14/16 - 26 FEBRUARY 2012

Our eagerly awaited return to a land of contrasts following the huge success of our 2011 Adventure - back country in Kashmir in the stunning Himalayas.

If you've already hooked to the Snoworks Adventure programme then you'll be signing up for this almost straight away. We have increased our numbers for 2012 due to demand for this trip so book early and join us for the adventure of a lifetime!

Like all Snoworks Adventures, this trip is designed to combine exotic destinations, stunning skiing, breathtaking scenery, unique cultures and a richly varied itinerary.

Our own Snoworks instructor will host the trip from start to finish on and off the slopes and will be joined by a UIAGM mountain guide. This is your gateway to off piste 'Nirvana'.

The ski resort of Gulmarg in Kashmir has the distinction of being the best ski resort in the Himalayas with what is claimed to be the highest lift served skiing in the world. The gondola departs the village and arrives at an altitude of 4,000 metres and the result, 'powder' and plenty of it.

See the blog from Kashmir 2011
See photos from Kashmir 2011

ITINERARY

There is the option of two itineraries. Option 1, in true Snoworks Adventure style, includes a taste of culture to go with the skiing. We've included a guided trip to Agra with a visit to the world famous Taj Mahal and Agra Fort and a night in Delhi. Option 2 is for those who just want the skiing going direct through Delhi to Srinagar and straight to Gulmarg on day 4.

OPTION 1
DAY 1 / TUE 14 FEB
DEPART FROM EUROPE
- Depart from the UK by Virgin Atlantic. Details of flights can be found at the bottom of the page (If you book alternative flights they will need to arrive before the Virgin flight)

DAY 2 / WED 15 FEB
ARRIVE DELHI TRANSFER TO AGRA
- Land in Delhi and transfer by bus to Agra, the land of the Taj Mahal
- 4 hours transfer
- Overnight at The Retreat Hotel (half board)

DAY 3 / THUR 16 FEB
TAJ MAHAL & AGRA FORT
- Explore the breathtaking Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world with local guide
- Explore the Agra Fort with a local guide
- Return to Delhi, overnight at the Clark Surya Hotel (half Board)

OPTION 2 STARTS HERE
DEPART UK
Those opting for option 2 will depart the UK on the Feb 16 and fly direct to Delhi overnight and join the group at Delhi Airport for the flight to Srinagar. You can book the British Airways or Virgin flights. See details below.
(If booking an alternative flight, your flight will need to arrive before the Virgin flight)

DAY 4 / FRI 17
DELHI TO SHRINIGAR, KASHMIR
- Fly from Delhi to Srinagar (1 hour) and transfer to Gulmarg Nedou's Hotel for the next 7 nights.

GULMARG NEDOU'S HOTEL
Nedou’s Hotel Gulmarg was established in 1888 by Micheal Adam Nedou, who many people say actually discovered the meadow of flowers 'Gulmarg', and instantly decided to establish a hotel there.  Spread over 50 acres this hotel is steeped in history.

The hotel is run much like you’d imagine a hotel in the era of the Raj with old world colonial charm and uniformed staff on hand to cater for your every whim. The hotel is made up of a series of small cottages & blocks of rooms each sleeping 2-4 people and heated by wood burning stoves. The rooms are basic but clean and all have private bathrooms.

There are two restaurants in the hotel, one with a small bar, one with a lounge/seating area.  They serve a good selection of Kashmiri and Indian cuisine. Relax after a day's skiing in front of the huge bukhari with afternoon Kashmiri tea and biscuits. The hotel is located at the far end of the village about a 10 minute ski/walk to the Gondola base station.  Included in the price are taxis to the gondola station each day.

DAY 5 TO 10 / FEB 19 TO 23
OFF PISTE SKIING IN GULMARG
- 6 days off piste and back country skiing in Gulmarg

SKIING
The highest skiing in the Himalays served by 1 lift. The gonola is split into two section. The first section takes you up above the lower wooded area. The second section takes you up to a height of almost 4,000metre giving 2,200m of verticle descent.

