Skiing

The Columbia Tour And Travels offers you details of winter sports that are extremely popular in the state of Kashmir. The winter sports that attract tourists to Kashmir from far and wide include skiing, heliskiing, ice-skating and snow boarding. Gulmarg and Khilanmarg are the skiing hot spots in Kashmir,India. Skiing here usually begins around the beginning of December and goes on till the end of March. Gulmarg has earned the distinction of being the best ski resort in the Himalayas. This resort was established in the year 1927 by two British Army officers who set up the first skiing club in Gulamarg,Kashmir. Festivals like Christmas and Easter are occasions for organized skiing races. The first National Winter Games were held in Gulmarg in the year 1998. Gulmarg is situated at a distance of 56 kilometers from Srinagar. Gulmarg has the reputation of being the highest lift-served ski resort in India. Ski lifts and chair lifts take skiiers up to the top of the ski slopes from where skiiers can choose the beginnners, intermediate or more advanced slopes. Gulmarg also offers heliskiing for winter sports lovers. It is Asias only heliskiing resort and in fact after Canada ,Kashmir is the best option for those inclined towards heliskiing. Heliskiing comprises of being dropped by a helicopter on the summit of a high, snow-covered peak and then skiing down the slopes. Heliskiing inKashmircan be a breathtaking experience. Heliskiing is the ultimate winter sports thrill for the adventure sports lover. This extreme winter sport has some element of risk but the thrill experienced while indulging in heliskiing is said to be unequalled by any other winter sport. Other activities you can enjoy in Kashmir are ice-skating, ice-hockey and cross country skiing. Pahalgam and Srinagar in Kashmir are extremely popular sites for ice-skating. Ice skating and ice-hockey which involves playing hockey while wearing skates on an ice-rink or on the frozen surface of a lake, is a popular winter sport played by two teams who try to manoeuvre a smooth puck, (instead of the ball used in ordinary hockey) to score goals against the opposing team. A game of great swiftness and dexterity, ice hockey is a popular spectator sport among winter sports in Kashmir.