Abdul Hamid Bhat

In his own words

Born in the snow near Gulmarg

I was born in a small village near Gulmarg, where winter meant heavy snow, woodsmoke, and a deep quiet over the valley. I still spend most of my days here, and after all these years the mountains still surprise me every morning.

I grew up with Gulmarg as it changed. In 1998, I watched the first phase of the gondola begin, and I saw the second phase rise until it opened in 2005. Gulmarg went from a quiet meadow known to a few into a place that drew skiers from around the world, and I grew up inside that change.

Nobody handed me a coach or a ski school. I learned by watching the foreign skiers who came here, how they stood, how they turned, how they carved through the snow, and I copied them until my body understood what my eyes had seen. I fell often, and every fall was a lesson.

Then I had the chance to learn from a true legend, Sylvain Saudan, the Swiss extreme skiing pioneer, known as the father of heli-skiing in Kashmir.

Learning from him changed how I saw these mountains. He showed me that a slope is not just something to ski down, but something to read, respect, and understand. That lesson still guides every guest I take into the backcountry.

In 2004, I opened Bhat Ski Shop, and it grew into Bhat Adventure Sports Gulmarg. Through nearly 30 years I have explored every terrain of these mountains, from the gentle beginner slopes to the untouched backcountry where only the wind keeps you company. Many guests arrived as visitors and left as friends.

Those guests kept asking for more, and that is how Kohwan was born. It is a sub-unit of Bhat Adventure Sports, made for the complete adventure: Srinagar, Pahalgam, Sonamarg, and all the way to Leh Ladakh.

Having learned this sport the hard way, I teach it with patience. The mountains reward respect, not speed, so safety always comes first, and every guest is family.