Skis 4 Kashmir

Kashmir is experencing another summer of unrest.  keep them in your prayers.

to learn more read this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/world/asia/13kashmir.html?hpw

Thanks for waiting patiently, I know you all were. Here is a  quick photo story from start to finish of the trip, enjoy! Check out the gallery for more photos!

Nazir our airport greeter and translator in Delhi looking tough!

The Cab Drivers could hardly contain their excitement when they saw 20+pairs of  skis and gear! (And they tried for the longest time to explain that no rope was needed to hold gear on the cars while bombing around the mean streets of New Delhi…)

Steve can hardly contain his excitement while shoving all the gear in a lawnmower powered pickup truck…

First meal of the trip!! Now all I can think about is some delicious Kashmiri cuisine….

Dallas’s Alma Mater, what a coincidence!

The gang (minus Dallas due to a weather delay) checking out New Delhi

Getting all the gear to the airport is always fun, this time headed to Kashmir

Thats what 30,000 Rupee looks like! (baggage fees are high to say the least)

The awe-inspiring Himalayas’

Above: (In order)

The airport in Srinigar doubles as a Military Base..

It took about 30 people to help us find a cab, nobody had ever seen this much gear.

Mamma wears many hats, here he is driving, tour-guiding and learning english!

Safety is a main concern in Kashmir.

The day we arrived in Srinigar there was a strike/ road closure that led to all gas stations being closed for the day, keeping things interesting!

The AMAZINGILY beautiful Dal Lake, in Srinigar.

Learning about how kids in Srinigar live..

Max: “I can’t believe this view, or the tree above!”

Buying socks for the kids at a local market in Srinigar, big thanks to Momma for the discount.

Dallas leads a morning stretching routine.

The Indian military also enjoys skiing.. Especially when it’s directly through our classes.

Dallas: “Why can’t they ski somewhere else!” Notice how close they are to the kids, next year we will be giving lessons to the military so they won’t get so close to running into our class.

This little shredder has just (accidentally jumped off a 5 foot snowbank, landing on the road! The picture on the left is him straight lining right before takeoff. 

Steve shows us how angulation is done!

We ran into this group from Mumbai, it was their first time seeing snow, and they challenged us to a sing-off.. It probably had something to do with their jackets, but they handily won.

Max and our photographer friend James from Australia, checking out some of the days pictures.

Group number 1 !!

Broken Fritcshi binding= end of Dallas’s skiing for the trip.

Look at those smiles!

Parallel Turns!

Above: Even falling was fun!

Victory!

Steve guides a first time Snow-plower

Enthusiasm levels were so high, the exhausted kids would hike when the lifts weren’t running

The ski hill was amazing to say the least. Only lift in the Himalayas!

Lift line Chaos

Lift-line chaos conquered

Steve and I left Gulmarg today after a week of skiing some amazing snow. It’s a very cool scene, everyone there is there for the right reason; It’s inspiring to interact with so many people from all over the world that share the same passion for the mountains.  It was difficult to leave.  We had a great going away party last night at Alpine Ridge.  The snow is beginning to melt and it’s definitely time to get back to Colorado.  I want to thank everyone that has made Skis4Kashmir a success, especially the Guru Family, without their support none of this would have been possible.  I would also like to thank Sunlight Ski and Bike in Glenwood Springs Colorado and Hassle Free Sports in Durango for the donation of skis and boots.   I must thank my Mom and Dad for their inspiration and help in starting a non-profit, their guidance has been invaluable.  Finally, I would like to thank the instructors Steve Mace, Max Hoener, and Dallas Erwin for their passion and dedication to the project.  Without their hard work and the help of countless others, Skis4Kashmir would remain just another great idea never acted on.   With this first year completed we can now return and start planning for next.   We have been treated very well here but we miss America and are looking forward to getting home.   I will keep you updated on our progress.

Love.

Charlie

Hello all!!   Well we are done with our seccond session for this blog.  I will give you an idea of what a day looks like for us. On Thursday we started the day at 9 o’clock with breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs and instant coffee. This has been the standard fare since we arrived with little variety. We met the children at 10 to begin our day, but some eager young skiers begin there days early to hike for a few extra turns. Yesterday we moved away from the beginner slopes to the intermediate slope to work on stem Christies and hockey stops. We ski from 10 til about 1 when we all hike over to the hut for lunch.  Kashmiris eat a lot, especially when they are skiing.  I’m constantly amazed at how much food these little mouths are able to consume. 

