Hotel and say hello to the staff there and Brian & Tim who are snow safety this year. Brian returns for his 3rd season and has been a real asset to Gulmarg Ski Resort putting in sound processes and safety procedures with a remit of training & developing the Gulmarg ski patrol. Some tea, coffee and ice cream hanging out with Tara (Canadian), Momo (French) and Cindy (Indian snowboard instructor from Manali) while we watched the snow continuing to fall and build to 15cm at 2600m. It must be getting twice that up top at 3000-4000m, morning would soon tell!
I awake the next morning to a beautiful sunny day and looking forward to some freshies. We take the gondola up to the mid station and Brian is heading up to the top to perform the safety control work as there is certainly potential for slides with new snow on a firmer base. We decide to skin up Mary’s shoulder to get some exercise start the acclimatisation process. The sun streams through the trees hitting the beautiful snow glistening and sparkling in a thermonuclear explosion. Yanik, Tara, frank and I arrive just above the trees, gear up and head down in some sweet deep powder – 30-40cms. A two minute ride I score 5 face shots and get the heavenly floating powder feeling again – welcome back!
The top is now open so we take the Gondola to the top station at 3950m and skin up to Apharwat summit at 4200m. A glorious day with a huge cloud inversion offers stunning views of Nanga Parbat – just spectacular. We head out far across skiers left in between bowls four and five to the ‘singing trees’ where we score some deep deep powder, silky sugary light pow in which we sink into the layer before the snowfall which gives a depth of at least 50-60cms and I’m back in the sublime! We ski a 1500m vertical line and with only 2 runs for the day taking close on 6 hours is evidence of the huge vertical that Gulmarg offers. What a big day for my first so it’s back to base and a solid dose of Ibuprofen , a long hour stretch for the calf muscles and a hot shower before some more Afghani chicken to celebrate the first day skiing. I bump into an old ski friend - Roland from my home ski field of Criagieburn in New Zealand – gotta love the worldwide ski bum community! We have a couple of beers catching up and then play the crazy card game ‘spoons’ which is a little like musical chairs but played with dessert spoons spread across a table in which there is one less than the card players. Whoever feels to grab a spoon loses the round. This sees me dive across a table and then upside down curve under it smashing into a Finnish guy to snaggle the last one but unfortunately the Finnish guy falls back on his chair in the fraca breaking a chair in the process – doh. 500 rupees between us all as it was a combination of about 10 people in a huge ruck! Fortunately I didn’t lose but Toby a Londoner (now claiming to be a kiwi as he’s living in Ruapehu) spelt out the word ‘club’ after losing 4 rounds and has to dance like a ‘night clubber’ for one minute - which is a long time in front of a packed restaurant with no music – good times - Gulmarg style.
www.sunstoneadventures.com
After an overnight stop in Delhi it was great to pick up some last minute things before flying the 1 hour 20 minutes to Srinagar in Kashmir, India to make my way to legendary ski resort of Gulmarg! I always stay in the Main Bazaar of Parha Ganj in Delhi as its good value, a well placed location for connecting and there is always something to see. A pomegranate & orange juice followed by a superb masala dosa and a full head shave was just what the doctor ordered. The main bazaar is a hectic backpackers spot but always full of action and interest with storage facilities, cheap shopping, some great local food haunts and some nice places for a quiet beer!
I arrived in Srinagar airport and travelled up to Gulmarg ski resort in good time (2 hours) as there was not too much snow about on the roads. Passing villages with people going about their day-to-day business, shopping, playing cricket, building and travelling in all sorts of vehicles from large jeeps, trucks, buses and even by horse & cart – a step back in time. We wind our way up past the village of Tangmarg on the Gulmarg road through the beautiful forest and finally pull into the valley arriving at the legendary Bakshi’s restaurant at Gulmarg ski resort. Gulmarg literally means valley of flowers and in summer is a riot of colour in which the Indian middle class come to retreat, play golf and take in the spectacular views from the gondola and around. This is how the ski resort has developed on the back of this summer retreat and with the extension of the gondola from 3000m to the top elevation of 3950m. it has opened up access to some 20 huge bowls across the Pir Panjal range offering some of the best steep, powder skiing in the world off the highest ski lift in the world.
