Skiing season

butternan

I will be flying off to India on the 24th of November for two weeks (flying back on the 9th of December) and after two years in Singapore I am really dying for some snow and skiing.

Does anyone know if this is too early to do any skiing?
My impression is that in all the major spots (Gulmarg, Manali and Auli) skiing start from mid-december onwards.

Can I assume that if I get lucky and some snow falls early the various gondolas, ski-lifts, etc will start operating too?

Has anyone managed to ski in the first week of december anywhere?

arunchs

I always go skiing in Jan. Why not call Auli and find out? They are easy to access and resonsive. Number can be found gmvnl.com They may also have the skiing schedule online.

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butternan

Thanks for the website, I will give them a call though I can see that the website says the season starts from end-december.

By the way, I' ve seen the photos in your blog and it really does look great!

Have you been only to Auli or also to other places? Where would you recommend for natural beauty?

arunchs

Only Auli. And Auli is definitely beautiful place.

DIP4K

I was in gulmarg last season, and will be going again in early Jan 2007.

I am pretty certain that the ski season is Dec - March in Gulmarg and I imagine the same would apply to Auli.

Gulmarg boasts one of the highest gondola (3rd) in the world, elevating you to approx 13,000ft. That's very high when comparing that the Lifts in The rockie only take you to approximately 10,000ft.

It may be worth visiting Gulmarg end of November in the hope of catching a few solid days of skiing.

You can hire equipment from kashmiralpine.com

Hope this helps.

Dipak

butternan

Hi Dipak, thanks for your info.
I sent a mail to kashmiralpine.com. Looks like it might be possible to do some skiing if I get lucky with the snow...

Here's their answer if anybody else needs this info.
<quote>
Skiing in December… well, that’s up to the snow god! There might be sufficient snow on the top (2nd phase). I don’t think you could ski the bottom part of the ski resort at that time.
The slopes of the resort are natural, that provides amazing runs in mid season, but for full mountain access the mountain requires 1.5m, to 2m of snow base.
The news is talking about an Elninyo winter… that usually means stronger then average winter in Kashmir.

The gondola is operating all year round as a sight seeing tourist attraction.
</quote>

prady77

How much does it cost to learn skiing in Gulmarg? How many days do I need to stay in Gulmarg? I am looking at basic training.

arjunm

Hi

There's been early snow in Gulmarg this season and skiing has started. Check with J&K tourism and head out as soon as you can.

Arjun

TrinTrin

How is the skiing at these places? How do they compare to the alps and the rockies?

ranjan154

BTW , Gulmarg skiing festival is On, and they have arrangement for skill levels so dont worry about that

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Rakesh Ranjan
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SANJAY_DEL

Tourist boom expected in Gulmarg this winter

SRINAGAR, Dec 24: The tourist business seems to be looking up in Gulmarg this winter with private tour operators in Britain, Canada and Australia promoting the ski resort as the "most affordable" winter sports destination in the world.


For more: http://dailyexcelsior.com/ 25 December 2006

arjunm

Dear Trin Trin

I don't know about the Alps and the Rockies, but in India, I would rate Gulmarg the best compared to Solang, Kurfi, Narkhanda and Auli. Being a skiier myself, I find the snow in Gulmarg with the least water content. They stick to your skies less. Go for it.

Arjun