Gulmarg, Kashmir | 12 July, 2017 | Paul Lalley

The skiing in Gulmarg turned on in the first week of January with no crowds!

This winter, the K-Line team and guests were fortunate to experience the best snow conditions seen in Gulmarg for over a decade.

Typically, early January is the start of our season and the base is yet to build up, although temperatures are cold. This January bucked the trend and began with an incredibly early season, with powder skiing in Gulmarg from 4,250m all the way down into the local villages at 2,100m.

February usually receives the heaviest snowfall of the Gulmarg ski season. This year it was a month of epic proportions, with regular snowstorms continuously dumping feet of snow over days at a time. Consistent snowfall and cold temperatures extended until the end of March, with the K-Line team still shredding powder with guests. We also welcomed some dedicated ski touring and splitboard touring fanatics, who enjoyed corn skiing through the end of April.

In addition to experiencing the best winter in over a decade, Gulmarg was also graced with a timely visit from pro skier Cody Townsend, who took full advantage of the ridiculous January powder conditions along with our wild Himalayan terrain.

As every K-Line guest knows, the Gulmarg Gondola reaches 4,000m and is the second highest in the world and is the highest skiable gondola in the world. The Gulmarg Ski Resort is the only ski resort in the Himalayas. After what seemed like years of renovation, the Gulmarg Gondola base station was finally updated, so visitors will now finally have something to look at other than a construction site, which was a welcome change.

It has been a tumultuous year for Gulmarg, particularly given the recent protests in Kashmir that persisted throughout the summer of 2016. With the political situation now subsided and back to its usual pattern, let’s hope the powder gods will keep smiling upon Gulmarg and the 2018 Himalayan winter season will continue to deliver amazing conditions!