Introduction to Skiing

Distance: 47 kms

Time Taken: 2-3 hours (based on traffic)

The Basic Skiing Course is held in Gulmarg: a place that is fondly referred to as the Skiing Capital of India. Travel from Srinagar to Gulmarg is not included in the course fee. If you would like to share the cost of this travel, please coordinate with your course mates in the Whatsapp group we create a few days before the start date.

The drive from Srinagar to Gulmarg, although a short one, takes you through some scenic vistas of the countryside of Kashmir.

On getting to the ski resort in Gulmarg, we head to the ski shop to collect all your essential ski gear post which we have our first session. Your instructor will give you a brief of your Course Schedule for the next 4 days and introduce you to skiing. In the session we learn about the gear we use, fundamentals of skiing and some foundational techniques like the basic stance of skiing which are essential to get you through the rest of your course.

The Gulmarg weather can range from sunny to white-out in the winters, with day time temperatures averaging around -5 degrees. So please make sure you bring proper clothing with enough warm layers to the Ski Site.

Today is technically our first day on the ski slopes. After some warm-up exercises, we get into some basics to learn how to fit our skiing equipment and get comfortable in them. Once this is achieved, we get into some techniques like learning how to balance, how to navigate the slopes, control our speed and initiate turns efficiently. 

After spending a whole day on the powder learning and practicing our basic skills, we head back down to the ski resort and call it a day. 

We continue our lessons from yesterday. After practicing the skills and techniques we learnt yesterday, we do a few more exercises to help improve our balance on the skis. 

We then get into learning a new technique – snowplough. Snowplough refers to a technique that helps you slow down on powder slopes and come to a stop by maneuvering your skis. This is a vital skill essential for learning how to control your speed on the slopes. Like any skill, mastering this is a matter of consistent practice. We continue to brush up on this skill throughout the day to gain more control and confidence on the slopes.   

We follow the same routine as previous days. Gear up and get to our slopes. Practice our skills and techniques from the last 3 days. And then move on to add to the skill set. After learning how to balance, glide and control our speed, the new skill for today is learning how to make turns while riding a slope. 

Our instructors will be on your side every step of the way. Take the time to practice your newly learnt skills as much as possible all throughout the day. These snow slopes are a perfect playground!

It is time to practice our skills on an advanced slope. With the drills from the last four days you will realize you already feel much more comfortable in your ski gear and much more confident tackling these powder slopes. The new slope gives you enough opportunity to implement all your learning from the previous days. Skiing down these slopes on your own is truly liberating! 

After spending the day on the slopes, it is time to bid farewell. We wrap up the course by early afternoon so you have enough time to travel out. There are evening flights out of Srinagar. If you are planning to fly on this day, try to book one of the late evening flights. If you’ve developed a taste for the sport yet, we hope to see you on some advanced slopes in some advanced courses!

(P.S.: The cost of travel from Gulmarg to Srinagar is not included in the course fee. After completion of the course, you can start your journey to Srinagar.)