The journey to Gulmarg leads in fact to one of the best and most spectacular powder ski areas of the world – but it also leads into a region which is hardly known, to a ski resort which is still a long way from what most guests are used to, into a different culture area, to a remote settlement where tourism infrastructure is still primarily oriented towards summer guests, to a mountain which due to its exposure and topography presents a considerable danger potential and to a village where most service providers (ski shops, ski instructors, guides, hotels, etc.) are just at the beginning of the learning process on how to professionally deal with winter sports’ guests.

For trips to unknown regions it is important to get a clear picture on what to expect in advance. From comfort expectations in hotels to safety in the area and dangers on the road and the mountain and the real costs of the vacation one is confronted with a number of unknowns. In order to properly plan their Gulmarg trip and to find the right partner to book a program that fulfills their comfort and safety expectations many guests start surfing the web for relevant information. Reliable and competent answers, however, are rare and not always easy to find.

With this blog “Skiing in Gulmarg with a Guide?” I describe some of the factors to consider for assuring that the Gulmarg ski trip becomes an amazing holiday experience. My assessments and recommendations are based on several years of experience as organizer and guide of adventure ski trips and trekking expeditions all over the world, and since the winter 2006 also as organizer and guide of powder ski programs in Gulmarg.

Especially in places like Gulmarg a guided program offers numerous advantages and includes therefore much more than “only” assuring the skiers’ safety on the mountain! Professional operators and their teams are not only keeping the guests safe on the mountain but also take care of all other aspects of the trip and thus making sure that the expected amazing holiday experience becomes a reality!

Exemplary Hospitality and Superior Guest Service

In regions where tourism infrastructures are only very basic and where guests are faced with a culture they only know from media reports and from accounts of previous visitors it is important to assure that everybody feels welcome and comfortable from the moment of the arrival till the last minute of the departure day! Only very few holiday makers have time for experiments or the desire to experience a “survival camp” style vacation. They want to fully enjoy the few ski days they have and return home healthy and with as many positive experiences as possible. Professional operators with guided programs are therefore taking care of their guests around the clock and assure that they have at least one person on the spot who speaks most of the visitors’ mother tongues!

Particularly in Gulmarg superior guest service is very important for the guests’ happiness and wellbeing. Ski tourism with several hundred foreign tourists per week exists in Kashmir only since the winter 2005/2006. Despite the construction of some new hotels over the past few years there are still only a few lodging options that meet comfort expectations of international guests (e.g. central heating in all rooms, bathrooms with sufficient running cold and warm water for all guests, a dining room which can accommodate all people staying in the hotel, etc.). At present Gulmarg disposes only of approx. 150 hotel rooms which meet more or less the expectation of guests who don’t belong to the “budget traveler” group. These rooms are mostly taken well in advance and to some extend even overbooked. There are no other accommodation options in or within reasonable proximity of Gulmarg.

In order to take a decision on which type of Himalaya ski vacation to book it is important to know that the number of guests in Gulmarg has steadily risen over the years and the period from mid January to end February has become what can be described as “high season”.  Free hotel rooms and experienced guides are difficult to find then and it is up to the program operators to assure that their guests’ expectations can be met also during that period!

Safety on the Mountain

Even when a powder snow area has been well explored and has established itself as a hot spot in the freeriding community skiers will only be facing the true picture of the difficulties and challenges of the terrain once they set foot on the mountain. Often the terrain is more difficult than expected and the access points for the planned runs cannot be found as easily as hoped. Furthermore there is little reliable information on the avalanche danger levels available and rescue services are only very basic or don’t exist at all! Freeriders with a sound skiing experience in high alpine terrain and the required skills in avalanche danger assessment and safe route finding will be able to ski independently after some time. For skiers with little experience in skiing high alpine terrain and just a basic training in avalanche danger assessment the runs on Mt. Apharwat often result in a “Russian Roulette” experience!

The decision to ski with or without a guide is quite easy to take – one simply must answer the following questions honestly and with an unconditioned “yes”: “Am I at all times in a position to assess the avalanche danger and the terrain conditions sufficiently so that I can ski the first line or follow other tracks with good conscience, and am I capable to find the way down the mountain and back to the cable car or the village by myself, even in the fog or at night?”!

Gulmarg is not like La Grave, Chamonix or one of the other famous high alpine freeriding areas in the Alps where the terrain structure with massive rocks and narrow couloirs results in an unconscious fear which naturally promotes the decision to ski with a guide or frightens guests to such an extent that they automatically abstain from skiing runs they don’t trust.

Gulmarg is quite the opposite, the terrain is wide open and it has many ridges and bowls. Overall it leaves the impression of being harmless and easy to ski. It is indeed not the terrain structure (rocks, couloirs) but the terrain exposure (N/NE/SE), its steepness (mostly more than 35°), and the regular wind impact (S/SW) and the heavy snow falls (usually more than 30cm) which represent a considerable danger potential.

The few avalanche incidents of the past years may also lead to wrong conclusions. Since the winter 2008/2009 we saw a total of 6 avalanche incidents, 5 thereof with 1 or 2 buried and partially injured tourists  and a large avalanche which buried 45 soldiers thereof 18 were found death and a number of them suffered serious injuries. Whereas the tourists were buried in the area near the cable car the soldiers were hit in the true back country area some 100m below the tree line. (see map below).

From the above number of incidents it could be assumed that the ski terrain in Gulmarg is relatively safe. In my opinion, however, the number of incidents can only serve as reference for one part of the terrain (ca. 30%) and has to be understood accordingly. They are mainly the result of a responsible but rather conservative release of the controlled terrain to the public after snow fall. This leads to a healthy delay in the access to the regularly and heavily skied terrain near the gondola and reduces its danger potential to some extent but is not eliminating it completely! For the remaining less skied terrain and the long descents to Drang sound skills for risk assessment and route finding are still an absolute necessity.

Furthermore an increasing number of guests have now the desire to complement their powder ski trip to Gulmarg with some back country touring and we also start having guests who come to Gulmarg to improve their elementary powder skiing skills in a real freeriding terrain. The expectations of these visitors, however, can only be fulfilled if they book and participate in a program that is run by professionals!

At Free Ski Himalaya we split the 20km long Apharwat ridge in 3 zones, the “safe zone” that includes only the bowl next to the gondola, the “mainstream zone” which includes the easily accessible and heavily skied bowls left and right of the gondola and the seldom skied “back country zone” which consists of the remaining terrain on Mt. Apharwat and the long descent to Drang (70%!!). Whereas the published avalanche danger level gives an indication on the risks for the whole area skiers still need to follow the same code of conduct that is applied in all other ski areas for descents in unsecured high alpine terrains. Descents in the “Back Country Zone” should therefore only be undertaken with a trained and experienced guide! In this respect the question arises where to find in Gulmarg a guide I can trust and with whom I feel safe – and are there any at all?

In Gulmarg the infrastructure and the service providers for winter tourism are still in a development phase. This is also the case for the “snow guides” where we can observe a similar development as with the trekking guides in Nepal. The increased number of visitors results in a situation where the number of people proposing their service as “guide” is multiplying. The wide spectrum of “guiding services” available today can be split into the following three categories:

• The first group consists of a handful of freelancing guides who thanks to their skills have gained the trust of guests and have been recommended to other visitors. Most of them dispose of the required knowhow and skills to lead groups in the “Back Country Zone” and are therefore mostly fully booked for the season.

• A second group of roughly 20 guides partially fits the profile of the freelance guides. Most of them are hired by program operators and were also trained by them. These guides are usually fully booked from mid January to end February too.

• The third group represents the sum of all remaining local skiers who hope to earn their living as a guide. Here you can find just about everything, from good and mature skiers with self acquired guiding skills to average or good skiers with little or no guiding knowhow and average skiers who may complete their very first run from the top of Mt. Aphawart together with their clients!

Most of the guides in group one and two are so called “registered guides” and as such officially legitimized to guide groups in the upper region of the mountain, over the past years many of them have participated in various types of training and are well prepared to assume the responsibilities of a guide. A list with the names and pictures of these registered guides can be found at the tourism office and sometimes at the base station of the gondola.

Fostering trust and assuring safety are the most important tasks of a guide; in order to be hired by Free Ski Himalaya guides must dispose of the necessary character traits to perform accordingly. On the top of our checklist we put therefore verbal and non verbal communication skills in English (vocabulary and pronunciation, appearance and behavior), the second point is personal maturity which means being able to fully assume the role of a responsible guide who is capable to become a decisive and respected boss when needed and the skills and empathy to perform as a coach and a good friend on the mountain for several days or weeks. Of course their skiing skills must also be at a level that allows them to guide groups of all performance levels and in all snow conditions. Everything else is covered by our back country guide training.

Based on my experience in the Himalaya I would like to make the following statement on the subject of “safety on the mountain”: People planning to ski in Gulmarg outside of the safe zone always need a guide! The further they plan to explore the terrain the more important become the skills and experience of a guide and the more difficult it becomes to find a competent guide on the spot on short notice!

An Exceptional Powder Skiing Experience

The most important parts of an amazing ski holiday in Gulmarg are definitely outstanding and unforgettable powder runs. This is the key expectation all program operators must aim to fulfill, especially those who offer “guided” programs. With excellent snow conditions and 100% sunny days the guests would probably be satisfied even if they had to spend the non skiing part of their vacation in miserable conditions. However, we all are aware that in high alpine terrain we must always expect 40% to 50% bad weather days, even in the Himalaya and therefore the professional operators must do everything in their power to assure that the visitors’ entire stay in Gulmarg turns into the same amazing holiday experience as for the “Salewa Team” and all the many other guests who since 2006 enjoyed riding the mountain with Free Ski Himalaya!

As Gulmarg is not yet the winter sports resort where everything goes as expected or as it is suggested in some “biased” reports future visitors should try to gather as much information as possible when planning a ski trip to the Himalaya and before making the final decision on program type and booking partner.

When travelling to new and unknown adventure destinations for mountain sports activities I always act in accordance with the following principle: “Hope for the best and prepare for the worst!” a code of conduct that has served me well during all these years! The less time I am able to spend in the visited area the more I must investigate the critical path and minimize or if possible even eliminate all potential risk factors. In other word I must make sure that I make use of the best “know how” available and must be willing to pay for it. For a short stay in Gulmarg I would therefore always book a “guided program”, the insights I get and the experience I make will always justify the extra expense of 10% to 15% on the total trip costs.

It is, however, important that I am able to identify and select an experienced and established program operator who disposes of the required skills to deliver the promised services also in a competent and professional manner. Due to the increased tourist flow to Gulmarg the number of “program operators” has also risen over the years and today potential visitors can choose which one suits them best and whom they trust most.

The above programs distinguish themselves mainly by the scope of the offered services, the manner in which the programs are executed and the costs for the guests. The programs offered by the various operators can be defined as follows:

• “Private Programs”, these are only offered by experienced, international mountain guides (most with UIAMG diploma). Normally they use also an experienced local guide during the first couple of days of their stay and if they have large groups the local guide is even hired for the duration of the stay. Their customers are often guests they know from previous trips. Their guests are lodged in the best hotels in the area, the group size is limited and they offer fixed date trips only.

• “Professional Programs”, these programs are operated by organizations that are specialized in the adventure tourism market. Ski trips to Gulmarg are part of their core business. The programs are managed by experienced, often internationally active mountain sports specialists and executed in close cooperation with qualified local guides. They also lodge their guests in a defined hotel of the best category, their group size is limited to 4 to 6 guests with identical skiing skills, and they offer free choice of date and duration of the trip.

• “Commercial Programs”, in this category we find offers of travel agencies, agents and middlemen. Their offers often include only one part of the services needed, usually the hotel and sometimes a local “guide” or a mountain companion. For most of these organizations the Gulmarg programs are not part of their core business or their primary source of income. On the spot the guests often have to look after themselves or are to some extend taken care of by a local contact person. Guests are lodged in hotels of various categories; travel dates and trip duration are usually fixed.

Thanks to this wide range of offers guests can now choose the program type that suits their requirements best! The higher the expectations for comfort, safety and service are and the less knowledge of foreign cultures and of powder skiing in remote high alpine terrain the guests have the more important it becomes to choose the right partner and to take a decision whether to book the Gulmarg ski vacation with or without guide.

