GULMARG '07/08: TRIP REPORT

Gulmarg '07/08: An incredible winter season at Gulmarg.
Scroll down for the posts, presented in chronolgical order, excerpted from Gulmarg '07/08.

Other winter seasons:
Gulmarg '11/12
Gulmarg '10/11
Gulmarg '09/10
Gulmarg '08/09

Go: Snow Conditions at Gulmarg
Go: Backcountry Advisory at Gulmarg

Please visit & support SNOWBOARDS FOR KASHMIR, a non-profit corporation that channels surplus snowboard equipment to the Kashmir region of India as an educational, recreational and employment opportunity resource for the area's youth & under-employed adults

(ORIGINAL POST LABELS: DELHI, GOA, KASHMIR, KERALA).

FIRST SNOWFALL OF SEASON AT GULMARG

Gulmarg experienced the first substantial snowfall of this winter season Friday November 30, elevating the hopes of local residents who are largely dependent upon tourism for their livelihood. If you are curious you can watch a broadcast report of this event from One India.

The first snowfall of Kashmir's winter season consistently drops in early December. In 2006 the season's first snowfall in Srinagar occurred 4 December 2006.

ORIGINAL POST: 1 DEC 2007

INSPIRATION & INFORMATION

I cannot recall how I first heard of a ski resort in India but it was described to me as an expanse larger than Verbier with vertical footage similar to Whistler, serviced by one six-person gondola. Many hours after that were spent Googling into the night to learn more about Gulmarg. "Ne Pofa, A short ski trip around the world" from M.dub is a beautiful video featuring the resort in the second half. It alone was enough to convince me to drop it all and go ASAP.

Trip reports provide the grittier details about a destination, so browsing the Thorn Tree Travel Forum and similar has become mandatory before any adventure. The chestnuts in all of the internet jibber-jabber are doughboyshredder's TR: Gulmarg Late Feb 2007, and reidhresko's TR: Gulmarg, Kashmir 1.5-12.2007 at the Teton Gravity Research Forum. DBS also has a great Flickr photoset from Gulmarg, as does batschmidt.

"Get High in Gulmarg" is about skiing in India despite what it sounds like, and be sure to check out "Kashmir: Land of Paradise" from Chill Factor. Three additional sources of info are: Himalayan Powder Dreams, Ellis Brigham Travel - Gulmarg, and "The Line of Control".

This is a Recommended Reading List for visitors to Jammu & Kashmir.
Photo credit: MHIP

ORIGINAL POST: 2 DEC 2007

GETTING TO GULMARG

Many countries require a visa in order to visit and India is no exception. The Embassy of India sends this business to Travisa Visa Outsourcing, an outstandingly quick service that turned my passport and visa around in a week flat. A 10-year, multiple-entry visa costs about USD$150 compared to a 6-month, multiple-entry visa for about USD$75, so I opted for the longer visa.

With visa in hand it was time to spend real money and commit to the voyage by purchasing airline tickets. Browsing ticket brokers like Cheap Tickets and Travelocity gave me a rough idea of prices but eventually Expedia was the service selling me the tickets for about USD$2000 R/T on Jet Airways from JFK to SXR through BRU. All I know about this airline is that it is not an American carrier and for that, sadly, I feel safer.

This may be the best explanation of "How To Get to Gulmarg" from Srinagar. Thanks to Gulmarg.org.

It costs 40 rupees to buy a dollar, so this 100INR bank note represents USD$2.50 (at time of posting).
Photo credit: MHIP

ORIGINAL POST: 2 DEC 2007

FINALLY...GULMARG

Amid the jostle at the SXR baggage claim appear the O-Zed’s and we tell tales of our last 24 hours in Delhi. Assisting each other out of the snatch-and-grab, we potter off to the obligatory form-filling of tourist registration, exit the terminal, load a jeep, bypass Srinagar, and make direct for Gulmarg.

The road passes for the greater part through a broad valley floor before rising gradually to Tangmarg. Lined with half-built ruins and basic shops, it is everywhere traversed by streams of pedestrians. The way is easy but the skies are overcast and so the vistas are obscured. Instead it is the foreground that I can see through the windscreen, and it is full of floody fields and ribby cows.

At Tangmarg the terrain rises more steeply to Gulmarg so the road zigs and zags across the pitches through forests of pine. A fresh storm has dropped several feet of snow around so all the gear is transferred from our jeep to a Sumo rigged with chains for the ascent over the remaining miles.