My morning was cut short today by a visit to the Gulmarg heath center. One of our students dislocated his shoulder in a collision and we were not sure of the extent of his injury so I felt it best to seek out an expert opinion. The doctor in Gulmarg couldn’t do anything because of his limited resources and sent us to Tangmarg for an x-ray. It’s a bumpy 20 minute drive down the hill to the hospital in Tangmarg. It was an interesting place, there are only two doctors on duty, and the building didn’t have much to work with. I saw one stretcher at the far end of the hospital from the entrance, with only 3 wheels that touched the ground. The first room on the right when you enter the building was labeled “casualties”, it was a good reminder of where we are and the dangers of an injury. The visit was a success we got the x-ray results which thankfully showed no broken bones. To my surprise the visit, the medication, and the x-ray only cost 60 Rupies. The ordeal took most of the day but we made it back to Gulmarg just as the ski day was winding down. 

Following lunch, the other students skied from 2 til 430 when the lift closed.  After skiing we all hiked back to the hut to watch some Nat Geos and Ski movies.  This hike is no small feat because the hut is located on the complete opposite side of the valley from the gondola.  It provides easy access to the beginner slope but that is about it. Water is melted snow and heat comes from wood that the children are made to carry up the hill in order to keep this 120 year old house warm through the cold kashmiri nights.  

On Friday morning we woke to 5 inches of fresh snow, it’s difficult to put on our powder skis and turn away from the peak  towards the poma lift but once we are there with the kids we forget all about the powder. Many of our students had broken their sunglasses earlier in the week and without them it was very hard for them to see through the heavy snow skiing down the slope. The students decided to take the afternoon off and dedicate the time to prayer. I have been continually impressed with their dedication to their faith. On Friday night we invited the students to a going away diner at our hotel. The dinner was a great opportunity to hangout with the kids and end the program on a high note. We showed them a slide show with pictures of them from our week of skiing, ate a good meal and danced the night away. They all made a lot of progress and they were all very excited to see the photos of there rapidly improving skills. It was amazing to see the smiles on the children’s faces and the impact we had made on all of them was very evident. The group left on Saturday morning back to Sopor but before they did I had one last chance to see the kids and bid my farewell. I went over to their hut at 8:30 on Saturday to check in there gear and see them off. This was the most rewarding part for me. As we finished up the check in and we brought the bags of gear to the car, I was met with a swarm of kids asking me for my business cards and trying desperately to get one last hand shake, hug, or friendly goodbye. Although we have a lot of work to do and much to learn from our first year with the program, we are confident that the program has been a success.

Now we have a few days here to enjoy the powder we’ve neglected.  There is a good group of westerners here and it should be epic once it goes blue.  Talk to you soon

Steve Mace

Hello all!!! This week has been flying by.  The kids are great, their English skills are much better which makes everything easier.  We had them stopping and beginning to turn on the first day.  I’m amazed.  I have been giving lessons to instructors from across the valley because they are so impressed with the speed in which our students progress.   It makes all of us feel really good.  Today (Wednesday) we began on the beginner slope but the students were obviously looking for more of a challenge so we moved them over to the intermediate hill for the afternoon session, they were pumped.  Some of them were intimidated because the Indian national team was training there all it took was a few falls from the “pros” to make them comfortable.   Their smiles grew; and, as their smiles grew their energy faded. This afternoon, as with every afternoon, we went up to their hut to watch movies and learn about each other.  They have so many questions about America and the world in general.   None of these kids have ever left Kashmir so our conversations can go on for hours. Today we showed them a ski movie and some pictures of Ireland and Colorado.   All of them want to learn how to ski powder; we also discovered that there is a huge market for reggae music.  It’s really cool.  I’m not looking forward to the end.  We have had so much fun with the kids, I can’t wait to get back here and do it again.  Everyone is doing well.  Max and Steve took the afternoon off to recover from a bout with a chicken last night and from all I can tell they are winning.

Love

Charlie

After our first successful week of classes in which we saw all of our kids learn to link turns and ride a lift it was our turn to check out what Gulmarg had to offer.   Friday was our last day of classes topped off with a going away dinner where we showed a slide show from the week and a ski movie showing the kids what is possible.  They were a fantastic group, very well behaved and quick learners, if all of the groups are like this Skis4kashmir and its students will know nothing but success.   

                We woke up late on Saturday not because we were tired but because nothing happens in Kashmir before 11.  It was a bluebird day so the top was open.  The view was amazing.  K2 to the north is definitely the highlight but everywhere you look are crazy mountains.  It was pretty tracked out but we have some friends that know the place well so we found the goods.  This mountain is like nothing I have ever experienced outside of heli skiing.  The lift goes to the top and from there you can access endless spines and coulars.  You can only do about 5 runs a day because the lift is constantly breaking down and there is an hour lunch break at 12.  Kashmir.  We are constantly reminded of how small the world is, always running into friends from all over the world.  It’s really cool.  Tomorrow a new group arrives and our work begins anew.  I am excited and nervous.  Everyone is settling into the routine and falling  deeper in love with Kashmir.  Hope all is well and we will post pictures as soon as we can.

