 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Has anyone used or heard of these guys? They seem to tick all the boxes and good value rather than 4*.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
No phone number or address on site :/ Might be worth checking some other places before laying down money!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
try http://www.skihimalaya.com/ run by a really nice Aussie guy called Peter Robinson, he has connections with the tourism authority and a couple of my friends have worked for them in avy control and guiding before, about the best there is up there, from what I heard, 4* is not that different from the rest anyway, pack the imodium whatever you do and plan a longer trip as there are some fearsome storms and frequent mechanicals that shut everything down
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
That does look like a cool place, "the highest ski lift in the world at a dizzying 3,979 meters", "lifting snowriders 1330 vertical metres" with relatively few people. "From the peak it is possible to glide for over a couple of kilometres in either direction along Apharwat's high Northwest and Southeast shoulders, before descending the mountain's multiple ridges, faces and bowls". Sounds a bit out there, with very little avalanche control and not a million miles form the Pakistan or Afghanistan border, but it has to be really tempting for a serious powder seeker.
[EDIT] The thing that did strike me was the mark-up of the tour operators. The lift pass is ~56 quid for a week (5000 INR), and at gulmarg cloudski individual no guide packages start at 80 USD per day. I cannot believe most of that is going to the hotel, and the only other thing you get is airport pickup, which is about 60 miles.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
hughbedo, I guess it may be pricy by Indian standards but I think £100 per day for full board, lift pass and guide is less than half what it is in the Alps. I believe there are a lot of Jeep pick ups from the road especially in bad weather.
Back to the OP Powderhounds.com seem to think they are pukka though they have no personal contact and I am hoping to get a reply from the Srinagar Tourist Office.
rggdxb, Thanks I will try Skihimalaya
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Really really want to get to Gulmarg soon. Hopefully I'll be able to afford a trip somewhere next season, either Japan in Jan or Gulmarg in Feb. Kinda want to do Gulmarg before it gets spoilt/too touristy, time might well be running out on that front...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BertieG: Sure, it does seem to be a pretty cheap way to do a pretty special ski holiday. I just hate the idea that someone is making 80% of the price of the holiday for putting up a web site and sending your reservation to the hotel. Note I quoted the unguided package, a full time guide who knows the area and avalanche risk is worth a lot of money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
I do not want to do you out of buisiness or anything, but I would love to get out there some time but cannot possibly afford ~350 USD per day. Any chance of posting links to hotels?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| hughbedo wrote: |
| I do not want to do you out of buisiness or anything, but I would love to get out there some time but cannot possibly afford ~350 USD per day. Any chance of posting links to hotels? |
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotels-g317095-Gulmarg_Kashmir_Jammu_and_Kashmir-Hotels.html
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
hughbedo, recommended Gulmarg hotels:
Hotel Highlands Park http://www.hotelhighlandspark.com - has the best bar in the village (which is important as apres-ski options are limited!)
Nedous Hotel http://www.nedoushotelgulmarg.com/ - similar standard to the HP but in previous years has been a bit lacking in atmosphere
Heevan Retreat - can't find a website. I've known people to stay here and they've been pleased with the level of accommodation and the food.
There are several other hotels but I would be cautious about booking a lot of these as many hotels suffer with unreliable water supplies and heating.
On the subject of guiding - I've had a quick look at Gulmarg Cloudski and this company is run by local Kashmiris and uses local Guides. These guys are good skiers and have good local knowledge but I would be very surprised if they have anything other than basic training in mountain and avalanche awareness, group management, etc. Gulmarg is big mountain country with big snowfalls and this means high avalanche risk. I appreciate that using fully qualified guides comes with a big price tag but you do need to think twice about skiing in Gulmarg without an IFMGA mountain guide unless you or others in your party are very experienced backcountry skiers / boarders.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
Thanks all for the links.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After a lot of Googling and exchange of Emails with Peter at Skihimalya - thanks to rggdxb, I am about to book a 2 week trip to Gulmarg with them -woohoo!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Hey everyone,
Owner/operator of Gulmarg Cloudski here 
Just to give everyone some details about who I am and what we are about. I'm a ski lover from the United States who decided to visit a friend in Kashmir who doesn't ski and while I was out there I decided to go and ski Gulmarg (didn't have any reliable info or any expectations at all). While I was out there, I befriended two people on the mountain (Irshad and Shabir - http://www.gulmargcloudski.com/friends ) who took me in to their hut and hosted me for a few weeks. I really got to know them well and developed a personal friendship. These guys really left a great impression on me. After skiing all day, we'd talk about local politics, India/Kashmir/Pakistan relations, family stuff, and everything else. Great people, Great skiers.
