GULMARG '09/10

2010-08-05T21:00:00.003-04:00

Browse the links (left) to plan your trip to Gulmarg. Find a comprehensive list of Trip Reports, Forum Threads, Photos, Videos, News, & Travel Tips.

Scroll down this page to read the latest news & information from Kashmir & Gulmarg.

Other winter seasons:
Gulmarg '11/12
Gulmarg '10/11
Gulmarg '08/09
Gulmarg '07/08

Go: Snow Conditions at Gulmarg
Go: Backcountry Advisory at Gulmarg

Please visit & support SNOWBOARDS FOR KASHMIR, a non-profit corporation that channels surplus snowboard equipment to the Kashmir region of India as an educational, recreational and employment opportunity resource for the area's youth & under-employed adults.

TR: GULMARG '09/10 - A MAGGOT SUMMARY

2010-06-12T09:00:00.120-04:00

(The following is a post at http://forums.ski.com.au that might as well serve as wrap-up for the winter season Gulmarg '09/10).

In honor of your greatness.
BUMP FOR STOKE

This URL deserves some straight pimpin' - these photos are some of the finest I've seen from Gulmarg:

[Quote: Action Goat]...for those who are interested in pics, go to www.actiongoat.com, go to the client login, and enter gulmarg as the username and skiforum as the password.

After a very poor start to the season, 3 metres fell in the week before arrival; the result was an avalanche that thundered down one of the bowls, killing 17 soldiers stationed nearby...

There's no question December & January both recorded the poorest snowfalls in recent Gulmarg skiing history. Late January photo by Francois Lefebvre:

Typical winter weather did not arrive until 3 February, but then it was Game On! The first of three successive fronts in a powtacular February storm cycle:

Sadly, all that snow came with a heavy price, the death of 17 Indian Army soldiers. The path of the fatal 8 February avalanche at Gulmarg is depicted below:

Tragedy might have been averted had the advisories of the Gulmarg Snow Safety team (GSS) been more seriously heeded by the Indian Army. No tourists were included among the dead, largely because few or none were in the danger zone, but perhaps also because the magnitude of the danger had been successfully impressed upon them by the GSS. Furthermore, most, if not all, of the skiing tourists at Gulmarg had witnessed first-hand a massive, deliberately triggered slide in the Main Bowl of the "resort" only one week earlier. You can see the in-bounds slide of 30 January on this video at YouTube: Gulmarg Avalanche.

Here is a photo of the 8 February search & rescue (SAR):

[Quote: Action Goat] Taxman, one thing has changed from two years ago apparently: crowds. i kept hearing the lines were longer this season than ever before. that said, that only seemed to be true in Feb. From the beginning of March, the place just died. everyone cleared out. Lines on the gondola became virtually non-existant.

You're not kidding. This is the gondola line-up on 7 March, and if there were twice this many people on the hill that day I'll eat mutton balls.

[Quote: Action Goat]...Timed the snow perfectly – I often heard that the first week we were there was the best of the season so far...

Goat, you left the meadow too soon.
The day you posted this magnificence your old pals were spraying loads all over the hill: multiple snowgasms. You know that old surf jibe: "You should've been here yesterday..." Well mate, you should have stayed until tomorrow, because that's when it got epic. You pulled the pin too early in a textbook case of premature evacuation.

Here goes, the 8th of March. Photos by Tim Silverwood (AU):

This madness went on for a week. It was still good on 12 May when we shot this short video. I'm clueless on the embed, so here is the link to the video at YouTube: TR GULMARG '09/10 - ONE SPRING DAY.

Independent filmmakers Anthony Bonello (AU) and Will Lascelles (US) spent three months in Kashmir, mainly at Gulmarg, making a film to present at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Here is the director & his TRAILER:

Mid-March the sun arrived and never left. Powder receded, remaining only in north-facing aspects up high, and the "crowd" evaporated. It became spooky: Hard to find ride partners, and one could sit at the top-station for a half-hour and no one would come off the gondola.

With the longer days a freeze-thaw cycle set up some corntastic spring conditions a person could have lapped for weeks, virtually alone on the hill. In fact, Kiwi Tim did just that. Last man standing. The rest of us left town and headed for Srinagar, where we got a great reception:

[Quote: Action Goat] Kashmiris are incredibly friendly, except perhaps when they’re throwing rocks at cops in Srinagar – the city got shut down several times while we were there...

