By Mohamad Yousuf
It is laudable that the Director Tourism (Kashmir), Mr. Farooq Shah has come up with brilliant plans to put this hidden treasure on International adventure map. Conduct of first-ever Kashmir Cup International Rafting Championship at Sonamarg in July this year is a step in the right direction and a good beginning to promote this neglected destination. To exploit its potential in other pursuits Tourism Department should organize similar competitions in other adventure sports in near future. It is heartening that the Tourism Department is planning to build an artificial Rock Wall in Srinagar soon which would certainly help to inculcate and encourage a spirit of climbing among local youth. Efforts are afoot to make the Sport Climbing an indoor competitive Olympic discipline.
The Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA), led by Mr. Bakshi Javid Hamayun, is also putting its efforts to develop the infrastructure and bring it at par with other famous resorts of the state. It remains cut off from rest of the state for longer periods during winter. Once the Border Roads Organization makes the “Z” Morh Tunnel from Hung to Shitkari, Sonamarg will become one of the best all season tourist destinations. The S.D.A has some proposals in hand like construction of a Tourist Reception Centre, Yatri Niwas and Sonamarg Club etc. Development of a beautiful Camp site near Thajewas, Island Resort near Hung and Fish pond near Nilgrath etc are praise worthy steps taken by S.D.A for providing better facilities and picnic spots to intended day tourists but they must now discourage rising of such huge concrete dwellings in this picturesque resort. There is a need of paying more attention towards promotion of adventure tourism at Sonamarg for which natural facilities are available here.
Adventure Tourism is in fact thrust area in the tourism sector of our state. Sonamarg is an enchanting land of “Burf, Pani Aur Pahar”which are the basic ingredients for exciting, thrilling, fascinating and scintillating Extreme Mountain Sports. The people at helm of affair in the Schools, Colleges, Universities and NGOs etc must permit the student and non-student youths to make fullest use of these natural facilities. There is also a need of holding regular adventure training camps and expeditions at this Golden Meadow by these Institutions. This writer had moved a proposal to the University to conduct first-ever Adventure Expo-2008 for College and University students which was very kindly approved by the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor but the Directorate of Physical Education ignored the orders. Should the orders were implemented various adventure activities like Rafting, Snow Skiing, Rock-Climbing, Mountain Biking, Zorbing, Paragliding, and trekking etc. would have been simultaneously conducted in which nearly 250 boys and girls were to participate. It would have helped state promote much needed adventure tourism here and the students would have been benefited in many ways. It was best opportunity for the University to earn name and fame in the field of adventure sports. It is also a daunting responsibility of Travel Agents and other tourism players to sell Sonamarg for youth tourism which offers following adventure sports products. Pertinently, Hon’ble Governor of J&K, Shri N.N. Vohra has been closely associated with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and has helped a lot in developing mountain sports in the country. The adventurers and explorers of the state have full hope that he would encourage adventure in this Himalayan state.
Trekking:
Sonamarg has a wild mountain beauty and offers wide variety of low and high altitude trekking. It is base for many treks with the duration ranging from 1 to 10 days. One can undertake a circular trek to Amarnath Cave; Bandipora; Gurez and Telail which can be further extended to Bandipora via Zadkhusi; Darss; Pahalgam via Yemhar pass and another via Kantar nag etc. A trek from Thajiwas leads to Kolahoi peak via Bear Valley, Baraf Sar and Rock Island. The most interesting is one to high altitude Himalayan lakes of Vishensar, Krishensar, Gadsar, Nundkol and Gangabal etc which are at height ranging from 11000 feet to 14000 feet above sea level and have bluish-green crystal clear water, well stocked with trout fish. There is no other place in the entire Himalayas which has more than 55 high altitude lakes within a distance of about 60 kilometers.
One can also undertake day treks from Sonamarg to Ludderwas, Eagle’s Nest, Nilgrath and Sarbal, Baltal, Amaranth cave, Lashi Pathri, Nichnai, Thajiwas, Zabnar, Hapatnar and Kazim ridge etc. Zabnar, 4040 mtr. high above sea level makes a splendid day walk and provides one of the finest view points in the area for peaks such as Nanga Parbat (also known as killer mountain situated in Gilgat), Nun & Kun peaks of Zanaskar massif, Amarnath and other peaks of Ladakh Himalayas.
Mountaineering:
Sonamarg is considered a mountaineering and rock climbing paradise. Some of the best mountaineering and rock-climbing is in Thajiwas or in the Sogput Dhar, a line of peaks west of the Nichnai Nar. The rock is igneous of the Punjab volcanic series. In the north of Sonamarg village, the summits are yellow and grey and dolomitic in appearance but utterly fragile and more resembling the scenery of Ladakh. There are some long and more technical rock faces at Shitkari as well where the High Altitude Warfare School is regularly conducting its training camps. Other organizations like Kashmir University, Tourism Department and Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering have been active in the area for some time. The J&K Mountaineering and Hiking Club have done pioneering work in the development of mountaineering in J&K since 1936 but are now totally defunct.
