Scattered reports in ski magazines about the second highest gondola lift in the world and square kilometers of untouched powder snow had been the trigger for our flight booking in March 2013. Our announcement had triggered mixed reactions among friends and family: the doubters were mainly reinforced by the fact that the long-standing powder keg of Kashmir had been rumbling again since the beginning of January. Online portals reported protests and clashes with security forces in the capital Srinagar.
After around seventeen hours of travel, including an eight-hour layover in Delhi and the equivalent of a 15 euro fine for 10 kg(!) of excess baggage, we reach Srinagar. The streets seem much cleaner than in Delhi and the people also look different from those in the capital. Dark, weather-beaten faces, long beards and wide robes show their proximity to the Pakistani border. The majority of Kashmir's population are Muslims, Hindus make up less than 30%. We immediately notice the strong military presence, but this does not seem to affect the hustle and bustle in any way. A jeep takes us the 60 km or so to the mountain village of Gulmarg, interrupting the speedy journey only once: to repair the horn, which is at least as important in Kashmir as functioning brakes.
"You are too late. The big snow falls are in January and February." Billa Bakshi, the 30-year-old owner of Hotel Global and operator of Kashmir Heliski, smiles at us through the smoke of his hand-rolled cigarette. Billa had been recommended to us by Dave as a good freerider. We meet up with him in the lounge of the Global for a steaming cup of kawa, the national drink of the Kashmiris, to plan our first trip up the mountain.
For 400 rupees (around 5 euros), the gondola transports tourists up Mt Apharwat. The ride from the middle station costs 250 rupees. The top station of the gondola is located at 3980 meters, not far from the summit at 4200 meters. As the highest gondola station in Asia and the second highest in the world, the place enjoys great popularity among Indian tourists. Skis and snowboards are taken into the cabin, even if the door no longer closes and the slats stick out at the top. However, the shape of the Apharwat does not at all resemble the well-known four-thousand-metre peaks of the Alps. Instead of a clearly recognizable summit, it has a rising summit plateau that is several kilometers wide. On the eastern side of the mountain, there are numerous valleys and wide gullies, most of which lead back to the middle station at 3099 m or directly to Gulmarg at a constant gradient of between 30 and 35°.
The Line of Control between India and Pakistan runs directly along the mountain range, resulting in a high military presence. The gondola serves as a means of transportation and connection to the outside world for the Indian army base at almost 4000 m above sea level. Fortunately, confrontations between the military and freeriders are rare. The soldiers have long since become accustomed to the crazy tourists on their wide boards, who plunge down the mountain with the courage of death. Only local skiers often have difficulties with the military, says Billa. "It's because of our dark faces. They think we come from Pakistan."
Gondola Bowl, the gully directly below the gondola, is the only valley that is blown up by the avalanche commission after snowfall. The bowl is well suited for warm-up laps, which are urgently needed at 4000 m. Alternatively, you can carry your skis a few meters north from the mountain station and traverse over the Army Ridge into the Apharwat South Bowl, which is usually full of powder snow. South of the mountain station, Shaggy's Face and Hapat Khued Bowl are easy to reach. The long descent into the village of Drang is also recommended to get a good overview of the conditions on the mountain and the geography. However, if you want to enjoy the southern descents, you first have to get past two guards with eight legs and a bad temper. Two wild dogs live near the Army Camp at 4000 m and love to hunt traversing skiers. They are only impressed by serious counter-attacks with their ski poles. Falling is absolutely taboo in this situation. Even the locals try to avoid the dogs.
The deserted backcountry in the direction of the Line of Control offers a welcome change from speed runs and dog races. To do this, you turn your back on the Gulmarg Valley and climb up towards the northwest on skins for around 45 minutes. Past the large trilingual prohibition sign, you keep to the left of the summit of Apharwat and head straight for the cliffs behind it. The impressive Shark's Finn can be seen from afar. Thanks to its northerly orientation, it offers an estimated 200 meters of steep powder snow even days after the last snowfall. This is where safety-conscious Central Europeans become fully aware of their own exposure. There is no air rescue service in Gulmarg and no professional avalanche bulletin. Every skier is 100% responsible for themselves and must be able to fully rely on their tour partners.
The snow conditions we found on our first few days in Gulmarg were not great. But our late arrival had another decisive advantage: many of the skiers and snowboarders who had spent the whole season in Gulmarg had already moved on. The remaining winter sports community moved closer together and after two evenings all the freeriders in the village knew each other. When the predicted snowstorm brought 40 cm of fresh snow after four days, the situation couldn't have been better. A total of eight freeriders shared a never-ending supply of untouched powder snow slopes. For days, we almost exclusively skied first lines. Although the sun soon turned the fresh snow around the middle station and below back into a mass that was difficult to ride, the conditions 1000 meters higher up were still fantastic.
If poor visibility or the closed gondola threaten to spoil the day, there are a number of forest runs that can be tackled around Gulmarg from mid-January to mid-March. We took advantage of a snow-free window of opportunity to accompany our hotel crew to Srinagar. After two extremely relaxed days, most of which we spent on a houseboat on the huge Dal Lake, we were ready for the next fresh snow in Gulmarg.
The ski resort of Gulmarg seems miraculously unaffected by the political tensions in the region. Hotels, ski schools, stores: most of the businesses are run by young men in their 30s who have all spent a long time abroad. Despite the unstable domestic political situation and the eternal conflict with the neighboring country, they decided to come back and build something after graduating. Billa therefore gives away old ski equipment to young Kashmiris in the mountains. His aim is to employ them as capable guides one day. "Kashmiris have to be good freeriders." This is Billa's vision. "We want to show our beautiful mountains to international skiers."
