[tsk1979]

Its 7:30am on a cold March morning. And we are standing at the balcony,looking out.
And this is what greets us


Today is a long drive back. So we woke up early. But our plans are foiled. When this is happening, how can you drive downhill?


Almost 8:30, and the snow is not going to give up yet


Its time to give a wipe to our WE


Finish up with the delicious Aloo Paronthas... and pay our bills.. and guess what. Head uphill again.

The mountains await
With their clouds, and the snowfall, and the promise of unlimited white..


We will go up again

[iceman7]

Thank you Tanveer. This is really really beautiful.

I am in a big dilemma though. Which of these awesome pictures should grace my phone screen as its wallpaper? Oh wait. Found it.

Keep making your own road.

Cheers!!

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by iceman7

Thank you Tanveer. This is really really beautiful.

I am in a big dilemma though. Which of these awesome pictures should grace my phone screen as its wallpaper? Oh wait. Found it.

Keep making your own road.

Cheers!!

Don't do this. Re-encoding jpg kills quality. If you want high quality for your smartphone, take them directly from source
http://tanveer.smugmug.com/Travel/Hi...-Mar/i-36JmKwr

Enjoy the wallpapers!

[tsk1979]

The snow cutter has not come yet. This means, we have good amount of snow. With chains and cables, its easy going


We quickly reach our U turn point. Getting expert at U turns now I think


Its white paradise out here


Should we go ahead? Well the snow is very deep now. Its been snowing the whole night.


So we will stay here for now


And do what?
Well... make a snowman. What else. I think this is the first snowman on the Manali Leh highway


Another shot


Its more like a scarecrow. Snowscareman I think


We spend some time here, throwing snowballs, and now its time to move on. In a flash of foolhardiness, I have decided we will go to Solang valley too
So we strip the snowscareman naked



And its time to move down....
But... wait!!!!! What is this!....

[HappyWheels]

TSK,

Superb travelogue. Thank you for taking us all through this drive. Truly mesmerizing!

Nothing more to add. And yes, took one of your pics for my screen wall paper.

[tsk1979]

Last year, we decided to go to Spiti. But nature had other plans. With landslides etc., we just went till chitkul. On the way back, we saw a roadblock with road workers planting dynamite in a big rock.

As we watched from a km away, we saw the explosion moments before we heard it. It literally shook the mountains, echoing all over.

So why am I telling you this?

Well similar thing happened. As we walk to get in the WE, we hear a loud noise, like an explosion.

We look back, and on the opposite face of the mountain(across the power point where waterfalls come down), a huge avalanche has started!





Have seen avalanche videos on TV, but trust me seeing in person is altogether different.

We linger some more, and move on.
some clicks
Frozen waterfall


Its quarter past 11, and we make our way downwards, to the foolish decision of solang valley














A chained BRO truck passes us, with all occupants quite amused. It also clears the snow a bit




and it looks it will snow again.. so we head down to "Solang!"

[tsk1979]

so we head down, in sleet and snow.
The snowfall will get heavier. We have the opportunity of going upwards to white paradise, but in foolhardiness, I decided to go down. Towards Solang valley.
I think I underestimated the potential of Taxi drivers of creating a traffic jam with no traffic.

Anyways, by to Kothi


And the clouds


The famous checkpoint bridge


And finally, Solang valley. We take off the chains, but keep the cables on. They can be used on tarmac below 40, and in this slushy terrain, will give good braking control


This is the solang valley, and thankfully, there is little traffic


But still, all it takes is one car


Seriously... this is nothing compared to our white paradise


We escape past noon, and in slush lots of people are sliding here and there


Even Manali has got some snowfall




And our WE, its like vanilla with whipped cream on top


What else to write. Well, we headed on the hellish highway from Mandi - Kiratpur Sahib with potholes so big that even trucks swerve to avoid them, and took one sunset shot


A short and sweet three day trip .

Time to say "The End"

[pratik1992]

Wonderful Article. Great Pictures too. Makes me wanna take this trip even more.

[vittal]

Tsk

Wonderful pics & travelogue. Really enjoyed each of the phots and all the fun you driving the white elephant in the white roads.

I have read that you have snow chains. What are the various precautions you took for the SUV so that there are no damages due to snow and that nothing wrong happens during the snowfall.

Please can you share the best practices.

[andyonwheels]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I made a snow drive video on the morning run

One of the most serene and beautfiul dash cam videos ever seen.
The music mix is just so perfect. Thank you so much for sharing.
cheers,

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by vittal

Tsk

Wonderful pics & travelogue. Really enjoyed each of the phots and all the fun you driving the white elephant in the white roads.

I have read that you have snow chains. What are the various precautions you took for the SUV so that there are no damages due to snow and that nothing wrong happens during the snowfall.

Please can you share the best practices.

Hi Vittal I bought cables for front, designed for low clearance SUVs. In the rear I put on chains since rear always has more clearance.
Other than that its always important to drive a few meters and then check the chains for tension again.

[vittal]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Hi Vittal I bought cables for front, designed for low clearance SUVs. In the rear I put on chains since rear always has more clearance.
Other than that its always important to drive a few meters and then check the chains for tension again.

Thanks Tanveer,

I will try if I can buy one in London (presently on tour to London & Paris).