Gulmarg is...As Good as it Gets

I only learned about Gulmarg in the last couple year's but now that I know of it, I want to go.

Originally called ‘Gaurimarg’ by shepherds, its present name was given in the 16th century by Sultan Yusuf Shah, who was inspired by the sight of its grassy slopes emblazoned with wild flowers. Gulmarg was a favourite haunt of Emperor Jehangir who once collected 21 different varieties of flowers from here. Today Gulmarg is not merely a mountain resort of exceptional beauty- it also has the highest green golf course in the world, at an altitude of 2,650 m, and is the country’s premier ski resort in the winter.

photo courtesy of David Marchi - Globallines

With views and skiing that looks like this combined with an incredible cultural experience how can you go wrong?  

Wondering how you might get there?  Here is just one idea for you... Extremely Canadian owned by Peter Smart and Jill Dunnigan whose home mountain is Whistler, offers guided skiing world tours and will be in Gulmarg Feb. 5-12 of 2011.   Speaking from experience having skiied with them many times, they are really good guys/gals who are top notch and offer amazing experiences. 

photo courtesy of Extremely Canadian 

You can also learn a little more about Gulmarg via B4Apres  through their cultural documentary as seen through the eyes of skiers. They traveled into the mountains surrounding the Gulmarg Ski Resort in order to capture the aesthetic beauty of the landscape and the livelihoods of a people eager to dispel the stigma that Kashmir is a dangerous place to travel.

photo courtesy of David Marchi - Globallines

If you get lucky enough to go to Gulmarg let me know, in the meantime it's on my list of places to go in the next few year's.