Skiing on top of the world

For "incredible skiing" without the usual crowds, try the resort of Gulmarg in Indian Kashmir, says Jane Dunford in the Sunday Telegraph. Situated at the western end of the Himalayas, with spectacular views towards K2 in neighbouring Pakistan, Gulmarg itself is just "a smattering of green wooden cottages and small, low-rise hotels". It has none of the "groomed sophistication" you'd expect from a European resort. Instead, it offers something rather more precious: the sense of being "in the heart of untamed nature" (this place is so wild that according to local legend, a guide once had to fight off a snow leopard with his ski poles), and an amazing skiing experience, with "endless back-country to explore" and the highest gondola ski lift in the northern hemisphere.

Indus Tours (020 8901 7320) has a 10-day skiing programme from £1,235pp including flights. ·