A market town, Tangmarg is small and foreign skiers are not missed as they gather at a central junction seeking rides back to Gulmarg. While swapping vehicles we meet Dave Watson (a Vermont telemark-skier and guide), with Steve Fisher and Chad Otterstrom, professional snowboarders from Breckinridge, Colorado. They are in Gulmarg filming These Days, a Transworld SNOWboarding production scheduled to release in September 2008. Read My Trip to India and this other blog for Steve's own accounts of his journey to Kashmir.

In the remaining daylight we learn it is the first clear day after the storm; there is plenty of snow on the hill since the gondola remained shut down. It might open the next day. The storm that had us sitting it out in DEL had people doing the same at Gulmarg over several days, and we had missed very little.

We truck it up the hill chattering excitedly as we pass under a large, steep, road-gap jump built by the pro riders, catching our first good looks at Gulmarg. Everyone is talking about tomorrow.
Photo credit: MHIP
Photo credit: MHIP
Photo credit: John Carolin

ORIGINAL POST: 08 FEB 2008

AVALANCHE AWARENESS

This post is dedicated to the friends and family of Shaun Kratzer, a man lost in an avalanche one year ago today, at Gulmarg. An account of this sad event by someone who was there can be found at The Avy in Gulmarg. There is also a discussion of this particular avalanche with photographs of the crown and deposition located at this forum thread at Teton Gravity Research. (The area of that slide is now known as Shaggy's Face). An additional account of this tragedy can be read where it was originally reported at News.com.au (Caution: This article is accompanied by a disturbing photograph of the victim).

The snowfall at Gulmarg this season has been generous, increasing the danger of avalanche at the resort, and especially in the adjacent bowls, which are unpatrolled, but heavily skied. There has been a slide in every bowl of Mt. Affarwat this season. Fortunately, the resort has retained the services of experienced patrollers and avalanche experts, and has gained permission to use explosives to trigger pre-emptive slides to control the danger to skiers.

Please consult the following avalanche resources before venturing into the backcountry, and if you intend to visit Gulmarg the patrollers firmly ask that one come equipped with a transceiver, a probe, a shovel, and the knowledge to properly use them all.

AVALANCHE RESOURCES:
The Avalanche Center
The Avalanche Encyclopedia
Surviving the Backcountry - Tahoe World.
WestWide Avalanche Network
Photo credit: Corey Putkunz

ORIGINAL POST: 08 FEB 2008

DAY ONE ON SNOW AT GULMARG

Everyone is ready early and excited to get on snow. I lace up snowboard boots for the first time in 20 months after a season off for an ankle surgery. The familiar routine of dressing for the mountain comes back quickly and I’m relaxed. Hand passes hand eye to lace, buttons snap, goggles are levelled. In an instant I’m where I’ve been a thousand times before, readying myself for the day, picturing sweet turns and fun lines.

The gondola barn is only a short, downhill ride from the hotel and we make for it after a quick breakfast omelet. We arrive to discover that avalanche control is still in progress on the upper mountain and the upper gondola will be closed all day. One can hear the explosives going off from time to time, and later we learn that the snowpack is good - the morters did not trigger any avalanches, so it's expected the upper stage of the gondola will open tomorrow.

Instead we take four runs in deep snow on the lower stage and quickly find every flat spot on the hill. Frustrating! I haven't had to unbuckle and walk this much in many years. But it's only a matter of learning the hill and knowing what to avoid, and we soon have it dialled. In the afternoon we do the Gulmarg-Tangmarg run through the trees. It's several kilometers below, so a jeep picks us up and we return to Gulmarg.
Photo credit(s): Griffiths/Smith

ORIGINAL POST: 09 FEB 2008

DAY TWO ON SNOW AT GULMARG

The second stage opens to the public today for the first time in a week, allowing access to the upper mountain and many feet of untracked powder. It is the conclusion of a waiting period following the first major storm of February. It leaves a meter (three feet) of fresh snow in its wake. Game on - Release the Hounds!
Photo credit: John Carolin
Skier: Andrew Jowett

I generally get my ass handed to me by the steep, the deep, and the vastness of the terrain. It's my rookie day on Stage Two and I make several mistakes. I ride the gully, main bowl, since I haven't figured out how to ride the hill. I have no legs and no lungs (it's been 22 months since my last turns), and I foolishly take a 181cm board on the hill. I bury the nose and cartwheel the steeps several times. Far from ripping, I'm learning all over again. That night I sleep like a baby from 8:00 PM till morning.
Photo credit: John Carolin
Rider: Michael O'Connor

