Specific Unanswered Gulmarg Questions

[andrewmc]

If anyone could answer the following, I've searched and not seen these addressed specifically:

1) Has anyone stayed at the Pine, Hilltop or Heaven Hotels and if so could someone tell me what the food is like and the standard of accommodation. (I accept its India as HC pointed out to someone in another thread, I'm not looking for wireless and HBO but some information would be helpful)

2) Kashmir Powder Cats (???) offer a deal where they will provide lift pass and transport which on days when the upper gondola is shut allows you to get back to the base efficiently. The cost of this is approximately £47 (~$75) per day versus a lift pass which is ~£20 (~$30) a day. Is this worth it? or is it reasonably easy to get back to the gondola if you ski down through the trees?

3) How much is a beer? how much would lunch be?

4) Vaccinations: is Malaria necessary if you are only travelling through Delhi? I assume it is but once in Kashmir it is not, so I assume you have to get it.

[mc_roon]

1) Pine Palace is nice, Hilltop is nice. Hot/cold running water, central heat(sometimes) food is good at the Palace, gave me food poisoning at Hilltop

2) What? I cannot figure out what it is that they are offering. details/link?

3) depends, anywhere from $2-6

4) i didnt get one, just traveled through delhi. Drank tapwater the entire time i was there, no problem

you thinking of going next season?

[andrewmc]

Thanks for that, will look at the Palace (it is slightly more expensive).

This is the link:

http://www.skihimalaya.com/gulmarg/m...powdercats.php

The costs for beer / lunch seem about what I expected so it seems ok.

Its funny you drank tap water throughout, thats one of the things they are not reccommending.

I am in the process of trying to book it all by the end of May. Working it all out, flights, transfers, hotels, vaccinations and of course most importantly new skis...........

One more, any idea what the snow is likely to be like at the very end of December through the first three weeks of January, were you there that early?

[PassTheDutchie]

Even though mc roon survived it, drinking the tap water is a really bad idea. Why risk a week or two cramping, shitting & barfing while on vacation?

[andrewmc]

have been checking in to the vaccinations, that shits expensive...........

[imadoofus]

Originally Posted by PassTheDutchie

Even though mc roon survived it, drinking the tap water is a really bad idea. Why risk a week or two cramping, shitting & barfing while on vacation?

buy bottled water. yellow snow is ugly.
Even with bottled water you run a fair chance of getting tap water.
Try to look brown. You'll get beer for under a buck

[Hugh Conway]

Originally Posted by PassTheDutchie

Even though mc roon survived it, drinking the tap water is a really bad idea. Why risk a week or two cramping, shitting & barfing while on vacation?

Better not eat anything either

If you are transiting through Delhi for a couple days the malaria risk would be low - just beware of mosquitos.

[Mulletizer]

I've skied in HP/Kullu but not Kashmir/Gulmarg.

Antimalarials aren't a vaccination, they are a course of pills you take before, during and after your trip to malarial zones. That means that you don't just take them when passing through Dehli but also when you are in the mountains.

My experience of antimalarials was pretty bad (I've taken Malarone, Proguanil with something else and Chloroquine at various times) and had always involved some degree ofo poor side effects with them (the worst was super sensitivity to UVB - which sucked as I was in Ecuador, and India is even sunnier). AFAIK the shortest period you need to carry on taking anti-malarials after leaving a malarial zone is 2 weeks for Malarone.

I didn't want to risk crapping up my skiing so avoided taking them. I just covered my arms and legs and wore lots of DEET when in Dehli and travelling up to the hills. Actually took them later in the trip, when I spent more time in the lowlands, without massive problem.

If you are planning a big ski trip to India I'd worry more about gastro stuff than malaria. People I met there had been planning their trips for years and had them ruined by a single dodgy pakora that caused re-occurring expolosive double-end action every few days of their trip. Try that when sitting out a storm, tented, at altitude...

As for food - you don't need to eat in your hotel every day. And I'd be surprised if you need to worry about booking accommodation in advance, or will get a better rate than if you turn up and agree a price face-to-face. Pretty easy to move down the street if you don't like the food. That said, I ate very well at the Iceland Hotel, Solang, above Manali, and had seriously great Punjabi, Kashmiri and local food elsewhere in the valley.

[hop]

The food.... might be risky, but soooo worth it. Except for Glisseur, who had to order more T-P from room service.

[boltonoutlaw]

Originally Posted by andrewmc

1) Has anyone stayed at the Pine, Hilltop or Heaven Hotels and if so could someone tell me what the food is like and the standard of accommodation.