When evaluating a suitable program operator for an adventure trip guests should therefore always try to learn as much as possible on the following aspects of the organization they plan to book with:

• Quality and content of the program information

• References and trip reviews

• Profiles of the operator and its (lead) guides and the organizations’ area of expertise

• Terms and conditions

In conclusion, the question “Skiing in Gulmarg with a Guide” is only answered after a comprehensive clarification of the points discussed in this article and after an honest assessment of one’s own skills and capabilities. The better prepared one is the higher the chances are that the expected amazing holiday experience in the Himalaya will in fact become reality!

About the Author: Chris Werren organizes and guides adventure ski trips and wilderness expeditions to various parts of the world

More articles to help you prepare the Gulmarg trip:

• Ski Terrain and Snow Conditions in Gulmarg

• Winter Weather in Gulmarg

• Hotel Accommodation in Gulmarg

• Safety in Kashmir

• Fit for the Himalaya

Since the opening of phase 2 of the Mt. Apharwat gondola in the winter 2005/2006 the popularity of Gulmarg as backcountry and adventure ski destination has continuously risen. The number of visitors and participants in our programs has also increased during this time and every winter we welcome now several dozens of enthusiastic skiers and snowboarders from all over the world in the Himalaya and introduce them to the terrain and the incredible views on the mountains like on the 8’126m high Nanga Parbat on the picture below.

With the increased popularity of this winter sports resort it is important to give visitors an opportunity to inform themselves fully about what is expecting them in Gulmarg. In the coming weeks I will therefore write a number of blogs to address the relevant issues and begin first with a more comprehensive description of the terrain and the snow conditions including the related avalanche dangers.

The Ski Terrain on Mt. Apharwat, 4‘200m

The small settlement of Gulmarg is situated at 2’650m on a flat plateau below the Mt. Apharwat mountain ridge. The table-top shaped mountain with its long crest offers many opportunities for runs over open snow fields, along numerous long ridges and through wide gullies. With over 20 access points to runs of more than 1’000 vertical meters and a terrain steepness of 32° to more than 40° the Gulmarg ski area becomes one of the best destinations for unlimited powder ski pleasures.

Phase 1 of the gondola starts in Gulmarg at 2’990m and leads to the middle station “Kongdori” at 3’050m. From here skiers have access to a number of easy runs through the trees or to a groomed but narrow slope. We ski here sometimes during bad weather and on the first day of our program for the avalanche workshops. Sometimes we may also have to remain on this terrain with guests whose skills don’t match the requirements for the steep slopes on phase 2 and the tree runs.

Phase 2 of the gondola goes from the middle station to the plateau below the Mt. Apharwat summit at 3’990m. From here skiers can either return to the middle station by staying on the controlled and patrolled gondola bowl or traverse to the more distant access points on the southern and northern parts of the crest. Nearly every route offers options for powder runs with up to 1’000 vertical meters. In a slow hike of about 45’ the summit of Mt. Apharwat at 4’200m can be reached from where a number of long and attractive runs on the end of the northern ridge can be accessed. After a long traverse to the end of the southern ridge the access point to the long descent to the valley floor near Drang is reached. With roughly 2’000 vertical meters and a length of around 18km this is the longest run in the area and its completion also requires a certain amount of time. At the end of this long trip the skiers can chose to ride through a small settlement and interact with the local people; especially the young children love to see foreigners and to ride part of the way on the back of their skis!

Gulmarg is one of the best powder snow resorts of the world and thanks to regular and considerable snowfalls it offers all winter long perfect freeriding conditions. Today’s lift infrastructure is limited to the gondola and a couple of training t-bars in the village. In the winter season of 2011/2012 we expect that the chairlift from the middle station to Mary’s shoulder will be operational. As a consequence thereof part of the backcountry terrain on the main bowl will most probably be groomed and available for intermediate skiers and race trainings.

Skiers who decide to travel to Gulmarg need to be aware that they travel into a high alpine zone where the weather and snow conditions impact the terrain and gondola availability to a great extent. Avalanche danger, heavy fog and stormy winds often lead to the closure of phase 2 of the gondola for several days. During these days (approx. 30% of the season) there are sufficient alternatives to enjoy skiing on the terrain below the middle station, the touring terrain on “Monkey Hill” or tree skiing to Tangmarg and Baba Reshi.

The tree skiing in Gulmarg too is at par with the best tree skiing options of the world. The runs are not so long, approx. 400 vertical meters but very steep and challenging. Thanks to the afforestation speedy skiing between the impressive trees can be enjoyed. The return to the access points in Gulmarg is by jeep which in itself turns into a unique and adventurous experience especially after heavy snowfall with poorly cleared roads.

All in all I can say that the back country terrain in Gulmarg has lots to offer to all powder skiing addicts and therefore a ski trip to this exotic destination in the Himalayas should become a must in your holiday plans. The terrain maps below should provide you with a tempting visual impression. (Click on the picture for a larger view)

Apharwat South

Apharwat North

The Snow Conditions in Gulmarg

Usually snow falls are considerable in Gulmarg – when it snows then it snows a lot! It is not unusual that we get layers of fresh snow that exceed 100cm in a single night and after multiple days of snowfall we can count on a considerable amount of fresh powder in the upper zones. The winter weather In Gulmarg is characterized by strong storms that are mostly followed by stable periods of nice weather, mild temperatures, low winds and blue skies. However, in Gulmarg our guests will always be shown good runs independent of the weather conditions.

In order to make the best of their visit to Gulmarg we recommend to our guests to plan with extended stays. Although our standard programs include only 7 ski days and are adapted to the typical winter holiday periods of our guests we still recommend to book if possible 10 to 12 ski days.

During the season (January to March) we publish a daily weather and snow report with a picture here http://www.facebook.com/Gulmarg.Weather.Snow.Information To stay informed just like the facebook page and you will be updated automatically!

Avalanche Danger and other Dangers in Gulmarg

Nearly all runs in Gulmarg take us to wide open north and northeast facing terrain with a steepness of more than 30° and back traverses to the middle station along exposed areas below the ski fields. Most of the time the snowfall in Gulmarg exceeds 30cm and the terrain is exposed to strong and stormy southerly winds. These winds are part of the daily weather pattern in the Himalayas also during good weather periods. In Gulmarg we must therefore always count on some type of avalanche dangers! It is important that everybody takes these danger potentials seriously and only travels in the backcountry with sufficient knowhow to assess the danger levels and with the required equipment for search and rescue interventions. People who have no or only little experience in backcountry skiing and have only undergone a limited avalanche awareness training should book their trip with an established program operator or at least make use of a registered guide.

Gulmarg Ski Teaser from b4apres media on Vimeo with a visual impression of the size of a typical Gulmarg avalanche!

Since the opening of Gulmarg’s gondola in the winter 2005/2006 only 2 foreign guests have died in an avalanche, however, each season a number of skiers and snowboarders are caught in small avalanches and snow slaps. Up to now all of them were rescued in time and survived this horror experience. Some were however injured and had to end their holiday or even had to undergo treatment in a local hospital!

Besides the avalanche danger there are other dangers in Gulmarg that need to be taken seriously. We are all aware that freeriding is a risk sport with increased dangers for injuries and therefore we must always be prepared to deal with eventual accidents. Whereas in most ski areas the rescue of injured persons is organized and access to helicopters or at least professional snow patrollers is guaranteed in Gulmarg skiers need to be fully self sufficient! This means first aid on the spot and rescue/transport to the village has to be organized and undertaken by the group’s own means. In addition in Gulmarg’s mountain terrain there are no means of communication available, roaming for foreign/non Kashmiri mobile phones is blocked and the net coverage for local mobile phones is also limited. We therefore strongly recommend to always skiing in groups of minimum 4 persons and to carry all the necessary first aid components with you so that you can prepare the patient for the transport and get him to the valley on your own. A rescue from the ski area to the next spot where the patient can be picked up by jeep and undergo eventual first medical treatment lasts at best about 2 hours but usually quite longer. The transport to the next acceptable hospital in Srinagar lasts at least another 2 hours.

Another point of concern is the „loss of orientation“. Over the past years several incidents occurred which required the creation of search and rescue parties to find lost skiers who either ventured out alone into the unknown backcountry or went there in the company of inexperienced and unregistered local guides and/or simply followed tracks of other groups. Often these guests started their adventure runs late in the afternoon or failed to observe the changing weather patterns and were then caught by fog or early nightfall. On some occasions the guests were also forced to abandon the chosen route because the terrain challenges exceeded their skiing or snowboarding skills and this consequently led to a “loss of orientation”.

Another question that turns regularly up with regard to a ski trip to Gulmarg is about skiers’ safety in Kashmir. In 2009 I addressed this theme in this blog http://freeskihimalaya.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/skiers-safety-in-kashmir/ and the information is still valid today.

The ski and snowboard terrain in Gulmarg has a lot to offer and for trained and experienced freeriders the dangers are not bigger than in other similar areas around the world. However, it should never be forgotten that in critical situations the access to for most of us “normal” means of communication and rescue infrastructures is not guaranteed in the Mt. Apharwat area. In order to make the best of your often limited winter vacation and to make sure that you can take full advantage of the excellent terrain options in Gulmarg we therefore recommend that you use whenever possible the services of a qualified and experienced guide http://www.freeskihimalaya.com/About_Us/Snow_Guides/snowguides.htm or book a program with an experienced and established operator http://www.freeskihimalaya.com/Freeriding1/Freeriding_Program.htm .

More information on Gulmarg you find here: Free Ski Himalaya http://www.freeskihimalaya.com/Ski_Himalaya.htm

A few days ago I completed my 2011 winter ski season with some last turns in excellent snow conditions on the Glacier 3000 near Gstaad in Switzerland. Now it is time to look back on the season in Gulmarg and to share our experience with interested parties. First, however, I want to thank all our guests for the trust they have put in us and for their participation in our programs. It was thanks to their feedback and encouragement that we were able to improve the service level of our partner hotel and they also have provided the framework for our guides and drivers to test and strengthen their professional skills and capabilities. I am pleased to note that today we are well positioned to offer a wider spectrum of programs and to better address the diversity of expectations of our guests.

I would like to start this Gulmarg 2011 review by introducing a slideshow with pictures taken by the renown photographer Yves Garneau whom I had the pleasure to accompany for a photo shooting in Gulmarg’s ski area.

Off course also this year many guests have documented their stay in Gulmarg on videos and shared their impressions with the public. Most of their video posts you find here http://www.facebook.com/freeskihimalaya and on Free Ski Himalaya’s web page http://www.freeskihimalaya.com/Gulmarg_References.htm.  

Snow and Weather Conditions

As in many other regions of the world also the Himalayas suffered this year from poor snow conditions, at least for half of the season. When I arrived in Gulmarg on December 15 I was welcomed by an extremely blue sky, freezing cold temperatures and a picturesque autumn scenery, and the weather was to remain like this till the end of the month. There were some small snow fields on the top of the mountain where in the worst case guest could have made a few turns after a strenuous ascent through rocky terrain but real skiing was not possible. By the end of the month just two days before the first guests arrived it started to snow (ca. 40cm), just enough to get the impression as if the mountain was skiable. Unfortunately this fresh snow barely covered the rocky terrain and therefore the few runs we made with our guests were not a real pleasure but rather a massive torture on body and material.

After January 10 the snow pack started to improve but the ski conditions remained feeble. Many days with lots of sun and blue sky compensated for the lack of snow. In February the weather finally turned to normal and snowfall became regular. Unfortunately the poor weather periods lasted longer than in previous years and therefore the upper phase of the gondola remained closed for more than 15 days in February (heavy snowfall, strong winds, poor visibility, and increased avalanche danger). At least the snow conditions for tree skiing were now perfect and our guests enjoyed numerous runs down to Tangmarg and Baba Reshi. Despite the many days phase 2 was closed all our guests were able to enjoy at least one day on the upper terrain and to complete several runs from the top of Mt. Apharwat and also the run from the top to Drang.

As in previous years March was once again the best month to take full advantage of the Gulmarg ski terrain. Regular snow fall in the first week of March brought the snow depth at village level to 250cm. The roughly 70cm of fresh powder resulted in excellent ski conditions and from March 8 till my departure on March 13 we enjoyed perfect powder terrain and great weather – sun, blue sky, nice temperature – and only very few skiers on the mountain!

A short review of Gulmarg’s 2011 winter weather with some statistics I published here http://freeskihimalaya.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/winter-weather-in-gulmarg-2011/. A day by day report on the 2011 weather status in Gulmarg including pictures has been published here http://www.facebook.com/Gulmarg.Weather.Snow.Information. On this site our guests and all other interested parties will again be informed about the snow and weather status in Gulmarg in 2012.

