Category Archives: News

Gulmarg in News

World Snow Day

Indian Institute of Skiing & Mountaineering, Gulmarg with the help of J&K Tourism and HAWS (ARMY) celebrated world snow day in a big way at Gulmarg.

World snow day is celebrated all over the world to motivate personals from non snow areas to attract them to snow areas and promote winter sports. Col J S Dhillon, Principal IISM took a special initiative to celebrate this day in Gulmarg which he described the best ski and winter sports destination in South Asia.

The chief guest during celebrations was Farooq Ahmad Shah, Director Tourism, Kashmir. He said the aim of today’s celebrations is to bring awareness amongs masses about of the various facilities available to tourist in Kashmir, especially in Gulmarg during winters. All ski trainees of the Institute and army joined hands together to make a wonderful snow pavilion which depicted snow igloos, high mountains of Himalayas, symbols of various organizations which are associated with winter games including Winter Games Federation of India and India Olympic Association.

In addition to skiing and snowboarding many other fun activities were organized by IISM. Many stalls of souvenirs, handicrafts, snow equipment were made with the help of snow which looked very innovative and impressive. Winners of various events were given prizes by IISM and a dinner party was hosted on behalf of the Deptt.of Tourism.

60 local children under sports council of J&K (India) took part in the different events of skiing and model making. 70 students of IISM, Gulmarg also took active part in the festival. Festival was attended by more than 3000 persons who appreciated the efforts of Indian Institute of Skiing & Mountaineering and applauded the initiative of FIS to organize such events throughout the world especially in non skiing countries of South Asia.

Source: January 24, 2012 (Scoop News)

CNN US names Gulmarg in Asia’s Top 5 Ski Resort

After CNN International named the Indian resort of Gulmarg one of the top 10 Ski Resorts in Asia, CNN US Edition (as also other editions) has given it another huge bump. Gulmarg is now called out as in top 5. The article also highlights that Gulmarg has the highest ski lift in the world. The article  is available here:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/01/03/five.asian.ski.resorts/index.html

Gulmarg, Kashmir

In the 19th century, Gulmarg was a hill station for British colonials to escape the summer heat. These days, it’s a world-class ski resort blanketed with fresh, light powder from the Himalayas, attracting ski bums tired of Alpine lift queues and fondues.
The resort’s claim to fame is the Gulmarg Gondola, the highest ski lift in the world at a dizzying 3,979 meters (about 13,000 feet.) At the top station, skiers can take on challenging runs with Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth-highest peak, as a backdrop.
Gulmarg is intermittently plagued by insurgency, resulting in security lock downs that can stretch on for months, but it has not deterred the 400,000 intrepid skiers who took the Gondola last year.
Getting there: Gulmarg is 35 miles away from state capital Srinagar. Visitors can take a taxi into Gulmarg from Srinagar airport, the journey takes around two hours and costs Rs 1,200-1,500 ($26-33).
Website: Gulmarg.org
The other 4 top resorts in Asia are:
  • Yongpyong, Gangwon-do, South Korea
  • Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
  • Appi Kogen, Tohoku, Japan
  • Yabuli Ski Resort, China
Check out the earlier CNNGO coverage of Asia’s best ski resorts here:

CNN – Gulmarg in 10 top ski resorts to visit this winter

CNN International has listed Gulmarg as one of top 10 downward thrills in asia.

The list is:

  1. Appi Kogen, Tohoku, Japan
  2. Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
  3. Rusutsu Ski Resort, Hokkaido, Japan
  4. Alpensia Resort, Pyeongchang, South Korea
  5. Yongpyong, Gangwon-do, South Korea
  6. Jisan Forest Resort, Icheon, South Korea
  7. Gulmarg, Kashmir
  8. Alshan Alpine Ski Resort, Mongolia, China
  9. Yabuli Ski Resort, Heilongjiang
  10. Nanshan Ski Village, Beijing

Gulmarg, Kashmir

In the 19th century Gulmarg was a hill station for British colonials to escape the summer heat. These days, it’s a world-class ski resort blanketed with fresh, light powder from the Himalayas, attracting ski bums tired of Alpine lift queues and fondues.

The resort’s claim to fame is the Gulmarg Gondola, the highest ski lift in the world at a dizzying 3,979 meters. At the top station, skiers can take on challenging runs with Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth-highest peak, as a backdrop.

Gulmarg is intermittently plagued by insurgency, resulting in security lock downs that can stretch on for months, but it has not deterred the 400,000 intrepid skiers who took the Gondola last year.

Getting there: Gulmarg is 35 miles away from state capital Srinagar. Visitors can take a taxi into Gulmarg from Srinagar airport, the journey takes around two hours and costs Rs 1,200-1,500 (US$26-33).

