Well, this is my final ski post for who knows how long. Wow! What a season it has been…beginning in Alaska in minus 15 degree pow, some soft Cascade turns at home with the crew, and then the last four months of growing my mountain knowledge amongst these most admirable teachers called the Indian Himalaya. I must say I have never felt as content with my mountain experiences and this last trip (pictures) was definitely the frosting on the cake.

Em and I had always envisioned a sunny spring camp on Rohtang Pass to end our ski season. Knowing more about the consistently strong northerly winds ripping over this pass, and with a plethora of alternative exploration routes, we had fun brainstorming potential trips. With some approach advice from our Kiwi friends Neil & Heidi, we decided to head north into the Kulti Valley of Lahaul. This trip would take us out of the habitable world of the Kullu Valley north into the higher regions of Lahaul and The Great Himalaya Range.

We taxied as far up towards Rohtang Pass as possible. While the drive up was sunny, dark clouds were approaching the pass just as fast as the taxi could cover the thirty some kilometers of switchbacks. We toured to the top, deskinned and skied just in front of the clouds to route-find our way down. The skiing was marginal and with the limited visibility, we took a conservative route close to the highway. This turned out beneficial for soon clouds socked in, it began to snow, and we were lucky to catch a taxi returning north to Koksar. With heavy precip and looking forward to a new part of India and some culture, we decided to try to find a guesthouse in the small village of Koksar. Due to regulating all people coming over the pass, we had to stop at the “police station” to register our names, passport number, reason for going over the pass, etc. While they state this is for safety to make sure everyone is accounted for, we think the accounting for is more because of the access into nearby Kashmir. Either way, it turned out to be a beneficial stop. The “police station” had no roof or walls due to snow failure and instead, the army dormitory next door housed the necessary passport check. The people inside were not exactly police, but the rescue team in case anything happened to anybody working on or traveling over the pass while the road was still snow-covered. All employed through the army, they could share titles such as police officer, snow rescuer, army road worker, doctor, etc. With mountain skills and passions, a few were also skiers and very excited to have us as guests. They wouldn’t allow us to stay at the guesthouse as it was “too expensive” and demanded we stay with them on an extra bed. It was quite fun as we finally learned the India card game called sweep, got to watch the chapati-making process, and enjoyed their hospitality.

The skiers of the rescue team were very intrigued with our gear and my career as a ski instructor. Nobody here has had the respect for my ski management position as much as they have for my time ski instructing. So when I am now asked what I did back home from an outdoorsman, I reply ski instructor. Their eyes usually light up, they state with praise, “Ski Master” and either try to find a way to ski with me or use me to make money teaching domestic tourists. O.K., back to the gear…they really wanted to ski on it the next morning. If they would have wanted to ski with both Em and I, we would have happily sacrificed a day of our tour to join them. But instead, they wanted (and stated quite directly) that Emily should stay in while one of them skied on her gear, another one skied on my gear, and I skied on their old straight sticks while giving them pointers. By eliminating Em, they lost us both.

So, we were back on schedule to leave the village of Koksar early for our least desired portion of the trip…fording the Koksar river. A couple hours later, and with numb lower extremeties, we were across the river and heading towards the mouth of our desired location, the Kulti Valley. After a few more hours of hiking with heavy packs (including skis, boots, a week’s worth of food, etc.) we set camp just at snowline. The next day we pushed to a most desirable base camp location underneath tons of moderate ski lines. In the afternoon, we toured up the valley towards the bottom of an icefall that limited easy access any further up the valley. This was just fine as everything on the climber’s right side of the valley was full of great looking ski routes. The valley floor sits at ~3600m, was covered with a few feet of snow (~12’ snow banks on the river in the shady areas) and had that much more snow on all the west- to north-facing aspects on the climber’s right side. Due to being farther north and our aspect, the snow was remaining good much later in the day than the south facing slopes I recently skied in the Solang Valley. So, we didn’t need any sort of headlamp starts in order to still get high and get the goodies.

The first big ski day Em led us up to the top of the tasty slopes directly above camp to one of many unnamed peaks. We had to name it something, so this skiable delight became E&T Peak (and Em’s new high point at ~4650m). We took the aesthetic path directly fall line down ~3000ft of prime corn conditions. Then we began our afternoon routine of lunch, cards, nap, etc.

The next morning we awoke to some clouds south and uncertainty as to what the weather would do. With this uncertainty and Em’s legs feeling the last few days, she chose to keep her head down. I started up with beautiful rays of sun protruding over a nearby peak. Fortunately, the weather cleared and I had a most wonderful outing. I had eyed an aesthetic line the day before that contoured around a huge ice bulge and led up a skinnable summit ridge. With weather and conditions bomber, I soon found myself next to a summit flag overlooking the huge glaciated valley just east of us. You may not believe this, but the descent was just as fun as the approach!!! Meanwhile - after waking up late - Em chose to skin up along the gully for some bird watching and a light morning ski.

Our next day, we toured back to E&T Peak and skied a different aspect of more creamy goodness. The amount of skiable exploration just above our camp could warrant a couple more days, and then there is always further up valley. The Kulti Valley did not disappoint!

We received new snow that night and awoke to a beautiful blanket of whiteness to begin our descent out of the valley. With the warm days up in the valley and watching the fingers of the meandering Kulti River grow, we didn’t expect our snow bridge downstream to still be there and chose to ford the river up near camp. We passed a beautiful marsh on the other side of the valley that provided much more life than expected. The walk out was pretty straightforward and the warm days had turned much of the landscape from brown and white on the way up to green grass and wildflowers on the way down. We stopped next to a spring that provided habitat for many wildflowers. I laid down and soaked in the scenery as Em stayed on her feet chasing butterflies with the camera.

We reached the mouth of the river where we camped (the megamid on grass!) in order to get an early start for the despised Koksar river crossing. The evening was quite nice…warm, summer camping conditions. The hike down the Chandra river the next morning was done quickly and quietly as all the small waterways we crossed a week earlier at the same time of day were perceptibly much larger to both of us now. Just before reaching the Koksar drainage, we saw a couple people working some fields, then a couple children…could this mean they replaced the bridge over the Koksar? We risked such hope by talking aloud of a new bridge but both knew not to expect anything. Sure enough, we rounded the final corner and there stood the most bomber footbridge we had seen in India. Heavy pack and all, Em was still busting a move and the high fives were flying.

Shortly after the comforting bridge crossing, we were back with our rescue team friends. In addition to the ordinary hospitality cup of chai, they offered us fresh mango. Yes, fresh mango in Lahaul, the land of snow and rock. This meant one thing…Rohtang Pass was cleared and car traffic was traveling over! Relieved, we hung out for a little bit, exchanged contact info, then got in a taxi that took us to our front door in Solang! Even open for traffic, the crossing over the pass was an adventure. The road cut through 20+ ft snow walls on the upper switchbacks, and was completely clogged with tourist traffic most of the way down the Kullu Valley side. Throughout several hours of stop-and-go traffic (rush hour at 3900m!) our jeep windows were continually approached by vendors selling coffee, tea, and saffron that our driver assured us was most certainly fake.

Exploration galore, new friends, tons of great ski lines, and ski conditions holding bomber late in spring - Lahaul and the Kulti Valley delivered the goodies.

Now, it is a couple days of errands, a social “going away” evening with friends, and then we are jungle-bound!!!

Labels: India, ski touring