Gulmarg, Jan 25: The Gulmarg SnowShoe Race 2026, a unique 5-kilometre winter endurance event, was successfully conducted on Sunday at the world-famous Gulmarg Ski Resort, drawing around 100 athletes from across Kashmir. Competitions were held in multiple categories, including Senior Men Open, Junior Boys, Senior Women, Junior Girls, and Sub-Junior Boys and Girls.

Held at an altitude of over 9,000 feet, the race tested athletes’ stamina, technique and resilience in extreme winter conditions, making it one of the few such high-altitude SnowShoe events in the country. The event is regarded as a pioneering initiative in India’s winter sports calendar.
MLA Tangmarg Farooq Ahmad Shah attended as the Chief Guest. Other dignitaries present included CEO Gulmarg Development Authority, Assistant Director Tourism Tahir, President SnowShoe Federation of India Mir Muddasar, Vice President J&K SnowShoe Association Arif Laigaroo, and General Secretary J&K SnowShoe Association Dr Altaf-ur-Rehman.
Addressing the gathering, Farooq Ahmad Shah praised the organisers and highlighted the rapid growth of SnowShoe sports in the region. He assured support for the discipline, stating that efforts would be made to re-include SnowShoe in the Khelo India Winter Games, noting that the sport is largely dominated by athletes from Jammu and Kashmir.
President SnowShoe Federation of India Mir Muddasar described SnowShoe as both a historic and future-oriented sport, emphasising its relevance in changing climatic conditions and its potential to grow as a mainstream winter discipline.
Officials of the J&K SnowShoe Association reiterated that Kashmir has the natural advantage to emerge as a national hub for SnowShoe sports, given its terrain, climate and growing athlete base.
Results
Senior Men Open:
Dr Nazar, Ishfaq Ahmed, Waseem Raja, Naveed, Abrar
Junior Boys:
Asif Teli, Muzamil Manzoor, Amir Shabir
Senior Women:
Shaista Mehraj
Sub-Junior Girls:
Zaira Laigaroo, Aisha Ishtaq, Khateeba, Khadijah Shah, Fatima Shah
Sub-Junior Boys:
Affan Asif, Bhat Mohd Qais
The successful conduct of the Gulmarg SnowShoe Race 2026 marks another milestone in promoting winter sports in Kashmir and reinforces Gulmarg’s position as the epicentre of winter sporting activities in India.