Then all hell broke loose:

GUK - 21 February: Street riots greet Kashmir peace talks.
BBC - 15 March: India soldier killed in Srinagar grenade blast.
AFP - 16 March: One dead in shooting at Srinagar market.
BBC - 2 April: Kashmir railway blown up by separatists.
IBN - 3 April: 16 militants among 22 killed in Kashmir.
NYT - 20 June: Mine kills 9 in Indian Army in Kashmir.

Time to GTFO. Photo of stone-pelters in Srinagar by Fayaz Kabli/Reuters; photo of the 16 March Srinagar shooting from the BBC:

[Quote: Heinz] As Taxman has said doesn't sound like much as changed and in that part of the world progress is likely to remain slow.

Rumor has it construction has finally begun on a new chairlift at Gulmarg first announced nearly one year ago, 30 June 2009: GULMARG '09/10 - Gulmarg To Get New Chairlift.

Please support Gulmarg Snow Safety. A summary of snow safety issues for Gulmarg '09/10 was prepared by Brian Newman, GSS leader, in the Gulmarg End of Season Report.

Action Goat I bow to thee, your photos are:

EXPLOSION ON KASHMIR RAILWAY

2010-04-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

Kashmir railway blown up by separatists - BBC, 2 April 2010.

GULMARG '09/10: END OF SEASON REPORT

2010-03-30T21:00:00.001-04:00

The Gulmarg '09/10: End of Season Report.
Courtesy of Brian Newman, Gulmarg Snow Safety.

GRENADES TOSSED IN SRINAGAR & SOPORE

2010-03-27T09:00:00.003-04:00

Grenade explosions rock Sopur, Srinagar - GK, 27 March 2010.

CRACKDOWN IN SRINAGAR

2010-03-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

Crackdown operation in Lal Chowk - KMS, 19 March 2010.
Security intensified in Kashmir - NB, 18 March 2010.

MILITANTS KILL CIVILIAN IN SRINAGAR

2010-03-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

One dead in shooting at Srinagar market - AFP, 16 March 2010.
Militants Attack in Srinagar - NDTV, 16 March 2010.

GRENADE ATTACK IN SRINAGAR

2010-03-14T09:00:00.010-04:00

India soldier killed in Kashmir grenade blast - BBC, 15 March 2010.
Grenade attack on CRPF in Srinagar - PTI, 14 March 2010.
Six Indian police hurt in Kashmir - AFP, 14 March 2010.

View KASHMIR HOT SPOTS in a larger map

GULMARG: EXIT STAGE RIGHT

2010-03-13T21:00:00.002-05:00

As the freezing temperatures are sailing upwards, the time has come to pack up the winter gear for storage, and prepare to leave Gulmarg. Initially, my new home will be at the Noor Guest House astride Dal Lake in Srinagar, but after a week of that I'll be leaving for points now unknown.

TR: GULMARG '09/10 - ONE SPRING DAY

2010-03-12T21:00:00.006-05:00

GETTING DEEP AT GULMARG

2010-03-08T21:00:00.004-05:00

MILD TREMOR JOLTS KASHMIR

2010-02-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

Moderate tremor jolts Kashmir - HT, 28 February 2010.

SKIING IN KASHMIR: DOGLOTION TV

2010-02-26T21:00:00.001-05:00

Skiing in Kashmir - Part 1 - Culture Shock

INDIA & PAKISTAN RESUME FORMAL TALKS

2010-02-25T09:00:00.005-05:00

India and Pakistan restart formal talks - BBC, 25 February 2010.
India-Pakistan talks are first since Mumbai attack - LAT, 25 February 2010.

GULMARG: FREEZE-THAW CONDITIONS

2010-02-14T09:00:00.017-05:00

6 Day Forecast: Gulmarg (8695 ft altitude)
The early part of this week looks excellent, with fresh snowfalls daily, Sunday through Tuesday. For the latter part of the week a warming trend, and evident freeze-thaw conditions (max 36°F on Fri afternoon, min 21°F on Wed night) at G1, the lowest stage of the Gulmarg gondola, elevation 8695ft/3325m.

