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Gulmarg a prime location in the state of Jammu & Kashmir is about 55 Kms. from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu & Kashmir. At an altitude of 2,653 m., Gulmarg is exquisitely situated in a pine surrounded basin of the Pir Panjal range. Gulmarg or the `Meadow of Flowers' is a lovely blooming sight where an opulence of flora displays various colours with the changing seasons.
Gulmarg's astounding beauty, prime location and closeness to Srinagar naturally make it one of the prime hill stations in the country. Originally called 'Gaurimarg' by shepherds, its present name was given in the 16th century by Sultan Yusuf Shah, who was impressed by the sight of its green slopes embellished with wild flowers. Today, Gulmarg is not only a mountain resort of exemplary beauty - it also has the highest green golf course in the world, at an altitude of 2,650 m, and is the country's major ski resort in the winter.
Gulmarg is situated at 2650metres on a flat plateau at the base of Mt. Apharwat. The best and longest ski run of 3 kilometres in Gulmarg is accessed by the Gondola Cable Car Lift, which allows a ski run of 2,213 metres descent. The gondola ascends extends almost to the peak of Apharwat, at an elevation of 3980 metres above sea level. It provides lift served access to 1330 vertical metres of vast snow slopes. With the setting-up of Gondola Cable Car Lift from Gulmarg to Apharwat top, Gulmarg has become one of the highest lift-served ski resorts in the world. The total aerial distance covered by Gulmarg Gondola is 5 kilometres.
The Phase 2 of the Gondola Ride is a prime attraction as it gives panoramic views of the Himalayas as it keeps ascending higher and closer to the Apharwat Mountain. The cable car ascends 1,330 vertical metres to a height of nearly 4,000m.
The Gondola Lift operates in 2 phases – Gulmarg > Kongdoor and Kongdoor > Apharwat. Phase 1 of the Gulmarg Gondola Project starts in Gulmarg at 2’990 m has a vertical rise of 400 metres travelling at 5 metres per second, ferries 1500 people per hour from Gulmarg to a height of 3100 metres above sea level to middle station Kongdoor Mountain, from which skiers have access to numerous easy runs through the trees and to the groomed but narrow slopes.
Phase 2 of the Gulmarg Gondola Project starts at Kongdoor and ascends a slope of 2688 metres ata vertical rise of 880 metres from Kongdoor travelling at 5 metres per second, ferries 600 people per hour to a height of 3980 metres onto Apharwat Mount. From this point skiers can either return to the middle station by staying on the controlled and patrolled gondola bowl or traverse further up. Nearly every route links up with powder runs with up to 1’000 vertical meters.
What is Gondola?
Question that comes to mind is why the word Gondola so let me start by first explaining that. It is not the name of any company as some people believe. Gondola is actually a traditional, flat-bottomed rowing boat that they use to ferry passengers in Venice. The same name then got used for several other means of transport as well like Rail, Balloon, Airplane, and Ferris wheel etc. In case of a cable car, the word actually is “Gondola Lift” because this is what it actually is. Like a regular lift in a building that takes you up and down between floors, a Gondola in Gulmarg is also a lift that will take you up and down a mountain. It is a word that actually means boat but is also used for all cable cars across the world.
Gulmarg Gondola Details
There are two phases of Gulmarg Gondola. Gulmarg town is the starting point of the ride and the top of Apharwat peak is the end point. Kungdoor is the center point in between. Let me post a picture of it.
In the above picture, the spot where I have written 1 is the starting point of Gondola ride. Number 2 is the middle spot, the Kungdoor station where Phase 1 ends. Number 3 is the finishing point of Gondola ride; the end of Phase 2.
Number 4 is actually where Alpather Lake is located at the top. The mountain that you see in the picture is the Apharwat peak.
Jammu and Kashmir are often referred to with the acronym, J&K. Its location is in the Himalayan Mountains, and the state shares its borders with states such as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir share an international border with China in the north-eastern frontier, and the Line Of Control separates it from Pakistan. Some of the best things to do in Jammu & Kashmir would definitely be to boat on the Dal Lake, take a biking tour to engage some marvellous treks across J&K. Above the elevation of the tree line, is found, meadows and northwestern alpine shrub of the Himalayas. The northeastern part of the state has a covering of the West Karakoram Plateau of Tibet's Alpine Steppe. Simply rock and ice, but no vegetation is found in the highest of the elevations. Amongst the best things to do in Jammu & Kashmir, we would definitely say the top one would be to nature-gaze at the valleys of Kashmir, for the amount of beauty it offers to the eye!