The mountain

Gulmarg village sits on a mountain plateau at 2600 metres beneath the 4200 metre summit of Mt Apharwat. A table-top shaped mountain, Mt Apharwat has a crest approximately 5 kilometers long with ridges and gullies dropping towards the resort offering countless skiing opportunities.

The first stage of the gondola delivers you from the village to the top of the tree line at 3000 metres from where big pines offer great protected tree skiing and the second stage of the gondola drops you at 3960 metres just shy of Mt Apharwat’s summit.
From the top station you can drop straight into the gondola bowl or traverse in either direction to ski the 1000 vertical metres back to the mid station. A 20-30 minute hike to the summit opens up the northern end of the mountain and an amazing choice of lines. From Mt Apharwat’s main ridgeline it is possible to ski 2000 vertical metres of awesome terrain an amazing snow down to and through local villages.

Gulmarg has fantastic terrain and great snow but the facilities are not yet up to the standard of western resorts. It is best described as lift-accessed back country. The grooming is very minimal and lift operations are often hindered by weather conditions and other factors. There is avalanche control, hazard marking and ski patrol in the main gondola bowl however this only accounts for about 10% of the terrain that is ridden on a daily basis.

To make the most of the mountain, short hikes are necessary to either access or return from your chosen line. If you are an advanced skier or snowboarder, solid in a variety of off-piste snow conditions and not afraid of putting in a little effort for your turns you will be hugely rewarded. Most of our clients call “best run of my life” at least once during their stay.

With the right guides, the right equipment and a small amount of effort it is possible to ski untracked snow for weeks after the last snowfall.