"Days 4-6 Gulmarg Weather Summary: Mostly dry. Freeze-thaw conditions (max 36°F on Fri afternoon, min 21°F on Wed night). Wind will be generally light."
(HIGHLIGHT ADDED FOR EMPHASIS)

NEWMAN WANTS ERECT TOWER AT GULMARG

2010-02-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

Newman wants to erect weather warning tower at Gulmarg - RK, 13 February 2010.

GO: CURRENT BACKCOUNTRY ADVISORY AT GULMARG

NEWMAN WANTS WARNING TOWER AT GULMARG

2010-02-13T08:00:00.008-05:00

Sajad Kralyari
In an exclusive interview with the Rising Kashmir avalanche forecaster Brian Newman talks about avalanche forecasting and rescue operations. Newman has been hired by Tourism Department to form a team that can mitigate the snow disasters. Over to Newman…

What is your role as an avalanche forecaster?
Primarily I have three jobs on hand, which involve maintaining safety inside the ski areas, to create a risk advisory and to train the local people for ski patrolling.

I along with my assistant Tim Tuffey and the local trained skiers employed by Tourism Department have identified an area of around 10 square kilometers as a safe ski area. This area primarily falls around the length and the breadth of the Gondola from Gulmarg to peaks of the mountains. It has the potential to be very dangerous and we try to minimize the danger by physical measures using scientific methods. We decide whether a particular area is safe for skiing. If the area is not safe, we minimize the danger by triggering explosions and making the portion risk free or shoot the warning and keep the area closed for skiers.

My second role involves creating awareness for the skiers about avalanches or risks inside ski area using net or by using sign boards. We call this advisory a Bulletin.
The bulletin is available every day on www.gulmargsnowsafety .com

In my third role I along with my assistant, train local skiers for rescue patrolling. These skiers have been employed by Tourism Department and Gondola Cable Car Corporation for ski patrolling and rescue operations.

How do you minimize the danger?
We virtually read into this snow and check its stability by manual methods, using some equipment like temperature probes. If we find that snow is not safe and is prone to avalanche, we trigger explosions which minimize the danger. We also cut the block of ice, read its layers, check the water content and also put some weight on it to check its resistance. After taking all the information, we conclude how snow would behave in certain conditions and accordingly create avalanche advisory.

Some skiers may want to venture outside the ski area. What role does your team perform in that area?
We call it as ‘Back Country’ area. We don’t take any responsibility for them in the back country. We are already covering huge area of 10 square kilometers. This is hectic job and involves risk. We don’t take any avalanche management in this area. We are not either bound to launch rescue operation in the area as we don’t want to put our trained skiers at risk. We can carry out rescue operation only if the risk is not too high.

How many skiers go for skiing on the higher reaches ever day?
The higher reaches remain busy with almost 200 skiers during the whole day. They are mostly foreigners and some of them receive injuries which prompts us for rescue operation. Risk advisory helps them negotiate the terrain through safer slopes.

Have you launched any rescue operation this winter?
We have rescued five skiers so far. One of the male foreigners had broken his leg outside ski area. Our team took a daring rescue after women from Russia broke both of her legs. We had to ferry her to the safe place from a greater area. We also under took rescue operation after the recent avalanche hit army training camp at Khillanmarg. We cooperate with High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) and they also chip in during rescue operations.

How do you take rescue operation?
The team rushes to the spot where any injured person is stuck along with the medical aid. We carry the injured on sledges stretchers and push the skier to safer places. If the victim is trapped inside the snow, we use sophisticated detectors called beepers to trace out buried skiers by using shovels. The detectors give us signal and we start digging to evacuate the victims.

How long will it take the local skiers fall in your shoes?
I am training 10 skiers for this job and they are now trained enough to launch the operations independently. There are some areas which need more training. I will be here with the Tourism Department as long as they need my service. However, I am working on new proposals along with Tourism Department and Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to make the avalanche management more sophisticated.

What is the proposal?
We are planning to erect the tower at Kangdori at G4 station of the Gondola which would act as an automated weather station. The tower would give us readings after every five minutes. It will increase the safety of the skiers drastically. The tower may be erected by 2011. This destination has a long ski run which has the potential of attracting more skiers. The safety management has to be sophisticated.

