Kashmir in Winter: Snow, Skiing and a Complete Travel Guide

How cold does Kashmir get between December and February?

The India Meteorological Department's normals for 1991 to 2020, printed on Wikipedia, give the clearest answer. Srinagar sits in the valley floor; Gulmarg is a ski meadow at 2,650 m. These are monthly averages of the day's high and the night's low, so a cold spell can be well below them.

Srinagar's average low is below freezing in December and January and only just above it in February. Gulmarg's average high stays under 5 °C for all three months, and its January and February nights average well below minus six. Wikipedia describes Gulmarg's climate as warm-summer humid continental with a wet winter season and heavy snowfall. That article's table has no snowfall row, so this page quotes no snow depth.

What is Chillai Kalan, and does the lake freeze?

Wikipedia defines Chillai Kalan as a forty-day period of intense cold, from 21 December to 29 January, and Deccan Herald's PTI text says snowfall chances are at their highest in it. Wikipedia adds that the pheran, a long woollen cloak, is widely worn then, and that 21 December is observed as Pheran Day. The kanger, an earthen pot of embers carried under the pheran, is a traditional portable heater. The same PTI report, updated on 14 January 2026, carried the headline that parts of Dal Lake froze as the valley went through that spell.

One winter's headline does not make a rule. Ice at the lake's edges depends on the year, so a frozen lake is a pleasant surprise and not something to plan a trip around. A shikara ride is still possible on many cold days; our shikara booking page explains the ride.

When can you ski at Gulmarg, and how does the gondola fit in?

JKTDC, the state tourism corporation, says on its skiing page that the season usually starts around the middle of December and continues till the middle of April. The ski-resort directory skiresort.com gives late December to late March, with lifts open from 10:00 to 16:00, a top at 3,980 m and a base at 2,650 m. Wikipedia says that skiing, tobogganing, snowboarding and heli-skiing happen on the slopes of Apharwat, which the gondola reaches, and that Gulmarg hosted the first Khelo India Winter Games in March 2020. The operator's published notices close the gondola on the second and fourth Monday of each month for maintenance, and weather can change a day at short notice.

Read the full Gulmarg gondola guide for stages, boarding time and booking, and look at the Gulmarg destination page for the town. We do not list a ski product, so lessons and equipment are a separate matter to settle on the spot.

What changes on the road to Gulmarg in winter?

Wikipedia describes the road from Srinagar via Tangmarg as including a 12 km uphill segment through pine and fir. The authorities have set winter rules for that stretch. Greater Kashmir reported on 9 December 2024 that the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Gulmarg had issued a winter advisory permitting only 4x4 vehicles and vehicles fitted with anti-skid chains. Kashmir Life reported on 18 December 2025 that heavy vehicles and vehicles without chains were barred from the route until further orders, and on 16 January 2026 that all vehicles on the stretch must use chains during snowfall and icy conditions.

The practical lesson is that the rule is set by the magistrate's office each season and may change within days. Ask your driver about chains the evening before, start early and treat a driver's decision to stop as final. The Gulmarg Tour Package is listed at ₹11,700 for four days, and our winter snow packages page describes the cold-season plans.

Is the road to Ladakh open in winter?

Not reliably. IANS reported in March 2022, when the Border Roads Organisation reopened the Zoji La, that the pass normally closes by the end of November and opens by mid-April of the next year, and that the average closure in earlier years was 135 days. The Kashmir Reader reported that in 2025 it reopened on 1 April after a closure it called the shortest on record, 33 days. Winter closures therefore vary from year to year, and the Leh road is not a dependable item for a December or January itinerary.

How should you plan flights and arrival times?

Fog is a winter fact on the flight path. PTC News reported that India's civil aviation regulator, the DGCA, treats 10 December to 10 February as the official winter fog window, when flights are often affected across northern India. A foggy morning at your departure airport can delay a flight into Srinagar, so avoid a tight same-day connection on the way home and give your airport pickup a margin. The Srinagar airport taxi page lists the vehicles. Our guide to reaching Kashmir compares the flight, the Vande Bharat and the road, and the safety briefing records the Traffic Police's advice on night driving.

How do you keep warm and safe indoors?

• Ask each hotel or houseboat how it heats the room, whether hot water is available and what happens in a power cut. Our hotel booking in Srinagar page lists the kinds of stay we offer.
• Never burn charcoal indoors: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that charcoal gives off carbon monoxide, an odourless gas that kills without warning. That includes an ember pot in a closed bedroom.
• Dress in layers with a cap, gloves and waterproof boots; the packing list is sorted by month.
• Keep a spare day at both ends of the trip, because snow and fog can disturb flights and roads.

What do people eat in the cold?

Wikipedia says Kashmiri cuisine developed in response to the region's cold climate and long winters, which explains the slow-cooked dishes, dried vegetables and preserved ingredients. Sun-dried vegetables, called hokh syun, are eaten when fresh produce dwindles, and dum pukht cooking sometimes keeps a sealed vessel over a simmering fire through the winter night. Wikipedia adds that Kashmiris are heavy tea drinkers, with noon chai a staple. Our Kashmiri food guide says what to order.

Which Soun Kashmir trips suit a winter visit?

These prices are listed prices for the arrangements in each package. The final price depends on group size and dates, and our tour planners give a free quote built around you. Compare the months in our best-time guide if you are undecided between winter and spring.

For a winter trip planned around these rules, see the snow trips we list or contact Soun Kashmir with your dates for a free quote.

Where do the facts on this page come from?

On 6 November 2026 we read Wikipedia's Srinagar, Gulmarg, Gulmarg Gondola, Chillai Kalan and Kashmiri cuisine articles, Deccan Herald (PTI, 14 January 2026), Greater Kashmir (9 December 2024), Kashmir Life (18 December 2025 and 16 January 2026), Business Standard (IANS, 19 March 2022), the Kashmir Reader (1 April 2025), PTC News (2 January 2026) on the DGCA fog window, the JKTDC skiing page (undated), the directory skiresort.com, the Cable Car Corporation's notices and the CDC's carbon monoxide page. Climate figures are long-term averages, and road and gondola orders change with the season, so check the original notice when you book.