A warm welcome from all the boys at Bakshi’s restaurant on my return and it’s a traditional cawa Kashmiri tea to settle in. I unpack and come down for dinner feasting on their signature dish - Afghani chicken with potatoes and green salad. Reports were that snow was needed and waking up the next morning it started dumping. Sunstone had bought the snow – but to be honest for a resort that gets over 20 meters of snow per year – odds are fairly good that snow is never far away! The Gondola was closed with white-out conditions and it was a good day to get my bearings again, sorting my room out (above the ski shop again) getting my gear ready for some fresh powder tomorrow – yee haa! We walk over to Pine Palace Hotel and say hello to the staff there and Brian & Tim who are snow safety this year. Brian returns for his 3rd season and has been a real asset to Gulmarg Ski Resort putting in sound processes and safety procedures with a remit of training & developing the Gulmarg ski patrol. Some tea, coffee and ice cream hanging out with Tara (Canadian), Momo (French) and Cindy (Indian snowboard instructor from Manali) while we watched the snow continuing to fall and build to 15cm at 2600m. It must be getting twice that up top at 3000-4000m, morning would soon tell!
I awake the next morning to a beautiful sunny day and looking forward to some freshies. We take the gondola up to the mid station and Brian is heading up to the top to perform the safety control work as there is certainly potential for slides with new snow on a firmer base. We decide to skin up Mary’s shoulder to get some exercise start the acclimatisation process. The sun streams through the trees hitting the beautiful snow glistening and sparkling in a thermonuclear explosion. Yanik, Tara, frank and I arrive just above the trees, gear up and head down in some sweet deep powder – 30-40cms. A two minute ride I score 5 face shots and get the heavenly floating powder feeling again – welcome back!
The top is now open so we take the Gondola to the top station at 3950m and skin up to Apharwat summit at 4200m. A glorious day with a huge cloud inversion offers stunning views of Nanga Parbat – just spectacular. We head out far across skiers left in between bowls four and five to the ‘singing trees’ where we score some deep deep powder, silky sugary light pow in which we sink into the layer before the snowfall which gives a depth of at least 50-60cms and I’m back in the sublime! We ski a 1500m vertical line and with only 2 runs for the day taking close on 6 hours is evidence of the huge vertical that Gulmarg offers. What a big day for my first so it’s back to base and a solid dose of Ibuprofen , a long hour stretch for the calf muscles and a hot shower before some more Afghani chicken to celebrate the first day skiing. I bump into an old ski friend - Roland from my home ski field of Criagieburn in New Zealand – gotta love the worldwide ski bum community! We have a couple of beers catching up and then play the crazy card game ‘spoons’ which is a little like musical chairs but played with dessert spoons spread across a table in which there is one less than the card players. Whoever feels to grab a spoon loses the round. This sees me dive across a table and then upside down curve under it smashing into a Finnish guy to snaggle the last one but unfortunately the Finnish guy falls back on his chair in the fraca breaking a chair in the process – doh. 500 rupees between us all as it was a combination of about 10 people in a huge ruck! Fortunately I didn’t lose but Toby a Londoner (now claiming to be a kiwi as he’s living in Ruapehu) spelt out the word ‘club’ after losing 4 rounds and has to dance like a ‘night clubber’ for one minute - which is a long time in front of a packed restaurant with no music – good times - Gulmarg style.
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Monday, 28 December 2009
Skiing in Gulmarg with a local girl
Gulmarg has earned the distinction of being the best ski resort in Asia, not to mention home to the highest ski slopes in the world
I plug in my ipod, check the tension on my skis and look around. We're skiing in Gulmarg and I see John Falkner standing by the gondola at 15,000 feet in masterful yoga stretch. To me John is God of the slopes, a veteran and regular on the soaring Apharwat peaks of Kashmir. Like me, he visits annually with his group of ski-crazy friends and advanced European skiers. A quick nod of approval from him, a short prayer, and I'm ripping down 13,000 feet of powder off the world's highest slope for the first time. Everything in front of me is white and I see kilometers of snow, glistening like diamonds, waiting to be kicked up like dust as my skis fly over.