High Altitude Warfare School training camp was hit by avalanche. It is believed that they defied avalanche warning?
They were training in the safe zone but the avalanche came from the dangerous zone. After travelling long distance it hit them, they could not have evaded this natural fury. We classify this type of avalanche as size 4, which destroy heavy structures and also some portion of the forest.

GO: CURRENT BACKCOUNTRY ADVISORY AT GULMARG

SKIING GULMARG TO TANGMARG

2010-02-12T21:00:00.006-05:00

Skiing to town - BG, 12 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

GAPPING MONKEY HILL AT GULMARG

2010-02-12T12:00:00.006-05:00

Mind the gap - BG, 12 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

ELECTRICAL OUTAGE AT GULMARG

2010-02-12T09:00:00.005-05:00

Electric slide - BG, 12 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

INDIAN OLYMPIANS TO HONOR AVALANCHE VICTIMS

2010-02-11T09:00:00.006-05:00

Athletes hit by tragedy aim to honour home - TP, 11 January 2010.

SECOND AVALANCHE: SOLDIER KILLED

2010-02-10T21:00:00.001-05:00

Soldier dies after fresh Kashmir avalanche - AFP, 9 January 2010.

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GULMARG AVALANCHE RISK: HIGH

2010-02-09T21:00:00.001-05:00

Backcountry Advisory: HIGH - gulmargsnowsafety.com

"The Gulmarg Ski Patrol, Snow Safety, and Avalanche Forecaster extend their condolences to the members of HAWES and their families.

Storm totals approaching 135cm at the elevation of Gulmarg village. Estimates at 3 meters in the start zone of the Chooti Nali avalanche path. Our speculation is that this path produced the avalanche which hit the military group training in a forested area near treeline. Sadly this tragedy was caused by a natural avalanche which exceeded previously known runout limits. Due to ongoing storming conditions, it is difficult to determine the exact characteristics of this avalanche. The exception is the deposition zone whose devastation was evident in 100 year old trees broken 50 feet above the ground by the air blast. The dimensions of the deposition extended 300 meters in length, 100 meters width and averaged 4 meters depth. All imaginable configurations were present at the initial response with 7 partially buried victims, all with serious injuries, being stabilized and evacuated. Then a wave of dead victims were found in typical locations, a probe strike near a ski, 4 deep burials in front of trees. 3 more partially buried men were found together and alive, covered by broken tree branches. Ski patrollers assisting in the search later found a victim by probe line near the one of the flanks of the debris area. A snow groomer was used to excavate 4 more victims, all over 4 meters deep prior to the search being postponed at nightfall. None of the victims were reported as wearing avalanche transceivers."

This photograph below shows the slide path of the most recent, fatal avalanche at Gulmarg's Chooti Nali Bowl:

TRAGEDY STRIKES GULMARG

2010-02-09T12:00:00.002-05:00

Tragedy strikes - BG, 9 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

NEW SNOWFALL AT GULMARG

2010-02-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

Hope floats - BG, 9 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

AVALANCHE: MANY SOLDIERS DEAD

2010-02-08T21:00:00.001-05:00

Avalanche kills 15 soldiers in Kashmir - CNN, 8 February 2010.
Kashmir Avalanche Kills 16 Soldiers - WSJ, 8 February 2010.
Avalanche kills 17 soldiers in Kashmir - AFP, 8 February 2010.
17 dead, 53 rescued in Kashmir avalanche - AP, 8 February 2010.

Photos of depostion, and SAR at this LINK.
LINK to info about the HAWS (High-Altitude Warfare School) at Gulmarg.

SHAUN KRATZER (1976-2007)

2010-02-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to the friends and family of Shaun Kratzer, a man lost in an avalanche three years ago today, at Gulmarg. There is a discussion of this particular avalanche with photographs of the crown and deposition located at this forum thread at Teton Gravity Research. (The area of that slide is now known as Shaggy's Face). An additional account of this tragedy can be read where it was originally reported at News.com.au (Caution: This article is accompanied by a disturbing photograph of the victim).

