Auli is a ski resort in Uttaranchal which is very unusual for India, a ski resort in India, this was a statement passed by a group of Swiss tourists we met at Auli. Auli ascends from 2,519 Mts. To 3049 Mts. Getting there is the most difficult part but once there it is like nothing I have ever seen in India. I left Ahmedabad and reached Haridwar in the afternoon and waited for a friend to join me, he came at around 13:45 we managed to reach the Haridwar bus stand which is bang opposite the railway station but the last bus for Srinagar (Uttaranchal) leaves at 2 and then u have to either look for a shared taxi or take a private taxi on your own. This has to be done because the route to Joshimath is closed after 8 pm and no vehicles are allowed to ply in the mountains as the roads are dangerous and deadly and frequent landslides happen. So it is advisable to do it in 1 stretch by leaving early in the morning from Haridwar or stopping for the night at Srinagar / Devprayag and then continuing the next day to reach Joshimath by noon.
That is what we just did. Srinagar is at a distance of 127 approx from Haridwar and the route is scenic, get yr camera out and snaps away. Enroute pls stop at devprayag and capture the moment. We reached Srinagar by 19:30 and stayed at the hotel called Devlok which has basic amenities and he charged us Rs.350 for the night, I advice to take a taxi which has a boot which can hold luggage as it rains frequently and u do not want yr cameras and clothes getting all soaked.
We left Srinagar at 6:45 am in the morning the next day and continued our journey towards Joshimath which took a good 7 hours and we were in Joshimath cable car parking by 12:35, we had to wait enroute as the road is small and landslides or road work is going on, but the wait is also amazing as u get views 360 degrees amazing just mind blowing, u can occasionally also spot snow covered mountains in the distance which excites u very much. The cable car costs u Rs.400 per person round trip which can be done in a week’s time. So save yr tickets as soon as u get to yr hotel up in Auli. If u are staying at the GNVNL Hotel or Cliff top club u need to get off at the tower number 8 of the cable car u can walk down to Cliff Top club from there with yr luggage and to get to GMVNL’s hotel u need to take the ski lift down which costs Rs.200 to the hotel from tower number 8. It seats 4 and is open unlike the cable car which is completely covered. If u have a lot of luggage which u surely are going to have, ull have to send the luggage in the ski lift before u and then follow it in another ski lift behind, get yr cameras out the view and the ride is an amazing 1. It is always advisable to carry more than under pack and suffer from the cold and fall sick. It is a very inhospitable climate but with some simple care it can be made into a wonderful experience.
We enter Joshimath seeing Rudraprayag, Karanprayag, Nandprayag these r where 2 different rivers meet and make a wonderful scene, this is a must see enroute and does not take much time as the roads pass through these towns. There r a total of 5 prayags in total 4 enroute and 1 after Joshimath which also we had the opportunity to see. Parking is at the base of the cable car that 1 has to take to reach Auli, this is a Government run service which is Rs.400 per person in return, there are 2 resorts up in Auli, 1 is the government run which is called the GMVNL (GADWAL MANDAL VIKAS NIGAM LIMITED) & the other 1 is called the CLIFF TOP CLUB which has affiliation with Club Mahendra & RCI Holidays. Srinagar to Joshimath is 146 klms approx. The whole route from Haridwar to Joshimath is 273 klms but because of the mountain roads takes much more time to reach and 1 has to be careful and ask the driver to drive slowly and carefully and at all cost avoid night driving. keep in mind that u r not in a race nor u have icecream in the car that will melt so slow and steady is the way to go.
The route to Haridwar to Joshimath is full of sites to see, so keep yr cameras ready and handy so u can snap away, lots of Prayags to see enroute, 4 on route to Joshimath and 1 after Joshimath are a must see. Simply beautiful…
Here are a few things you might want to pack when you are headed to Auli:
1. Thermal wear: A big fat jacket that can take sub-zero temperatures. Another light winter jacket which can be used in other places, and when skiing. Thermal Inners. A good woolen cap. A good sweater. One pair of woolen gloves and another pair of waterproof gloves to wear above that (Waterproof gloves, you can rent at Auli), One or two pairs of woolen socks. A shawl and a scarf are very useful
2. Synthetic track pants for skiing. Basically you need some kind of pants that don't take water. You can ski even with jeans but synthetic track pants are preferred. Jeans are equally good provided they r wide bottomed to u can cover up yr ski shoes preventing the snow from getting into them and making yr socks wet.
3. Plenty of socks. Minimum of 10 pairs is definitely needed, as they get wet quickly. Carry as many as you can.
4. Goggles. A good, dark pair is absolutely necessary. Make sure it is dark enough - something you can use for night driving may be too light to protect from snow.
5. Sunscreen. Carry enough of it and always apply liberally. It is easy to get burnt. Also needed is something to protect your lips so a chap stick with SPF (Sun Protective Factor) will do. I used BIOTIQUE’s face and body protection with SPF of 75 and it was very good. I was not sunburnt atall.
6. Moisturizer. Carry 1 as the weather is very dry and ull get dry skin very easily and it is always good to lap on some to prevent getting cracked skin.
8. Waterproof shoes. Try to carry shoes from woodlands or Rockport or any other brand that makes good all weather leather shoes as sneakers or sports shoes that we r used to wearing are meant to breath and have breathable fabric which gets wet and that will make u have wet feet and wet socks when u walk in the show which will add to the discomfort. I had pair of woodlands trekking shoes with nice grip that made it very comfy for me.
7. See if you can make a first aid kit. It will help if you can get one. Things that would be useful are - one or two crepe bandages, pain killer spray and tablets for common problems, consult yr doctor for high altitude sickness pills which is a very common sickness u’ll get when u r here of u are not used to the thin air up in the mountains.
8. Hot water Bottles & Electric Water Kettle. Easily available at any pharmacy store hot water bottles are made out of rubber and 1 has to fill hot water in them and they radiate the heat and keep warm and cozy all night were a very useful thing we were carrying, a very good source to keep our aching muscles at bay from a hard day of skiing and snow walking. Electric kettle was used to boil the water and fill the hot water bottles. A normal hot water bottle will set u back Rs.150 and an electric kettle about Rs.600
9. Multi pin plugs. These are required very much if u have lots of camera batteries to charge and keep ready, as hotels usually have 1 or 2 electric plug points and u cannot charge everything at once. These r very helpful if u are carrying multiple cameras and accessories which need batteries or charging.
There are plenty of places of interest around Auli, but none of them accessible during winter when you would go there to ski. Access to Kedarnath and Badrinath, which are part of the famous char dham yatra is via Joshimath. There are some Himalayan treks in Nanda Devi National Park, and access to valley of flowers is also via Joshimath. But all these can be done only in summer, and hence you are mostly confined to skiing.
MY PARTNER IN THIS CRIME WAS GURPREET SINGH CHAWLA MYBEST FRIEND AND MASTERMIND CRIMINAL