Gulmarg week 2
Another great week of skiing in North West IndiaHERE ARE SOME PHOTOS
HERE IS A MOVIE
SUNDAY day 8 (400 m)
Week 2 started on Sunday 10th February. We didn’t have guiding on Sunday so Annette was taking a rest day so I had hired a snowboard for 1,000 rupee (about $20). I was boarding with three English brothers who were staying at our hotel (John, Rick & Graham) When we arrived at the ticket office the hanging of a Kashmiri in Delhi the previous day had caused protests throughout Kashmir and a call for a strike which meant the Gondola was not running. We decided to walk the mid station which took a bit over an hour. The run down was only so so as the bindings on the board were not adjusted properly and we were mostly on the cat track.
Walking back to the hotel I met Annette and she was going the the 5 star hotel KYBER for coffee so I met her there and we then went shopping in the village and took this panorama photo on Annette’s new camera from near the army camp showing pretty much the whole of the skiing mountain.
MONDAY 11th February (3000 m)
back skiing with Majid for a second week. We did our first run down the Gondola bowl with Warrick ( an Aussie snowboarder we’d met) and then did a few runs down Saffron Bowl
TUESDAY 12th February (3000 m)
Another great day doing 3 runs in the Saffron Bowl. This time joined by Jim (Peter Robinson’s Aussie rep in Gulmarg). for the first run.
WEDNESDAY 13th February (2200 m)
The Gondola was broken in the morning and we did a few of chairlift runs before doing over an hour of avalanche transceiver practice and finished the day with a great run in windswept snow down into the Saffron Bowl…our now favourite run.
THURSDAY 14th February (3525 m of vertical descent)
It started snowing early in the morning and by the time we got to the top of the second Gondola it was nearly a white out. There was about 150mm of fresh snow on a firm chopped up base but the snow was very light and dry. We queue for second Gondola run but they closed the 2nd phase Gondola so had a few runs on the chair lift and lunched inside the cooking hut for our regular outdoor restaurant stop before a couple more chairlift runs and then skied directly back to our hotel by about 3:30pm
FRIDAY 15th February (3860 m)
Probably our best day so far. Although only the lower gondola and chairlift were operating it was snowing all day and there was about 60cm of fresh, relatively dry snow on the chairlift run. We did it 7 times and the snow was deep and great fun. There was virtually no queue and although the visibility was often very low the snow was fantastic fun.
SATURDAY 16th February (3850 m)
Annette was feeling a little tired today and her knees were a little sore in the morning. We did 2 runs down from the first phase Gondola station as the chairlift was not open due to the ski patrol doing avalanche blasting on the upper mountain. Finally when it got going it was quite warm and Annette was going to have just 2 runs but was having so much fun and the snow was good that she had three before Majid (our guide) skied her bak to the hotel. I stayed out for an extra 3 runs but the upper mountain had closed in with thick fog making it tricky and slow. Nevertheless another great day to finish our second week.
HERE IS A MOVIE
SUNDAY day 8 (400 m)
Week 2 started on Sunday 10th February. We didn’t have guiding on Sunday so Annette was taking a rest day so I had hired a snowboard for 1,000 rupee (about $20). I was boarding with three English brothers who were staying at our hotel (John, Rick & Graham) When we arrived at the ticket office the hanging of a Kashmiri in Delhi the previous day had caused protests throughout Kashmir and a call for a strike which meant the Gondola was not running. We decided to walk the mid station which took a bit over an hour. The run down was only so so as the bindings on the board were not adjusted properly and we were mostly on the cat track.
Walking back to the hotel I met Annette and she was going the the 5 star hotel KYBER for coffee so I met her there and we then went shopping in the village and took this panorama photo on Annette’s new camera from near the army camp showing pretty much the whole of the skiing mountain.
MONDAY 11th February (3000 m)
back skiing with Majid for a second week. We did our first run down the Gondola bowl with Warrick ( an Aussie snowboarder we’d met) and then did a few runs down Saffron Bowl
TUESDAY 12th February (3000 m)
Another great day doing 3 runs in the Saffron Bowl. This time joined by Jim (Peter Robinson’s Aussie rep in Gulmarg). for the first run.
WEDNESDAY 13th February (2200 m)
The Gondola was broken in the morning and we did a few of chairlift runs before doing over an hour of avalanche transceiver practice and finished the day with a great run in windswept snow down into the Saffron Bowl…our now favourite run.
THURSDAY 14th February (3525 m of vertical descent)
It started snowing early in the morning and by the time we got to the top of the second Gondola it was nearly a white out. There was about 150mm of fresh snow on a firm chopped up base but the snow was very light and dry. We queue for second Gondola run but they closed the 2nd phase Gondola so had a few runs on the chair lift and lunched inside the cooking hut for our regular outdoor restaurant stop before a couple more chairlift runs and then skied directly back to our hotel by about 3:30pm
FRIDAY 15th February (3860 m)
Probably our best day so far. Although only the lower gondola and chairlift were operating it was snowing all day and there was about 60cm of fresh, relatively dry snow on the chairlift run. We did it 7 times and the snow was deep and great fun. There was virtually no queue and although the visibility was often very low the snow was fantastic fun.
SATURDAY 16th February (3850 m)
Annette was feeling a little tired today and her knees were a little sore in the morning. We did 2 runs down from the first phase Gondola station as the chairlift was not open due to the ski patrol doing avalanche blasting on the upper mountain. Finally when it got going it was quite warm and Annette was going to have just 2 runs but was having so much fun and the snow was good that she had three before Majid (our guide) skied her bak to the hotel. I stayed out for an extra 3 runs but the upper mountain had closed in with thick fog making it tricky and slow. Nevertheless another great day to finish our second week.