Please consult the following avalanche resources before venturing into the backcountry, and if you intend to visit Gulmarg the patrollers firmly ask that one come equipped with a transceiver, a probe, a shovel, and the knowledge to properly use them all.
Photo credit: Corey Putkunz

AVALANCHE RESOURCES:
The Avalanche Center
The Avalanche Encyclopedia
Surviving the Backcountry - Tahoe World.
WestWide Avalanche Network

FROM GULMARG TO SRINAGAR

2010-02-08T09:00:00.005-05:00

Detour to Srinagar - BG, 8 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

GULMARG BLOG POST LABELS

2010-02-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

'09/10 POSTS WITH LABEL:
Avalanche, Gulmarg, Snowfall, Video
'08/09 POSTS WITH LABEL:
Avalanche, Gulmarg, Snowfall, Video
'07/08 POSTS WITH LABEL:
Avalanche, Gulmarg, Video

KINGFISH BEER & MUTTON STEW

2010-02-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

The power of Kingfish beer and mutton stew - BG, 4 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

HEAVY SNOWFALL IN KASHMIR

2010-02-06T21:00:00.004-05:00

Heavy snowfall in Kashmir - HT, 6 February 2010.

BUSTED FLAT IN GULMARG, WAITING FOR A STORM

2010-02-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

Roll of the dice proves frustrating - BG, 4 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

"Travel is always a roll of the dice, and it’s definitely pretty frustrating right now. Having left stable jobs, girlfriends, pets, and all the other elements of a comfortable home life, many of us are left scratching our heads asking "what now?" We’ve traveled half way around the world chasing the legend of bottomless powder and limitless big mountain terrain, and ended up with less than we started with."

These shepherd huts at Kongdoori normally are buried in January.

GULMARG AVALANCHE RISK: CONSIDERABLE

2010-02-05T09:00:00.009-05:00

Backcountry Advisory: CONSIDERABLE - gulmargsnowsafety.com

"The weak snowpack will have a significant addition of weight from the forecasted storm 07-08 February 2010.

Buried depth hoar on all aspects will be stressed in the upcoming storm. The result will be a HIGH potential for climax avalanches from the alpine region which may run GREAT distances into treeline runout zones. The storm interface with the existing snowpack is forecasted to be "upside down". This means that new snow will establish a poor bond initially. When strong winds on Sunday and Monday create slab conditions, expect widespread natural avalanches from this weak interface throughout the alpine region.

Below treeline the snowpack can actually be weaker due to longer periods of shallow snowpack depths. Avoid open areas particularly during windy periods when slab can accumulate rapidly. Stick to densely treed slopes."

This photograph below shows the significant size of the most recent, triggered avalanche in Gulmarg's Main Bowl:

GULMARG SNOW SAFETY

2010-02-04T11:42:00.010-05:00

The process of avalanche control - BG, 3 February 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

LINK: GULMARG SNOW SAFETY

INDIA & PAKISTAN SEEK TO RESUME TALKS

2010-02-04T11:00:00.001-05:00

India Offers Official Talks With Pakistan - NYT, 4 February 2010.

CURFEW IN SRINAGAR

2010-02-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Curfew in Kashmir: Anti-India protests pick up - Reuters, 4 February 2010.

FEBRUARY STORM CYCLE BEGINS

2010-02-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

The snow forecast for Gulmarg looks tremendous for five days beginning 4 February, with 35-50" of snowfall predicted, winds mainly from the south, 10-30 MPH.

30 HURT IN KASHMIR PROTESTS

2010-02-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

30 hurt in continued Kashmir clashes - AFP, 3 February 2010.

YOUTH KILLED IN SRINAGAR PROTEST

2010-02-01T09:00:00.004-05:00

Killing provokes Kashmir protests - BBC, 1 February 2010.
One killed as Kashmir demo turns violent - AFP, 1 February 2010.
Protests in Srinagar over youth's death - HT, 1 February 2010.

KASHMIR GUNBATTLE IN SOPORE

2010-01-31T09:00:00.005-05:00

Gunbattle ends, police search for bodies - HT, 31 January 2010.
Gunfight between militants, forces in Kashmir - TI, 31 January 2010.

TR: GULMARG - PEP FUJAS & ANDY MAHRE

2010-01-30T15:00:00.005-05:00

Skiers: Billa Bakshi, Pep Fujas, Andy Mahre.
Credits: Gulmarg Heliski; Jase Hancox/Basket Productions.

See this video at Ski Union, or at Skiing Mag.