Accommodation, Service and Infrastructure

In Gulmarg every year new hotels open their doors and existing hotel are trimmed “fit” for the winter – this is at least the impression an outsider gets. In reality the number of hotels which have rooms that meet the expectation level of our guests (24h electric power availability, working heating system, sufficient running cold and warm water, wifi availability, electric blankets) is still limited to our partner hotel and an anotherl ski in/ski out hotel in the same area plus 3 additional hotels which are bit further away and which can’t be reached on ski. The information on hotel accommodation provided in my blog http://freeskihimalaya.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/hotel-accommodation-in-gulmarg/ is therefore still valid.

In our partner hotel the staff in the restaurant and in room service has made progress, they were very engaged this winter in making our guests’ stay as comfortable as possible. With regard to cleanliness in the dining room and the guest rooms we saw improvements but there is still a way to go till western standards are met – should that really be necessary?! An area where certain ameliorations need to be envisaged is the kitchen, not with regard to food quality but with regard to variety. For guests who stay longer than a week the daily curries become quite monotonous. However, for me it is more important to have “good and sufficient food than innovative and potentially unenjoyable meals”. Meal creation is not easy in Gulmarg, lack of adequate storage facilities and freezing infrastructure, obligation to purchase from defined vendors in the area (who also don’t have storage and freezing facilities) and the limited availability of certain ingredients during the winter months in Kashmir are quite a challenge even for good chefs. Despite the somewhat monotonous meals our guests where happy in this hotel and therefore we will remain there also next winter. A sufficient number of rooms have already been reserved there for our guests.

When talking about infrastructure we mean primarily the gondola and the road clearing services, both are important for us to properly run our programs and on both we have only limited intervention options.

With regard to the gondola we are happy to say that from January 16 to April 5 skiers had access to phase 2 on 66 days and on 20 days phase 2 remains closed because of poor weather and avalanche danger. Phase 1 was open permanently for the whole season. An issue that always gives raise to debates is the “hours of operation”. These have remained the same as ever, e.g.  09.00h to 16.00h for phase 1 and 10.00h to 15.00h for phase 2. What we hope for are opening hours from 08.30h to 16.00h on both phases, this has been promised already many times but I doubt that it will ever happen. Looking back on 6 years of operation in Gulmarg I can say that these somewhat limited hours of operations have always been a concern for our guests, at least on the first days of their stay, however, most people became happy with the number of verticals they were able to enjoy in this short period. For us it is important to provide our guests with sufficient skiing in a day so that they return tired and content to the hotel in the evening but still have enough energy left to keep on skiing for the rest of the week. When skiing in Gulmarg there is one aspect that many guests underestimate – the altitude – an element which makes skiing much more energy demanding than in similar conditions in the alps and other mountains and which also requires that we plan our programs in a manner that assures that the participants remain strong and in good health. We must therefore take the necessary precautions to avoid that any of our guests have to pause because of symptoms or consequences of altitude sickness.

Another element that hindered the proper execution of our programs in the past was “timely road clearing” after snow fall. In the past years we usually had to walk approx. 3km to the village or the first access point for tree skiing after a snow storm hit. This year, however, the road was always cleared to a loading point near the hotel before 09.00h. So there is an improvement what still remains are the last couple of 100m to the hotel, this road part usually stays closed for a couple of days and thereafter it is never properly cleared.

Heli Skiing/Cat Skiing in Gulmarg

Heli skiing was finally available for the first time in Gulmarg this winter. More than 30 of our guests have booked daily programs with one or more flights despite the considerable cost of 300 EUR per flight and person. Till January the heliski operators also suffered from the poor snowpack but in February they were able to fly for a couple of days. Our guests were satisfied with their heli ski days on the mountain and I think that some of our program participants will book individual flights again next winter.

Cat skiing is a different story. Despite that the vehicle left Sweden in December it reached Gulmarg only mid February. This was mainly due to complex customs processes and related negotiations to get the vehicle through. Once the cat was in Gulmarg the operators started to test drive it in the terrain in an around Gulmarg and on 2 days the cat skiing service was then available for bringing skiers back from Baba Reshi to Gulmarg – then it broke down and the season was over for the cat! At this moment it is unclear whether cat skiing will once again be available in Gulmarg. I am sure that there is a demand for this service but maybe not necessarily for transports in the areas surrounding the gondola.

A “new” Guest Profile and the “right” Equipment

Over the past 2 years we have seen considerable changes in the profile of the guests who participated in our programs in Gulmarg, the expectations with regard to the content of our programs have become broader and the skiing skills and the physical readiness for the demanding terrain are not as homogenous as before. Besides addicted freeriders we have now also guests who have discovered the pleasure of powder skiing only recently and who come to Gulmarg to improve their powder ski skills or to learn how to ski in the back country. There is also an increase in guests who are looking for so called Free Touring, for one day tours in the upper reaches and to the nearby peaks of the gondola serviced area.

The broader interest in back country skiing and the thereof resulting changes in the guest profile reflects a general market trend which can also be recognized in the growth of material sales in this area. A constantly increasing number of people have enough of overcrowded groomed slopes and therefore start buying either touring skis or broader all mountain skis with the required avalanche safety equipment for off piste and back country skiing. Thanks to the broader skis today more people are capable to ski outside of the groomed terrain, even people whose skiing skills have so for hindered them to pursue this activity. However, soon they discover that the few spots in the lifts serviced areas in the Alps are usually skied out quickly. The powder ski pleasure therefore lasts only for a short time as the conditions become rapidly difficult, especially for newcomers. People interested in learning and improving their powder ski skills are therefore searching for new destinations where they can practice this activity undisturbed for longer periods. Gulmarg as an outstanding destination for back country skiing becomes often their natural choice.

With regard to the material guests usually bring their own skis, from a slightly broader touring ski or bigger all mountain skis to the true “fat boy”. Despite our recommendation to bring skis with a minimum width of 100m under the binding still around 50% of the participants arrive with skis that have widths from 80mm to 95mm under the binding, skis that are not ideal for the terrain in Gulmarg. Some guests remained with their material for their stay but the majority of participants decided to rent “fat boys” from the local ski shop after their first day on the mountain.

We have recognized the changes in the guest profile and will undertake adequate changes in our programs next winter. We plan also to better address the different expectations of the skiers and will focus more on advising the guests to bring the best suited material when joining us in Gulmarg.

I am pleased to note that despite the broader guest profile we had last winter again no serious accidents on the mountain, only 3 guests suffered from slightly pulled muscles or minor strains and 4 participants were impacted by the high altitude and had therefore to pause for 2 to 3 days.

Our Team in Gulmarg

Our programs in Gulmarg are executed in close cooperation with local guides and drivers, this means that besides me four additional guides are taking care of our guests and on bad weather days one jeep driver per guide is on duty. Overall our team performed again well last winter and all guests were very happy with the performance of their respective guides and drivers. I am glad to say that by now we have a group of professionals in Gulmarg which allows us to expand our activities on the mountain and which is capable of making sure that our guests will continue to enjoy exceptional and unforgettable powder ski vacations in the Himalaya.

Outlook Winter 2012

Based on our experience with the snow and weather evolution in Gulmarg in the past years we propose our programs next winter officially from January 14, 2012 to March 31, 2012 as this is the best period to guarantee reasonable and often excellent powder ski conditions.

We assume that next winter the majority of our guests will still comply with the freerider profile which means we expect mainly strong skiers with a sound physical condition and the capability to ski with confidence in challenging terrain and all types of snow. For these guests we continue to offer our classical freeriding programs.

At the same time we realize an increased demand for so called free touring programs (one day tours to upper reaches and nearby peaks in the gondola serviced area). Up to know we haven’t provided guests with the option to let us know their preferences when booking and tried to address their expectations with a mix of typical freeriding runs and short hikes or extended traversing to the more remote terrain access points. Overall this mixed approach has been well received but there were always a number of guests who would have loved to undertake some one day skinning tours to more remote areas. For the season 2012 we will therefore for the first time offer free touring programs to more remote areas as a separate program option.

In order to have a better idea on our guests’ skiing profile participants will be asked to assess their own skill level themselves when they book with us. This helps us to have a better overview of the skill mix and to plan the group organization accordingly. In March we will also run so called Powder Perfection Programs for guests who would like to familiarize themselves more with skiing outside the groomed slopes.

I will introduce our programs and plans for Gulmarg next winter in a separate blog and the respective details will then be published on our website http://www.freeskihimalaya.com . On our facebook pages http://www.facebook.com/freeskihimalaya and http://www.facebook.com/Gulmarg.Weather.Snow.Information  we share information on various subjects related to freeriding and during the winter regarding the weather and snow status in Gulmarg. On these pages you can also find picture and video reports about skiing in Gulmarg from our guests.

This review completes my winter season in Gulmarg. However, skiing continues for me and in a couple of weeks I will be on the road to Argentina and Chile for the exploration of new freeriding and free touring destinations in Patagonia for the summer 2012. I thank all our guests for their trust in us and am looking forward to welcoming many of them again in Gulmarg or on one of our ski trips to Patagonia.

Adventure Travel – Effective Relaxation and Increased Self Awareness

The pressure put on us by our jobs and our personal environment has been constantly increasing over the past few years. More and more we have become prisoners of our daily routines. Relationship turbulences, fears of losing the job, increased traffic, financial worries and existential fears or health issues are some of the main reasons that impact and complicate our being. Often we feel as if we were trapped in a vicious circle that can’t be left, in a stage that is considerably compromising our physical and mental wellbeing.

The main question therefore is what we can do to leave all our daily stress factors behind and escape from the everyday routines. We must search for simple methods that assist us in leaving our familiar environment and which provide us with opportunities for inspiring and exceptional challenges, for intensive moments of regeneration and for occasions to enjoy relaxing periods of happiness and togetherness.

The participation in an adventure trip for example is such a powerful and effective method to achieve a new level of physical and mental wellbeing. It is a decision to do something exceptional; it is an escape from the known surroundings and a courageous move to leave long established comfort zones!

Escaping Everyday Life and Stepping Back

When you book your flights and during the last minute vacation preparations you won’t yet feel any effects of your participation in an adventure trip. However, already on the way to the airport and as soon as you sit in the plane the pressure you have been feeling for months will be replaced by a comfortable feeling of calmness. You start breathing deeper, you become more relaxed and your everyday worries start to disappear. The first step towards an intensive and effective regeneration process has finally been made.

Getting Inspired and Discovering New Insights

The participation in an adventure trip results in a permanent encounter with new and unfamiliar or unknown situation. We are confronted with numerous opportunities that help us to see our life and the daily problems at home from another perspective. Suddenly many things which have been bothering us lose their importance and we begin to appreciate things that up to now we took for granted. New forms of living and the untouched nature in the remote wilderness provide us with inspirational hints and form the perfect setting to build up the necessary energies that allow us to reflect on how we can finally turn our secret wishes and dreams into reality.

Strengthening Physical and Mental Fitness

Adventures trips always lead to an improved personal performance. Body and mind are permanently engaged and usually we are also confronted with situations which force us to leave our comfort zones. Be it by taking part in a trekking expedition through remote and uninhabited regions, by enjoying powder runs in exotic ski areas or by joining mountain bike safaris on high altitudes – the full engagement of each and everyone is needed.

While we may have certain difficulties to get physically engaged and to train or to leave our living quarters when we are in our home zone we suddenly welcome the challenges of the terrain or the chosen routes and consider each small achievement as an inspiring personal success. At the end of an adventure trip everyone has certainly improved his physical fitness and has become mentally and emotionally more resistant. We are now well prepared to face our everyday challenges in a much more efficient manner.

Finding “One’s Own Center”

Many consider comments or suggestions on finding “one’s own center” as abstract theories from the yoga world or from esoteric circles. For me, however, to be in “my own center” is a state of mind in which everything is perfect – where I am happy and in harmony with myself and the rest of the world. It is a feeling that we sense when we have achieved something exceptional by being fully engaged – by proving our physical strength, by using our ability for mental concentration and by feeling emotionally fully committed to the challenge at hand.

Adventure trips create a splendid environment to experience this feeling of being in “one’s own center. Ski trips to Kashmir or trekking expeditions to remote areas in Nepal are perfect examples of ideal adventure activities – the “spiritual” ambiance felt in the Himalayas provides the icing on the cake.

