Skiing Eight Months In Kashmir

By Mohamad Yousuf

Pirpanjal Range:

Alpine Skiing comes to an abrupt end when the Tourism Department officially close its Puma Ski lifts at Gulmarg in the first week of April every year, unaware of the fact that skiing is possible at Kongdori and its surrounds up to late May. We have few nursery ski runs at Kongdori and Khilanmarg (Gulmarg) eve, where basics of skiing can be taught to novices. This was proved by the University of Kashmir when t hey organized a 14 day long Basic Ski Course for 30 girls of different Colleges and Post-Graduate Departments. This was first regular course conducted by any organization at Kongdori. Some private ski guides are now also imparting basic skills to the day tourists here. This has thus extended the length of duration of skiing season at Gulmarg. Pirpanjal range offer dozens of dozens of skiing spots. One can even undertake ski-touring from Gulmarg to Mount, Sunset, Mount Sunrise and Mount Tatakoti etc in the vicinity of Yusmarg health resort. At the moment winter activities are limited to Gulmarg bowl only which at best is still a beginners resort.

A few teams have attempted Ski-touring (winter trekking on skis) and Snowboarding trips from Gulmarg to Yusmarg area. The people who don’t have knowledge of ski-touring are unnecessarily bothering the foreign tourists. The teams which go for two or three day long wilderness skiing are declared to have got lost in the mountains by such people and raise hue and cry for their rescue. If the conditions are conducive one can even trek to other side of Kashmir on skis from Gulmarg. Like having trade ties with Pakistan, the Government must think of promoting cross-border adventures as is done in the Alps by many European countries. It is not only downhill skiing at fixed resorts that constitute the thrill. The real adventure is going across the hills and mountains. The need is to exploit this part of adventure which involves the least investment compared to fixed resorts.

Ski-Mountaineering:

One of the latest adventure sports to catch the fancy of experts in both skiing and mountaineering is “Ski-Mountaineering” or “Ski-Touring”. This sport is popularly known as “Ski-Du-Randone” in Europe. It involves going over mountains with special ski gear. This sport is sort of cross-country or backpacking but on higher scale and altitude. Skiers go from daylong ski –touring to even weeklong or still longer expeditions, camping during night either in tents or provisional shelters like Gujar huts and igloos. This is sort of winter trekking and the best way to combine views of magnificent mountains scenery in winter with the thrill of skiing on virgin and longer ski runs with more degree of difficulty. In view of the over development of traditional ski resorts where one has to stand for hours in a line to get a trip on ski-lift, this sport is becoming increasingly popular in Europe, America and Australia and the adventurers are looking for newer areas to explore. In 1980s this sport was also popular in Kashmir but during turmoil it could not continue as it was not possible for enthusiasts to go to mountains and high passes. The Jammu and Kashmir state in this context has extensive possibilities which have hitherto remain completely unexploited. Development of this sport involves the least investment as no sophisticated ski-lifts, snow packing machines and hotels etc are required. Only some shelter huts have to be constructed in some known routes. The best period for ski-touring in Pirpanjal and Lidder valleys of Kashmir is from mi March to end May, while as this activity can be undertaken up to July in Sindh valley particularly at Thajewas area of Sonamarg. Summer skiing on glaciers could be a new challenge for enthusiasts. The snow condition is very hard is the morning till about 123 noon. One has to start very early in the morning about 4.30 to 5.30 am and finish the days trip by 12 noon, as otherwise skis will sink in slushy snow. Ski-mountaineering which has become popular in west particularly the Alps, combines the tenacity and stamina required for cross-country skiing with the thrill of making long runs downhill on skis. The skier has to brave low temperatures during night and very high temperatures during day. Carte of avalanches is always to be taken. Machoi Glacier at Matayan region of Drass in Ladakh also has the possibility of summer skiing till late summer .

