India

One of the best areas to ride is the resort known as Auli, near Joshimath in the Garhwal Himalayas, where snowboarding expeditions have taken place. Manali is a place that offers some serious heli-boarding while the areas known as Narkanda and Kufri are only suitable for total beginners and as such they have very little in terms of facilities and are not really recommended.

Gulmarg has received a lot of publicity over the last few years after the construction of what was at the time the worlds highest gondola

The Indian season is best from mid-December to the end of March. All the areas offer a variety of terrain with a lot of freeriding and backcountry hikes, although you should only go backcountry riding in India with a knowledgeable mountain guide and the full kit.

Other snowboard areas are.
Kufri
is in the Himachal region 9 miles from Shimla and is a flat place which suites beginners.
Narkanda
is in the Himachal region, 40 miles from Shimla with, the top lift at 3143m.
ManaIi
is also in the Himachal region just 35 miles from Kullu.
Mundali and Munsiyari
are in the Uttaranchal region.
Rohtang
is in the Himachal region just 30 miles from Manali.

All the Indian resorts provide very basic local facilities but are very cheap indeed, and we all love curry, don’t we?