It's the time of year when mountains don their snowy cloaks and acquire asombre and serene look. It is also the time when virgin snow gleans withskiers sliding the mountain slopes. For high mountain thrills, nothing cansurpass the joy of skiing. And for that heady feeling in the highlands, headfor Gulmarg, the `Switzerland of Asia' in Kashmir, Manali and Narkanda inHimachal Pradesh or Auli in Uttar Pradesh. The options are open tillmid-March. Let's take a closer look at these options.Gulmarg
Gulmarg's legendary beauty, its prime location and proximity to Srinagarmakes it one of the leading hill resorts in the country.
Today Gulmarg is not only a mountain resort of exceptional beauty, but italso has the highest green golf course in the world, at the altitude of2,680 metres. That apart, Gulmarg is the country's premier ski resort.In winter, Gulmarg's natural slopes beckon both domestic and overseasskiers. Not all tourists who visit the resort in winter are there forskiing -- some are there just to watch others ski, or simply to enjoy a holidayon the mountains. The excitement of the sport even gets some of the visitorsto don the gear and take some skiing lessons.
Some of the slopes at Gulmarg are serviced by ski lifts. Most of the skiingslopes at this site are particularly suited for beginners and intermediateskiers. The ski runs are in the range of 200-900 m. Instructors areavailable for participants at both the levels.
All ski equipment including jackets are available on hire from the Ski Shop,run by the department of tourism, Government of India. Skiing in Gulmargdoesn't cost a packet. For instance, the daily cost of hiring ski equipmentis Rs 250, fee for ski lift is Rs 30-50 and an instructor, who can train agroup of five-six persons, charges Rs 250 per day, that is Rs 50 per person.Skiing can be as adventurous as the holidayer wants it to be. There are anumber of slopes that are not serviced by ski lifts. These are quieter thanthe immensely popular ones with ski lifts. Advanced skiers often trek up theslopes for several hours to the very top of Apherwat peak to make a descentthat lasts at least half an hour.
Now, Gulmarg is one of the world's few resorts to offer the `ultimate'adventure heli-skiing. A helicopter takes the skiers to a nearby peak, fromwhere they choose their own descent route. Details on this can be obtainedfrom the Tourist Reception Centre, Srinagar.
Skiing facilities are also available at Patnitop and Nathatop in Jammu.Access: Gulmarg is 56 km from Srinagar. There are regular government andprivate deluxe/ordinary bus and taxi services from Srinagar. In winter, thelast 8 km are covered by jeep.
For details, contact Director of Tourism, J&K Government, Srinagar; Ph:479548/452690/ 452690-91; Delhi ph: 3345373; Mumbai ph: 2189040; Calcuttaph: 2285791; Chennai ph: 8235958.
Auli
The breathtaking mountain resort of Auli (2,500-3,050 m) is cradled in thelap of the snow-capped peaks of Garhwal Himalayas in the Chamoli district.It is situated close to the holy shrine of Badrinath and offers a panoramicview of Mt Nanda Devi, Mana Parvat, Dunagiri, Beethartoli, Nilkanth, HathiParbat, Ghori Parbat, Narparbat and Kamet.
Once the training grounds for India's paramilitary forces, Auli was rated byFrench and Austrian experts as one with the best potential. It is a famousvenue for winter sports and plays host to the national championships heldunder the aegis of the Winter Games Federation of India.
The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), a UP Government undertaking, providesthe following facilities at Auli:
A state-of-the-art ski lift which has been imported from France. Theski lift is 500 m long which makes it the longest in the country. A 800-m chair lift linking the lower slopes with the upper slopes. Two snow beaters imported from Germany. A 3.9-km ropeway linking Joshimath with the upper slopes of Auli. Itcovers a track distance of 4.15 km and is the longest ropeway in Asia in azig back system.Access: For those travelling by air, the nearest airport is at Jolly Grant(17 km from Rishikesh, 26 km from Dehradun and 270 km from Auli). Thenearest rail-heads are Rishikesh, Haridwar and Dehradun. Auli is only a13-km drive from Joshimath. State transport and union buses ply regularlybetween Joshimath and Rishikesh (253 km), Haridwar (276 km), Dehradun (295km) and Delhi (500 km). From Joshimath onwards, both bus and taxi servicesare available for Auli. Deluxe coaches can also be arranged with priornotice for a group of 15 persons or more. The most popular way to drop in atAuli is by the famed cable car service.
Accommodation: GMVN has a unit at Auli with 110-bed capacity. The tariffranges from the budget (dormitory) to luxury (deluxe rooms). For the moreadventurous, alpine cottages and log huts are a more appropriate choice.Travel kit: Tourists are advised to bring woolen clothing, cap, socks, darkglasses, gloves, mufflers, pullovers, wind-proof jacket, gum/ snow boots anda torch light. These accessories are a must for the tourist keeping in mindthe weather conditions of Auli where the temperature drops to as low asminus 3 degrees Celcius in winter. Those interested in skiing may bring theequipment of their choice though the equipment is also available on hire.Training courses: Training courses are conducted in modules of seven and 14days. The seven-day courses are non-certificate courses with a total of 25seats. These courses are conducted in January, February and March. The14-day module is a certificate course, each one having 15 seats.
For details, contact GMVN, Dehradun, phone 91-135-656817, 654408. You mayalso contact UP Tourism offices at New Delhi, phone 3322251, 3711296;Mumbai, phone 2185458; Calcutta, phone 2207855; and Chennai, phone2832776.
Manali and Narkanda
Himachal Tourism organises winter packages at Manali and Narkanda (64 kmsfrom Shimla) which are the prime locations for winter sports. Thesefunfilled packages offer free skiing lessons for beginners.
The package includes lodging at Himachal Tourism hotels on twin sharingbasis, full boarding, transport to skiing site and, of course, free skiinglessons. In the Manalai package two days local visits/sightseeing aroundKullu-Manali are included. The package cost of Rs 3,900 is inclusive of allapplicable taxes. However, it does not include transport to or fromManali/Narkanda. Beginning January 9, the packages will available tillMarch-end.
Access: Manali (6,500ft) is connected with Indian Airlines flights fromDelhi to Bhuntar airport (55 kms) from where taxis are available to Manali.By road, Manali can be reached from Delhi (570 kms) by Himachal Tourism'sregular deluxe coach services or by own car/taxi via Chandigarh, Ropar,Kiratpur and Bilaspur on national highway no. 21 which takes around 11hours. Nearest rail-heads are Pathankot, Joginder Nagar and Shimla and thenby road to Manali. Narkanda is situated at an altitude of 9000 ft and is 65kms from Shimla. It is connected by regular bus/taxi service to Shimla.For more details, contact Himachal Tourism, Shimla; ph: (0177) 252704; fax:252206; Central Reservation Office, Shimla, ph: 252561/ 258302; fax: 252557;New Delhi ph: 3325320/ 3324764.
Though not meant only for athletes, skiing can be learnt quickly andaccidents can be avoided if you are in good physical condition. It would beworthwhile to exercise for 30 minutes daily for about 20 days prior tojoining skiing courses. Some suggested exercises are jogging, sky jumps(60-100), abdominal exercise, deep breathing and light yoga.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.