The notorious valley of Kashmir is located in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The state is located at the northern part of India, where the giant Himalayan Mountains border India, China and Pakistan.

Jammu area is mostly Hindu, the kashmiri valley and mountain villages are mostly Muslim and the amazing desert of Ladak is mostly Buddhist populated.

Monsoons come and go through out India, but the Kashmiri Valley holds comfortable weather throughout the summer. That is the reason vacation retreats in Kashmir go back to a time of the Mogul kings, and English rule.

The Himalayan region is a dream come true for every winter sports lover who is seeking unspoiled wilderness and long virgin runs.

3 meager skiing areas with the benefit of a ski lift are:

· Solang valley (Himachel Pardesh).
· Oali (Utar Pardesh).
· The biggest ski resort in the Himalayan region, Gulmarg (Kashmir).

Gulmarg (the meadow of flowers) is an attraction for winter game extremists in winter. In summer it hosts one of the highest natural golf courses in the world and its beautiful scenery of snowy peaks, endless green fields covered with carpets of flowers attract couples seeking the ideal romantic holiday.

The British discovered Gulmarg as a tourist destination in the 19th century. Prior to that, Moghul emperors vacationed in the Gulmarg area.
Gulmarg village is located on a ring shaped mountain range surrounding the valley of Kashmir, at the altitude of 2600m, 8,530ft. The gondola's 1st phase climbs from the village to the top of the alpine tree line at an altitude of 3040m, 9,937ft.  2nd phase gondola continues on from mid station all the way up Apharwat Mountain, at an elevation of 3960m, 12,992ft. The Peak altitude is 4220m, 13,845ft.The complete gondola provides a ski area of approximately 5 sq km (that's inbounds and backcountry terrain), with runs of up to 7 km…all powder. Sounds ridiculously sweet??? Well... it is! 

Ski Season Duration and slopes

The skiing season in Gulmarg starts in mid December ending in mid April.

There are a few trails being groomed on Gulmarg's slopes. Mild grooming provides endless runs of virgin snow.

Wild life

The area holds a rich cover of vegetation, the dominant forest consisting of conifers, which account for over 90%. The principal species are Cedrus Deodara, Pinus Griffithii, Abies Pindrow, Aesculus Indica. The major shrubs are Indigofera Heterantha, Sorbaria Tomentosa. The ground cover of Gulmarg is also very rich and Dicotyledonus herbs dominate the area, comprising of Rumex Patientia. The natural terrain of Gulmarg is covered throughout the summer with natural grass and endless carpets of flowers . This is the reason the Mogul kings named it Gulmarg (meadow of flowers).

Nature has gifted this Biosphere Reserve with multiple species of rare, endangered and protected animals. The main species that can be seen in Gulmarg are Red Monkey, Musk Deer, Brown Bear, Black Bear, Red Fox and Snow Leopard.