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Seasonal · Jammu and Kashmir
Gulmarg Snowfall: When It Really Snows, and What It Costs
Gulmarg is India's best-known ski town, so people assume it is white all winter. The last four winters say otherwise: the peak above it gets snow from late September or October, but the town has gone through whole Januaries bare. Here is what actually happened, how the Gondola copes with bad weather, the road rule at Tangmarg, and what it costs.
Photo: Skywayman9, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
The peak above Gulmarg (Apharwat) and the higher reaches usually get their first snow in late September or October. Snow on the ground in Gulmarg town is far less certain: in 2023–24 the slopes were bare until late January, and in 2024–25 a 50-day dry spell followed heavy December snow. If you want the best odds, go between late December and February, keep two spare days, and check the IMD forecast for Gulmarg the week you travel.
Gulmarg sits at about 2,650 metres, with the Gondola climbing to 3,980 metres on Apharwat. That height gap is why one traveller posts snow in October and another arrives in mid-January to brown meadows. In January 2024 even the ski slopes stayed shut for lack of snow.
The dates below come from dated reports in The Tribune, Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir, All India Radio, The Quint, Outlook, PTI and IANS, and from IMD's Gulmarg forecast page. Where a figure comes from a travel blog instead, we say so. Weather is never a promise: treat every month here as odds, not a booking date.
When it snowed, the last four winters
First snow up high, then what the town and the slopes actually got:
| Winter | First snow up high | Snow in Gulmarg | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | 24 Sep 2023, Apharwat range | Bare slopes through mid-January; snow returned in late January | Ski slopes could not open in January; Khelo India Winter Games moved to Ladakh; 19,532 visitors in 1–6 Feb once snow came |
| 2024–25 | Not reported in the sources we checked | Heavy snow about 27 Dec 2024; 33 cm on 26 Feb 2025 | Road to Tangmarg closed in December and the Army evacuated 68 tourists; then a 50-day dry spell to 20 Feb; Khelo India 2025 postponed for scant snow |
| 2025–26 | About 6 Oct 2025 | About two inches on 21 Dec 2025; fresh snow on 22 Jan 2026 | Snow came with the start of Chillai Kalan (21 Dec), the 40-day coldest stretch, after a long dry spell |
| 2026–27 | 13 Oct 2026 at the ski resort | Not yet (11 Nov 2026) | IMD on 11 Nov: rain in the last 24 hours, rain or thundershowers forecast to 14 Nov |
The pattern: in three of the last four autumns the higher reaches had snow by mid-October, but the town had a bare first half of January in 2024 and a 50-day dry spell from January to late February in 2025. Late December to February is still the best window, but only with spare days built in.
The Gondola in snow season
The Gulmarg Gondola is run by the Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation. It has two stages:
- Phase 1, Gulmarg to Kongdori, at about 3,050 metres. It reopened on 30 September 2025 after an upgrade to carry more people (Greater Kashmir, 29 Sep 2025).
- Phase 2, Kongdori to Apharwat, up to 3,980 metres. J&K Tourism gives about 10 minutes for the first stage and 12 for the second, in six-seat cabins.
- Bad weather stops it. On 26 February 2025, when Gulmarg got 33 cm of snow, services on both phases were suspended for the day, and the corporation said tickets would be refunded "as per norms" (The Tribune, 27 Feb 2025). Plan the Gondola for a clear day and keep a spare one.
- Capacity: reported raised from 6,000 to 9,000 passengers a day in April 2026 (Curly Tales, citing ANI).
- Who cannot ride: J&K Tourism's page says people with heart disease or breathing problems and children under five are not allowed.
Photo: Mutahir Showkat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tickets. The corporation's own site, jammukashmircablecar.com, says tickets are sold online and advises booking there to avoid touts. We could not find an official fare list we could open. The J&K Tourism page gives ₹750 for Phase 1 and ₹950 for Phase 2, but that page is several years old. In January 2026 locals told Brighter Kashmir and Kashmir Convener that the fare had risen to ₹1,700 for both phases together, with no official comment. Check the price on the booking page the day you book.
Getting there from Srinagar
Gulmarg is about 54 km by road from Srinagar and from the airport (Baramulla district page). There is no official bus fare list we could find, so the figures below are from a travel blog's list updated in November 2025.
| How | Route | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared cab | Srinagar → Gulmarg | ₹500–700 a seat | Travel blog (vargiskhan.com, Nov 2025) |
| Private taxi, sedan | Srinagar → Gulmarg | ₹2,000–2,800 a car | Travel blog (vargiskhan.com, Nov 2025) |
| Snow season (Jan–Mar) | Taxi to Tangmarg, then a second taxi up | About ₹2,300 to Tangmarg, then about ₹1,600 to Gulmarg (₹2,500 same-day return) | Travel blog (vargiskhan.com, Nov 2025) |
In snow, the road from Tangmarg to Gulmarg is open only to four-wheel-drive vehicles and vehicles fitted with anti-skid chains, with no more than 10 seats. Chains are fitted only by registered vendors at set spots, and other vehicles must park in Tangmarg (traffic police, 16 Nov 2024; SDM Gulmarg order, 28 Jan 2024, which put chains at ₹600 a pair). In December 2024 heavy snow closed this road and the Army evacuated 68 stranded tourists.
