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Photographs and text: Dhruv Prabhuswamy

'Remember God' says a brightly painted rock perched on a steep precipice, barely a couple of hours out of Rishikesh and into the Garhwal Himalayas. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the builders and caretakers of roads in these parts, certainly have a sense of humour.

The slogan is supposed to be a road safety message on the treacherous path that winds up the hills and along the Ganga river! And going by the efforts of most pahadi (mountain) drivers to conduct their own version of the Himalayan Motor Rally, everyday, God certainly needs to be remembered more than once... to ensure one reaches the right destination rather than Him.

That sign should have also been inside the cable car that rises heavenwards from the nondescript slopes of Joshimath and ascends three km through a snow-blanketed Alpine-pretty forest and reaches Auli (pronounced 'olly'). It makes even the agnostic wonder if anyone but God could have created those magnificent snow-covered peaks that bare themselves as the cable car slowly crests the slopes.

They spread splendidly ahead -- the Nanda Devi, Mount Kamet, Mana Parbat, Dunagiri and Hathi Parbat. And Narparbat, Ghori Parbat, Barmal and Bethartoli. All surrounding Auli in a Taro-nest formation. They look Godforsaken in their isolated splendour. But for all you know He might be inhabiting them. Which is perhaps the reason for locating a shrine called Badrinath somewhere among them further ahead, beyond Joshimath. Whatever the case, it is without doubt a profound and overwhelming sight.

The profundity however is not the main attraction here. It is a just aperitif. For Auli -- India's most popular skiing resort that has finally come of age. Gulmarg in Kashmir, may have tried to score some brownie points and make news by hosting the national winter games last week. Auli did that in 1996. And the place has also been host to a series of skiing festivals since the first one held in 1986.

Today this ski resort, nestled in Chamoli district of western Uttar Pradesh, is drawing enthusiasts from as far as Pune, Vishakapatnam and Bangalore, not to forget dollar-loaded tourists from Hong Kong or USA, during the first 10 weeks of every calendar year.

Its rugged and snowy terrain made it popular as a training ground for the country's para-military forces in the 70s. But Auli decided to change face in the mid-80s. Realising its tourist potential, the Uttar Pradesh government had it surveyed by French and Austrian experts who reportedly compared the slopes of Auli to the best in the world.

And thus started the process of putting the necessary infrastructure in place. The longest ski lift in the country (500 metres) was imported from France. An 800 metre long chair lift was set up to link the lower slopes with the upper slopes. The longest ropeway in Aisa (4.15 km) was introduced to link Auli to Joshimath by the cable cars imported from Austria. And snow beaters were imported from Germany and of course, skiing equipment -- like skis, sticks and boots -- were brought in from Austria. Dressed and improved ski slopes are required for hosting festivals and competitions and that was done too.

Despite the seemingly irresistible attractions at Auli, it is not as if the resort is teeming with tourists jostling for space or crashing into one another on the slopes, save the handful of beginners who cannot avoid crashing on the beginners' slopes. If accessibility to the resort is one deterrent, its remoteness from civilisation -- forget newspapers and television, the place isn't even connected by phone -- is the other. A third 'disadvantage' is the absence of attendant comforts of a packaged Shimla or Kulu-Manali. And then there is the need to be interested in skiing, not the easiest of sports, as pictures on television make it out to be.

Undeterred though, the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), an Uttar Pradesh government undertaking that runs Auli, has been successful in attracting a young clientele to undergo skiing courses. Costing upwards of Rs 3,500, GMVN offers a week-long or a fortnight-long skiing course, conducted by instructors from the Skiing and Tourists Resort, Auli, and the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Gulmarg.

The courses are much in demand, handling as many as 200 participants at a time, in groups of 15 or 25. For those not interested in spending an entire week pushing with sticks and inevitably falling, the slopes can be used by hiring equipment and a trainer, if necessary, on a daily basis.

The course indeed appears expensive, but only till one gets into a pair of skiing boots and locks in into a pair of skis, as this writer found out. The proverbial slippery ground was perhaps coined by someone who stepped on snow for the first time, and not surprisingly took a tumble. Snow boots are a must for walking around Auli, as in any other ski resort, though the brave seemed to be comfortable in their upmarket sports shoes. Ski boots are another thing. Weighing anywhere around a kilo or two each, they fit the ankle and feet so firm that a minor slip can end up in a major twisted ankle if not a fracture.

The catch lies in locking-in into the skis, feet parallel and dragging around on flat snow. They call it walking on snow. Then comes bending the knees and body forward, skis parallel, and using the sticks to push the body ahead while keeping eyes straight.

Sounds simple? Well, not many got it right the first time around on the beginners' slope. It seemed so much like learning to cycle -- looking below at the skis like looking below at the pedals when the eyes need to be set ahead; maintaining crucial balance during movement, slowdown and stopping; and the inevitable fall when that fails to happen at any of the three stages.

Next on schedule is climbing a simple slope. Hook the skis sideways into the snow, use the sticks for balance, and climb one step at a time. Turn down and let go. "Separate the heels. Heels apart, heels apart," shouts Ritudidi, the 20-something instructor from Dehra Dun who was helping the beginners. Not of much use.

A father of two, back in Auli after six years, is unable to control himself and comes down tumbling. His kids are better. They do the entire slope smoothly, but are unable to stop right and go down tumbling too. Only those who are able to master this far -- it takes two full days -- can think of ski lift to the upper slopes and leave the rest, well, to God.

And who are the true masters of the slopes? They are the armymen from the army base in Joshimath. And the eight or nine year old local pahadi kids. The story of the pahadi children on skis is a splendid example for the indigenous chutzpah of the rustic Indian. Their skis, just as their sticks, are hand made out of locally available wood, unlike the graphite skis and metal sticks used by their well-off counterparts on the slopes. There is no lock to hold their shoes on to the skis. They tie it with fine rope and then give even a professional army skiers a slide for their money.

Wish Shalini Khanna (''I ski in the US where I live'') had seen them do it. 'The equipment here is outdated,'' she was complaining at the skiing equipment shop. ''They don't have the latest boots which come with just one strap to fix it and instead have the old-fashioned three straps across.'' Maybe. But isn't expecting a state government undertaking to match the latest equipment in the US -- where winter sport is a money-spinner -- a bit too much?

The situation is similar to the entire experience of being in Auli -- making the most from what it has to offer which is friendly people and friendly mountains. Swiss Alps for the Indian who can't afford the real thing. It isn't the place for people who can't take snow-covered slopes surrounded by Godly mountains in freezing temperatures. Or a handful of log huts and small buildings that symbolise civilisation around . Or no shops, no fancy restaurants, no telephones, no televisions, and no service staff in sparkling uniforms.

One day not in the distant future, all this and more will enter Auli. Because, as sherpa Ram Bahadur says, "The Bombay and Delhi log (people) want everything they get in their city to be available in Auli.'' Perhaps then it would be a tough act to remember God. Even if they say so from a neon sign across the Nanda Devi.

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