Gulmarg is an extremely scenic town located in the Pir Panjal Range at the Western part of the Himalayas and is one of the most popular ski resorts in India. It is an alluring place that houses pastoral scenes, flower meadows and alpine forests which surrounds itself with deep ravines, forested valleys and snow- capped peaks and is also known as the ‘Meadow of Flowers’. As the skiing destination for adventure enthusiasts to slide down the open slopes, words cannot describe the exuberant experience this place renders you with.If skiing is your jam, Gulmarg is the perfect place for you to take a skiing vacation.
With pristine views of nature and the most prospective place to go on a whirlwind adrenaline packed power adventure, Gulmarg is one huge ski resort or can even be addressed as the home of skiing in India that draws attention of all adventurers so unless you experience the feeling of having the hair on the back of your neck stand up, you cannot comprehend the true adrenaline this place emits. With incredible amounts of snow, Gulmarg is not really as cold as it seems but the ski season here runs short, usually from mid january to february end, depending upon the whimsical nature of the climate but the best time to visit is from december end to march with a completely organized plan so that you can enjoy skiing without having to worry about the insignificant nitty gritty details.
The Gulmarg Gondola or the cable car circuit unit takes travellers up to an incredible 4000 metres above sea level height from which a skiing track runs 5 kms down the hills and is truly an exhilarating experience but for adventurers who lookout for the ultimate thrill, the Shark Fin is a place that is deemed to be ideal for powder skiing, and is located at the back of the Mount Apharwat, is a very favoured slope for experts. For the skiing amateurs in town, there are numerous bunny slopes but if someone practices for an entire day, they can access to ski down from the phase 1 at the Apharwat’s base and for intermediate skiers, Mary Shoulder is the perfect base. Only experienced backcountry skiers are allowed to access the pistes and off- pistes of the Sunset peak, Sunrise peak, Jamiah Gulley, East of Trajan Bowl of Apharwat and Monkey hill. As the best place for skiing in India, Gulmarg also fares exceptionally well on many fronts like quality of snow, great road access and lift infrastructure. The best thing about Gulmarg has to be it’s easy accessibility as it takes only 90 minutes from Srinagar to reach Gulmarg by road and ofcourse the famous Kahwa, an exquisite Kashmiri tea that you simply cannot miss on your trip to Gulmarg!
