11,162 Extreme Skiing Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images

By A Mystery Man Writer

French sportsmen along with their local guide ascend the mountain before descending the snow slopes after the winter sports Alpine and Snow-boarding championship was kicked off on February 16, 2014 in Affarwat, 70 km to the west of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, India.In the famous tourist resort Gulmarg, less than six miles from the volatile ceasefire line that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, skiers from across the world have started to camp in Affarwat, some 3,950 metres about being sea level, for long-run skiing, snow-boarding, heli-skiing and steep mountains. The slopes of Affarwat boast one of the longest and highest ski slopes in Asia and are heavily guarded by the Indian army at all times. As a sense of normalcy has started to return to this strife-torn region, various foreign governments, including the United Kingdom, have lifted the travel advisory to its citizens traveling to Kashmir, raising the hopes of the local tourism industry, officials said. Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty