Crisp white snow, pristine clear air, the vastness of the sky seems to be much closer and the mountain slopes look classic in the snowy garment, like posing for couture. Auli is a destination to encompass such a scenic beauty and be a rugged terrain, both at the same time. An important ski destination in the Himalayan mountains of Uttarakhand, India, Auli is known as ‘Bugyal’ in the regional language which means meadow. The great infrastructure and some beautiful visuals of Auli, both are like a treat for a traveler. Earlier this site was used by the men of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police force as a training ground for them, but now it’s a world class skiing point. The pure white slopes were revamped by the French and Austrian experts, to make it one of the hot destinations for the National Winter games to be held here often.

The love for adventure and sports can be overwhelming for you when reaching to Auli is concerned. The nearest metro is Delhi, from where we have to get to Joshimath (5000 ftt above sea level) at 483 km. From Joshimath to Auli is another steep climb, about 10,000 ft. This journey to reach Auli was enough to justify the decision to go there.

The cool new cable car ropeway is the sole way to reach up there, connecting Joshimath to Gorson, above Auli. This cable car journey is the most amazing thing, as moving above the kingly pines of the Deodar forests, and the feel of dangling in the midst of the sky and the earth, where reaching the sky is still difficult and the ambition to reach back the earth can be excruciatingly taxing, so I just had my fingers crossed till I reached there. But this cable car becomes like a usual thing for you in just the second trip; as an 800 m long chair-lift connects the lower and upper slopes, making it easy for the skiers to reach up the slopes.

The world class performance is what you can expect when in Auli; this was something which came to me like a surprise. There is a state-of-art 500m ski lift imported from France and also a special snow beater, to make the snow smooth enough for skiing, imported from Germany. Many new skiing slopes have been created and snow guns are installed by the sides of the slopes to provide world class slopes incase of inadequate natural snowfall, as SAF winter games for 2010 were held here. The wind velocity is curbed by the forests on the slopes are of great help.

The administration has the one of the best infrastructure here. The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam organizes many courses in skiing, for beginners and experienced skiers commencing from the end of December.

A week course in skiing cost round about $135/- (about 6000 Indian Rs.) and a two weeks course (14days) will cost $255/- (11500 Indian Rs.). These courses not only include the lesson fee but other basic prerequisite when in a new place, like accommodation, food, ski equipment, chair lift fee, it seemed to be pretty okay for me. More other special packages are designed by the organization, which specialize in adventure tourism, which is a great way to pep up the adrenaline junkies, as nothing can beat the awesome feel of cold wind whipping in your hair and teasing your cheeks, when the flying down the steep slopes. But in case if you are into tamer kind of adventure, then same slopes can be used for snow-boarding or just taking a simple snow walk.

When on apex of the slope, the breath-taking view of the peaks of the Himalayan range offers the beauty of places untouched by men. The peaks like Nanda Devi, Dronagiri and Neelkanth all make a magneficient view. Auli is a relief for those who want to run away from the psychic and nerve-wreaking city life, as it is devoid of fast food restaurants, hoardings or signs that obscure the view, as Auli is near to the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, which is declared as the World Heritage Site by the U.N. thus is a protected site.

Families with kids have developed a great love for Auli as it somehow cuts you from the not so good adventure of the city life and snow is perfect for building snowman and getting in snowball fights, replacing the play stations and televisions as a mode of entertainment. Many, who have a bug for exploring, have a dozen of trekking routes for the same. And then gathering around the wooden stoves called bukhris or around lit bonfires is what you will be asking for at chilly nights and marvel the silence that wraps the place. Not fond of silence? Then being a part of the traditional Kumaoni dance will be a brilliant idea.

And with all these goodies that Auli offers, we should not mind the limited hotels and dining options it has. You will not find any place to shop for, and no souvenirs to buy for people back home. But carrying a digicam with you will ensure that you will take back lot of precious memories of serenity, snow, unspoiled nature, adventure and soaking in the mental relaxations.