TR: GULMARG '09/10 - ARMY BOOTPACK

2010-01-30T10:00:00.001-05:00

Trip report from the Army Bootpack - BG, 28 January 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

HEAVY SNOWFALL CHEERS KASHMIR

2010-01-30T09:00:00.008-05:00

Heavy snowfall in Srinagar cheers residents - OI, 30 January 2010.
Srinagar-Jammu highway closed, snowfall - PT, 30 January 2010.
Chillai Kalan's Gift, Reprieve From Dry Spell - GK, 29 January 2010.

SXR: STRICTEST AIRPORT ON EARTH?

2010-01-29T21:00:00.008-05:00

What would Gandhi say? - G&M, 29 January 2010.

Peter Mandel makes it through the 'World's Strictest Airport Security' with a bit of help from the Mahatma; this is his piece in Saturday's Globe and Mail.

GULMARG: AVALANCHE OF CONCERN

2010-01-29T09:00:00.006-05:00

An avalanche of concern - BG, 29 January 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

NEW SNOWFALL AT GULMARG

2010-01-28T20:00:00.003-05:00

Snowfall in Gulmarg; rain, snow in Kashmir - SIFY, 28 January 2010.

"Snowfall started early morning at Gulmarg while it rained in Uri in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. 'We expect rain and snowfall at many places in the Kashmir Valley during the next 24 hours,' the weather office said.

People living in areas above 3,000 metres like Karnah, Gurez, Tangdhar, Machil, Keran and other places have been asked by the local disaster management cell to move about with caution because of the possibility of avalanches there."

PROTESTS AT BATMALOO, SRINAGAR

2010-01-28T13:00:00.005-05:00

Violence Erupts in Kashmir over Security - NTDTV, 28 January 2010.

POLICE HARMED IN GRENADE ATTACK

2010-01-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

Constable injured in grenade attack in JK - PTI, 28 January 2010.

NATIONAL FLAG SHUNNED IN SRINAGAR

2010-01-28T09:00:00.006-05:00

BJP condemns non-hoisting of Tricolour - Hindu, 28 January 2010.
OPINION: BJP: No flag hoisting is a surrender - TI, 28 January 2010.

SEASON PASS: BADGE OF HONOR

2010-01-28T07:00:00.005-05:00

Badge of Honor - BG, 28 January 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

CLASHES RENEW IN SRINAGAR

2010-01-27T21:00:00.006-05:00

Five injured in clashes with security forces - PTI, 27 January 2010.

AMBIVALENT FORECAST AT GULMARG

2010-01-27T09:00:00.003-05:00

Ambivalent forecast in Gulmarg - BG, 27 January 2009.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

Note the thin cover on south-facing aspects. These are unusually poor conditions for the Pir Panjal range in January.

INDIA MARKS REPUBLIC DAY AMID ALERT

2010-01-26T21:00:00.004-05:00

India marks Republic Day amid alert - AJ, 26 January 2010.

INFILTRATION FOILED NEAR JAMMU

2010-01-26T11:00:00.005-05:00

India 'foils border infiltration' in Kashmir - BBC, 26 January 2010.

BOMB DISMANTLED IN KASHMIR

2010-01-26T09:00:00.005-05:00

J&K police recovers IED under a bridge - PTI, 26 January 2010.

MOBILES JAMMED IN KASHMIR

2010-01-26T09:00:00.004-05:00

Mobile phone services jammed in J& K - ET, 26 January 2010.

ARMS RECOVERED NEAR SRINAGAR

2010-01-25T21:00:00.007-05:00

Arms recovered near Srinagar - PTI, 25 January 2010.
Police foil Kashmir Republic Day plot - AFP, 24 January 2010.

PROTESTS ERUPT IN KASHMIR

2010-01-24T21:00:00.001-05:00

Anti-India protest erupts in Kashmir - JP, 24 January 2010.

TOP MILITANT KILLED IN KASHMIR

2010-01-24T18:00:00.004-05:00

Top Kashmir militant killed in IHK gunfight - DT, 24 January 2010.

TEMPERATURE PLUMMETS AT GULMARG

2010-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Gulmarg coldest in J-K at -4.6 - PTI, 24 January 2010.

