And sharing it with a soldier toting a sub-machine gun

The weather down on Dal Lake was sparkling, yet a drive of under an hour took me to the slopes of Gulmarg. I’d no idea Kashmir boasted a ski field, let alone one where the mountains rise to some 4000m. (Here in Australia, our highest runs are just over half that height.)

With the season yet to start, only a few gondolas were in service, with most resting in their shed. The mist had rolled in, bringing a light fall of snow.

Below us lay a landscape of rocks and mosses, with the occasional shepherds’ huts. Soon all — including the huts - would lie buried under snow (the shepherds move down the mountain for the winter).

Strangely, many soldiers were up on the slopes that day. One caught the gondola up with us, cradling his machine gun while pointing out the sights in broken English. Something which doesn’t happen on the snow fields back home.

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