One lift, you think would be board however unlike many european resorts where 10 lifts can serve 1 run. Here 1 lift serves endless runs. In a whole week you'll have a different descent every single run.

Arrive at the top of the gondala and you can descend into the only patrolled area in Gulmarg a massive bowl appropriately named Godola Bowl with literally endless choices of descents. From the top take a traverse and pick you route, Sheenmai Bowl, Shaggy's face, Hapat Khued Bowl, each one with an endless choice of descents. Traverse past the army outpost into Trojan Bowl and keep trversing into the Drang Bowls.

Traverse in the opposite direction and your into another array of bowls again with an endless choice of routes.

From the top of the gondola you can skin to the top of Mt. Apharwat. It's not a long skin but with the altitude you'll feel it. From the top  you have an enormous choice of backcountry routes. You can ski directly back towards the bottom of the gondola in the Apharwat Bowls, Chooti Nali Bowl (the list goes on an on) or you can take a backcountry route well away from the direction of the gondola and end up back in Gumlarg village itself.

In the other direction you can take a backcountry ski all the way to the village of Drang. A huge descent that takes you well below Gulmarg. We'll arrange Taxi's to take us to the village of Tanmarg for lunch in a local Kashmiri restaurant then back up to Gulmarg where you may be able to get another run in before the end of the day.

Skiing in Gulmarg is a completly different experience. It's a complete clash of cultures. A mixture of skiers from all around the world equipped with backpacks and avalance safety equipment mixed with lodal Kashmiris and the army patrolling the border with Pakistan.

DAY 11 / FEB 24
TRASNFER TO SHRINIGAR & LAKE DAL
- The final ski of the trip. We can ski until late afternoon
- Transfer to Lake Dal and stay overnight on one of the world famous houseboats
- Dinner on a houseboat

No trip to Kashmir is complete without a stay on one of the houseboats and we have booked a couple of the very best. The houseboats were originally built by the British to circumnavigate rules about building new properties in Kashmir during the British Raj. After the Raj ended the Kashmiris continued the tradition of the houseboats and it is now a thriving tourist industry.

This is a city on water. A visit here will leave you mesmerized.

DAY 12 / FEB 25
TOUR LAKE DAL / FLIGHT BACK TO DELHI
- Breakfast on the houseboat followed by a fantastic shikara trip around Lake Dal
- Transfer to the airport and flight to Delhi.
- Overnight in the Clark Surya Hotel (Half Board) for our final night with the option of dinner and a show (additional supplement) or just relax for the evening and dinner at the hotel.

DAY 13 / FEB 26
DELHI - UK
- Transfer to Delhi International Airport and flight back to the UK

See the blog from Kashmir 2011
See photos from Kashmir 2011

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BOOKING YOUR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT
We are recomending the following flights. Please confirm with our UK office prior to booking flights. If you wish to book alternative flights please make sure your flight arrives in Delhi before the advertised flights below and departs from Delhi after the advertised flights.

Virgin Atlantic
OUTBOUND
Flight number VS300
Depart London (Heathrow) Tuesday Feb 14 (option 1) or Thursday Feb 16 (option 2) 22.00
Arrive Delhi (Indira Gandhi) Wednesday Feb 15 (option 1) or Friday Feb 17 (option 2) 11.45
INBOUND
Flight number VS301
Depart Delhi (Indira Gandhi) Sunday Feb 26th 13.45
Arrive London (Heathrow) Sunday Feb 26th 17.55
Cost: From approx £617.