What a snow trip costs
There is no official rate card for most of what visitors pay in Gulmarg. These are the figures we could find, with where each comes from:
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Room in Tangmarg, Drung or Kunzer (below Gulmarg) | Median about ₹2,741 a room a night | Online rates sampled for 15 Dec 2026, reported by travelcoffee.in (28 Oct 2026) |
| Room in Gulmarg, 1–2.5 km from the Gondola | Median about ₹6,207 a room a night | Same sample |
| Room in Gulmarg, within 1 km of the Gondola | Median about ₹11,231 a room a night | Same sample |
| Shared cab, Srinagar → Gulmarg | ₹500–700 a seat each way | Travel blog, Nov 2025 |
| Gondola, both phases | Reported ₹1,700 | Locals quoted by Brighter Kashmir (27 Jan 2026); no official list found |
| Anti-skid chains for a car | ₹600 a pair | SDM Gulmarg order (Greater Kashmir, 28 Jan 2024) |
On a shoestring, the cheapest pattern is to sleep below the snow line in Tangmarg and go up for the day: a Tangmarg room shared by two works out at about ₹1,370 each a night on the sample above, plus about ₹1,000–1,400 for a return shared-cab seat from Srinagar if you come for the day instead. Food is extra; we found no dated price list for it.
Safety in snow season
- Check IMD's Gulmarg forecast on city.imd.gov.in. It gives a seven-day forecast and warnings; on 11 November 2026 it showed a minimum of 0.5°C.
- Keep a spare day. Snow can close the Tangmarg road (December 2024) and stop the Gondola (February 2025).
- Do not drive up without chains or four-wheel drive in snow; the Tangmarg–Gulmarg rule above applies to every vehicle.
- Trekkers: after the October 2026 snow the weather office advised people to avoid mountain treks until conditions improved (IANS, 14 Oct 2026).
Quieter places for winter snow
Gulmarg is the famous name. For snow with fewer people, see Tawang (snow at Sela Pass from December to February) and the other picks in our snowfall places in India list. If you are choosing between Himalayan snow towns, our Manali snowfall time guide does the same dated check for Manali.
Frequently asked questions
When does it snow in Gulmarg?
The peak above Gulmarg usually gets its first snow in late September or October (24 Sep 2023, about 6 Oct 2025, 13 Oct 2026). Snow in the town is less certain: it came on about 27 December in 2024 and about 21 December in 2025, but in 2024 the slopes stayed bare until late January.
Is there snow in Gulmarg in December?
Often from the second half of December, but not every year. In 2024 heavy snow fell around 27 December; in 2025 about two inches fell on 21 December; in 2023–24 the slopes were still bare in mid-January.
Is there snow in Gulmarg in November?
Possible but not reliable. The higher reaches often have snow from October, but as of 11 November 2026 IMD was forecasting rain and thundershowers for Gulmarg rather than snow.
Does the Gulmarg Gondola run in snowfall?
Not in bad weather. On 26 February 2025, when 33 cm of snow fell, both phases were suspended for the day and tickets refunded as per the corporation's norms.
Do I need snow chains to drive to Gulmarg?
In snow and ice, yes. Only four-wheel-drive vehicles or vehicles fitted with anti-skid chains, with up to 10 seats, are allowed on the Tangmarg–Gulmarg road. Chains are fitted by registered vendors; a January 2024 order put them at ₹600 a pair.
How much is the Gulmarg Gondola ticket?
We could not find an official fare list. Locals reported ₹1,700 for both phases together in January 2026; an older J&K Tourism page lists ₹750 and ₹950. Check the price on jammukashmircablecar.com when you book.
How far is Gulmarg from Srinagar?
About 54 km by road, according to the Baramulla district page. A shared cab costs about ₹500–700 a seat (travel blog, November 2025).
Sources and how we priced this
- Snow history: Rising Kashmir, Gulmarg first snowfall (25 Sep 2023); The Quint, Gulmarg dry spell photos (13 Jan 2024); Outlook, "Kashmir warmer than Delhi" (24 Jan 2024); PTI via DT Next, Gulmarg tourist surge after snowfall (11 Feb 2024); India TV, Army evacuates 68 tourists (28 Dec 2024); Greater Kashmir, Army rescues tourists (29 Dec 2024); The Tribune, dry spell broken and Khelo India postponed (20 Feb 2025); The Tribune, fresh snow and Gondola suspended (27 Feb 2025); All India Radio, season's first snow (6 Oct 2025) and fresh snowfall (23 Jan 2026); The Quint (21 Dec 2025) and Outlook (22 Dec 2025), Chillai Kalan snow; IANS via NewKerala, first snowfall (14 Oct 2026).
- IMD local weather report and forecast for Gulmarg, city.imd.gov.in (dated 11 Nov 2026).
- Gondola: Greater Kashmir, Phase I resumes (29 Sep 2025); J&K Tourism (JKTDC) Apharwat page, jktdc.co.in (accessed 11 Nov 2026; page carries a 2017 copyright, so its fares are old); Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation, jammukashmircablecar.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026); Curly Tales citing ANI, capacity raised (19 Apr 2026); Brighter Kashmir and Kashmir Convener, fare complaints (both 27 Jan 2026).
- Road rules: Greater Kashmir, SDM Gulmarg order on 4x4 and anti-skid chains (28 Jan 2024); Kashmir Reader, traffic police advisory (16 Nov 2024). Distance: Baramulla district, baramulla.nic.in Gulmarg page (last updated 15 Nov 2018).
- Taxi and shared-cab fares: vargiskhan.com, Srinagar taxi rates 2026–2027 (a travel blog, updated Nov 2025). Room rates: travelcoffee.in, Gulmarg vs Tangmarg stay in winter (a travel blog, 28 Oct 2026, reporting online rates sampled for 15 Dec 2026). Neither is an official tariff.
Keep reading
Want winter snow without the Gulmarg crowds?
Tawang sits over Sela Pass, with a frozen lake beside the road and snow from December to February. Our page shows every rupee from Guwahati.
See Tawang costs →Costs come from Trip Under's place data and our cost model (see methodology). They are indicative ballparks for budget travel and move with season and demand. Check live bus, train and room prices before you book. Trip Under is reader-planned, not an agency, and takes no commission on any booking.