Ski Expeditions in Kashmir Himalayas:

The first organized ski-mountaineering expedition which came to Kashmir was a four member United State team in 1977. All the four were professional Cross-Country Ski Instructors from Oregon. This team also undertook a weeklong ski trip from Gulmarg to Shopian before they crossed into Wadvan valley or Kishtwar Himalayas over Margan pass and made another ten days trip to Panikhar in Suru valley of Zanaska r Himalayas (Ladakh). The team used cross-country ski with special steel edges. During early 1980s some FITs from France and Australia came to Gulmarg who undertook weeklong scrambling around the mountains in Gulmarg. In 1980 the first reconnaissance expedition to Lidder valley in Pahalgam was undertaken by two Kashmiri explorers, this writer and his friend Mehraj-ud-Din, travel agent. They could not continue beyond Aru because of inferior equipment. In 1982 they purchased modern ski-mountaineering equipment and made yet another reconnaissance to same valley,. This time they were able to reach up to the snout of Kolahoi glacier. Their effort, however, was pioneering one as no expedition has attempted this feast before on skis. In the year 1984 this writer led a seven member ski-mountaineering expedition to Lidder and Sindh valleys of Kashmir which was sponsored by the J&K Mountaineering and Hiking Club, Srinagar. The other members of the expedition were Mehraj-ud-Din, Abdul Hameed Shah, G.M. Dar, Fayaz Ahmad Bala, Bashir Ahmad and Gh. Hassan Lone. It was first-ever major ski-mountaineering expedition in the area. The team crossed Sunmous Pass on 10th January in extremely bad weather which is still a record. Later, M/S Mountain Journeys, a local travel agency sold this tourist product in Europe and some foreign ski-mountaineering groups started to undertake such unique adventures in Kashmir Himalayas. The J&K Ski and Mountaineering Association launched first-ever ski-touring expedition to Holy Amarnathji cave in the year 1985. The team led by again this writer comprised of top 15 skiers of the state. The expedition was financed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Due to avalanches, rolling down the gullies in this treacherous route, the team had to abandon the expedition. Again in the year 1988 the J&K Ski and Mountaineering Association organized an International Ski-mountaineering expedition to Lidder valley. The team, led by Rudolf Christine, consis ted of eight professional Mountain Guides of Australia, Switzerland, Australia and Sweden. Four Kashmiri skiers also took part in this historic expedition. The team spent nearly three weeks at Sekiwas, Lidderwat and Kolahoi areas where they explored many other adjacent areas suit able for extreme skiing. They swished across many surrounding valleys and zoomed down a number of virgin ski slopes and difficult ridges here. This expedition inspired many European countries to send their ski expeditions to Kashmir. In May 1989 the Austria sent an expedition of 30 skiers, led by Wolfgang Pointer. One Kashmiri skier (the writer) also accompanied the team as Guide, who had extensively explored the area earlier. The, besides, skiing down many high passes and ridges climbed Mount Kolahoi, which was perhaps the first winter ascent of Mt. Kolahoi. During the same period of more expedition from Switzerland, consisting of ten top skiers and led by Rudolf Christine, was venturing in the area. They too climbed Mount Kohaloi after Austrian ascent. Later the Swiss team undertook ski-touring at Thajewas glacier. This was first exploration in Sonamarg area. The skied many glaciers and some surrounding peaks here including Hapath Nar and Kazim ridge. The team was accompanied by this writer as a local guide. One of the members also flew from Thajewas 2nd to base on a Para glider. It was first time that the Paragliding was introduced in Sub-Continent. The District Winter Games Association, Srinagar launched first-ever ski-touring expedition to Mount Mahadev of Zabarvan range in Srinagar some year back, which was organized under the aegis of J&K Winter Gamers Association and was financed by the J&K State Sports Council. To raise necessary infrastructure for conducting skiing till late June in Mahadev area the Association had requested the then Director-General Tourism, Mr. Mohammad Ashraf to construct some shelter huts in the area so that so skiing could be made popular in Srinagar district as well but the request was not considered. Instead he pushed more and more Heli-Skiers into this unknown and magnificent skiing area. The J&K Ski and Mountaineering Association organized a summer skiing programme at Sonamarg In late May 2006 in collaboration with the Sonamarg Development Authority in which 25 skiers of Kashmir University and some veteran skiers took part. The activity received wide coverage in the print and electronic media. The NDTV gave a live telecast of this thrilling demonstration. It clearly proved that skiing in Kashmir is possible for eight months. This was the time when the entire country was sweating with scorching heat and we the Kashmiri were still zooming down the covered slopes. The summer skiing has tremendous potential in tourist trade but should someone lay necessary infrastructure like construction of huts at higher reaches and make available the ski gear at these places. Laying some ski-lifts will add charm to the resort.

Published in Souvenir "Gulmarg" brought out by the Winter Games Association of Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of 5th National Winter Games held at Gulmarg from 17th to 22nd Feb, 2008.