Context: The group was skiing in the higher reaches known as Army Ridge in the tourist town in Baramulla; one injured skier hospitalized; the avalanche was triggered by heavy snowfall in the region; Khelo Games participants safe.
GULMARG
- Gulmarg literally means “Meadow of flowers”. It is located in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir.
- One of the main attractions in Gulmarg is the Gulmarg Gondola, the Highest Cable Car in the world.
- Tourists can enjoy horse Riding and can go riding to the magnificent “Strawberry Valley”, Leopards Valley and ride up to “Kongdori” to see the frozen lake of “Al- Pathar”.
- Gulmarg in winter is a magnificent experience, fully covered in a white blanket of Snow which turns it into a skier paradise.
Avalanche
- Avalanche, a mass of material moving rapidly down a slope.
- An avalanche is typically triggered when material on a slope breaks loose from its surroundings; this material then quickly collects and carries additional material down the slope.
- There are various kinds of avalanches, including rock avalanches (which consist of large segments of shattered rock), ice avalanches (which typically occur in the vicinity of a glacier), and debris avalanches (which contain a variety of unconsolidated materials, such as loose stones and soil).
- Snow avalanches constitute a relatively common phenomenon in many mountainous areas.
Conditions
- The occurrence of an avalanche depends on the interaction of mountainous terrain, weather conditions, snowpack conditions, and a trigger.
- Slab avalanches typically occur on slopes of 30 to 50 degrees.
- The probability of avalanches may be increased or decreased by several other terrain features, such as slope shape, a slope’s exposure to sun and wind, and elevation.
Prediction and Forecasting
- Forecasting combines the historical knowledge of past conditions with their knowledge of the affected terrain, current weather, and current snowpack conditions to predict when and where avalanches are most likely to occur.
India
- An avalanche monitoring radar, the first of its kind in India, has been installed in North Sikkim by the Army and Defense Geoinformatics and Research Establishment (DGRE).
- It has the capability to detect avalanches within three seconds of its trigger and will assist in saving lives of troops and reducing damage to property in super high-altitude areas.
Famous Places of Skiing
- Skiing in India is an activity that mostly takes place in the northern states of India, where the Himalayas are situated.
- Skiing is administered by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation in India.
- The Himalayas provide excellent skiing experience owing to their great height which makes for long descents. Heliskiing is also gaining popularity in places like Manali and Gulmarg.
- However, skiing in India suffers from lack of infrastructure.
- There are also security concerns in Gulmarg which is 20 km (12 mi) from the Line of Control, however since 2002, it has been peaceful, which has led to an increase in skiing activity in the region.
- Some of the most popular skiing locations in India are Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, Solang in Himachal Pradesh, and Auli in Uttarakhand.
- The skiing season in India is from January to March.