Making New Friends and Strengthening Existing Relationships 

By participating in an adventure trip you can experience many intensive moments together in small groups of friends or of people with common interests. You are confronted with situations in unfamiliar environments that are mentally and physically challenging while you are far away from the “institutionalized” disturbing factors at home and outside of your familiar comfort zones. On an adventure trip you will therefore sooner or later get to know yourself as you really are and also be perceived by others as your true self – you will enjoy a group spirit which results in lasting friendships.

Enjoying Small Pleasures

Instead of exclusively relying on medical advice and therapies your decision to participate in an adventure trip is an important and self conscious step towards improving your physical and mental well being. You are participating in activities that give you pleasure and which provide you with a sense of self achievement, you allow yourself to take part in something exceptional and reward yourself with lasting memories of the visited area. You feel good without feelings of guilt or without having to search for excuses. Instead of dreaming about a potential sabbatical you are taking a temporary leave which will make you immediately feel better!

Strengthening Self-Esteem

Neither in our job nor in our private life has everything gone according to plan. Sometimes we find explanations for it but often we also have doubts about our own capabilities or our behavior. In addition there always a number of well intentioned people who are eager to “help” us getting a better understanding of our miserable situation and many suggest the best way to feel better would be to adapt ourselves to the realities of life instead of trying to realize our dreams or to meet high expectations! All this advice is counterproductive and is definitely not contributing to help us in the realization of our visions or to motivate us to make full use of our talents.

With the participation in adventure trips we have many opportunities to prove our capabilities and to make use of our untapped talents. We can for example demonstrate our language skills, we have an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with new cultures, and we have a chance to affront unknown challenges and situations and to learn to move self-consciously in difficult terrain and to enjoy living in the wilderness even in poor weather conditions. At the end of each adventure trip all participants are proud of their individual and group achievements, all are aware of what they are capable of and they won’t easily get lost in self doubt or be destabilized by negative influences.

Leaving the “Comfort Zones”

Often the biggest obstacles in the realization of our visions are lack of energy or an unwillingness to leave our established comfort zones! For many people the initiative to change stops already when they have to stress their physical strength more than usual and if they would have to engage and expose themselves emotionally more than they are used to or if they have to mentally focus more on new tasks and themes. Instead of dreaming about new chances and opportunities they prefer to contemplate on difficulties and obstacles, instead of developing a healthy willingness for a stronger personal engagement they prefer to join the large “community of eternal unhappiness”.

With the participation in an adventure trip we consciously decide to take an important step – the step to finally challenge ourselves again and to demonstrate that we are capable to make more of our life than to preserve the status quo. We are ready to affront new and unknown situations, to break out of the comfort of our daily routines and to challenge our physical and mental performance limits.  By spending nights in tents on freezing cold nights with snowfall, crossing wild rivers and climbing high passes across steep boulder terrain or engaging in back country skiing in deep powder snow at altitudes above 4’000m and at extreme temperatures we demonstrate that we are still capable of leaving our comfort zones and that we are strong enough to master difficult challenges self consciously and successfully. At the end of an adventure trip we feel strong and prepared to eliminate all bothering disturbances from our life, and we are finally ready to turn our plans and unfulfilled dreams into reality!

Quitting Established Thought Patterns

Changing our own thought patterns is generally a big challenge and doesn’t happen automatically. First we have to create the right environment that allows us to let go and to get rid of old paradigms. We need surroundings that inspire, quiet periods where we can contemplate without disturbances, situations that show us how others perceive us and opportunities which force us to demonstrate our natural behavior. For each problem and each behavior there are different truths. How I interpret these and how I think about them is my own decision! However, changes in our thought patterns about our personal and professional life can only be realized if we replace “old” thought patterns with new ones; to do this we must take the time to create the needed free space!

By participating in an adventure trip we use an existing platform. We begin walking on new paths, we get familiar with new cultures and languages, we live under very simple conditions and eat simple meals, we create an environment that is helping us to break away from “old” thought patterns and that assists us in the definition of a new “truth” for our personal and professional life.

A Chance to Relax and Enjoy

The best part of an adventure trip is the opportunity to enjoy ourselves and to relax. Beautiful landscapes, impressive mountains, exceptional powder runs on untracked terrain and through impressive forests, encounters with local people and new cultures, visits to historical and spiritual monuments and undisturbed moments for reflection and for inspiring gatherings with fellow travelers – all these result in special moments for enjoyment and for happiness.

Adventure trips therefore provide an excellent platform to improve our personal wellbeing and are an ideal playing field for a long lasting physical and mental regeneration.

I am of course aware that the above described benefits for the strengthening of our personal performance and the rebuilding of our mental balance can be questioned. However, sometimes it may be better to follow up on simple recommendations than thinking about or attempting to pursue long term therapies. In any case there is no harm to start contemplating about participating in an adventure trip and to experience its benefits yourself!

About the author: Chris Werren is an organizer and guide of adventure ski trips and wilderness expeditions to various parts of the world  

For more information: Free Ski Himalaya

In 2006 we started to run our adventure skiing programs in the Himalaya and since then we have been observing the weather evolution in Gulmarg on a regular basis. Last winter we have begun to record the snow and weather situation on a daily basis for the first time and thanks to Aircel pocket internet, iphone and facebook we were also able to inform interested parties about the actual weather and snow status day by day on our respective facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Gulmarg.Weather.Snow.Information.

Compared to previous winters this winter season (15.12.10 till 14.03.11) we had overall the same weather and snow patterns as before, at least with regard to the number of sunny days and the quantity of snowfall. The main difference, however, was the lack of snowfall till the end of December which resulted in a very poor snow pack in January and which made skiing at times quite difficult. Another difference was the extended periods of poor weather in February where the longest period with a blue sky was just 3 days. On the graphic below you find an overview of last winter’s weather and snow status.

Based on our experience over the past years we have decided to start our programs next winter only from January 14, 2012 and to stay in Gulmarg till March 31, 2012. By changing our season dates we try to avoid the period with a potential poor snow pack and instead hope to gain more customers for the end of March when the snow and weather conditions in the past years have always been excellent. Next winter all interested parties will again be able to get information on the daily snow and weather status on http://www.facebook.com/Gulmarg.Weather.Snow.Information.

As we enter the second half of 2010 it is time to share our information on the coming ski season in the Himalaya with all interested parties, the new types of programs on offer, the lodging options available and the safety situation in Kashmir.

At present Free Ski Himalaya is actively monitoring all the different elements that need to be considered when planning a ski trip into the Himalaya Mountains. With this blog we would like to share with you what new skiing opportunities can be expected there next winter and what could impact your travel plans.

So far Gulmarg remains the only winter sports destination in the Himalaya that offers real skiing opportunities. Of course there is also a reasonable infrastructure with ski and chairlifts available in Auli in Uttaranchal, and Manali in the Himachal Pradesh offers besides excellent heli skiing terrain some basic lift serviced skiing options too. For true powder skiing and exciting freeriding experiences, however, Gulmarg is and remains the primary ski destination in the Himalaya. In 2011 Free Ski Himalaya will run its programs for the 6^th season in this Kashmiri winter sports resort. Since the season 2005/2006 we have seen a constant growth in the number of guests booking with us; this is first thanks to the professionalism of our team but also due to the quality of the service we and our partners provide and of course thanks to the safety record of our guided programs, both on and off the slopes. For the coming season we are pleased to see that already a fair number of new guests from all over the world have booked with us and also several reputed international mountain guides and adventure travel companies are partnering now with us for the reservation and the management of their required lodging facilities and the jeep transfers from and to the airport in Srinagar. For more information on client satisfaction you may also consult our “Gulmarg References” site.

Himalaya Cat Skiing – Gulmarg’s highlight in 2011! Whereas last years’ announced Heli Ski proposition didn’t turn into reality because of a number of different reasons we now put a lot of hope into the recently announced Cat Skiing offer for 2011. This operation, a joint initiative between Swedish powder ski addicts and Kashmiri winter sports entrepreneurs is planning to run Cat Skiing from early January 2011 to mid March 2011. Free Ski Himalaya is partnering with them and therefore launches its new “powder ski programs with cat skiing option” with immediate effect. For those who have already booked their program with us for the coming season it is of course possible to upgrade their booking with this option, and also for those who are hesitant to choose this program now can book a Cat Skiing day when in Gulmarg provided free spots are still available. The loading capacity of the Cat is 12 to 14 skiers plus guides and driver.

Free Ski Himalaya’s Cat Skiing groups will always be accompanied by our Swiss ski instructor and mountain guide with several years of working experience in Gulmarg’s ski terrain and/or with one of our accredited and trained local guides. Our guests are therefore guaranteed the same safety level as for our freeriding programs in the gondola serviced area. The minimum group size is 4 skiers and/or snowboarders, the maximum group size for us is 8 people but we can also run private tours with smaller groups (1 to 3 people) against a “small group surcharge” or reserve a full day exclusively for our groups.

In addition to the Cat Skiing service Heli Skiing is once again proposed in Gulmarg this winter and the operators are pretty confident that they will be able to offer flights during the coming season. Free Ski Himalaya has therefore decided to continue offering its two programs “freeriding programs with single flight options” and the “Gulmarg Heli Skiing Set” with 4 freeriding days and 3 heli skiing days. Interested guests need, however, to be aware that we cannot guarantee the availability of this service as in this part of the world things can suddenly take unexpected turns. The same applies of course for Cat Skiing also.

As Gulmarg has in the meantime become quite well known for its outstanding powder ski opportunities and remarkable adventure skiing possibilities the number of groups and individual visitors is constantly growing and this results in shortages in winter suitable quality lodgings especially in February. To assure suitable accommodation for its guests Free Ski Himalaya has added two new partner hotels to its existing lodging partner for next winter. All our partner hotels are of the same category, they have been tested by us and offer identical service and lodging quality. The hotels are located close to each other and offer easy ski in and ski out access. As already now we can see room shortages coming up for February we advise interested guests to inform us of their intended travel dates as soon as possible so that we can block rooms for them and if required increase the reserved lodging quantities.

For people planning a ski trip to Kashmir next winter “skiers’ safety” will once again be a key concern. It cannot be denied that acts of violence have increased in Kashmir over the past few months and as responsible operator we should not keep silent about these facts but instead share our honest assessment of the present situation with all interested parties. We must provide all the necessary information to our future guests so that they can plan their ski trip well informed and start their journey to the Himalayan Mountains without fear for their safety.

Due to a more aggressive communication style of a variety of different groups some potential visitors could get the impression that the situation in Kashmir has become more conflict prone than in the past years, however, from our point of view there are no reasons today to question your travel plans for Gulmarg next winter. On the contrary Kashmir needs the support and the solidarity from the people outside the state today even more than before. A little more than a year ago I already wrote a blog on “Skiers’ Safety in Kashmir” and from my personal assessment of the present situation all the comments I made then and the related advice I gave continue to remain valid. However, due to the somehow more fragile situation I strongly advise potential visitors only to travel in small groups and to make use of well established operators with international staff on the spot. Also using local contacts recommended by former visitors is another sensible way to travel safely in Kashmir. Gulmarg is a very small village located far away from the potential trouble spots and can therefore be considered as reasonably safe.

To minimize the risks for our guests we will, however, keep the time we spend in Srinagar to a strict minimum and avoid spots with large gatherings of people when driving to the mountain. With this approach we will be able to eliminate most potential dangers and avoid unnecessary fear creating incidents for our program participants. After more than 10 years of experience in organizing and running programs in so called “conflict zones” in this part of the world (Kashmir, Nepal, etc.) we advise visitors to always respect the following code of conduct: Refrain completely from expressing opinions or making comments on all political and cultural issues, stay away from and avoid  public places with large people gatherings (bus stands, markets, bazaars, government buildings, military camps, police stations, etc.), respect the local habits and adhere fully to all rules and regulations in force at the visited area – by rigorously applying this “code of conduct” we have so far never run into any troubles!

After in-depth study of what is going on in Kashmir, extensive information exchange with people on the ground concerning the current situation and taking into account our several years of experience as program operator in Kashmir we are convinced that our guests will be able to fully enjoy remarkable skiing adventures in a reasonably safe environment once again next winter and we are therefore looking forward to welcoming numerous enthusiastic powder skiers and snowboarders from all over the world in Gulmarg from December 2010 onwards. For any questions you may have on the skiing area or on our programs, lodging possibilities and safety aspects we are of course at your disposal. Send us an email to info@freeskihimalaya.com and we will come back to you.