British Airways
OUTBOUND
Flight number BA0257
Depart London (Heathrow) Tuesday Feb 14 (option 1) or Thursday Feb 16 (option 2) 15.25
Arrive Delhi (Indira Gandhi) Wednesday Feb 15 (option 1) or Friday Feb 17 (option 2) 05.00
INBOUND
Flight number BA0256*
Depart Delhi (Indira Gandhi) Sunday Feb 26th 07.10
Arrive London (Heathrow) Sunday Feb 26th 11.00
Cost: From approx £690.

*there may be a surcharge for the transfer from the hotel to the airport for this flight.  Our main transfer will leave for the Virgin flight departing at 13.45

Transfers are based around Virgin flight times.

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SKIING LEVEL
The trip is open to competent off piste skiers. Level 5, 6 and above. Level 4's who are fit and adventurous may be accepted if you have previously attended a Snoworks course and Snoworks instructors have stated that your off piste skiing is to the required level for this trip.  If you are unsure please check levels with Linda in the office.

The trip is physically demanding so a good fitness level is required.

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EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
- Wide off-piste skis with touring bindings and skins
- Backpack suitable for day's skiing with straps for carrying skis
- Off piste safety equipment. Backpack, shovel, probe, transciever
(Shovel, probe and transciever will be provided by Snoworks if you do not have them)

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KASHMIR SECURITY & TRAVEL ADVICE
For the past 10-15 years, the UK government has advised against all but essential travel to Kashmir. This is due to the ongoing political situation between Pakistan and India and the threat of terrorist attacks.

As a result of the UK government’s advice against travel to Kashmir, it is difficult to find UK-based insurance companies who will provide insurance cover for this trip. However Campbell Irvine, a leading travel insurance broker do provide cover which we are happy to recommend. For details on their policies click on www.campbellirvine.com

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SAFETY ON THE MOUNTAIN
The ski patrol is run by experts from New Zealand and they work with some local ski patrol that they have trained up over the years. The Gondola Bowl is patrolled but outside of this everyone is on their own. You'll be skiing with Snoworks instructors and mountainguides the whole time and safety will be paramount.

New for last year was Gulmarg Helski. Although a private heliskioperation they may be able to assist in rescue siituations.

There is a small local medical centre in Tanmarg which is the village at the base of the ski area and 2 hospitals in Srinagar.

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VISA REQUIREMENTS
All foreign nationals visiting India require a visa and for this trip, a short term tourist visa is required. This will cost £41 plus the visa application fee and any relevant postage charges. The visa must be obtained in the UK prior to departure. You can apply for a visa at VSF Global Services (UK) Limited. If you are going to use the postal application service you should allow 15 working days to process the application. Alternatively you can apply in person at one of the Visa Application Centres – there are 5 in the UK – click here for details.

On the application form you need to provide the names, addresses and telephone numbers of 2 referees in India. We will provide these for you. Together with the completed application form you also require your passport, 2 passport size photos and the visa fee. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months.  See the visa notes on the VSF website.

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HEALTH
ALTUTUDE SICKNESS
Gulmarg resort is at 2650m which is not an elevation at which altitude sickness is typically experienced; however the gondola goes up to just short of 4000m and altitude sickness is possible.

The symptoms of altitude sickness are headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, mild shortness of breath, dizziness or light-headedness, slight swellings of hands and face. To minimise any risk of discomfort and inconvenience from even mild altitude sickness, guests should take the following measures on their arrival in Gulmarg:
• drink plenty of water
• avoid alcohol and sleeping tablets
• do not over-exert yourself on the mountain on your first day or so
• let one of the guides or instructors know if your feeling unwell. There is a quick and simple cure to altitude related illness…simply go to a lower elevation

DELHI BELLY
Delhi Belly is the result of drinking contaminated water causing diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.To avoid this take the following steps
- Only drink and brush teeth with bottled water
- Shower with mouth closed
- Avoid uncooked food
- Do not have drinks with ice

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FOREIGN OFFICE ADVICE
Click below for the latest updates from the UK Foreign office on travelling to Kashmir and the surrounding areas. Foreign Office Advice