Skiing in powder is the ultimate ski experience. The feeling of lightness, ease, and grace is incomparable. But the first time you venture into powder you may feel more like a fly in a spider's web than a bird on the wing.
Luckily learning how to ski on Gulmarg's well groomed slopes is easy.
Skiing was first introduced in these parts by two British Army officers who established the first ski club here in 1927. But it wasn’t until five or six years ago when Gulmarg's name first started to appear on the ski cognoscenti's hotlist.
Gulmarg is a small hill village situated in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir at the western extremity of the Himalayas in a mountain range called the Pir Panjals. Its name when translated means "meadow of flowers." It's 35 miles from Srinagar, the state capital and would, on a good day, take you about an hour and a half to drive up.
Skiing in powder, I think, is the ultimate ski experience.
— Zainab Nedou
I learnt how to ski in Gulmarg and then skied in different parts of the world but there's a special connect that forms between you and the mountains of Gulmarg that makes me want to run back every year. Probably because I'm Kashmiri. Or maybe it's because the slopes here are so perfect. In Gulmarg, with the use of snow-grooming equipment, a skier can learn to ski, and become quite proficient. There are well groomed slopes for beginners and intermediates. After you have mastered those you can easily move to what is locally known as the first phase of "The Gondola" -- a medium-to-intermediate run of approximately 2.5 kilometres of groomed piste.
Ski snobs love it because Gulmarg gets some of the heaviest snowfalls in the Himalayas. The high altitude snow remains cold, crisp and light for days on end. The snow cycle is unusually regular, often snowing every seven days for two to three days delivering over a meter of fresh powder at a time. The steep powder bowls stretch across the range, offering 1,000 meter vertical runs, not to mention skiing off the highest gondola in the world at nearly 4,000 meters altitude. There are even some 'super steeps' here, up to 65 degrees, to really get the endorphins flowing.
The diversity of skiing in Gulmarg means that you can experience what you want, when you want. Extreme backcountry, off-piste, on-piste, the highest gondola in the world or even resort skiing; take your pick. If company is a concern know that you’ll be skiing and boarding with professionals who know their playground (read: internationally qualified ski guides and mountaineers) and even trained Kashmiri locals. If first aid is what you're worried about, doctors and ski patrol personnel are always around. The medical staff even have snow mobiles for medical emergencies.
You'd be crazy not to be inspired by the raw beauty of Kashmir, the relentless pursuit of adventure, the thrill of slashing through untracked snow and the exhilaration of dropping into effortless runs, followed by a hot meaty meal, a warm brandy and a feather pillow.
The added advantage with skiing in Gulmarg is that it offers reasonably priced boarding and lodging and brand new equipment to hire for a ski holiday that won’t break the bank.
The Nedou’s Hotel, for example, is run like an old British lodge. The Lounge there, with the biggest wood stove in the valley, is lively till the wee hours of the morning with people nursing their drinks and discussing their day. Skiing in Gulmarg is definitely a place to make friends that last.
source:
http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/play/skiing-kashmir-162328
www.sunstoneadventures.com
I plug in my ipod, check the tension on my skis and look around. We're skiing in Gulmarg and I see John Falkner standing by the gondola at 15,000 feet in masterful yoga stretch. To me John is God of the slopes, a veteran and regular on the soaring Apharwat peaks of Kashmir. Like me, he visits annually with his group of ski-crazy friends and advanced European skiers. A quick nod of approval from him, a short prayer, and I'm ripping down 13,000 feet of powder off the world's highest slope for the first time. Everything in front of me is white and I see kilometers of snow, glistening like diamonds, waiting to be kicked up like dust as my skis fly over.
Skiing in powder is the ultimate ski experience. The feeling of lightness, ease, and grace is incomparable. But the first time you venture into powder you may feel more like a fly in a spider's web than a bird on the wing.