“A Journey through one of Nepal’s most exquisite Regions”

Seen from far away through the swirls of the mountain mist the Himalayan Mountains appear remote, forbidding and awe inspiring. By joining us on our exploration trek over the Teri La pass you will be able to see the splendor of these mountains close up and to enjoy the beauty of these remote and sparely populated valleys while getting an insight into the life and the ancient culture of these modest and friendly mountain people. The beginning of the video below shows the crossing of the more technical Saribung pass (6030m) but it also illustrates perfectly the beauty of the landscape in the Damodar Himal and the Kingdom of Mustang, and it provides an inspiring insight into the ambiance of a typical exploration trek through these remote areas.

The Forbidden Kingdom of Mustang

Officially Mustang is the name of the entire district along the Kali Gadanki River, from the Tibetan border in the north to Ghase in the south. The district headquarters is located in Jomsom, a couple of miles south of Kagbeni the access town to the restricted area of “Upper Mustang” also called the “Kingdom of Mustang”. Upper Mustang is characterized by the mostly pure Tibetan culture and its related language, religion and traditions. Its long, complex and rich history are a key element in making the “Forbidden Kingdom” one of the most interesting and picturesque trekking destinations in Nepal.

The trek to the Kingdom’s capital Lo Mantang takes us through a nearly tree less and barren landscape where strong afternoon winds are howling regularly across the wide open plateaus and through the small villages. Being located in the rain shadows of the Himalaya Lo Mantang gets considerable less rain than the rest of Nepal. Only during the monsoon season there is some slight rain fall with occasional cloudy skies. During the winter the ground of the Kingdom of Mustang is usually covered with up to 40cm of snow and the region suffers from freezing temperatures. The capital of Lo Mantang and the whole area of Mustang look like the Tibetan Plateau and are characterized by endless expanses of grey rolling hills eroded by strong winds.

Farming is the primary source of food and income for the people of Mustang, they herd yaks and raise sheep or goats, most families also tend their own fields of barley, wheat and mustard. Due to the harsh climate conditions cropping can be done only once a year with planting taking place in April and May. In September the whole region is busy with harvesting.

Despite its remoteness the inhabitants of Upper Mustang are worldly, well travelled and resourceful people who are a pleasure to meet. Whereas we hope they will conserve their traditions in spite of the continuous influx of tourists it should be recognized that these people are by no means a primitive tribe that must be protected from all outside influences. As visitor of this remote area you will soon recognize that Mustang’s inhabitants are essentially Tibetans and therefore very skillful traders and merchants. They are extremely self sufficient people and fully capable of taking care of themselves!

The Crossing of the Teri La Pass 5’558m

With the opening of the Naar Phu region as a new trekking destination in 2002 it is now possible to trek from Mustang in the Kali Gadanki Valley to Naar in Upper Manang across the still unknown Teri La pass. This high altitude traverse has so far remained nearly untouched despite its “discovery” in 1950 by the British alpinist Bill Tillman. This exploration part of our journey takes us through an uninhabited and wild area into the virtually unknown Damodar Himal. Crossing the usually snow bound Teri La pass presents a strong contrast to the barren landscape of Mustang and the lush green scenery of the Marsyangdi Valley.

Along the Labse Khola River and under the majestic peaks of the Chulu peaks we descend towards the village of Naar where we will reenter inhabited terrain again.

Back to Civilization – The Marsyangdi Valley

The last leg of our exploration trek takes us first again through the typical Tibetan landscape of Naar Phu to the lower and greener regions of the Marsyangdi Valley. This magical area between Naar and Koto is said to have the world’s highest concentration of snow leopards per square kilometer. When we reach the commercial route of the “Around Annapurna Trek” from Koto to Syange we will realize the striking difference between our journey through an isolated and quiet area where it appeared as time has stood still and the busy world with today’s hectic life styles that exist even here in the remote Himalayan villages. Along rivers with crystal clear water, close to rushing waterfalls and over green fields we follow the scenic mountain path that takes us through picturesque villages to our final destination Syange. After a last night in tents we will be picked up by 4×4 vehicles and driven back to the fascinating and lively city of Kathmandu.

The exploration trek through Mustang and across the Teri La Pass is a ground breaking journey which combines high altitude adventures with the discovery of an ancient Tibetan culture and its traditions. The trek provides an introduction into the remote and widely unknown Damodar Himal Mountains and follows the footsteps of the legendary Bill Tillman who explored this area in the 1950’ies. It is Nepal’s most recent trekking challenge – Be one of the first to enjoy it and join us on our trekking expedition from August 30, 2010 to September 24, 2010. From 2011 onwards this Trekking Expedition is run as “Private Trekking” (min. number of participants, free choice of travel dates, trekking periods April to June and September to November).

Go to our website Free Ski Himalaya and get all the details on this trekking expedition or download our program: Mustang – Teri La Trek.

Every season numbers of people document their stay in Gulmarg’s ski area on personal videos or with professional film productions. An example of a short but comprehensive presentation of the terrain possibilities is the “Gulmarg Ski Teaser” produced by be4apres which is introduced here as a visual impression of the resort and as introduction to my Gulmarg season review.

Upon my arrival in Gulmarg by the end of December I was confronted with a very unusual snow situation. Instead of being covered by the typical solid snow layer the ground was nearly bare, despite a snowfall of over one meter in the beginning of November. As my first guests were set to arrive only by mid January there was no reason to panic yet. Fortunately it started to snow a little in the beginning of January and because of the roughly 30cm of fresh powder the first program participants already had an opportunity to enjoy some runs in untracked terrain. The snow conditions were, however, still far away from what we were used to and from what our guests expected. Luckily we had warm and sunny weather during most of January which contributed a lot to our guests’ happiness with their vacation in the Himalayas.

The poor snow conditions at the beginning of the season showed the importance of competent guiding and sound terrain knowledge for being able to offer customers a good skiing experience also in difficult circumstances. In addition alternative programs like visits to historical sites, boat rides on the lake or shopping tours in Srinagar gain in importance during situations with unsatisfactory skiing possibilities, especially as Gulmarg offers no options for other activities.

By the end of January it finally started to snow regularly which led to improved conditions. During the first half of February the conditions were still not perfect but at least it was now possible to ski down to the valley floor in Baba Reshi and Tangmarg or to enjoy the long descent to Drang. Due to over 2m of fresh snow in the second half of February the conditions became ideal and remained so till the end of the season.

Because of the aspect of the terrain, the steepness of the runs and the regular strong winds the Mt. Apharwat ski area must be considered as avalanche prone. The unusual meteorological conditions at the beginning of the season contributed to an increased danger potential. Except for a few minor critical incidents the season ended however without serious accidents, even though many people were on the mountain without experienced guides or even adequate equipment and avalanche awareness training.

Possible consequences of a wrong assessment of the avalanche dangers were experienced by the soldiers of Gulmarg’s Mountain Warfare School. They were running their training program below the tree line at a spot considered to be safe when suddenly a massive avalanche was triggered naturally and moved far below the known run out zone. Approx. 50 soldiers were caught by this avalanche. 17 soldiers unfortunately lost their life and another 17 were injured.

Another big challenge this winter concerned once again hotel accommodation. I addressed this subject before with this blog “Hotel Accommodation in Gulmarg” and highlighted potential problems. After spending 4 winters in Gulmarg I thought I knew all the tricks and pitfalls in the reservation and booking process, however, on my 5^th season I was taught differently. Despite negotiating the price for the planned and reserved room quantity already in March 09 and emailing regularly an updated booking list to confirm reservations for several hundred room nights I was informed on arrival that unfortunately there has been a “misunderstanding” between the hotel and its reservation center and therefore there were no rooms available anymore for me or my guests. I was proposed to lodge my program participants in one of their friends’ hotel nearby and was even told it was an “upgrade” for the same price.

The hotel’s proposal was unacceptable for me and after some hard negotiations including the acceptance of an increase of 15% on the earlier agreed price I finally managed to lodge my guests with them. Others were less lucky, especially individual travelers who booked directly or through a web based hotel reservation service. Regardless of advance payments or valid vouchers many visitors had to accept being lodged in other hotels with lower service standards, especially during the high season in February. Despite an unfortunate beginning of an intended long term partnership I decided to keep this hotel as our preferred lodging partner in Gulmarg, the main reason being that all my guests were happy with their rooms and the food.

Even though the number of new hotels is continuously increasing a reasonable lodging quality is still only assured in 3 to 4 hotels. Therefore most program operators book their accommodation requirements 9 to 12 month in advance which means that all available rooms in quality hotels are already reserved at the end of the running season. All other hotels in Gulmarg don’t meet the quality standards my guests expect, the services described on websites are often only partially or not at all available, e.g. heating systems that don’t work properly, no hot water, mediocre food quality etc. Part of this unfortunate situation is the result of a “little investment for rapid maximum return” business policy which means that investments in sufficient generator capacity to bridge regular power cuts or in large tanks to build enough water reserves are not made. Another problem is the local administration’s inability to adapt the local infrastructure (water, electricity and communications) to the growing number of hotels.

People who are planning to spend their ski vacation in Gulmarg in a comfortable hotel and also want to benefit from competent guiding services are therefore best advised to book a program with an established international operator who is present in the area himself.

A point which led to the disappointment of some of my customers was „heli skiing“ or better the lack of it. In the summer 2009 it looked as if the operators had everything under control and therefore I included a heli ski option in my programs. A couple of guests have made use of this offer and booked a number of flights. However, in December I was informed that there would be no heli skiing in 2010 due to missing permits but also because of other reasons. To some extend this was not surprising as in this part of the world agreements are changed or linked with new rules all the time, especially in an area near the line of control between the Pakistani and Indian parts of Kashmir where many official bodies and also the army play important roles in granting the required permits.

It looks as if everything was under control now and therefore heli skiing could finally become a reality in Gulmarg. The program “powder skiing with heli ski option” will hence be continued but potential participants will be advised that the availability cannot be guaranteed to 100%.

Reviewing a winter season in Kashmir without a statement on skiers’ safety would be incomplete. In recent month terror attacks and militant activities in Kashmir have unfortunately risen again. This led to a wider media presence of this area and resulted also in more cautious travel advisories by the foreign offices for trips to Kashmir. Safety will consequently remain a point of concern for visitors also in the future. As it is in my interest that people have the full picture on safety issues I posted this blog “Skiers’ Safety in Kashmir” some time ago describing the situation and its consequences from my perspective and personal experience.

A very positive experience in the past season was the snow condition in March. In previous years I left Gulmarg always at the beginning of the month, however, this year I decided to stay on till the end of March to get my own impression of the situation in order to make an educated decision on whether to propose my programs in this period too. I was positively surprised by the snow conditions and can now tell from personal experience that it is also possible to ski the whole day till mid March too, often still with good powder snow on north facing runs and even later in the month snow conditions remained good till the early afternoon. For people interested in “Free Touring” March is the perfect month offering many possibilities to ascend up to 4’500m by starting early from the cable car’s top station and to enjoy long descends to the valley floor. Another much appreciated factor of March skiing is the limited number of people on the mountain which means we have the terrain to ourselves more or less all time (at least up to now!).

For me that past season was an overall success, I had the chance to meet many sympathetic people with whom I explored Gulmarg’s back country terrain and let them enjoy an exceptional adventure ski vacation. Despite the poor snow conditions early in the season all my guests were enthused by the possibilities of this Himalayan ski terrain and returned home happy and satisfied with their adventure ski experience. Certainly the good weather conditions also played an important role in their satisfaction. Most groups had a couple of sunny days with a good view on the surrounding mountains and nearly everyone had a chance to enjoy numerous powder runs on untracked snow fields.

To conclude just a short preview on the 2010/2011 season. I continue to offer my programs in their present form including the heli ski option from early December to the end of March. From what I hear Cat skiing could be available next winter too. An appropriate program option will be published on our website Free Ski Himalaya as soon as more details are known.

Finally for people looking for more picture and video impressions on Gulmarg go to our facebook page “facebook/freeskihimalaya” This site can be accessed without prior registration. Enjoy the content and we would of course be pleased if you became a fan too.

This serene valley in the north of Gorkha is situated under the impressive backdrop of the mighty Buddha Himal and its towering peaks Himal Chuli (7‘823m) in the west, Ganesh Himal (7‘429m) in the south and Sringi Himal (7‘187m) in the north and is carrying a long history of ancient Himalayan civilization styles; culture, art, tradition, religion, customs and thinking.

