A New Ski Area For India?

Kashmir Tourism officials in India have said they are hoping to develop a ski area at Doodhpathri, a summer tourist resort.

The organisation, working in partnership with the Doodhpathri Development Authority, recently staged what turned out to be a popular ‘ski day’ on the local slopes, bringing in rental ski equipment for people to try.

Doodhpathri (which means ‘Valley of Milk’) is located at 2,730m altitude in the Budgam district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located 42 km from state capital Srinagar where there’s an airport.

It was the first time winter sports had been staged in Doodhpathri, but Kashmir Tourism officials believe that the village has the potential to make a good ski area, complimenting the internationally well-known ski resort of Gulmarg (pictured above), currently the world’s highest fully developed ski centre and India’s only developed ski area.

Currently, despite having the Himalayas, India has more indoor snow centres than outdoor resorts, such as the recently opened sci-fi themed Ski India below..

“Skiers go to Gulmarg, spend a few days there and then return to their respective countries. If we develop this resort for skiing also, they will extend their days in Kashmir and visit the resort for skiing which will add to their stays in Kashmir and bring further revenue to the locals,” Mahmood A Shah the Tourists Director at Tourism Kashmir tiold local media.

Mr Shah also said that currently local youth from the area travelled to Gulmarg to learn to ski but he felt that they ought to be able to learn in Doodhpathri.

Tourism Kashmir is now planning to construct ski lifts and both downhill and cross country ski trails, although no timetable was given for their construction.

In the past few years Pakistan’s Malam Jabba ski area over the border in the Swat Valley has been redeveloped, a decade after it was destroyed by the Taliban.  A chairlift has been installed and base building rebuilt, with reports indicating that this has been hugely successful attracting large numbers of sightseers and new skiers.  Pakistan is now looking at developing several more ski areas.