Gulmarg Ski Resort India

Think about Gulmarg in Kashmir if you’re a mad keen ski or snowboard enthusiast and you’ve chased face shots all over the globe, you’ve ticked off all the big mountain skiing in Europe, partied until dawn in the South America ski resorts, worn a snorkel whilst skiing in Japan in the cranium deep pow, nut-crackered your way through all of the New Zealand club fields, supped on all the USA action from Lake Tahoe to Colorado, and scorched the credit card whilst creaming your thermals in the deep snow that all of the Canada heli skiing & BC cat skiing operations have to offer. What’s a powder junky to do now?

You need a journey to a place that combines big mountain skiing, powder, backcountry, avalanches, men with guns, poverty, filth, driving chaos, random acts, culture, hawkers, Russians, beggars, colonialism, Ukrainians, monkeys, and culinary mysteries all into one?! Gulmarg Resort in Kashmir (the Indian part of Kashmir) is this place. One visit to Gulmarg India WILL give you stories that will be retold for the rest of your life without the need for embellishment. 

Pros and Cons of Gulmarg Kashmir

Pros

• The Gulmarg Gondola provides some fantastic in-bounds terrain for advanced to expert riders.
• Outside the resort boundaries is a smorgasbord of amazing terrain for those who don’t mind putting in a bit of effort.
• Gulmarg Kashmir is blessed with plenty of snow.
• Gulmarg provides plenty of adventure packed experiences – it’s spicy.
• The cultural experiences are amazing, and you’ll enjoy sampling all the varied food offerings.
• Gulmarg can easily be combined with some time in Srinagar to get the full cultural immersion, or Delhi or other parts of India.

Cons

• Gulmarg is not well set up for international beginners, intermediates or families.
• Communications are very limited in Kashmir. Your mobile phone from home won’t work, and the wifi goes at a snail’s pace, if at all.
• Alcohol is not available in most of the restaurants and hotels.
• Political unrest is commonplace in Kashmir, so you need to keep an eye on the goings-on.
• The terrain has lots of avalanche prone slopes.

Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• Gulmarg is not a quick fix destination. It takes some commitment and time to travel there and then acclimatize.
• The top of the Gulmarg Ski Resort is at dizzying heights and the altitude will probably slow you down for the first couple of days (especially in the bar!). At least you’ll be sleeping at only 2,700 metres, so altitude sickness is not usually a major concern for most.
• Gulmarg Kashmir is not akin to well developed Aspen. Only a few runs are groomed and rather poorly, and the roads are not well cleared if at all. The power goes off frequently, but at least the good hotels have a back-up generator.
• This is an adventure skiing and riding destination. Princesses need not apply and you’ll have to adjust to ish-time.

Gulmarg Ski Resort Terrain

Gulmarg Resort is a big ski hill that’s primarily serviced by two consecutive gondolas, and you are going to have to get the lungs going to make the most of it. The Gulmarg Gondola tops out at just shy of 4,000m and there’s more ski touring terrain on Mt Apharwat up to about 4,220 metres. Off the lifts, some of the bowls offer 1,330 metres of thigh-destroying vertical descent!

The amount of Gulmarg ski terrain feels virtually unlimited and includes alpine bowls, chutes, cornices, glade skiing amongst ancient pines, and glacier skiing without the glacier(!). That’s not to mention the epic ski journeys down to some of the local shrines and villages which add a whole new dimension to the terrain.

The Gulmarg skiing and snowboarding is suited to advanced and expert riders who enjoy off-piste backcountry terrain. There is a small amount of beginner and intermediate terrain that the Indian tourists enjoy, but Gulmarg Kashmir is definitely not the place for the average beginner or intermediate rider. Gulmarg is also best appreciated by those with a propensity for hiking and skinning, and laid-back riders who can cope with an “adventure”.

Gulmarg Guides & Gulmarg Ski Tours

Due the nature of the terrain, the avalanche risk, and the complexity of some of the exits, it is highly recommended to engage the services of a quality Gulmarg guide. There are many different guides available in Gulmarg and they include Australians, Americans, British, Kiwis and local Kashmiris. Most offer a variety of packages which in addition to guiding services tend to include all local transfers, accommodation, and some meals. Some operators will also provide access to snow safety equipment. See the Gulmarg ski tours for more information.

Where is Gulmarg Resort?

Gulmarg is located in Kashmir which is to the extreme north west of India. Whilst Indians call it part of India, Kashmiris definitely do not.

The top of the Gulmarg Gondola is located on Mt Apharwat, which is part of the Pir Panjal Range of the Western Himalayan Mountains.

The gateway airport for Gulmarg is Srinagar which is a couple of hours drive from Gulmarg. From the airport, tour operators provide transfers or independent travellers can catch a taxi. The journey is eye-popping to say the least! See our Gulmarg travel page for more information.

Gulmarg Hotels

Gulmarg hotels are a bit of a magical mystery tour. Choose your Gulmarg hotel poorly and you may suffer! Choose wisely – nirvana. All the basic facilities are available but remember that this is Kashmir, not Colorado, and the majority of the Gulmarg accommodation is not 5-star. See our Gulmarg hotels page for more information.

Why Snowboard or Ski Gulmarg?

Did I mention stories for the rest of your life without the need for embellishment?! The combination of the terrain, snow, culture, people and the weird and wonderful random acts make Gulmarg Resort a must do at least once while your heart’s still beating.