Tsum is one of the eight “sacred” valleys (Beyuls) in the inner Himalaya and owes its genesis to the Buddhist saint “Padmasambhava”. According to the legend he created these “beyuls” in the 8^th century as safe havens for people fleeing from the effects of war, famine and religious oppression. In these valleys the Buddhist culture has remained in its traditional form up to the present days and its religious values and the lost way of life have been preserved here for generations.

In and around the Tsum Valley

The Tsum Valley has been opened to tourists only in October 2007 and since then its well kept numerous historic monuments can be admired by interested visitors in their original forms.

Once you reach the first settlement in Upper Tsum you get the impression of entering into a new world. Decorative stone built settlements, crystal clear streams, massive forests, cultivated fields and magnificent snow covered peaks characterize this small and beautiful valley. The route through the Tsum Valley takes trekkers along the old “Nepal – Tibet” caravan path to Mu Gompa, the last inhabited settlement in the valley. Mu Gompa features two important monasteries, the 1895 AD established Mu monastery and the oldest monastery in the valley – Dephyudonma – which was founded about 700 years ago.

The trail through the Tsum Valley is dotted with many mani walls, chortens and kaanis (gateway chortens). Chortens are distinctive features of the Tsum Valley which were built to keep away evil spirits from important places like river confluences or bridges and to commemorate the visits of historic figures or the death of important personalities and lamas. Kaanis are the typical gateway chortens which can be found at the entrance of most villages and it is expected that everybody walks through them. Many walls are long stone walls decorated with important mantras (words/formulas of spiritual significance) whose main purpose is to ask the gods for the wellbeing and the protection of all travelers.

In the higher areas of the Tsum Valley and closer to the snow clad mountains and frozen glaciers the more adventurous visitors can follow a number of attractive pilgrimage trails and explore the high alpine landscape on the border of Tibet.

The Tsum Valley – A World Apart

The Tsum Valley is an ideal spot to escape the hectic of everyday’s life. Here people still live in complete harmony and in perfect unison with nature. In this remote and poor valley there is for example no slaughter of animals not even as offering to the gods, a religious procedure otherwise still practiced in many parts of this country. It is also the custom for each family in Tsum to send one child to the local monastery to become a monk or a nun.

Monasteries are therefore the outstanding landmarks in this forlorn valley. Rachen Gompa is the largest monastery in Tsum and is inhabited by monks and nuns. Its life size statues of Avalokiteshvara (Lord of Infinite Compassion), Guru Padmasambhava (Founder of the Tibetan Buddhism), Tara (The Holy Mother) und Buddha Amitabha (Lord of Infinite Light) are the main attractions in this important Buddhist learning center. Besides these statues visitors can also admire a large number of traditional paintings with scenes and symbols of classical Buddhism.

The “Piren Phu Caves” (pigeon caves) located in the village of Burji are considered to be the most important caves in the valley. They are of great spiritual significance and also called Milarepa caves after the great Buddhist Yogi Milarepa (The Yogi of Tibet) who is supposed to have meditated here for a while and whose “footprints” have been preserved in these caves. The Milarepa cave is probably the largest and best known cave in the district of Gorkha. Attached to the cave are also two monasteries which house again life size statues of Avalokiteshvara, Buddha, Tara and Milarepa.

Kyiumulung is the sacred and mysterious Buddhist pilgrimage trail in the mountains around the Tsum Valley. The trail goes along the Nepal-Tibet border and is passing through various important pilgrimage sites. On the 30 days pilgrimage the more than 5’000m high Lajyang Bhanjyang and Thapla Banjyang passes are crossed and the settlements of Chhekam, Philim, Sirdibas, Dyang, Bihi, Namrung and Loh in Nepal and Rui Gaon, Sala Himal and Nyang Tibet are visited.

While visiting the Tsum Valley one can feel the Buddhists’ deep mystical sense for the beauty of nature and learns to understand the importance of a harmonious interaction between man and nature, a way of life that is considered to be the basis for reaching a higher and deeper sphere where simple existence turns into an experience of living with wisdom and compassion.

The Tsum Valley – A Place forgotten by the World!

Because of its isolation, its remoteness and due to the exodus of many young people the inhabitants of this valley suffer from great poverty and massif economic problems. Even the most basic modern infrastructures have never reached Tsum and the people were turned into a minority who is fighting for its survival. Their traditional way of life with its art and religious values is threatened with extinction. It would be the Nepalese government’s duty to protect the existence of this exotic spot and to assure the needed support measures. But also travelers from all over the world who are looking for a special trekking experience in Nepal can contribute their part to improve the economic situation of the people of Tsum by visiting this long forgotten valley thus helping to create new income opportunities for them.

The Tsum Valley owes its reputation as an exotic and forgotten spot on the border of Tibet primarily to the fact that it has been spared from the impacts of modern civilization – however, the inhabitants of this isolated area also have a right to a life where they can in some ways benefit from the achievements of today’s civilization, at least in the areas of education and health care.

As one of the first international trekking program operators we are giving a limited number of participants the opportunity to explore this remote area with us in May and October 2010. From a trek to the Tsum Valley participants return not only with many happy memories but also with the feeling of having made a small personal contribution to the improvement of the living conditions of the people in this forgotten valley at the foot of the Himalaya.

More information on our Tsum Valley Trekking Expedition you find here: Tsum Valley Exploration

It doesn’t matter whether you plan to participate in an expedition to summit an 8’000m peak or whether you intend to enjoy a ski or trekking vacation in the Himalaya Mountains – a sound physical and mental condition is a prerequisite for being able to fully enjoy such an adventure holiday and also to avoid becoming victim of acute mountain sickness (AMS).

To get ready for a trip to the high mountain area of the Himalaya it is therefore important to build a reasonable physical fitness level and to develop the right mental attitude. This article is not providing medical advice or proposing any specific training programs but instead highlighting some key points which should be taken into consideration for the physical and mental preparation for your ski, snowboard or trekking vacation in the Himalayas.

Physical Fitness

To participate in a ski or trekking program in the Himalaya participants have to be healthy and physically fit. A good physical condition not only improves the flexibility of our body movements but also contributes to our ability to perform our sports activity in a more relaxed manner and with more confidence. A purposeful preparation for a sports holiday in the Himalaya demands a strong personal engagement and a lot of discipline from each participant. Trekking expeditions with daily walks of 5 to 8 hours or ski and snowboard descents with up to 10’000 vertical meters per day at altitudes of 4’000m and more pose even for well trained people a challenge. Especially for skiers and snowboarders the approach of “training by doing” can have fatal consequences.

Without a certain physical preparation participants will get tired quickly and therefore the risk of falls and accidents with serious injuries increases. It is therefore indispensable to start a training program at least 2 month before departure to strengthen and stretch muscles and ligaments. Whether you plan to join a trekking expedition or to participate in ski and snowboard program in the Himalaya it is necessary to spend some time on training the following areas: Strength, flexibility and endurance.

Strength Training

Strength is the foundation for an athletic form. Only with sufficient strength it is possible to cope with the demands of a full day of trekking or snow sports activities in high altitudes. Adequate strength is a prerequisite for being able to perform the required body movements in a relaxed, coordinated and controlled manner and to adapt quickly to the ever changing conditions of the terrain. Without adequate pre vacation training participants get tired very fast and especially in high altitude reach a stage of exhaustion from which they can hardly recover.

Trekking, skiing and snowboarding require a lot of strength in the legs and therefore it is important to focus on training these body parts well before going on a trip to the Himalaya. To train the strength of the legs many different methods are known. A simple one is the decision to use stairs instead of elevators in your daily life and also to use every possibility for short walks, e.g. shopping tours, lunch breaks, etc. Following these simple training routines is, however, not enough. Especially people who are not exercising regularly and who are above the age of 40 should establish their personal training rituals to prepare themselves for a trip to the Himalayas.

The best methods to build strength for the participation in trekking and winter sports programs are walking and biking in hilly terrain. Between my ski and trekking missions in the Himalaya I keep fit with regular walking and mountain bike training units. About three month before leaving for my next assignment the training rhythm is increased and I establish weekly training routines with three short distance walks of 10km to 15km with 1’000m to 1’200m vertical meters of ascents/descents and one long distance walk of 20km to 25km with 1’500m to 2’000m vertical meters of ascents/descents. Participants who adhere to a similar training routine can be sure to have built up sufficient strength to ski and snowboard a number of long runs in deep powder snow or to complete walks of 5 to 8 hours at high altitudes for several days . For participants in an 8’000 m peak expedition, however, this type of training is not enough. An example for a typical Everest training you find here: Everest Training

Flexibility Training

A high flexibility is a key factor in avoiding injuries but despite its importance it is an often neglected training element. Flexibility is the ability to stretch muscles and ligaments as far as possible without having to put too much pressure on the joints. With age our muscles get continuously tighter and the flexibility of our joints is decreasing. Daily stretching routines in the morning should therefore become part of our habits. To expose untrained muscles, ligaments and joints to high pressure can have fatal consequences for our health. For trekking and winter sport activities in the Himalaya specific flexibility trainings are therefore a must!

We know a number of different methods to train flexibility and various fitness centers offer specialized stretching programs for a variety of sports. Since my introduction to yoga my personal flexibility and stretching training consists of the sun salutation (example see here: Sun Salutation) and additional 90 minute yoga sessions with various postures. Between and during my trekking and ski missions I practice the sun salutation every day and the longer yoga session once a week. To get ready for a new assignment I practice the longer yoga session 3 to 4 times per week. As an alternative to the sun salutation you find here another example for a typical daily stretching routine: Daily Stretching Exercise

Endurance Training

Possessing a good endurance means being able to perform a physical activity over longer periods of time without getting tired. Whether you are enjoying the powder snow runs in Gulmarg, Kashmir or trekking through the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal and India a strong endurance is crucial. Endurance can be trained in various ways. The best method, however, is walking. With three 30 minute units of “easy walking” per week in flat terrain it is possible to start building your physical condition.

Preparing for trekking or skiing in the Himalaya is not the same as preparing for a sports competition but a certain training effort is still mandatory for being able to fully enjoy a vacation which for many is often a “once in a life time” experience. The main goal of an endurance training is to get “Fit for the Himalaya” which means being able to walk 5 to 8 hours per day over distances of up to 20 km in high altitude. Also skiers and snowboarders should dispose of the same endurance level despite the fact that they have the opportunity to finish their day before the maximum number of vertical meters has been reached. Before leaving for their trip participants can easily verify if their physical condition meets the requirements for the planned outdoor activity, either by walking 5 hours in hilly terrain or by completing 5 to 6 runs in deep powder snow. Ideally this fitness check is done at altitudes of 2’500m to 3’500m

My personal endurance training combines strength and endurance which I can easily exercise with the previously described long and challenging walking routes and the yoga routines. The faster I can complete the distance and the fewer breaks I have to take the more strength and endurance I have built up.

To believe one could just go on a vacation in the Himalaya and build up the required fitness level while participating in the program would be very naïve.

Mental Fitness

For a trekking or skiing vacation in high altitude mental fitness has certainly not the same importance as for joining an 8’000m peak expedition or for participating in a sports competition. However, in order fully enjoy a trip to the Himalayas the aspect of mental fitness should not be completely neglected. The following points are providing you with some tips which can be helpful to build up the right mental attitude for your mountain adventure.

Positive Visualization

Positive visualization is a means to raise awareness for certain situations that may occur on a ski or trekking trip in the Himalaya and can help to imagine how we would react when confronted with the imagined challenges. This focused thinking method provides us with a chance to project past experiences on potential challenges in the future and helps us develop the right mental attitude for particular situations. Of course perceptions resulting from the visualization process cannot be compared to reality but they contribute a lot to calm and sensible reactions in certain critical situations.

Critical Self Assessment

Before going on a trip to adventure zones one has to go through an honest and critical self assessment. What is my fitness level, how strong is my health, what are my weaknesses, how good are my ski or snowboarding skills, how am I dealing with critical and unknown situations, how am I coping with group pressure, etc.? Once this process of self analysis is completed it is important to confront identified problems by reading about them and by seeking advice. Honesty and a strong will to prepare for the outdoor adventure are the best disciplines to make us mentally and physically fit for a trouble free trip to the Himalayas.