Just another day in Paradise for professional snowboarder Steve Fisher. This week it is India, next week who knows? Life is pretty good when you are on tour and sponsors are paying the bills.
Photo credit: Dave Watson
Rider: Steve Fisher

ORIGINAL POST: 10 FEB 2008

DRUNG, BABARESHI, & TANGMARG

Several of the long-distance runs off of Mt. Affarwat are named for the villages where they terminate after a distance of many kilometres. The bowls to the east of the summit, on the skier’s right, generally run to a drainage that leads to the small community at Drung. Babareshi can be reached from the bowls to the west of the summit. From either of these villages one must walk to Tangmarg, where there is transport back to Gulmarg.
Photo credit: Griffiths/Smith

ORIGINAL POST: 16 FEB 2008

RAJA'S PLACE, GULMARG

This is the center of the peace and love universe at Gulmarg, where trance music swirls around a toasty burkari (woodstove). A warm welcome, fresh baked breads and excellent kawah tea are generously offered by this man, Raja, who was once a mujaheddin warrior, but now prefers cooking and sharing his home with foreign visitors.
Photo credit: Griffiths/Smith

Raja's resident, and NZ ripper Ruari M.
Photo credit: John Carolin

Raja - Da Mang!
Photo credit: Matt Roon

Raja's son. He has two. One snowboards, one skis. Both will be owning Gulmarg pretty soon.
Photo credit: Sam Smith

ORIGINAL POST: 18 FEB 2008

EATING & DRINKING IN KASHMIR

If you are going to spend any time at all in Kashmir it pays to do a little homework on the subject of the local cuisine, otherwise you may be intimidated by its appearance, its aroma, and the presentation. Without knowing what you are looking for in advance you may find yourself reduced to eating the same old standards, missing out on a truly interesting epicurean experience.

I made the mistake of not following my own advice and arrived blindly in Srinagar, without the slightest idea of how I was going to happily load my feedbag. As a result I was forced to experiment with several dubious meals, and frankly, the general stench in Srinagar did not stimulate my appetite in any positive manner. Furthermore, I learned pretty quickly that the main protein ingredient is mutton, a meat I find totally unappealing.

Do yourself a favor and consult the following websites, or risk eating meals of vegetable mash and rice, or worse, biscuits and soda.

Cuisines of Jammu and Kashmir
Wazwan - The Heart and Soul of Kashmiri Cuisine by Bindiya
Photo credit: John Carolin

ORIGINAL POST: 20 FEB 2008

EATING & DRINKING AT GULMARG

Most hotels in Gulmarg have a kitchen and restaurant to service their clients, though many guests choose to take meals and tea in their rooms. The quality of food may vary, but the menu items are often similar: rice, lentils, vegetable mash, and chicken or mutton curry. Fruit is often absent from a stock meal; savvy guests buy bananas, apples, and oranges from the markets in Tangmarg or Srinagar.

Several restaurants in Gulmarg have a following of sorts, namely Bakshi’s, near to the market area of town, where Tuesday night they offer a beer and chicken parmigiana dinner for a very fair price. The sound system in that house is top-ranked in Gulmarg, so it is a good choice for a Friday night.

Near to the gondola, below the Hilltop Hotel you will find the Big Bite Fast Food Restaurant. Those looking for a respite from curry and dal can find a very satisfying personal pizza (70-80 INR).
Photo credit: Sam Smith

ORIGINAL POST: 20 FEB 2008

GULMARG GONDOLA, STAGE ONE (2650-3050m)

Gondola car approaching G2 (top station, stage one).
Photo credit: MHIP

Matt R. finds airtime behind the Green Heights Hotel.
Photo credit: John Carolin

ORIGINAL POST: 21 FEB 2008

GULMARG GONDOLA, STAGE TWO (3050-3950m)

The pre-ski scene at G3.
Photo credit: MHIP

Hiking the ridge to the OB.
Photo credit: John Carolin

Andrew J. ripping cold smoke somewhere in Drung Bowls.
Photo credit: John Carolin

ORIGINAL POST: 22 FEB 2008

THE HOTEL ALPINE RIDGE, PT. THREE

Due to hit the shelves in the fall of 2008: Snowboard Canada, with a full-feature trip report, shot on location in Kashmir. SBC is a great magazine that too few American or European riders recognize; it is hard to find on sale outside Canada, and it is not available online. To my knowledge, when published this would be the first article on Gulmarg for a snowboard magazine in North America. Kudos!

