The picturesque hill station of Gulmarg is one of the best places to go when you want to escape the bustle of cities and relax. It allows its visitors to not only enjoy the snowy slopes but also trek through the green stretch of lands.
When I went to Gulmarg, we were told the best thing to do there was to enjoy their gondola cable car ride 10,000 feet up the valley, and enjoy the snow and the view down below. Our plan was to stay in Gulmarg for only one day but when we inquired, we were not able to get the tickets for the ride that day. SO, we decided to extend our stay in Gulmarg for another day. This gave us the opportunity to explore the greenery and wildlife, which otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to explore. It was a refreshing experience in itself, seeing the beautiful scenery and breathe in the fresh crisp air.
The next day we booked the tickets for both the Phase 1 and 2 of the Gondola rides. The gondolas were proper cabin cars which made a slow climb up, giving the visitors the opportunity to drink in the view. It was a slow burn that ended too soon. The first phase was specifically viewing the city of Gulmarg from above. Whereas the second phase was meant for those who wanted to ski and see the LoC.
Once, we had our fill of taking in the view from phase 1, we continued on with the rest of our cable car ride to phase 2. At the top, we were momentarily mesmerized by the pristine white expanse of snow. As far as our eyes went it was completely white with snow.
We were approached by guides who told us they would assist us to see the sights that were available at the top. The mode of transport to go to all these points was by ski. But since we weren’t familiar with the nuances of skiing, we were to piggyback ski with our guides. Which meant that the guides will have the controls of the ski, while we would hold onto the guides as we rode on the same pair of skis.
Just because we weren’t independently skiing, didn’t mean it was a walk in the park. There were bumps when we almost let go of our guides, made the guides lose their balance or ended up taking a tumble in the snow. That aside, the feeling of cutting through the snow and feeling the crunching of snow as we crushed it under the blades was an exhilarating feeling in itself. It was similar to the feeling of flying over the snow.
We visited every spot. Saw uniformed men guarding the LoC, as well as the snow-capped mountains all around us. Once we were done with our tour, it was our turn to put on the ski gears and pose to have photographic evidence that we did ski. Once the photo session was over, we were left to our own devices.
We were walking around enjoying the snow, having snowball fights and building snowmen. But some of us sank into the snow and had to be helped out. Which made us realize that no matter how pure and beautiful something looked, they could still turn out dangerous.
What I loved the most and appreciated, was that Gulmarg made sure that even though you have never tried something before in your life, it wouldn’t stop you from having the best experience this place had to offer.
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