Kashmir’s loss is Uttarakhand’s gain,” confessed a former skiing cham­pion of Kashmiri origin rather ruefully. And indeed, since most of us don’t fancy meeting one of Osama’s lieutenants on the slopes of Khilanmarg, let us be grateful to the Indian babu who decided to develop the little known pasture of Auli into a winter skiing resort in the late eighties.

Auli isn’t large: the entire skiing area is about 5-7 km, but since it’s located way up between 9,500 and 10,500 ft, it commands excellent views of the surrounding peaks which soar well over 23,000 ft. The air is cold, fresh and scented with the aroma of pine; the skies are azure blue.

This may not be Aspen or St Moritz, but hey, this is India of 50-degrees-in-the-shade fame, and it’s pretty mira­culous that we have slopes with wonderful, soft powdery snow at all. And the Uttarakhandis are trying: a spanking new cable car ropeway traverses 4 km up the hill from Joshi­math, transporting you over the tops of oak and fir trees to Auli.  And when you swoop down the slopes, you don’t have to worry about the trudge back up: the baby slopes have a 1,640-foot ski lift, and the advanced slopes have a 2,620-foot chair lift to haul you to the top. 

So forget another winter at the beach and head north instead. After a week on the slopes you will be confident enough to whiz down a mountain and execute a fancy parallel turn. Skiing is wonderful exercise but be warned, it’s dangerous — your tummy disappears, your muscles tone up, your skin glows with good health. It could become addictive.