Top 5 Outdoor Activities in Auli, Uttarakhand

Reviewed By aniruddhadhanashreem - Milan, Italy

Sking in Auli is an amazing out of the world experience and one which was on my bucket list. Mastering slopes, gravity, snow and the mountain has its own thrill and adventure. We (me and my brother) had a great time bonding in Auli amongst the Himalayas and we learnt a few sking tricks as well. Uttarakhand is truly the Land of the Gods full of adventure and spirituality and Auli is the perfect spot to do both. Auli has great views of the Nanda Dei, Neelgiri, Gouri/Hathi, Nar Parvat , Barmal and Berthatoli. The sunrise and sunsets are amazing nature shows which are not to be missed. The peace and tranquility and the quality of air is simply divine and fit for the abode of the Gods. The GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam) the tourist body of Uttarakhand organizes Sking courses from January to March every year at the Auli Ski & Snowboard School. Two types of courses are offered Certificate course of 7 days and Advanced course of 14 days. These are some of the best Sking courses on offer anywhere in the world with great instructors, equipment, ski slopes and Sking infrastructure. The instructors are very competent and endeavor to give you a great sking experience. The courses are amongst the most economical way of learning or practicing sking. For a similar course one will end up spending at least 10 times more in other countries/places. The GMVN courses are fully residential with basic heated accommodation on shared basis and all meals included. The meals are tasty, wholesome, nourishing and the staff takes great care of you. My mouth is watering even thinking about the amazingly tasty simple meals. The meals are mostly Vegetarian but once or twice during the course they also offer eggs and chicken. The Ski resort also has a good bar and a Restaurant serving Veg and non Veg fare. Depending upon the occupancy and availability at the Ski resort you may opt for room upgrades on additional payment. Laundry service is available on special request. No previous knowledge of sking is required. The only prerequisite being adequate physical fitness. Sking demands physical (and mental) fitness. Thus at least 30 days before arriving in Auli strengthen your leg muscles and ensure that your body is flexible and agile. Jogging, cycling, swimming, trekking are good preparatory exercises. To reach Auli it is best to arrive in Rishikesh by evening/night day before and catch an early morning bus/taxi to Auli. There is a early morning GMVN bus directly from Haridwar/Rishikesh to Auli Ski Resort. Alternatively one can reach Joshimath and take the Gondola/taxi/bus to Auli. The road from Rishikesh to Joshimath is excellent three/four lane highway and you will get to see some of the most amazing sights including river confluences (prayag in Sanskrit). There is lot of wild life including bears, jackals and deers and we happened to sight jackals and hare on our way. Every turn throws up a new vista and there is always the river on one side and mountain on the other. A typical day at Ski course starts with bed tea at 7 am , breakfast at 8am , sking from 9 am to 2 pm followed by lunch and recreation. Tea at 5 pm and dinner at 8 PM. In the afternoon/evening one is free to explore Auli and surrounding and one can always go for beautiful walks or local sightseeing and shopping. Typically on the first day there are introductions and issue of equipment, familiarisation with the use of equipment (skis, Ski boots, Sticks, Ski goggles and gloves), familiarisation with the slopes and safety lessons. You may opt to carry your own Helmet, Goggles (UV protection) and gloves. Introduction to basic techniques of getting into the skis and out of them, standing with skis on, stopping/braking and moving with skis on are given including the most important techniques of falling down safely. Practice the braking and falling techniques to perfection as these are life savers [for you and others]. Safety first – learn and respect Slope, gravity and traction. A few safety tips • Please perform warm up exercises before getting onto the ski’s • Wear a Helmet to protect your Head. Believe me you need and yes use it. [Take your own helmet, goggles and gloves] • Know your limits, and the limits on the slope. • Follow the instructions of the instructors. They know the slopes and your capabilities better than you do. • Watch out for others on the slope. While you don’t own the slopes others believe they do! • Like Defensive driving practice defensive sking. Don’t speed up before achieving perfection in the art of braking on the slopes • Finally there are old skiers and there are bold skiers, but no bold old skiers. Second day is more of practising what we learnt on the first day with the introduction of turns and climbing up the slope. The falling technique is mostly perfected on this day. The ski sessions start at 9 am in the morning with assembly at Chair lift and go on till about 2 pm followed by Lunch and rest. A ski pass is given to each participant for unlimited use of Chair and Ski Lifts during the course. Third day practice and perfect what was learnt on day 1 and 2 and move on the steeper slopes and do longer ski runs. Training on how to get out of difficult situations. At the end of this day most get the sking basics and are able to move around on skis taking the turns and obstacles in their strides. The falling also starts reducing and you are now more on the skis than on the snow. The fourth day practice session gives you confidence to ski and now rarely the falling technique is needed. Your sking effort is also drastically reduced. From 5th days the instructors take a call to put you on the Ski Lift and escort you down from the middle of the slope to the base and by the end of the day you are sking from the top of the slopes under close supervision. 6th and 7th days are sheer joy of Sking and you adapt to the slopes and enjoy the thrill of sking. We went there in Jan 2019 and look forward to visiting again. Great place, great people, great hospitality. Happy Sking adventure P.S. In summer Ski lodge Auli is the base camp for treks to Gorson Meadows and Kuari Pass