Luckily learning how to ski on Gulmarg's well groomed slopes is easy.
Skiing was first introduced in these parts by two British Army officers who established the first ski club here in 1927. But it wasn’t until five or six years ago when Gulmarg's name first started to appear on the ski cognoscenti's hotlist.
Gulmarg is a small hill village situated in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir at the western extremity of the Himalayas in a mountain range called the Pir Panjals. Its name when translated means "meadow of flowers." It's 35 miles from Srinagar, the state capital and would, on a good day, take you about an hour and a half to drive up.
Skiing in powder, I think, is the ultimate ski experience.
— Zainab Nedou
I learnt how to ski in Gulmarg and then skied in different parts of the world but there's a special connect that forms between you and the mountains of Gulmarg that makes me want to run back every year. Probably because I'm Kashmiri. Or maybe it's because the slopes here are so perfect. In Gulmarg, with the use of snow-grooming equipment, a skier can learn to ski, and become quite proficient. There are well groomed slopes for beginners and intermediates. After you have mastered those you can easily move to what is locally known as the first phase of "The Gondola" -- a medium-to-intermediate run of approximately 2.5 kilometres of groomed piste.
Ski snobs love it because Gulmarg gets some of the heaviest snowfalls in the Himalayas. The high altitude snow remains cold, crisp and light for days on end. The snow cycle is unusually regular, often snowing every seven days for two to three days delivering over a meter of fresh powder at a time. The steep powder bowls stretch across the range, offering 1,000 meter vertical runs, not to mention skiing off the highest gondola in the world at nearly 4,000 meters altitude. There are even some 'super steeps' here, up to 65 degrees, to really get the endorphins flowing.
The diversity of skiing in Gulmarg means that you can experience what you want, when you want. Extreme backcountry, off-piste, on-piste, the highest gondola in the world or even resort skiing; take your pick. If company is a concern know that you’ll be skiing and boarding with professionals who know their playground (read: internationally qualified ski guides and mountaineers) and even trained Kashmiri locals. If first aid is what you're worried about, doctors and ski patrol personnel are always around. The medical staff even have snow mobiles for medical emergencies.
You'd be crazy not to be inspired by the raw beauty of Kashmir, the relentless pursuit of adventure, the thrill of slashing through untracked snow and the exhilaration of dropping into effortless runs, followed by a hot meaty meal, a warm brandy and a feather pillow.
The added advantage with skiing in Gulmarg is that it offers reasonably priced boarding and lodging and brand new equipment to hire for a ski holiday that won’t break the bank.
The Nedou’s Hotel, for example, is run like an old British lodge. The Lounge there, with the biggest wood stove in the valley, is lively till the wee hours of the morning with people nursing their drinks and discussing their day. Skiing in Gulmarg is definitely a place to make friends that last.
source:
http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/play/skiing-kashmir-162328
www.sunstoneadventures.com
Friday, 28 August 2009
Incredible Trekking, Climbing, Skiing photos of the Himalayas
Hey there folks,
welcome to Sunstone Adventures Limited blog site!
Sunstone Adventures is a UK & NZ based adventure guiding company specialising in providing expertly guided treks in Nepal and powder skiing adventures in Gulmarg, Kashmir.
For a little taster you can see some sweet shots at: www.flickr.com/sunstoneadvemtures
Our website is coming very soon at: www.sunstoneadventures.com
Cheers,
Paul
Paul Swettenham - Director
Sunstone Adventures Limited
sunstoneadventures@gmail.com
welcome to Sunstone Adventures Limited blog site!
Sunstone Adventures is a UK & NZ based adventure guiding company specialising in providing expertly guided treks in Nepal and powder skiing adventures in Gulmarg, Kashmir.
For a little taster you can see some sweet shots at: www.flickr.com/sunstoneadvemtures
Our website is coming very soon at: www.sunstoneadventures.com
Cheers,
Paul
Paul Swettenham - Director
Sunstone Adventures Limited
sunstoneadventures@gmail.com
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