Missing Snow

Lofty mountains crowned with pristine snow, with streams cascading down slopes swathed in green… the beauty of Kashmir is imagined thus. But the damaging transformation sweeping the world has cast its shadow on this landscape as well.

- Moazum Mohammad

This year, its effect has been extreme—the torn edges of mountains are destitute of snow in the middle of winter and the vales are bereft of their seasonal white, vital for the livelihood of many.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Gulmarg, among the world’s highest ski resorts at an elevation of 8,500 feet. A haven for skiers, its powdery snow, wide stretches through pine forests and breathtaking beauty are much celebrated. This winter wonderland usually remains buried under snow from November till mid-April, with a thick blanket of white draping the upper reaches till June. But not this winter. The slopes are bare and a thin brush of snow barely whitens towering mountain ridges. The temperature—which usually settles at sub-zero—is a surprising 5 degrees Celsius.