Website: www.gulmarg.org

Its heartening to see an international magazine of repute recognizing Gulmarg in its recommended list. Truth is Gulmarg’s pure ski-natural potential easily makes it one of the best in the world; the whole hearted acknowledgement by the world is just waiting for the political temperatures to cool down, and a ‘little’ better management of infrastructure and marketing by state and private businesses.

Avalanche takes a big toll

Sad news from Gulmarg – there are reports of 5 to 17 Army personnel, including an officer getting killed when a snow avalanche struck Khilanmarg, at an altitude of more than 2,700 meters at 11am (0530 GMT).

A group of 350 armymen were setting up a winter warfare camp at Khilanmarg near Gulmarg, when the snow avalanche struck the region. 70 of them were rescued, while some others could be still trapped there.

The officer, who was killed, was identified as Lt. Prateek. The army personnel were from an advance camp of the Army’s prestigious High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS). Some of those seriously injured are in a critical condition in a hospital in Gulmarg.

An Indian soldier makes his way by truck towards the site of an avalanche which engulfed a military school in Kashmir, killing at least 17 people Photograph: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images

Indian ski guides, who normally are hired by the burgeoning numbers of foreign skiers, worked into the evening to help with rescue efforts, according to local ski outfitter Yasin Khan. No tourists were hurt.

A combined rescue team composed of military personnel, police and tourism officials, working in fog and snowfall more than two meters deep, took several hours to recover the bodies of those killed.

Officials said there was little chance of any tourist being trapped as the avalanche was triggered at an altitude higher than the popular skiing slopes. About 400 tourists skiing in the area were safe.

Heavy snow blocked Kashmir’s main highway, the only road link to the rest of the country, for the third day Monday.

Over the weekend, skiers in Gulmarg had expressed concerns that days of intense snow were creating risky avalanche conditions.
The website gulmargsnowsafety.com warned Friday of “HIGH potential for climax avalanches,” adding: “when strong winds on Sunday and Monday create slab conditions, expect widespread natural avalanches from this weak interface throughout the alpine region.”

Authorities say an avalanche warning had been issued after several days of heavy snowfall.

It’s not clear yet what precautions, if any, the military took in the face of the warnings. The avalanche was triggered when 70 troops were taking a skiing test.

A vehicle carrying Indian Army rescue team is on its way to Gulmarg, via Tangmarg, northwest of Srinagar, 08 Feb 2010 (AP)

The Army produces skilled alpinists who occasionally trade potshots with the Pakistanis in the nearby Siachen glacier region, dubbed “the world’s highest battlefield.”

They also are sending India’s only two Olympic skiers to Vancouver.

The High Altitude Warfare School is the Indian Army’s primary institute for such training and was set up more than 60 years ago initially to teach skiing to front-line infantry troops.

In April last year, another avalanche hit an Indian army post close to the de facto border, killing seven soldiers and injuring at least eight others.

About 400 people, including 30 civilian workers, were at the training centre, but the avalanche hit only one part of the facility.

Gulmarg gears up for Vth National Winter Games

(from a write up by Mukesh Thapliyal -newstrackindia)

The picturesque surroundings of Gulmarg is alluring the snow dare-devils of the country in one of the heavenly places of this earth which is gearing up to the hilt for the fifth edition of the National Winter Games that is scheduled to be held at Gulmarg from February 18 to 22.

According to Winter Games Fedetion of India (WGFI) Secretary RK Gupta, a total of 11 States and union territories have confirmed their entries for the upcoming Games to be hosted by the Tourism Department of Jammu and Kashmir under the aegis of Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The five-day event will also witness the participation of the teams, of armed forces who had played a pivotal role in taking this sport to new horizons, Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, Border Security Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

The event will also give a fair idea to WGFI to review the strengths and weakness of their athletes for the next Olympic Winter Games, which is to be held in Vancouver (Canada) in 2010.

The Indian skiers will also get the much-needed practice for the 2010 Vancouver Games since they will be having one more competition lining up for them prior to the mega-event as India is organising the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in 2009 that is be going to held at Auli in Uttarakhand.

WGFI President, SS Pangtey, exudes huge confidence over his players as far as SAF Games are concerned. “India will brush away all the medals that will be at stake since we are much ahead form the other countries of the South Asian region,” acclaimed Pangtey.

The various states and union territories, which will be taking part in the event, include Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and host Jammu and Kashmir. The technical aspect of the games will be handled by WGFI itself.

The participants will be competing in six disciplines including alpine ski, cross country ski, ice-skating, ice hockey, snowboarding and biathlon, which involves two disciplines first a one kilometer round from the athletes in the snow with their skis on immediately followed by a target shooting competition, at the Games.