Next winter,Gulmargs ski slopes will come alive even before the snowfall. And tourists visiting the resort in November,ahead of the annual snowfall,may get to see skiing on six-inch deep,man-made snow. Perturbed by the delay in snowfall due to climatic changes,the Jammu and Kashmir government plans to buy snow-making machines to usher in an early skiing season. In the past,long dry spells in Kashmir have threatened to play a spoilsport in the Valleys winter tourism plans. In fact,a large number of skiers cancelled their advance booking some years ago as Gulmarg received very little snowfall during the first two months of the season. But with the idea of artificial snow,that seems a passé. We want to advance the skiing season by six to eight weeks, says Talat Parvez,Director of Tourism. This will help promote Gulmarg as a ski destination. During the winter months,as most of Kashmir retreats into hibernation,Gulmarg witnesses a carnival of sorts. A favoured destination for competitive alpine and recreational heli-skiing,tourists throng Gulmarg at the first sight of snow. Snow,however,comes late these days usually by mid- or late December as against early November two decades ago. The government doesnt want to lose these two months that can generate substantial tourism-related revenue. And like European countries,it plans to buy snow-making machines or snow guns that use water to create a blanket of artificial snow. In one minute,a snow gun can carpet up to 4,000 sq ft with six-inch deep snow. This is a welcome step, says Abass Wani,an Olympian from Kashmir,who trains skiers at Gulmarg. It will bring more skiers to Gulmarg and help tourism. Local residents too welcome the move. Gulmarg provides us livelihood. During the first two-three months of winter,we are jobless, says Sahbir Ahmad,a resident of Tangmarg. We hope this will attract more tourists,especially foreigners. However,a lot has to be sorted out before finalising the plan. The government will first seek experts advice on this. We will study its ecological impact before embarking on the project, Parvez says. Once we are satisfied on all counts,we will invite tenders. Right now we dont even want to get into the economics of the project, the Tourism Director adds. One of the major concerns regarding the project,however,is availability of water. Gulmarg faces scarcity of water. Parvez pins hopes on Seven Springs in Mount Apharwat at an altitude of 13,780 ft. We can use that water, he says. Then we have glaciers. Situated at an altitude of 8,825 ft,Gulmarg is one of Asias most popular ski resorts that boasts of steep slopes descending down Mount Apharwat. It is also one of the highest lift-served ski resorts of the world. A cable car was set up in 2005. The second section of the cable car from Kongdoori to Apharwat takes skiers to 13,780 ft,allowing downhill ski-runs of 5 km. Declared as the seventh top ski resort of Asia in 2010,it attracts thousands of skiers,both domestic and international. Last year,as per the government,more than 3,000 skiers visited Gulmarg. Encouraged by tourist arrivals,the state government now plans to expand winter tourism destinations beyond Gulmarg to Sonamarg,Pahalgam and Dodapathri. The slopes of Sonamarg are being used by international heli-skiers. Sonamarg was already there. We lost it, Parvez says. We also plan to bring skiing to Pahalgam.
