Kashmir Powder Skiing Itinerary and Trip Information

DAY 1

Depart the UK on an evening flight to Delhi International Airport. Flight time: approx 8 hrs

DAY 2 

Arrive at Delhi International Airport. Transfer to domestic airport and take 1 hour internal flight to Srinagar the capital of Kashmir, where you'll be met at the airport and transferred by private jeep for the 45km journey to Gulmarg. Check into the Highlands Park Hotel.

DAY 3-8

 Six days of off piste guided adventure skiing in the extensive backcountry covering four different ski fields. With a gondola rising to almost 4000m, you will enjoy uninterrupted descents of almost 2000 vertical meters of fresh powder each day - just make sure you are fit enough!!

DAY 9 

Ski for most of the day and then transfer directly back to Srinagar by road and stay overnight in one of the famous house boats on Lake Dal.

DAY 10 

Return to Srinagar airport for the 1 hour flight to Delhi and international flight home

Optional extensions and excursions

India is a fantastic vibrant country and on request we can arrange additional excursions or stopovers in Delhi.

More information

Access on to the mountain is via the Gondola. Installed in 2005 it ascends from the resort to almost 4,000m on Mt Apharwat and offers over 2,200m of vertical descent.

Gulmarg is the perfect venue for natural, wild, backcountry and off-piste skiing for intermediate to expert level skiers and snowboarders. From the top gondola station, the upper slopes and bowls of Apherwat are wide and open whilst thick conifer forest covers much of the remaining area. If you are prepared to boot pack the 30 minutes (or so) to the summit of Mt Apharwat you’ll be rewarded not only with some awesome powder turns but also with spectacular views across the Kashmir Plateau to Nanga Parbat (8126m) the most westerly eight thousand meter peak and the ninth highest mountain on Earth.

Additional Information

The price includes 7 nights half board in Gulmarg hotel (twin room share), 1 night on floating house boat on Lake Dal in Srinagar, return flights between Delhi and Srinagar, all travel and transfers in Kashmir, 7 days guided off-piste and backcountry skiing with Mountain Tracks Pro Mountain Guides, uplift costs. 

Does not include; international airfares, visa costs, personal insurance, lunches, optional extras

Accommodation

We stay in the  Highlands Park Hotel in Gulmarg which is one of the most beautiful and rustic hotels in the region. It has an old world colonial charm and is very warm and comforting place where you can just lay back and relax. 

The hotel has cottages set amid pretty flowerbeds and views of snow-capped mountains. The rooms are well done up, bathrooms are big and there is a stove in each room.

Subject to availability rooms in the Highlands Park Hotel in Gulmarg can be booked on a single occupancy basis. The extra charge for this is £275 for 7 nights.

The two restaurants at Hotel Highland Park serve the finest delicacies from a wide choice of menu options. You can choose to savor from exclusive Kashmiri ,Indian, Continental or Chinese cuisine.

In Srinagar you will spend 1 night in a floating houseboat on Dal Lake. There are hundred’s of houseboats, most very fancifully decorated, and staying in one is a fascinating experience. The boats booked for our group have a balcony, lounge, dining room, pantry and 3 or more bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. The boats face the Lotus Garden and have a view of the mountains. A small motorboat is used to get from the shore to the houseboat and back.

Group Size 

The off-piste and backcountry guiding is provided on all 7 days with a maximum ratio of 1:6.

Likely Weather

Early Jan to end Feb is the optimum time to visit Gulmarg for powder skiing. Expect similar or slightly colder temperatures to the Alps at this time. When it’s not snowing - which of course it only does at night! The clarity of the Himalayan winter means the mountain views are wonderfully clear.

Equipment

To really enjoy the light, dry powder wide all-mountain skis are essential (a minimum ski width underfoot of 95-100mm is recommended). They should be mounted with touring bindings. Touring boots are recommended but are not essential as the walking distances are not very great. Without touring bindings you will struggle to walk in deep snow and on the odd occasion when the lift isn’t running – i.e. if there’s too much wind – we will go touring. (Going up through the wonderful forest in deep fresh snow is almost as good as coming down!)

As always you must ski at all times with avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe.

Bring a small day pack (25ltr max) to carry these and other bits and bobs - skins, camera, water, snacks etc which you might want during the day.

For this trip you must have skins but you do NOT need to bring ski crampons, boot crampons or an ice-axe.

The following items can be hired from the guides:

• avalanche safety equipment (transceiver, shovel and probe) - £60 for the week
• Alpine trekker bindings (to convert standard downhill bindings to free heel) - £60 for the week
• Skins - £60 for the week

Please note reservations for equipment must be made in advance.

Getting there 

Flights from London to Delhi in January are usually priced at around £500-£600. Please note that this price cannot be guaranteed as seat prices change every minute. If you would like to book these please call Max Travel 020 7095 0920 who will be more than happy to make all of your travel arrangements.

International flights to Delhi arrive at the International Terminal and the connecting flight to Srinagar departs from the Domestic Terminal. The 2 terminals are a few miles apart and it takes 20-30 minutes to travel between the 2 terminals by taxi. It is essential that you have at least 3 hours between your scheduled arrival into Delhi and the connecting flight to Srinagar. 
The last flight to Srinagar leaves Delhi at about 12 noon (times change slightly depending on the date) which means your international flight should arrive no later than 9am.

From the UK British Airways offers the most convenient connections with 2 flights daily from Heathrow arriving in Delhi at 0155am and 0455am. 
Virgin and Airindia both have 1 flight each day from Heathrow but both flights arrive after 11am which is too late to make the connecting flight to Srinagar on the same day.

If you need (want) to arrive early and spend the night in Delhi we can arrange accommodation in a conveniently located hotel in Delhi. The cost starts at £75 per person including transfers. 

Read more nitty gritty about travelling to Kashmir