Auli: India's Only Serious Ski Slope, At The Foot of Nanda Devi

Most Indians who say "ski holiday" really mean snow-playing on a gentle slope in Kashmir or Shimla. For actual skiing — a 3-km groomed piste, T-bar lifts, a ski school and ice-climbing — the country has exactly two places: Gulmarg, and Auli. And of the two, only Auli gives you a chair-top view of Nanda Devi, the second-highest mountain in India.

From shepherd meadow to national ski venue

Until the 1970s, Auli was unknown to anyone but the Bhotiya shepherds of the Garhwal, who grazed their sheep on the high bugyal (alpine meadow) between summer and autumn. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police set up a winter training camp here in 1977, cleared forest trails for ski descents, and realised the slope aspects and snow consistency rivalled the European Alps. The state government opened the commercial ski resort in 1987. In 2011 they built India's longest cable car — a 4.15-km gondola that rises 1,100 metres from Joshimath (1,875 m) to Auli top station (2,975 m) in 24 minutes.

The skiing area has three main pistes graded easy to advanced. The longest run descends 3.1 km with a vertical drop of 500 m. Two T-bar lifts serve the intermediate runs; snowmaking machines extend the season when natural snow is thin. The national ski championship is held here every February.

Beyond skiing: summer treks and Nanda Devi views

From April to June the ski slopes become a wildflower bugyal leading to the Gorson Bugyal and the Kuari Pass trek — one of the finest intermediate Himalayan treks in India, with open views of ten 6,000-metre peaks. An easier 1-hour climb leads to Chhatrakund, a small glacial lake framed by oak forest. Experienced trekkers continue from Auli to the Valley of Flowers National Park, which opens July–September and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A 4-day Auli winter itinerary

• Day 1: Overnight train to Haridwar, taxi to Joshimath (9 hrs), acclimatise overnight.
• Day 2: Cable car to Auli, ski school — beginners spend the first morning learning on the nursery slope.
• Day 3: Full-day skiing. Sunrise chair ride to Gorson Top for the panoramic view — Nanda Devi, Kamet, Trishul, Hathi-Ghoda parvat all visible on a clear morning.
• Day 4: Snow-hike to Chhatrakund, return to Joshimath, evening visit to the 8th-century Narsingh temple where Adi Shankaracharya is said to have meditated.

Part of the wider Uttarakhand adventure route

Auli is the winter sister of Rishikesh — the same river, the Alaknanda-Ganga, flows past both. Many travellers combine them: raft at Rishikesh in summer, ski at Auli in winter. If you want the high-altitude driving experience too, follow the same road system west to Manali and the Kullu valley. For an even more remote winter destination, swap Auli for Gulmarg in Kashmir (gondola to 4,000 m). Explore the entire state of Uttarakhand or browse Hill Station destinations.