Kashmir in Winter: The Complete Snow Guide

Most visitors come to Kashmir between April and October, which means most visitors never see it at its most dramatic. Winter empties the valley, halves the prices and turns everything white. It also requires more planning than any other season, because the thing that makes it beautiful is the same thing that closes roads.

When does the snow actually arrive?

Gulmarg usually gets its first significant snowfall in the second half of December. Reliable, skiable cover is normally in place by the first week of January and holds through March. Srinagar sees its first snow slightly later and it rarely lies for more than a few days at a time, but there are usually several good falls between late December and mid-February.

What is open and what is not

• Gulmarg: open, with both gondola phases running subject to wind. The main winter destination.
• Srinagar, Dal Lake and the Mughal gardens: open year-round.
• Pahalgam: open and beautiful. Aru and Chandanwari may close temporarily after heavy falls.
• Doodhpathri and Yusmarg: usually accessible, excellent and far quieter than Gulmarg.
• Sonmarg: increasingly accessible thanks to the Z-Morh tunnel, but still weather-dependent.
• Gurez, Bangus, Sinthan Top: closed. The passes are under snow until spring.
• Ladakh: reachable by air only. Both road routes are shut.

Skiing at Gulmarg

Gulmarg is the only genuine high-alpine ski resort in India. The gondola runs in two stages to 3,980 metres on Apharwat, giving around 1,330 metres of vertical and long ungroomed descents that attract freeride skiers from Europe and Japan.

It is also, less famously, a very good place to learn. The Kongdoori nursery slopes are gentle, certified instructors are available, and two or three days is enough for a complete beginner to become comfortable. Equipment hire is available in Gulmarg and Tangmarg — hire rather than buy, and avoid the cheapest options in Srinagar.

The practical problems, honestly stated

• The Tangmarg–Gulmarg road may require chains or a shuttle after heavy snowfall.
• Gondola Phase 2 closes in high winds, sometimes for days at a stretch.
• Power cuts are common; choose hotels with generators.
• Heating is not universal. A hotel without working heating in January is a genuinely bad experience.
• Flights to Srinagar can be delayed or cancelled in heavy weather — build a buffer day if you have a connection.

What to pack

• Thermal base layers, top and bottom
• A proper insulated jacket rated for -10°C
• Waterproof, insulated boots with grip — not fashion snow boots
• Waterproof gloves, a woollen cap and a neck gaiter
• Sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen (snow glare at altitude is severe)
• A power bank — cold drains phone batteries fast

Hire snow clothing in Gulmarg if you do not own it. It is inexpensive, widely available and far better than buying something you will use once.

Why it is worth it

Rates in January are typically forty to sixty percent below June. The Mughal gardens under snow are empty. A shikara through mist on a half-frozen Dal is an experience nothing in summer matches. And Gulmarg on a clear day after fresh snowfall is, without exaggeration, one of the great sights of the Himalaya.