Shooting stills for the piece is BC lens guy John Scarth, in Gulmarg with Carlo Wein as part of the Alterna Films crew, shooting a film (rumored to be named after an over-proof beverage) for release in the fall of 2008. In Transit, and Apples & Oranges are two of their previous films. Both are excellent, so in their new film look for the best high-quality footage of Gulmarg since the Warren Miller crew was in town.

We watched as they arrived at the taxi drop and they looked as bewildered as our crew did when we arrived. After all the traveling to get to Gulmarg, you may find yourself at arrival in the fading light, a hundred yards from your hotel, with a hundred pounds of gear, looking at narrow pathways stamped in the hip-deep snow. Pile your stuff on a sledge and have it hauled to your digs.

When we desperately needed entertainment, Carlo gave Sam a copy of Apples & Oranges, which went directly to heavy rotation on the laptops at the Hotel Alpine Ridge for the remainder of the season. Here is the banger trailer:

UPDATE: Alterna Action Films Knockout! premieres in Vancouver, 9 October 2008, and Snowboard Canada opens its winter run with a full-feature article on Gulmarg. Read this post from the blog Gulmarg '08/09.

ORIGINAL POST: 23 FEB 2008

GULMARG - THE 5TH NATIONAL WINTER GAMES

One of the highlights of the National Winter Games at Gulmarg was the ice hockey tournament. The rink itself was unusual in that the corners really were corners, there was almost no transition at all in the boards. For a somewhat witty, sarcastic, and definitely denigrating account of this event please read "Hockey Night in Kashmir" as reported by some Canuckleheads that were evidently unimpressed with this version of their national pastime.
Photo credit: wayoffside.wordpress.com

Winter Games Begin in Gulmarg - Kashmir Observer, 18 February 2008.
Army Runs Away With Medals - India Times, 21 February 2008.

ORIGINAL POST: 24 FEB 2008

EARTH TREMOR REGISTERS 3.9 ON RICHTER SCALE

Seismologists report event located in Kashmir, near to Gulmarg. It occurred around 1240PM, after lunch, but I don’t notice it all. No fatalities or damages are reported.

Tremor Rocks Valley - Kashmir Observer, 25 February 2008.

UPDATE: Valley Rocked by Tremors - Kashmir Observer, 1 March 2008.
UPDATE: Quake Again Rattles Kashmir; Sixth in a Fortnight - Kashmir Observer, 6 March 2008.

ORIGINAL POST: 25 FEB 2008

KASHMIR, GULMARG REPORT MOST SNOWFALL IN 15 YEARS

Major snowfall is considered a causal factor in border monitors reporting zero militant infiltrations. Pray for more snow!
Photo credit: Sam Smith

Heavy snowfall brings down infiltration in Gulmarg - MeriNews, 23 February 2008.

ORIGINAL POST: 25 FEB 2008

AVALANCHE AWARENESS, PT. TWO: GULMARG

Brian Newman, leader of the Snow Safety team for Gulmarg 07/08, with Nanga Parbat in the background.Mr. Newman is a no-nonsense individual who takes his job very seriously, and each Tuesday night he and his Snow Safety team hosted a (spellbinding) presentation on the subject of avalanche danger at the Pine Palace. This was always a very well attended, SRO event that never failed to make a sobering impression on the gathered crowd.

Brian is careful to stress that this presentation in no way substituted for actual avalanche training, and in doing so, most definitely motivated many in attendance to seek out that training. (The Snow Safety team established a permanent, simulated buried victim and transceiver as a practice facility on the grounds of the Pine Palace).
Photo credit: John Carolin
Image courtesy of Brian Newman

Lest you remain unimpressed with the inherent danger of a big mountain environment I invite you to read this arresting submission by Ptor - the 2007 Kashmir Winter Report.

ORIGINAL POST: 26 FEB 2008

SECOND STORM OF FEB '08, GULMARG

Second storm of February 2008 and the upper gondola (stage two) finally opens! Heavy snowfall on an already destabilizing snowpack caused the upper stage to be closed for several days during the storm, and for a day or more for the ensuing avalanche control. The shutdown continued when the army was unable to deliver the allotted avalanche explosives due to other activities. This led to grumbling, grousing, and finally the hiking and skinning necessary to reach the fluffy goods.

This storm had closed out almost any opportunity to ride due to extremely poor visibility, and even the lower stage had been closed for for a short time. When it opened the hounds were waiting at the gates, and the lineup at the lower stage gondola was edgy, tense, and impatient. We got fully duped because in our excitement we forgot the first rule of deep snow - find all the available pitch on the hill. Instead of heading to the skiers left we dropped right down the gondola line, and after a few slow turns we were stopped dead in our tracks. Many of us ended up actually walking downhill. The sole groomer track had not been rolled out, so first tracks meant pretty slow going. We were sweating balls!
Photo credit: Griffiths/Smith
Photo credit: Sam Smith

ORIGINAL POST: 27 FEB 2008

1ST GLOBAL SNOWBOARD MARATHON, GULMARG

First straightline 1300m of vert, then run uphill to the finish line!