Charlie

The crew in traditional Kashmiri dress

All of our hard work and preparation has led up to today, our first day on the snow with the kids. We had no idea what to expect when we arrived at their hotel this morning to fit boots and skis. There was a lot of confusion at first (the kids didn’t understand that ski boots are not supposed to be comfortable) so they were all under the impression that they had size 10 feet. Eventually we eased the boots onto everyone’s feet and we were off to the snow.

All the kids were super excited to take off on their new skis and the first few hours were utter chaos.  Group control is really difficult with the language barrier, however we were able to adapt our teaching throughout the day and now we have a pretty good handle on it.  We began with simple lessons like duck walking and side stepping, to get the kids comfortable with balance in ski boots. Thankfully most of them proved to be quick learners and everyone had a great time.  With the exception of 2 kids who inadvertently jumped off a 5-foot snow bank onto the plowed trail, there were no major mishaps. We were really glad to have everything run smoothly, and our main concern is to make sure everyone makes it through the week happy and healthy.  We ended today with some serious progress for the group, the snow-plow is almost mastered and most of our group is linking turns together! This progress is very impressive, especially considering how our day began. Many of these kids have not even seen snow before and everyone is excited about their improvement.

It has been snowing really hard throughout the day here in Gulmarg, and we are all looking forward to some great skiing this weekend while we are awaiting the next group of grommets.  We will upload pictures as soon as the internet connection gets a bit more reliable, stay tuned..

-Max

Day 1

On Monday the 15^th we got our first group of kids to Gulmarg.  They didn’t arrive until late in the day because of complications in the valley so we weren’t able to get them on the snow.  We were however able to get them all outfitted with their new Bonfire jackets and pants.  It was very exciting,  none of them had ever been to Gulmarg let alone had the proper equipment to play in the snow.   Their English skills are zero so we have had to adjust our plans a bit.  Fortunately our translator “Sam” is very good.  We are going to be spending most of our time skiing and not as much classroom activities. 

Once the kids were all decked out we took them on a little walk in the snow to get used to the clothing, some of it fits perfectly and some not at all.  Thank god for duct tape.  The smiles on their faces made all the work that we have done over the last few months totally worth it.  This is on track to be a very successful program.  Our first few moments in the snow we did some summersaults and had a little snowball fight.   We walked down to the surface lift where we will be teaching them just to see what it’s all about.  Everyone ran to the top of the hill and we had a little running race back down, lots of carnage but they were having a good time.  It was almost dark so we headed back to the hut for a talk on the importance of keeping dry and hydrated.  They are very polite kids and we don’t ever have to talk over them or tell them to calm down, as soon as i speak they listen.   We are going to start at 10am with equipment check and breakfast then on with the skiing.   I don’t know who is more excited the kids or instructors.  My heart is full and i can’t stop smiling, this is amazing.

Charlie

                The Skis4kashmir team has finally made it to Gulmarg!  There was a sense of relief as we got back into the mountains after two days of thick traffic in Srinagar and Delhi that create a heavy haze of exhaust that cloud the lungs. Our drive took us through the heart of Kashmir.  As we made our way to the mountains we passed through towns that never see Americans, so when we stopped to get Steve and Max traditional Kashmiri pharens we were swarmed.  As foreigners we are required to register in Tangmarg, a small town about halfway through the drive between Srinagar and Gulmarg.  The drive gives an interesting insight into Kashmiri’s daily life.  Horse drawn carriages can be seen trotting through mazes of soldiers and produce vendors; cows are free to wonder through traffic.  Anywhere we go with ski equipment a crowd of locals constantly try to help us move our luggage.  Our limited budget requires that we avoid unnecessary expenses, like paying for porters. So we carry it ourselves.  From Tangmarg, the road thins and switchbacks into the snow.  The terrain is highlighted by fallen trees and pillows that have endless opportunities for face shots.  We drove for an hour or so when, out of nowhere you find yourself in a winter paradise.   The main floor of the valley is empty and ringed by several hotels in various stages of completion and operation.  We drove until the road ended and then carried our bags 20 minutes to our new home at the Alpine Ridge guesthouse.  It’s very modern and has great access to the mountain. Last night we had another large dinner of rice and chicken curry accompanied by live Kashmiri music.   Two rababs were part of the music.  Rababs are an instrument that has deep roots in the history of Kashmiri music.  Charlie and I had the pleasure of seeing this instrument being played on our first trip.  Pakistan and Afghanistan apparently have their own variation of this stringed instrument.   Our first night in Gulmarg was a warm welcome after such a long journey.    

                This morning we wanted to get acquainted with the mountain but unfortunately weather prevented us.  We skinned “Monkey Ridge” and found some alright turns.    Skinning up through the trees felt really good after the constant car and air travel.  Our afternoon was spent relaxing and discussing the schedule for the first session of kids the snow continued to fall.    Monday will bring the students along with a whole new set of challenges but we are ready.  Updates soon.

Dallas