CIVILIAN KILLED IN SHOOTING

2010-01-22T21:00:00.005-05:00

Civilian killed in shooting - WP, 22 January 2010.

GULMARG IN WINTER

2010-01-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

India winter - BG, 22 January 2009.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

POLICE FIND WEAPONS IN KASHMIR

2010-01-21T21:00:00.002-05:00

Police Score Major Bust in Kashmir - NDTV, 21 January 2010.

BAN LIFTED ON PRE-PAID PHONES IN KASHMIR

2010-01-21T18:00:00.002-05:00

Kashmir ban on pre-paid phones lifted - BBC, 21 January 2010.

AVOIDING THE BLUES AT GULMARG

2010-01-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Avoiding the blues in Gulmarg - BG, 21 January 2009.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

LANDMINE BLAST IN KASHMIR

2010-01-19T21:00:00.001-05:00

Policemen injured in Kashmir blast - BBC, 19 January 2010.

SKIING TO PAKISTAN

2010-01-19T09:00:00.004-05:00

Skiing to Pakistan - BG, 19 January 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

PAUCITY OF SNOW IN KASHMIR

2010-01-18T21:00:00.004-05:00

Sadly, snow reports from Kashmir continue to disappoint: No new snow in many days. Below, a frustrated tourist contemplates the grim snow conditions of late January 2010.

GRENADES THROWN IN SRINAGAR

2010-01-16T21:00:00.004-05:00

Militants hurl grenades at CRPF in Srinagar - PTI, 16 January 2010.

WAKING UP IN GULMARG

2010-01-16T09:00:00.003-05:00

Waking up in Gulmarg - BG, 16 January 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

POLICE ATTACKED IN KASHMIR

2010-01-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Kashmir police station attacked - BBC, 15 January 2010.

GREETINGS FROM GULMARG

2010-01-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Gulmarg - BG, 15 January 2010.
Article by Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent.

TOURIST INJURED AT GULMARG

2010-01-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

Russian Tourist Injured While Skiing - NB, 11 January 2010.

MILITANTS RETURNING TO KASHMIR

2010-01-09T21:00:00.005-05:00

Militants making comeback in Kashmir - Hindu, 9 January 2010.

TWO MILITANTS SHOT DEAD IN SRINAGAR

2010-01-07T21:00:00.003-05:00

Two militants dead as standoff ends - CNN, 7 January 2010.
Two terrorists killed in Srinagar gunbattle - IBN, 7 January 2010.
Indian Forces Storm Hotel in Kashmir - WSJ, 7 January 2010.
Daylong Gunbattle in Indian Kashmir Ends - NYT, 7 January 2009.

VIOLENCE ROCKS KASHMIR

2010-01-06T21:00:00.001-05:00

Gun and bomb attacks rock Kashmir - BBC, 6 January 2010.

COLD WAVE GRIPS INDIA

2010-01-04T21:00:00.003-05:00

'Dozens of people' die in India cold wave - BBC, 4 January 2010.

FOUR KILLED IN KASHMIR VIOLENCE

2009-12-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

Four killed in Kashmir violence - BBC, 30 December 2009.

900 STRANDED ON SRINAGAR-LEH HIGHWAY

2009-11-23T21:00:00.003-05:00

900 stranded on Srinagar-Leh highway - IA, 23 November 2009.

"The rescue operation is on to evacuate more than 900 labourers and passengers stranded on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway...Since November 10, when Kargil received the season’s first snowfall, the Srinagar-Leh highway has been closed."

DELHI CHILLS, SNOWFALL IN KASHMIR

2009-11-22T21:00:00.004-05:00

Delhi chills at 8.6 C, season’s lowest - Hindu, 21 November 2009.
Delhi shivers as mercury dips to 8.6 - TOI, 22 November 2009.

"Snowfall in Kashmir and Himachal due to a passing western disturbance led cold winds to blowing over Delhi."

INDIA LOOKS TO HOST FIS WORLD CUP

2009-11-17T21:00:00.002-05:00

India looks to host FIS Alpine World Cup - SC, 17 November 2009.

2010: SRINAGAR-DUBAI FLIGHTS ON HOLD

2009-11-14T21:00:00.003-05:00

SXR-Dubai Flights In Fog Of Uncertainty - KO, 14 November 2009.