A Rowdy Finish.

1st Position, John Carolin, South Africa;
2cd Position, Ruari MacFarlane, New Zealand;
3rd Position, Michael O'Connor, Australia.
Images courtesy of John Carolin

ORIGINAL POST: 01 MAR 2008

AVALANCHE AWARENESS, PT. THREE

The video below contains NO footage of avalanche events at Gulmarg; it is included here to give one an idea of just how dangerous is this natural phenomenon. The subject of avalanche danger is taken very seriously by the Snow Safety team and the Gulmarg Ski Patrol, and these people did a very good job of ensuring the safety of visitors to Gulmarg. They ought to receive a measure of credit for there being no avalanche fatalities at Gulmarg during this season.

Here is the video, best seen with the volume off, since the soundtrack only glorifies danger, which, as anyone who has been in an avalanche event knows, is not glorious in any way, whatsoever.

ORIGINAL POST: 04 MAR 2008

GULMARG IN MARCH - 600 METERS OF FALLINE POWDER

Returned last night from a respite in Srinagar unsuspectingly surprised to hear reports of dry powder on the upper reaches of Mt. Affarwat. Fresh turns to be had easily by rolling straight out the gondi, more awaiting those hiking over the summit, and off to Sharks Fin.

The bootpack to Affarwat's summit, well-trod by mid-day.
Photo credits: John Carolin

ORIGINAL POST: 05 MAR 08

FINAL TURNS FOR GULMARG 07/08

I postpone leaving Gulmarg by a day to run some more turns off the top of G4. The snow on NW aspects is still dry up high, so I milk farewell turns off Gondola Ridge. An excellent finish to a one-of-a-kind season.
Photo credit: John Carolin
Rider: Michael O'Connor

ORIGINAL POST: 06 MAR 2008

CALLING CURTAINS ON GULMARG

Eastern flank of Mt. Affarwat, leading to Drung Bowls.
Photo credit: John Carolin

Many thanks to my friends at Kashmir Powdercats - I hope to see you again next winter!
Photo credit: Alex Griffiths

ORIGINAL POST: 07 MAR 2008

BLAST RIPS THROUGH SRINAGAR

Blast Rips Through City Centre, Breaks Lull, Wounds 16 - Kashmir Observer, 19 March 2008.

UPDATE: Fire in Gulmarg's High Altitude Warfare School - Kashmir Observer, 24 March 2008.
UPDATE: 15 Soldiers, 64 Militants Killed in 2008 - Kashmir Observer, 24 March 2008.

ORIGINAL POST: 19 MAR 2008

DEL-BRU-JFK-FLL

The return trip home from India was a straight slog, I slept through nearly all of it, and have nothing of real interest to report. The pharmacies in Delhi will sell
nearly anything so I purchased a handful of scooby snacks with my remaining rupees and passed out comfortably in Premiere Class all the way to JFK. These snacks mix very well with port and champagne, though it is not something your doctor would recommend. Bliss.
Photo credit: Feith Laszlo

Before boarding my flight (while still conscious), I spied in the terminal this painting (right) that seemed very familiar. No wonder. It is incredibly similar to the graphics that Scott Lenhardt created for the Ross Powers year 2000 pro model snowboard, manufactured by the Burton Snowboard Company. Take a look for yourself at this base graphic sheet (below) - am I right or what?
Photo credit: MHIP

Even the short list of Ross Powers´ accomplishments in the halfpipe are incredible - a gold medal (2002) and a bronze medal (1998) in the Winter Olympics; twice the winner of the US Open (2003, 1999) from seven podium appearances; winner of both a European Open (2004) and a New Zealand Open (2005); an X Games gold medal (1998); and numerous wins on the US Grand Prix tour.

After a long association with Stratton Mountain Resort Ross Powers is now partnered with the Mueller family ownership of the Okemo Mountain Resort in several projects. In addition, he currently owns and operates the Podium Skate & Snowboard Shop in Manchester, Vermont, as well as overseeing the non-profit Ross Powers Foundation that provides scholarships to athletes in financial need.
Image courtesy of Scott Lenhardt

ORIGINAL POST: 04 APR 2008