Optimism

The most important elements in the mental trip preparation process are the ability to be unconditionally thrilled by the upcoming experience and the mental strength to cope with all negative influences that may come from the personal environment including disturbing media reports. When travelling to foreign countries or to remote areas it is impossible to anticipate every detail. A healthy optimism provides us with the right mental attitude to combine the joy over the trip with a strong determination to turn our ideas and desires into realities.

Don’t Worry

The permanent brooding over unknown and possible challenges of the trip makes everything look more difficult than it will be in reality. The most important is to accept that we cannot know today how we will feel or think tomorrow. The ability to let go and to forget everything around us is the best method to stay motivated before and during the trip.

People who prepare themselves well for the trip to the Himalayas and who establish an adequate training program can start their journey with full confidence. However, if certain weaknesses are discovered during the preparation process one should seek advice and in case of health problems consult a medical doctor before going on a trip to high altitudes.

A trekking or a ski and snowboard holiday in the Himalaya demands a considerable preparation effort from all travelers, however, compared to the exceptional moments people can enjoy in these mountains and the many unforgettable experiences they can make there this energy is well invested.

Visit our website to find out more about our ski programs and trekking expeditions: Free Ski Himalaya

These young ski instructors must be applauded for their selfless engagement and be thanked for a fantastic job done! They have contributed a lot by giving to many of these kids probably a ” once in a life time experience” and to some they may even have taught the basic skills that could motivate them to design their own future as skiing and mountaineering professionals.

We all can contribute to a brighter future for this young generation by visiting this Himalaya ski resort and by promoting it to all our friends and skiers or snowboarders we know.

Up to a couple of years ago it was still possible for freeriders to enjoy powder snow skiing on untracked fields in a number of cable car serviced ski areas in Europe and other western ski resorts. However, with the appearance of snowboards and the introduction of wide freeriding skis this has changed considerably. Today the capacities of freeriding terrains available in the proximity of cable car serviced ski areas are no longer sufficient to cope with the huge number of back country skiers and snowboarders. Most of the few available powder snow terrains are therefore usually covered with numerous lines the moment the cable cars start to operate.

Instead of reacting to the changed preferences of skiers and snowboarders and to develop or create new dedicated powder ski areas most cable car operators and ski sports resorts missed this chance for market differentiation and have instead accepted that many of the available powder snow terrains were converted into “wild protect zones” and therefore banned from freeriding.

Most freeriders are wondering why these new regulations have been accepted without further appraisal of the long term consequences for the ski and winter tourism industry and why the constantly rising demand for untracked powder snow terrain was so blindly ignored.

The facts remain and the resulting consequences must now be borne by the freeriding community – When vacationing in a ski resort in the Alps people who would love to enjoy some “freeriding” runs will have to get up early in order to have a chance for at least one single run through little tracked snow fields. Due to many new regulations they may even perform their favorite sport on foolishly restricted areas and have to accept the risk that they are fined and banned from skiing for the day as a consequence thereof.

The continuous introduction of new rules and regulations that limit the access to untracked powder snow terrain for skiers and snowboarders has pushed me to search for new destinations where I can still perform my favorite sport free of trouble. I started to look for ski areas that offer unlimited possibilities for freeriding, for ski resorts where skiing is still part of the lifestyle and not just a leisure sports activity with imposed limitations. Finally it was also important that this new destination was affordable for skiers and snowboarders with normal incomes.

During my trekking expeditions in the Himalaya I was therefore constantly scouting the region for places which could be used for freeriding and that also offered some basic infrastructure to lift people to the mountain top. In the winter 2005/2006 I finally got lucky and landed in Gulmarg in Kashmir. Here I rediscovered what ceased to exist in the European Alps some 15 years ago. After years of involuntary “powder snow celibacy” I felt here as if I was reborn in a freeriding paradise with an ambiance that reminded me of the pioneering years of skiing.

This new found remarkable powder snow ski resort is located in the Pir Panjals, one of the six ranges which make up the Himalaya. Thanks to the completion of phase 2 of Gulmarg’s gondola project in 2005 by the French cable car company Poma freeriders have nowadays convenient access to a fantastic powder snow terrain that is located between the village at 2’600m and Mt. Apharwat at 4’127m. Starting from the top station skiers can easily reach 19 access points by simply traversing the 6km long mountain ridge and then revel in numerous long powder snow descents back to the middle station or to the village of Gulmarg. With 6 to 10 descents per day it is possible to achieve a daily powder run volume of up to 10’000 vertical meters and to enjoy a back country skiing and snowboarding holiday which can definitely be described as a true “heli skiing experience by cable car”.

Up to the present day Gulmarg has remained an insiders’ tip among powder skiers and snowboarders. Despite all efforts to promote the ski area of Gulmarg this resort will continue to remain a treasure for powder snow lovers, even if the present lodging offer of 300 winter suitable beds might be doubled in the coming 3 to 5 years.

The costs for a typical freeriding vacation of 2 weeks also played an important role when I was evaluating this new ski and snowboard destination in the Himalaya. It was my intention to find something that was affordable for people with normal incomes. Thanks to the pricing evolution in Gulmarg and also within the airline industry it is nowadays possible for interested freeriders to experience an exceptional powder snow vacation at more or less the same price as they would pay for staying in a similar resort in the Alps (e.g. Arlberg, Davos, Andermatt, Verbier, Chamonix, etc.). The total costs for the plane trip to India and an all inclusive 2 week stay in Gulmarg during the coming winter season will be between 1’700 EUR to 2’000 EUR.

For the winter season 2009/2010 also heli skiing will finally be available in Gulmarg for the first time. Contrary to other heli ski destinations guests can chose between two options here. They can either book a full 6 day heli ski program for 7’000 EUR per person or reserve single flights for 300 EUR per person. Due to my experience with weather and wind in the Himalayas over the past years I recommend interested guests to enroll in one of our powder skiing programs first and to book single heli ski flights only on the spot when there are good weather and flying conditions.

With the possibility to combine freeriding in a cable car serviced area with some individual heli ski runs on suitable days, skiers and snowboarders are now offered perfect conditions for an exceptional powder snow ski vacation in the Himalayas – and at far lower costs than for a conventional heliskiing vacation elsewhere.

To complete the information about the powder ski area of Gulmarg I would like to highlight its key characteristics:

• Top station on Mt. Apharwat at 3‘990m
• Highest point reachable from the top station: 4‘300m
• 6km mountain ridge with 19 “ski to” or “traverse to” access points
• Long descents to the middle station offering runs of 800 to 1‘200 vertical meters, 1‘600 vertical meters for the descent to the village from the highest point
• Longest descent to the valley floor in  Drang 1‘800 vertical meters and 18km skiing
• Slope angle 32° to more than 40°, slope location N-NE
• Achievable run volume per day 6‘000 to 10‘000 vertical meters, depending on physical condition and skiing or snowboarding skills
• Number of skiers and snowboarders on the mountain: On peak days roughly 300 persons
• Queue time on peak days: 20 to 30 minutes
• Average snow depth in the village at 2‘600m: 3m
• Average snowfall per season: 20m
• Season duration: Mid November to beginning of May
• Best vacation time: Mid January to Mid March
• Good/bad weather ratio: 50/50
• Recommended length of stay: 2 weeks (Acclimatization , good weather reserve)
• Costs for a 2 week stay in Gulmarg: 800 EUR to 1’300 EUR depending on the chosen program plus costs for the flights

This information is for all skiers and snowboarders who are like me on a permanent search for freeriding and skiing areas where they can enjoy their preferred sports freely and untroubled by too many rules, and also at an affordable price. I also would like to let people know that such perfect ski spots still exist and let them know that skiing and snowboarding in gondola serviced areas is also possible in the Himalaya Mountains.

Further information about the Himalaya Heliskiing and Freeriding Destination Gulmarg you find here: Free Ski Himalaya.

When I traveled to the ski resort of Gulmarg in Kashmir for the first time in the winter of 2005/2006 I learnt the hard way what can be experienced when believing in his own capabilities to find a suitable hotel accommodation on the spot and at a price level which corresponds to the hotel prices that are common in this part of the world.

In Gulmarg I had to accept that the known rules of the game don’t apply here. It is winter, you carry loads of luggage, there are no public transports or taxis available and you are trapped in village that stretches over a distance of more than 3 kilometers. Hotel owners know that you are here to stay and usually haven’t planned for an extended ski vacation of several weeks. This leaves you with two choices, you either accept the rates for winter suitable rooms or you sleep in a hotel which matches your budget and still pay at least the double of what you would pay in other mountain sports resorts in India for a similar room.

I had no other choice but to accept a room in a hotel without heating, neither in the room nor in the dining room and thus I slept the first two weeks of my stay in Gulmarg in my sleeping bag in a room with temperatures barely above freezing level.

Those trying to find useful information on Gulmarg’s hotel accommodation and lodging offers on the Web will only discover some proposals from Indian travel agents. Their offers are primarily addressing the Indian holiday makers who are looking for package deals during the summer months. For skiers this information is useless, first because the hotel’s pricing models for the summer months vary considerably from their winter pricing. This is mainly due to the reduced cost impact in the summer (no heating costs, more efficient means of transport, lower goods prices, higher room availability etc.). Second most of this information ignores aspects like the availability of heating or the ski in/ski out location of the hotel. In any case, most travelers should think twice before going through one of these agencies anyway.

Most readers who land on this blog after searching the web for information on “hotel accommodation in Gulmarg” expect to find here a list of recommended hotels with reference prices and contact details. Even though I could make this information available it would be of no use to potential Gulmarg visitors. This is mainly due to the fact that internet and email connectivity is not available in most hotels in Gulmarg which requires that reservations are made by phone. With this method the typical “misunderstandings” in the reservation process are more or less guaranteed, (lack of language skills, unstructured paperwork, over bookings, etc.).

Besides the pitfalls of this informal reservation process one must be aware that there is a considerable room demand for the period from mid January to mid March and that most of the winter suitable rooms have been booked in advance by local and international program operators.  Consequently direct bookings by independent travelers always entail a certain risk, if they are lucky they will be given a suitable room, however, if they are unlucky their reservations will get lost and they have to accept to change rooms several times during their stay or may even have to accept lodgings that are not meeting the expected comfort levels.

For ski vacationers in the Himalaya it is therefore important to know that the hotels in Gulmarg offer three comfort categories:

• Winter suitable category A hotels located near the slopes (the hotels correspond more or less to the 3 to 4 star standard levels in our regions). In these hotels three types of rooms are available; new and fully furnished and heated rooms, new partially finished rooms and old, not winter suitable rooms which are in the process of being renovated and which don’t meet our comfort expectations. The 7 category A hotels dispose of roughly 200 rooms with 350 beds but not all the rooms meet our comfort expectations for adequate and winter suitable lodgings.  Prices with breakfast and dinner start from 100 €.
• Not winter suitable category A and B hotels. Most of these hotel dispose of rooms which meet our comfort expectations for stays during the warm summer months. However, most of the rooms have no heating and no bath rooms with running hot water. In the winter 2005/2006 I lived in one of these hotels and was given an electric heater to keep the room warm during the night. Due to the low voltage the heater remained one of the well intentioned comfort raising gestures with no real use! Those hotels don’t dispose of the required generators to assure stable voltage and 24 hours of electricity availability, and without generators neither 24 hours’ heating nor hot water or light availability can be assured. In the winter these hotels also offer no heated dining rooms or lounges and also lack the qualified personnel to prepare warm meals. However, depending on one’s negotiation skills and the duration of the stay prices of less than 50 € per night can be achieved. In order to reach the Mt. Apharwat gondola skiers will have to accept a 30 to 40 minutes walk. The availability of taxis is scare and there are no means of public transportation.
• Huts and touris lodgings. This type of accommodation addresses primarily the needs of the budget travelers. Gulmarg offers a variety of lodgings in so called huts. Some of them offer quite comfortable lodging facilities, provided one hires a reliable “Wallah” who takes care of the wood heater, boils the hot water, cooks the meals and does the required shopping. Other suitable living and sleeping quarters can be found in so called tourist lodgings. There you can find simple rooms and dormitories with wood heating and in some places they even serve excellent food. The costs for a stay in these places starts at 15 € per day and person and include food. The gondola can be reached with a 30 to 45 minutes walk.

If there are suitable rooms available and if one disposes of sufficient time and sound negotiation skills it is quite possible to find a good deal on the spot which allows at best savings of 30 € to 50 € per week in comparison to the listed prices and the offers of international program operators. However, there is no guarantee that the promised room will also be available but what counts is that you booked there and paid for your stay in advance!

