J&K: Gulmarg expected to be houseful this winter

Srinagar: With winter just beginning in the Valley, Gulmarg, the renowned winter sports destination in North Kashmir's Baramulla district, is preparing to welcome thousands of winter and adventure sports enthusiasts.

Gulmarg, 52 kms from here, is not only the best tourist destination in the Valley, but has become the epicentre of winter sports as well, with thousands of people participating in winter games every year.

Heli skiers in high numbers from Germany, Russia, USA, France and Australia are expected to visit Gulmarg this season. Gulmarg is the only place in Asia that has a heli-skiing resort.

Heli-skiing on the slopes of Mount Apharwat is an adventure in itself, as access to the mountain is only possible through the Gondola cable-car system. Incidentally, the Gondola is one of the longest and highest cable cars in Asia, reaching a height of 3,979 meters.

An official from the Tourism Department stated that, similar to the previous year, they anticipate a significant influx of tourists from December 15 onward. “Besides, outside tourists, we have been witnessing local arrivals as well, as people of Jammu and Kashmir are also taking active part in the winter games activities,” he said.

The official said the popular skiing destination was visited by a large number of foreign tourists last year and they expect the number to increase manifold this year. “We have also decided to keep special facilities in place to lure the maximum number of tourists from across the globe," he said.

A tour agent noted that most of the hotels in Gulmarg are already fully booked after December 15, with very few rooms available. “In next 15-days, there won’t be any rooms left for Christmas and New Year,” he said.

In February of this year, Gulmarg hosted the grand 3rd edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, which featured over 1,500 athletes representing 29 states, union territories, and institutional teams, showcasing 11 winter sports disciplines.

These included skiing, curling, bobsleigh, snowshoe, Nordic skiing, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, ice skating, ice hockey, and bandy.

Gulmarg was initially established as a ski resort by the British, who founded the Ski Club of India in 1927. Skiing in Gulmarg gained immense popularity during the pre-independence years. The skiing season typically begins just before Christmas and extends until early March.