Backcountry Logistics


	Kullu Valley

	Gulmarg

India

- General - Snow - Weather - Terrain - Getting there
	Gulmarg

General
Every ski tourers’ dreams eventually turn towards the Himalayas. The biggest dreams call for the biggest mountains. Its called gravity. You won’t find superlatatives in the dictionary to adequately describe what they offer. So instead of hyperbole, I’ll just give you the stats. Skiable peaks to 6000m. Mid winter vertical of 3500+ m. Snowfall of over 15m. Year round season. Countless unskied lines.

But these things come with a cost. The ascents can be epic, and in the Kullu valley the best stuff is mostly accessed on multi day trips (or heli drops). The infrastructure is poor: you are on your own in case of an emergency. Maps are difficult to find and often not worth the paper they are printed on. Finally the Kashmir situation changes yearly and touring is not always a good idea there.

But, if you’ve got the time, the patience to deal with India, and are in top shape, then you will not find a better place to test your backcountry mettle and truly live the dream.We have only visited the Kullu valley and the area around Gulmarg in Kashmir. There are other very good options in Kashmir, particularly in the area around Sonomarg. The Kullu valley is for experienced big mountain ski tourers only, with the mountains rising from the base at Manali (2000m) to 5500m and the next valley over to 6000m. There is a heli operation there which offers heli drops to ease the pain of the climb – on our first trip there, our second tour of our 2 month exploring mission required a 3 day climb with 25kg’s on our backs before we got our first turns! But they were worth the effort. Kashmir has easier access to immediate turns in the area around the ski hill at Gulmarg, while also giving plenty of opportunity to get into the more remote slopes and very big mountains.

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Snow
Both the Kullu Valley and Kashmir get a lot of snow. It often comes in big storms: we were stuck for 36 hours in our tent at 3500m while 2m of snow fell in the mountains above Manali. It’s also of high quality. Despite the low latitude, the snow stays light days after falling, and while all but north aspects on lower altitudes do get sun crusts even in mid winter, higher up all aspects remain good for long stretches of clear weather. In spring it is possible to ski powder high up and descend onto corn on the lower slopes.

Weather
The weather is characterized in winter by big storms and stretches of clear, cold (although not too cold) weather. Unfortunately, reliable forecasts are hard to get while on the ground, but in general if a front is moving in people know about it. Timing your tours between these fronts is the key to Himalayas, as so much of the goods are found so far from safety that the long spells of good weather are needed to make the most of what there is. For the major objectives, spring, here as anywhere, makes the most sense. Usually, December and January are the snowiest and coldest months, with January often giving the best powder conditions.

Terrain
What do you want? If you are fit enough, everything is on offer. However, it is mostly the sub alpine and alpine stuff that will interest you. The trees can be as good as anywhere, especially in Kashmir, but only in mid winter and the often poorer snow quality and cover lower down encourages higher tours. Plus, you don’t go to the highest mountains in the world to ski the trees. Glaciers. Endless faces. Peak bagging. Alpine bowls. Cliffs. Chutes. It’s all there for the adventurous on an unrivalled scale.

Getting there
Getting to India is easy; it’s moving around once you are there that will try your patience. New Delhi is the arrival point for the Himalayas. From there you take the bus up to the Kullu valley or another plane to Srinigar if you are going to Kashmir.

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