Avalanche
A Russian skier was killed in an inbounds avalanche at Gulmarg Ski Resort, Kashmir, while a successful rescue operation saved six others, including a local guide, officials reported.
The avalanche struck the Army Ridge at Gulmarg ski resort on Thursday afternoon, trapping the individuals. After hours of rescue efforts, all individuals were safely recovered, with one skier sustaining injuries treated at a Srinagar hospital. The ongoing Khelo India Winter Games, taking place in the region, were unaffected by the incident.
Gulmarg Avalanche: 1 Skier Killed, 7 Others Rescued pic.twitter.com/kfngGrp084
— Firdous Qadri (@FirdousQadriph1) February 22, 2024
The Russian Embassy confirmed the death and highlighted the heavy snowfall in the area leading up to the avalanche. The avalanche warning issued further emphasizes the challenging conditions in the area.
A Russian skier has lost his life in an avalanche that hit a group comprising of six Russian skiers and one local guide at the higher reaches of Gulmarg, known as Army Ridge. The rescued skiers are receiving basic medical treatment while one skier has sustained minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/Yic7YTyy6e
— Ieshan Wani (@Ieshan_W) February 22, 2024
The Gulmarg area is infamous for its huge avalanches, and in 2017, the Indian government appointed American avalanche forecaster Brian Newman as the Snow Safety Officer at Gulmarg Ski Resort.
According to sources, groups of skiers visit Gulmarg for skiing hire and are accompanied by tour guides. These tour guides, responsible for ensuring better logistic support and other facilities to the group members, are often not well versed in the area.
“In most of the mishaps it has been seen that tour guides who accompany different groups of skiers act as backcountry guide, despite having no experience of the trade. With the result these skiers often land in danger. The department doesn’t discourage this practice as they believe tour guides play important role in the revenue collection,” said a ski guide.
Another issue could be the vastness of the terrain and area. A member of the patrol team points to a lack of resources and manpower:
“There are only 16 members in the patrolling team, with that number it is not possible to make the entire area safe for skiing. We are able to carry blasting only in ten percent of the skiing area while rest remains unsafe. Though we have less number of skiing guides, we still ensure the safety of each skier. These mishaps often occur when skiers venture into the forbidden area despite being informed about the risk. Tour guides are well versed in the area. They even act as skier guide in Europe. We train them also.”
– Director of Tourism, Mehmood Shah in 2018
Gulmarg Ski Resort is one of the world’s most famous ski resorts and is in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Tourists, especially skiers, come from around the world for winter sports and skiing.