For the independent and cost conscious travelers’ convenience and as a reward for reading this far here at last the names of the 7 category A hotels. In some of these hotels we and other program operators lodge our guests in Gulmarg too: Heevan, Highland Park, Hilltop, Mumtaz, Pine Palace and Royal Park.

For those who have decided to pay themselves this exclusive ski vacation in a ski resort in the Himalaya Mountains and who want to enjoy a stress and trouble free skiing holiday in comfortable and heated rooms I recommend to make use of the services of an international program operator. These operators are present in the hotel with their own personnel and assure that their guests will spend unforgettable and happy moments in Gulmarg. Offers of international operators with extremely attractive prices and multiple discount schemes should, however, be studied carefully too and if they include guiding I strongly advice to verify the competence level of the guides (license, registration, training, experience, etc.)

Those who plan to organize their own trip to Gulmarg should not waste too much time on searching the web for cheap rooms and budget hotel accommodation – my best advice for them is to hop in the plane, travel to Gulmarg and enjoy whatever experience they will make. Adventures are guaranteed, they start already at the airport with the search for a taxi that is willing and permitted to drive to Gulmarg.

More information on Gulmarg and powder ski programs in the Himalaya you find here: Free Ski Himalaya

My first skiing experience in the Himalayas dates back to 1991 when I joined a heli skiing program in Manali, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This was to be my only ski experience in the Himalayas for a long time. While guiding trekking expeditions in Nepal I heard some rumors about a new cable car serviced ski area in Gulmarg, Kashmir which should be opened soon. After verifying this information I decided to scout this area and went there for the first time for the opening season in the winter of 2005/2006 and since then I returned with groups every winter.

When I talk about skiing in the Himalayas to friends they are surprised to learn that there really exist ski resorts with the adequate infrastructure in these mountains and some wonder why people would spend the additional money for a flight ticket to India when they have the “best” mountains at their front doors.

So what are the reasons that attract me and many other people to these remote mountains? For climbers it is certainly the challenge of ascending the 8’000 meter high summits and the exploration of new routes to some unnamed peaks. For trekkers and hikers it is an attractive alternative to the busy trails in our part of the world – but what is it for skiers!

Due to the fact that ski resorts in the Himalayas are in their early stage of development one of the reasons for skiers to go there is perhaps a certain desire to explore the unknown and also the chance of belonging to the first group of people who are privileged to ski on these so far untouched mountain slopes.

However, in addition to a certain desire for adventures it is mainly the excellent powder snow quality that brings me back to the Himalaya Mountains year after year. I skied in many places in the Alps and in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and even today I would not want to miss the opportunities to ski there – but with regard to snow conditions and back country skiing the possibilities of the Himalayas are unmatched. Regular snowfalls of one meter and more, lots of dry and deep snow, very steep and long runs through wide open terrain in the upper regions combined with varied challenging tree skiing down to the valley floor provide near perfect conditions for a great powder snow skiing and snowboarding experience.

Another aspect that gives those Himalayan ski resorts its charm is certainly their stage of development. Despite the fact that the number of visitors is growing every year the villages have kept their original look. Of course a few new hotels have been built and old ones have been renovated to offer the skiers centrally heated rooms with attached bath rooms and running hot water but overall the infrastructure has remained very basic – a welcome change to the modern and busy western ski resorts with their luxurious amenities and boundless shopping facilities.

But skiing is only one part of a perfect ski vacation experience in the Himalaya. For me as for many others a trip to the Himalayas always results in an indescribable mental experience which some people describe as the “spiritual effect” of these magic mountains.  Whatever it is one thing is for certain, after a couple of days or weeks in the Himalaya your physical strength will have improved considerably and you will sense that your emotional and mental energy levels have risen noticeably – I personally feel always more balanced when I return from the peace of the Himalayas into the hectic life in our part of the world.

There is no doubt that a ski vacation in the Himalaya Mountains has something to offer for all powder snow and mountain sports enthusiasts. Don’t miss this exclusive powder snow experience and make your ski trip to this magic mountain range – you won’t regret it!

For more information on ski vacation or trekking expeditions in the Himalaya visit us at Free Ski Himalaya.

As organizers of ski and freeriding programs in Gulmarg we are not only responsible for the safety of our guests on the mountains but must also assure their well being during the whole duration of their ski vacation in Kashmir. Before interested skiers book with us we are often confronted with the following question „Is it true that the ski resort of Gulmarg is located in a disputed area and regularly targeted with acts of violence?”.  As organizer and manager of our ski programs in Gulmarg I am committed to answer these questions and to inform interested parties regularly on the security situation in Gulmarg and in Kashmir, and also to share with them my personal assessment of the conflict potential in the area. Any changes in the conflict situation that could give reason for safety concerns will be communicated with my blog and through our website.

Violence in the Gulmarg Ski Resort?

First a few words on the violence potential in the ski area – the rumor of Gulmarg being a violence prone ski resort is totally baseless and proved to be false. However, it needs to be said that Gulmarg is located in the proximity of the so called „Line of Control“ (line of demarcation between the Indian and Pakistani parts of Kashmir) and that a strong military presence can be observed in this area. On the other hand visitors need also to know that Gulmarg is a small remote and in the winter difficult to reach settlement at 2‘700m with roughly 100 permanent residents and therefore has a low potential for significant, locally triggered acts of violence, especially when all nonresident tourist industry workers have to descend to their villages in the valley at the end of the day. Other non negligible facts that speak for the improved safety situation in the area are the termination of the territorial disputes between India and Kashmir in 2003 and the encouraging results of the 2004 launched appeasement process between these two countries.

How dangerous is it to travel in Kashmir?

„Safety“ is always an issue when potential participants in our ski programs start to plan their trip to Kashmir in more detail. Due to the fact that all „foreign offices“ warn of potential demonstrations and clashes between the army/police and Kashmir’s population the travelers’ concerns about their safety are certainly justified. It can’t be denied that Kashmir is regularly suffering from acts of violence that are triggered by different reasons and it is a fact that during these clashes people are injured and sometimes even killed. However, people need also to be made aware of the fact that so far no foreign tourists have become victims of these acts of violence – if this would have been the case the world would definitely have been informed about it! The travel advisories for Kashmir published by the state department/foreign office should of course be consulted and then complemented with some independent assessments of the security situation when skiers plan their ski trip to Gulmarg. As in other parts of this region a trip to Kashmir entails a number of non negligible but manageable risks – risks that can be considerably minimized by traveling in organized groups and by joining programs of established tour operators.

My Personal Experience in Conflict Regions in the Himalayas

Since 2001 I have been guiding groups in different conflict regions of Nepal and India (Kashmir). In all these years I have never been confronted with any critical or threatening situations that could have given reason for concern. I run my ski and freeriding programs in Gulmarg since the winter season 2005/2006 without seeing any acts of violence or other harmful activities towards foreigners. Up to last year I used to take my guests immediately from the airport to Gulmarg in order to avoid the highlighted potential risks of Kashmir’s capital city Srinagar. Last winter, however, I decided to explore this “dangerous” city on my own and later took also groups there. During our stay in the city neither I nor my guests have experienced any situation that could have given rise to concern. As organizer of ski programs in Gulmarg I am regularly in touch with important sources of information in and around the ski area and have, therefore, an efficient early warning system in place which allows me to take the necessary precautions to assure the safety of our program participants should a critical situation arise.

In addition to the extremely cautious travel advisories also certain tour operators in my part of the world have started to play a dubious role when it comes to questions on “Ski Trips to Gulmarg” and the related “Safety Issues”, despite the fact that they propose their own trips to Gulmarg, too. I fail to see the motivation behind their disturbing and often destabilizing comments, it may be that they are seriously concerned for the safety of their customers (however, if they considered the risks too high they should never have proposed Gulmarg as a ski destination in the first place as the Kashmir Conflict has begun way back in 1948), but it may also be that they just take advantage of Gulmarg’s popularity to catch customers for their ski trips to other destinations in Asia (Japan, China, Heli Ski, etc.). Most probably it is just an ill-advised argument to hide their inability to justify the significant price mark ups on their programs or the failure to sell the added value of their expensive guiding services.

Based on the actual conflict situation in Kashmir a ski trip to Gulmarg presents not more risks than a trip to any other destination in this part of the world, especially if one takes the recommendations of the state department/foreign office into account, applies appropriate caution during the visit in the region and makes use of the services of experienced and locally established international program operators.

Personally I regret that some organizations and certain individuals are trying to wretch Gulmarg’s reputation as an outstanding powder ski area by spreading unqualified and disturbing rumors concerning the safety situation in the Kashmiri Mountains. My advice to all deep snow addicts, don’t let yourself be discouraged, take a chance and make your ski trip to the Himalayas – you won’t regret it! Participants of our previous programs will be pleased to confirm it.

A ski trip to India into the Himalaya mountains, this sounds adventurous and exotic – In reality it is, however, a journey to one of the most exciting and beautiful ski areas of the world! Since 2006 we have been regularly taking skiers to Gulmarg. Over the years we explored numerous possibilities for attractive powder snow descents and know most slopes from personal experience.

Because of regular and heavy snow fall Gulmarg offers excellent powder snow conditions with an average snow depth of 3 meters. The snow quality and the huge number of variegated descents were described by our guests as key differentiators of our powder snow offer in Kashmir. The participants of our programs characterize Gulmarg as the “last resort” on earth where powder snow skiing still results in an authentic skiing experience. Discover the beauty and the skiing possibilities of Gulmarg with us and book a trip to one of the most extraordinary and exciting skiing and free riding resorts in the world.

The Journey

Our guests travel independently from their home country to Delhi where they will arrive in the early morning. After transferring to the domestic airport our guest fly to Srinagar. After completion of Kashmir’s immigration formalities they will be received by us at the front door of the airport building. The journey continues with an adventurous 50km jeep ride to Gulmarg at 2’600m and check into a comfortable hotel close to the gondola. The following days are available to enjoy the long and varied descents on the wide open, more than 35° steep slopes on the up to 4’300m high Mt. Apharwat range. In the morning of the last day our guest will be brought to the airport in Srinagar from where they fly to Delhi. In the Delhi most people take their return flights home the same night. If our guests prefer we can also drive to Srinagar in the afternoon of the second last day, do some shopping and spend the night on a houseboat on the Dal lake.

Participant Profile

• Sound skiing technique with ability to ski safely and uninterrupted in challenging terrain and all types of snow
• Good health and strong physical fitness to participate in skiing days with up to 10’000 verticals meters per day and walks of up to 2 hours at altitudes between 3’000 and 4’300 meters
• Interest in other cultures

Scope of Services “Guided Programs” , 7 Ski Days Sfr. 1‘190, 12 Ski Days Sfr. 1‘890

• All lift passes, airport transfer Srinagar-Gulmarg,  all transports for bad weather programs and tree skiing
• Lodging in double rooms with breakfast and dinner in our partner hotel
• 1 trained and experienced, registered snow guide for 4 guest and short avalanche awareness training
• Every day one long descent to Drang or other locations on the valley floor (weather dependant)
• Program management by Swiss ski instructor/expedition leader with several years experience in the Himalayas

Scope of Services “Hosted Programs”, 7 Ski Days Sfr. 690, 12 Ski Days Sfr. 990

• Airport transfer between Srinagar and Gulmarg, privileged access to our  guides and drivers
• Lodging in double rooms with breakfast and dinner in our partner hotel
• Guided terrain visitation on the first day and short avalanche awareness training
• Program management by Swiss ski instructor/expedition leader with several years experience in the Himalayas

Additional Costs

• Flight Europe – Srinagar approx. Sfr. 900 (ca. EUR 600)

India Visa Fee ca. Sfr. 60, (in most countries visa application forms can be downloaded online)

Important  Information

The participants should be prepared that on a skiing trip to India not everything will go according to expectations. There can be delays and shortcomings that are beyond our understanding like for example the irregular opening times of the gondola. Skiers must also be aware that the meteorological conditions in high alpine terrain are subject to change and that a certain number of bad weather days must be accepted (based on our experience in Gulmarg approx. 40 – 50%). On bad weather days the gondola remains closed due to generally high avalanche danger (level 4) and poor visibility. In order to fully enjoy the trip a positive attitude towards unexpected situations combined with a high tolerance of the local people’s way of living is absolutely necessary.

If you want to know more about this exceptional ski resort and about our programs visit us at Free Ski Himalaya