I noticed a peculiar thing on the mountain in that most of the services provided were being provided by westerners, and the locals weren't getting the best deal out of the tourists. The lack of online presence of the locals (due to technology infrastructure as well as inability to effectively communicate in written English) made it difficult for them to connect to the outside world. I know when I traveled there a couple years back, I didn't know what I was getting into... but I've traveled all across the world on pennies, so I was open to any experience (though many people are not). I even had a winter tent just in case... Anyway, I also noticed a market for people who want a reliable stay, a certain expectation in their travel, and a cheaper than 'western' price. Naturally, I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to help my friends Irshad and Shabir by connecting them to skiers who want a good value for an authentic Kashmiri experience (or a hotel, as an option...).
Personal Story and Motivation: It's annoying when you land at the airport and see a handful of companies who you know paid for the chance to snatch people up as soon as they land without giving them a chance to choose a good person/service to stay with. This more or less happened to me. When I landed, I was offered a free ride to the mountain by some dude who I felt had an ulterior motive about 10 minutes after getting in the car. When he deposited me on the mountain, after getting lost in negotiations with the hotel manager, I realized I didn't walk to every hut/hotel to get the feel of the place before fully trusting these people. I became very angry and snapped at my host when I realized I was being played for a fool. I'm an experienced traveler and so I figured this happened even more often to people who might have less experience than me. I decided to do my part and nip the problem at the bud somehow, and Gulmarg Cloudski was born.
You might ask who am I, and what do I do? I'm a Civil Engineering PhD student in the USA who loves to ski (split my winters growing up between British Columbia and Jackson Hole...) and is pretty talented in web development. I'm not in this to make $$ and rip-off tourists and locals. I'm doing this because Irshad and Shabir made a lasting impression on me and I want to help open up Gulmarg ask a premier ski destination in order to help the weirdly dynamic community and economy that exists there. I developed the website all by myself and fully manage and operate the bookings. I provide clients with upfront, honest information and let them decide who they want to book with (I'm sure the people here who have spoken to me agree that I do not push bookings on anyone, if anything I am too conservative...). I make a small percentage from each booking to cover operating and marketing costs, but I really am not profiting from this venture in any way. I take a deposit on booking, from which I take a cut and use the rest to secure travel arrangements for the client (forwarding money, etc...). I am in almost daily contact with Irshad.
My personal ambitions with this website extend to about 3 years out. I am hoping that after 3 years the website will have enough prominence and reputation that I can fully hand it over to a personal friend that Irshad or Shabir trust (maybe some ambitious tourism student at the University in Srinagar) so that they have even more control and that I can let it go... My personal gain from this is that I get some good business experience (I've worked as an engineer for several years before returning to school, but never had to 'run a small business') and I get to help out some great people. When I'm done, I should be more marketable in this way as well. If I'm lucky, I'll make enough for another trip or two to Kashmir as well - if I can find the time.
Thanks and let me know if you have any questions. I'm trying to maintain as much transparency as possible. Should I communicate any of this on the website? Would a phone number help? I'd appreciate any suggestions and opinions.
Cheers,
Rimas (support@gulmargcloudski.com)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
I can confirm that Rimas has been very helpful replying to my emails and was never pushy. It's tricky to get balanced and unbiased information about Gulmarg. I chose Ski Himalaya as they have a track record, they were recommended and I have some confidence in their guides avy training as mine is limited.
I will look out for Shabir and Ishrad in Feb.
Rimas, I think that you fill a gap in the market and I'm sure that it is right that local people benefit from tourism so good luck!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Thanks Bertie. I would greatly appreciate it if you would check out Shabir and Irshad during your stay. I could arrange a meeting between you (maybe even ski one day) so that you can independently verify their competence and let this be known to the community.
Email me if this would be possible. It would be really great!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