"The much talked about Srinagar-Dubai international flight launched this year is all set to be grounded from January next owing to the poor response the airline operator has been receiving. "

RELATED POSTS:
SRINAGAR INTL AIRPORT (SXR): READY BY END OF JULY
TOURISTS FLOCK BACK TO KASHMIR

FRESH SNOWFALL; COLD WAVE GRIPS KASHMIR

2009-11-10T21:00:00.001-05:00

Fresh snowfall; cold wave grips Kashmir - PT, 10 November 2009.
Upper reaches of J&K witness heavy snowfall - PTI, 10 November 2009.
Photo: The Hindu

"The famous hill resort of Gulmarg, 55 km from here in North Kashmir, was all covered up with snow. While two-and-a-half feet of snow had accumulated on the ground of the hill station, its peripheral areas, including Aferwath, Kangdoori and Khilanmarg, recorded over three feet snow.

Tangmarg-Gulmarg road, which was closed last evening for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall, reopened today as authorities cleared accumulated snow, an official spokesman said."

FOUR KILLED IN KASHMIR BORDER CLASH

2009-11-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

Four killed in Kashmir border clash, incursions rise - Reuters, 4 November 2009.

BEAR MAULS, KILLS TWO MILITANTS IN KASHMIR

2009-11-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

Bear mauls, kills two high-ranking separatists hiding in cave in Kashmir - DN, 3 November 2009.

Thanks to XYZ for the post at TGR.

POLICEMAN KILLED IN SRINAGAR

2009-11-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

Militants attack police officers in Srinagar - CNN, 2 November 2009.

PRE-PAID PHONE BAN IN KASHMIR

2009-10-30T21:00:00.003-04:00

Pre-paid mobile phones banned in Kashmir - AFP, 30 October 2009.

"India banned pre-paid mobile telephones in Kashmir on Friday, state television reported, following concerns that militants were using them to trigger bombs and hide their identities."

6.3 QUAKE JOLTS KASHMIR VALLEY

2009-10-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

Quake jolts Kashmir valley - PTI, 23 October 2009.

FIRST SNOWFALL OF WINTER AT PAHALGAM

2009-10-18T21:00:00.001-04:00

Season's first snowfall in Pahalgam - PTI, 18 October 2009.

KASHMIR GLACIERS THREATENED

2009-10-12T21:00:00.003-04:00

Kolahoi glacier in Kashmir melting swiftly - PT, January 2010.
Kashmir glacier "melting at alarming speed" - Reuters, 12 October 2009.

"Experts say the melting of Kashmir glaciers could have serious fallout as most Kashmiris rely on glaciers for water."

MILITANTS KILLED AT LINE OF CONTROL

2009-10-10T21:00:00.000-04:00

3 militants killed in LoC gunbattle - HT, 10 October 2009.

EARLY SNOWFALL IN KASHMIR

2009-10-09T21:00:00.001-04:00

Snow in Kashmir Upper Reaches - KO, 9 October 2009.

SEVEN REBELS KILLED IN KASHMIR

2009-10-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

Seven rebels killed in Kashmir clashes - Reuters, 7 October 2009.

FIVE HURT IN GRENADE BLAST

2009-10-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

Five hurt in Kashmir city blast - AFP, 6 October 2009.

2009-10-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

High Line: American Dave Watson Skis on K2 - Backcountry, 30 September 2009.

ROW AFTER CHINA KASHMIR VISA MOVE

2009-10-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

Row over China Kashmir visa move - BBC, 1 October 2009.

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

2009-09-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

An Open Letter to President Obama - Nation, 30 September 2009.

MILITANTS KILL THREE CRPF MEN IN KASHMIR

2009-09-29T21:00:00.000-04:00

Three CRPF men killed in Kashmir - Reuters, 29 September 2009.

TROOPS KILL THREE REBELS IN KASHMIR

2009-09-28T21:00:00.000-04:00

Troops kill 3 Lashkar rebels in Kashmir - Reuters, 28 September 2009.

GUNFIGHTS KILL EIGHT IN KASHMIR

2009-09-24T21:00:00.000-04:00

Gunfights kill eight in Kashmir - CNN, 24 September 2009.
Soldiers, rebels die in Kashmir battles - Reuters, 23 September 2009.