Gulmarg, Kashmir, India – Gulmarg’s lofty gondola lift, finished in 2005, has been the draw for skiers worldwide to this ski resort in the Himalayan foothills in the restive Jammu and Kashmir State near the India-Pakistan border. The two-stage ski lift rises 4,429 vertical feet to an elevation of 12,959 feet atop Kongdoori Mountain to constitute one of the highest ski lifts in the world. This winter, however, it will be joined by a new fixed grip quad chairlift at the resort.

Resort and government officials, including Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, christened the new Kongdoori chairlift on Sunday. It will rise 1,634 vertical feet from the Kongdoori Valley to Mary’s Shoulder on Mt. Apharwat, running nearly parallel to the existing gondola’s upper stage. The Gulmarg lift company has installed the chairlift without taking on any loan financing.

Officials hope that the new chairlift will bring international ski competitions to Gulmarg, as the gondola’s top station is above the elevation approved for International Ski Federation (FIS) sanctioned events. In addition to the gondola and the new chairlift, several poma surface lifts assist beginners in the resort’s base area.

Also inaugurated on Sunday was the redesigned Gulmarg Golf Course, one of the oldest and highest golf courses on the Indian sub-continent.