Thajiwas is also called “the valley of Glaciers”. Before independence there were six fairly well defined glaciers here but today we have few. Due to heat Glacier 5 has reduced to a tongue of ice into the main valley. These glaciers offer great challenge for Ice Climbing. Institutions and Clubs can teach different Ice-Crafting techniques to their trainees here. There are number of challenging peaks at Thajiwas which include Umbrella Peak, 4798 meters, Cefn Carnedo, 4800 meters, Innominate, 4900 meters, Mosquito peak, 4612 meter, Valehead peaks, 4758 meters, Crystal peak and Blade/Arrow, 4830 meters. Etc.
Winter Sports:
Sonamarg receives heavy snowfall during winter but unfortunately it remains cut off from rest of the state during winter due to frequent avalanches, rolling down the gullies and ridges from Shitkari to Gagangir area thereby making it impossible to conduct any winter sports activity here. A French skier, Sylvain Saudan, explored the area on helicopter nearly two decades back and found the area, particularly Gund and Kulun, ideal for Heli-Skiing. A large number of European Heli-Skiers have zoomed down here many virgin passes, ridges and long ski runs covered with fantastic powder snow.
In late April, May, June and July, it is possible to ski the whole Thajiwas Nar. Glacier 6 is not crevassed and provides good ski runs from April to July. Glacier 3 would make a fine ski-mountaineering expedition to the peaks “Valehead” and “Umbrella”. A Ski team, including the writer, of J&K Ski & Mountaineering Association (JKSMA) undertook first reconnaissance expedition to Thajiwas glaciers in May 1988. The team along with some Swiss experts also undertook ski tour to Hapatnar. The JKSMA organized yet another ski-touring and Paragliding demonstration in Sonamarg in May 2006 in collaboration with S.D.A. Besides writer, the other senior members of the Association, Rouf Tramboo, Firdous Khan, Mushtaq Pampori and Showkat Puttoo etc took part in this great demonstration. The then C.E.O, SDA, Mr. Nazir Ahmad extended his full support to the Association to make the event a grand success. The NDTV made a live coverage of this demonstration. Once the road to Sonamarg becomes all weather roads it will become second best ski resort of Himalayas after Gulmarg. There is also possibility of operating tobogganing, sledging, Snowboarding, Cross-Country skiing and other snow and Ice Sports in Sonamarg.
White Water Sports:
River Sindh in Sonamarg offers to host white water sports, such as rafting, kayaking and Canoeing, on its gushing waters from Baltal to Shitkari with Grade 1 to 4 rapids. One can further extend his rafting trip up to Ganderbal if he does portage at Hung/Shitkari for about 2 kilometers. Some huge rocks are lying in the middle of the river here, thus creating a big hazard and makes it impossible to run down the river in this stretch. Should someone arrange blasting of these huge rocks the river Sindh would offer one of the best and long commercials rafting/Kayaking trip straight from Baltal to Ganderbal passing through picturesque and lovely countryside of north Kashmir. The regular Rafting training courses were started first by the University of Kashmir from 1998. Some University trained students have participated in many National and International Rafting Championships in the past and some have started commercial rafting companies at Pahalgam and Sonamarg.
Other allied adventure sports:
Not only terrestrial sports, Sonamarg is ideal for aero and other allied sports. There is best and constant wind condition for Paragliding and Parasailing at Baltal, Sonamarg and Thajiwas areas. Paragliding is a competitive as well as adventure sport and can be played in summer and in winter too on snow slopes. It was first introduced in Sonamarg by J&KSMA with the help of a Swiss Aero Sports School in May 1988. The team took first flight from Glacier 2 to the Thajiwas base which was in fact first flight of its kind in the subcontinent. Paragliding was newly invented sport at those days. After a lapse of 18 years the Association organized second Paragliding demonstration at Sonamarg near JKTDC Dormitory in April 2006. Paragliding has now become a commercial tourist product at Sonamarg.
Sonamarg could also offer a host of many other allied adventure sports like Zorbing, Mountain Biking, Snow Cycling, Grass Skiing at Ludarwas and Sarbal, Angling (fishing) at different beats in river Sindh and high altitude lakes and Orienteering. Orienteering is a Cross-Country race involving map reading. Competitors make their way through unfamiliar mountain terrain using a compass and a topographical map. There is also possibility of introducing Scree Running in Krishensar/Vishensar areas. Scree is an accumulation of rock debris on a mountain or hill. Scree Running is a method of descending gravelly slope. There are a number of naturally groomed scree slopes with fine small loose stones on them.
The above established facts clearly prove that Sonamarg is an amazing and magnificent place for round the year adventures. No other resort has its comparison. Let us vow to protect this hidden treasure for our future generations.
Published in two parts on 2nd November, 2008 and 9th November, 2008 by Daily Rising Kashmir
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