Drinking, Fighting, and Snowboarding in Foreign Lands.

Our very first night, in the petite mountain village of Gulmarg, Kashmir, I tackled my friend Domenic into a glass table at the only bar in town. This heroic act of drunken violence followed the absolute chaos of a multi person rock-paper-scissors match that very quickly got completely out of hand. By the time I realized that Domenic and I were now lying in a pile of shattered glass, the music no longer playing and every eye on us, our companions were busy zipping up their coats and trying to sneak out the back. What are friends for, if not to abandon you at the slightest sign of trouble in a completely alien country?

This incident came at the beginning of what was to become the most memorable trip of my life. Myself and seven friends were looking to do our annual snowboarding trip somewhere less...touristy. Between us, we had covered most of the major resorts in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe. We were over long lift lines, expensive tickets, and even more expensive food. The crowded, Western atmosphere was played out for us; we were looking for somewhere a bit scarier, a bit harder to get to, and lot higher.

Thanks mostly to an article in a ski magazine, we eventually settled on Gulmarg, Kashmir. A tiny village of just over 700 people located in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himilayas about 60 km east of Srinigar.

After several days and several plane trips spent exploring Kuala Lumpur and Delhi, we arrived in Srinigar to stock up on snacks, red bull, and catch a taxi ride up the mountain. Upon arriving at the village of Gulmarg, we were dismayed to see that there wasn't nearly as much snow as we had been promised, and the local monkeys weren't nearly as friendly to us as they are to David Attenborough. While there wasn't much when we arrived, by the time we left the snow level was over our heads.

There was only two gondolas, and rather than buying a day pass you bought single rides, like at a circus. Alternatively, and something we took advantage of during those days when avalanche conditions were high, you can pay a cab driver to take you from the very base of the mountain back up to Gulmarg and just ride down the back all day. They even let you drive if you ask nicely and rock out to some interesting Indian hip-hop.

It's hard to summarize the trip in such a small character limit, but I recommend Gulmarg to anyone looking for amazing ski conditions, interesting local culture and incredible prices.