Winter Tourism in Ladakh

Tourism in Ladakh has grown phenomenally during the last decade. After starting at 500 visitors, mostly foreigners, in 1974 the arrivals have crossed 50,000. Last few years have also seen an appreciable growth in domestic tourists which now constitute almost 40% of the total arrivals. In mid seventies when Ladakh was opened for tourism the number of domestic tourists never went beyond 2%. It was always a foreign tourist's favourite destination. However, the season was cramped into two months of July and August. This was because of Hemis Festival. This is the largest monastery in Leh which has an annual festival usually occurring in July or August. The bulk of tourists would visit Ladakh around this festival.

The State Tourism Department introduced the Ladakh Festival from September 1 to 15 in 1993 with a view to extend the tourist season. Not only the season got extended right into October but the festival itself became an important event which has continued without any interruption. About a decade back another event, the Indus Festival was introduced in June. This became popular with the domestic tourists and helped promoting Ladakh within the country. It was a trigger for increased domestic arrivals. In spite of both the festivals extending the tourist season, the duration of appreciable tourist traffic remains confined to 100 odd days. This period is usually from mid June till mid September. Because of very heavy snowfall on the passes the present ground link of Ladakh with outside world remains disrupted for six months.

In fact Ladakh is not really land locked but due to political reasons the year round two access lines, Kargil-Skardu, and Leh-Lahasa through Demchok are at the present moment closed for all types of traffic. There has been talk of opening these links for a pretty long time but one is not sure whether these will ever get restored. Winter is the harshest season in Ladakh. It gives a tough time to the locals. The temperatures sometimes plummet to 60 degrees Celsius below zero. In a way Ladakh can be called the North Pole of India. In fact, the largest glacier outside the Poles is in Ladakh. It is the famous Siachen Glacier over which India and Pakistan have been fighting for last couple of decades. Recently there has been the talk of converting it into a Peace Park by total demilitarisation. To begin with, the Indian Army has started allowing tourists to visit the area. Winter here is a real punishment.

Even the firing mechanisms of Bofors guns freeze and these have to be fired off and on without any enemy in sight. Going to Siachen in winter would be like travelling to North Pole and the journey would be tougher because of the altitude. Drass is supposed to be the second (inhabited) coldest place on the Earth after Siberia. Winter is bitterly cold, bleak, and sometimes dramatic and challenging. Although the majority of population is virtually hibernating, there are quite a few dare devils that enjoy skating and playing Ice-Hockey on frozen water bodies. Ladakhis have proved to be excellent Ice-Hockey players and have defeated the official Canadian team a number of times. The State Tourism Department had imported from France Ice-Hockey equipment worth a couple of million rupees few years back to properly equip the local teams.

An Ice-Hockey tournament of both national and international level during winter can be a tough challenge and a great attraction for tourists. The altitude which averages 4,000 meters above mean sea level and the extremely low temperatures in themselves are a tough challenge. No low altitude team will be able to take on the tough Ladakhis. The other ultimate challenge can be winter climbing. During summer dozens of trekking groups swarm all over the Ladakh mountains. Stok Kangri about 2 days trek from Leh is a very popular trekking peak. This 6,000 meter peak is a craze with foreign climbers due to a short approach and easy climb from base to the top. However, the same peak can be a formidable challenge during winter. In Europe the tough climbing is undertaken during winter. It is a challenge to climb Eiger, Matterhorn, and Mont Blanc in winter. Same is true of all Ladakh mountains. Hardly any have been attempted in winter.

It may be hazardous to attempt some of the higher peaks but there are a few smaller peaks in the range of 5,500 to 6,500 meters which could be good climbs in winter. Winter Mountaineering in Ladakh can be popularised among various climbing areas in the world. People looking for newer areas and tougher challenges can be attracted to climb Ladakh Mountains in winter. Indian Mountaineering Foundation which controls all mountaineering activity by foreigners in India can give certain incentives for winter climbing such as quicker clearance and lesser climbing fees. For all winter tourists coming for adventure activities there is an added bonus. Most of the Monasteries hold their annual festivals during winter. Thus any one visiting Ladakh during winter can attend most of these festivals. Another challenging activity slowly gaining in popularity is the winter trek on frozen Zanskar River also called the Chaddar Road. People trek on the frozen River from Nimo to Karsha. It is a very tough expedition.

It was extensively projected few years back by an American film maker Peter Getzel. He made a documentary called "Beyond the Ice Wall". The documentary depicted the journey of two young kids, a brother, and his sister, from Padam to Leh for attending their School after the winter break. The two kids are accompanied by a group of people and it takes them about a week to reach Leh after traversing the frozen River. The journey is quite challenging and hard. It is also very treacherous and risky especially once the ice starts melting. When asked why he was making such a documentary, Peter gave an interesting answer. According to him in America a large number of kids hesitate in going to schools even though these are next door. He wanted to show them how these kids in remote Himalaya go to school in almost impossible conditions! In the process he has popularised this trek for a number of adventure loving tourists and now many expeditions come in winter for undertaking the journey. One more activity which is popular among adventure lovers in winter is Ski-Mountaineering. Some years back a group of four British Ski Instructors undertook a Ski-Mountaineering Expedition to Zanskar in winter.

They had a tough time but enjoyed their trip. It took them a week to traverse from Padam to Kargil. The snow was powdery and the temperatures were extremely low. They spent every morning a couple of hours to prepare their breakfast before starting the day's skiing. The snow was just like dry sand and the skis would touch the rocks underneath. Thus Ladakh in winter has many possibilities of extreme adventure and it can be marketed as the destination of the ultimate challenge. With the arrival of adventure lovers in winter, a number of hotels in Leh have been fitted with central heating. After completing their adventurous forays, the tourists can relax in comfortable centrally heated hotels before flying out. The trips may appear hazardous and dangerous in view of the remote area. However, because of the daring missions undertaken by the Indian Air Force in Siachen area as well as the availability of Satellite phones and GPS, there is a good rescue back up in case of any emergency.

IAF helicopters have picked up casualties from altitudes beyond the normal ceiling of the aircraft in most difficult weather conditions. Leh has one of the most sophisticated modern military hospitals where even foreign tourists can be admitted as a life saving measure. The hospital is centrally heated and has also a hyperbolic oxygen chamber to treat high-altitude problems. Sometime back speaking at a tourism function the State Governor who is the former President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, the apex body of adventure in the country, mentioned that the Government would make all out efforts to promote winter tourism in the State. Gulmarg and Leh could be the two nodal points for such a project. Gulmarg could be a pleasure destination for soft adventure while as Leh would be for the tough ones. An invitation for the ultimate adventure! Let us hope the Tourism Department takes up the challenge in earnest. This would make Kashmir truly a year round destination.

Article Source:EzineArticles.com