Skiing in Kashmir: Gulmarg resort is off-the-radar paradise of untouched slopes and breathtaking terrain
Home to one of the highest gondolas in the world, this ski resort close to the de facto border between India and Pakistan is an undiscovered gem – be sure to keep an eye out for snow leopards
“Welcome to Kashmir,” says local ski guide Anees Bhat as he greets us with a bright smile just outside the airport. Still sleepy, we have landed on the morning flight from Delhi to Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s Jammu and Kashmir state.
However, my wife Esther and I are not in Kashmir to get involved in politics. We are here to ski. Having long heard whispers of it being a secret gem, we wanted to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.
It takes an hour and a half to get from the bustling Indian city to the sleepy resort of Gulmarg. Everywhere we look is blanketed in snow, with thick smoke billowing out of chimneys. At an elevation of 2,650 metres, located at the bottom of Mt Apharwat, the resort is very close to the Pakistani border, officially known as The Line of Control.
Gulmarg was established during the British Raj as a hill station to which British colonial administrators would flee to escape the heat of the Northern Indian plains. To promote tourism, a gondola (Phase 1) was built in 1998 to carry tourists up the 3,000-metre Kongdori peak. In 2005, a second one, Phase 2, was added, reaching 3,979.5 metres, which is very close to the top of Mt Apharwat, making it one of the highest gondolas in the world.