2) Kashmir Powder Cats...offer a deal where they will provide lift pass and transport which on days when the upper gondola is shut allows you to get back to the base efficiently. The cost of this is approximately £47 (~$75) per day versus a lift pass which is ~£20 (~$30) a day. Is this worth it? or is it reasonably easy to get back to the gondola if you ski down through the trees?

3) How much is a beer? how much would lunch be?

4) Vaccinations: is Malaria necessary if you are only travelling through Delhi? I assume it is but once in Kashmir it is not, so I assume you have to get it.

IMHO:

1. Have stayed at all three hotels, all are nice, but Hilltop & Heevan are several notches above the Pine Palace. Food at the Heevan is great. At the Hilltop it was so-so for the money. The food at the Pine Palace is very good; the best value among the three. Hilltop has the best location in Gulmarg. Period.

2. Unless you ski down to Tangmarg you will find transport back to Gulmarg intermittent & unreliable. Skiing to Drung will require a 30-minute walk to Tangmarg, where you will find share jeeps & buses back to Gulmarg. Skiing down to Babareshi will require a long walk back to transportation.

3. Beer is $5 for a liter. Never saw a beer for a dollar anywhere at Gulmarg. Buying beer by the crate at the outlet in Srinagar, and negotiating hard, were able to get it down to 75 rupees ($2). Meals are $5-10.

4. Unnecessary.


Additional notes:

Tap water is drinkable, but I agree - why take the chance of ruining a trip pissing out your ass. Rather than drinking bottled water (contributing to the litter problem), please consider bringing a portable water filter system. See http://www.rei.com/category/4500461, for example.

Early season at Gulmarg is spotty. The snow pack below Gulmarg in December & January is thin (impacting the tree-skiing down to Tangmarg, Drung, & Babareshi). The first two weeks of February are the apex of the season, both in skier visits & snow quality, but March can be good. Also, the Snow Safety program begins 20 December. Before that you will have to evaluate the snow pack yourself. Ski patrol & rescue exist, but no services exist outside the main bowl (ever).

PS: The Pine Palace now has WiFi.

PPS: Some items are very affordable:

[P_McPoser]

py computers are cheaper in Gulmarg?

[xyz]

the food at the pine palace is really good i.e. i never got sick once. seriously though, it was excellent.

the room we had was ok, good enough for me (but no where near up to my girlfriend's (at the time) standards. bring a good book if you don't like old school cricket matches or bollywood reruns.

imo, i would think you'd be ok for malaria if you're only in dehli for a few days in the winter...

[mc_roon]

Originally Posted by boltonoutlaw

PS: The Pine Palace now has WiFi.

PPS: Some items are very affordable:

mmmmmmmm, thats a very nice tola...

WIFI?

honestly, i liked the fact that Gulmarg didnt have internet. I was able to tune out a lot of stuff i would have otherwise worried about because it was nearly impossible to get online.

[boltonoutlaw]

Originally Posted by mc_roon

honestly, i liked the fact that Gulmarg didnt have internet. I was able to tune out a lot of stuff i would have otherwise worried about because it was nearly impossible to get online.

Made it much easier to check the local forecast but the Pine Palace Ski Lounge looked like a call center in a parallel universe...

[splat]

Originally Posted by mc_roon

mmmmmmmm, thats a very nice tola...

WIFI?

honestly, i liked the fact that Gulmarg didnt have internet. I was able to tune out a lot of stuff i would have otherwise worried about because it was nearly impossible to get online.

I don't think you get that shit online....

[AKPogue]

Anyone planning on being there mid Feb- mid Mar?

[boltonoutlaw]

Originally Posted by AKPogue

Anyone planning on being there mid Feb- mid Mar?

I'm all in.

[AKPogue]

Originally Posted by boltonoutlaw

I'm all in.

When are you planning on being there? Anybody else?

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by AKPogue

Anyone planning on being there mid Feb- mid Mar?

Yep, I think so

[mc_roon]

if i am cleared by the docs, ill be there all winter, soul_skier too.

[boltonoutlaw]

Originally Posted by AKPogue

When are you planning on being there?

15 December - 15 March. Are you Anton Pogue?

[andrewmc]

Feb, possibly 3-4 weeks from Feb 1st...........we will see though

[Hayduke]

I will also be there. Last 3 weeks of Feb.

[mc_roon]

wow, it looks like we might have our own mini there next year...

[boltonoutlaw]

Originally Posted by mc_roon

wow, it looks like we might have our own mini there next year...

Collab on the TR.