Naltar Ski Resort: Season, Slopes and Winter Access

Naltar ski resort is Pakistan's oldest ski area, run by the Pakistan Air Force above the village of Naltar Bala, at close to 3,000 metres and about two hours' drive from Gilgit. The season runs from about December to March, with the most reliable snow in January and February, which is also when the national championships are held. It is small by any international standard, with one chairlift, and it is built for competition and training more than for casual holidays, so plan equipment, rooms and the road up in advance.

This guide covers what the resort is like, the season and events, whether visitors can ski and hire kit, how to get up in snow, and how Naltar compares with the alternatives.

What is the Naltar ski resort?

Skiing at Naltar goes back decades, and the resort is the main facility of the Ski Federation of Pakistan, which is based at the Air Force's complex in Islamabad and has long had its backing. Muhammad Karim, who grew up in Naltar, has represented Pakistan at four Winter Olympics, most recently at Milano Cortina in 2026. He and Pakistan's first Winter Olympian, Muhammad Abbas, who skied at Vancouver in 2010, both started out on wooden skis made locally.

The facilities are simple. There are two main slopes, the larger served by a chairlift that was brought in from Switzerland and tested in 2014. Races held here include slalom and giant slalom, and snowboarding has its own championship. Around the slopes the valley is pine forest and deep snow, which is a good part of the appeal.

Don't expect a resort in the European sense: there is one lift, few services around the slopes, and on competition days the athletes come first.

When is the ski season at Naltar?

Snow usually covers the upper valley from about December to March. For skiing, the reliable window is January to mid-February, when the cover is deepest and the championships are held. December can be thin in a dry year.

Recent winters have been uneven. In early January 2026, several days of snow drew crowds to Naltar, yet by the middle of the month residents across Gilgit-Baltistan were describing a dry winter with bare mountains. If your trip is built around skiing, confirm the snow and whether the lift is running a few days before you go.

Ski events at Naltar

Competitions are held most winters, usually in January or February, organised by the Air Force with the Ski Federation and, more recently, the winter sports associations. Recent examples:

• Early 2019: the Chief of the Air Staff International Karakoram Alpine Ski Cup, with 38 skiers from 12 countries, and FIS-registered slalom and giant slalom races.
• January 2021: a week of winter games with alpine skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey and skating, and around 100 competitors.
• February 2023: the 30th National Ski Championship, the 17th Shah Khan Ski Cup and the 7th Snowboarding Championship, with 93 athletes from 10 teams.
• February 2024: the Sadia Khan and Children Ski and Snowboarding Championship, with 62 competitors from seven teams.
• January 2025: the National Ice Sports Championship, with ice hockey, speed skating, curling and figure skating, and twelve men's and women's teams.

Dates change from year to year, so watch Gilgit-Baltistan news from December if you want to plan around an event, and book a room early if you do.

Can tourists ski at Naltar?

Yes, but it takes more arranging than Malam Jabba. The resort exists first for training and competition, and access to the lift and slopes for casual visitors depends on what is happening that day and on the resort's arrangements.

Equipment. Skis, boots and boards at Naltar have traditionally come through the Ski Federation and the Air Force resort, which have lent equipment and given coaching to members, trainees and students of its ski school. What is available to a walk-in visitor on a given day is not published, so don't count on hiring kit on arrival. If you own equipment, bring it. If you don't, contact the resort or the Ski Federation well before your trip, or go with an operator who can arrange it.

Lessons. Coaching for newcomers has been offered through the resort's ski school. For a complete beginner, ask in advance whether an instructor will be available on your dates.

What to bring. Proper ski or snow clothing, waterproof gloves, goggles or dark sunglasses, and high-factor sunscreen: the sun on snow at 3,000 metres burns quickly.

Getting to Naltar in snow

In summer the drive from Gilgit to Naltar Bala takes about two hours via Nomal, on the rebuilt valley road. In winter, plan for longer and for a different vehicle.

• Use a 4x4 with a local driver. After fresh snow the road above Nomal can be icy or snowbound, and a local driver knows when it is passable.
• Carry chains if you are driving yourself, and turn back rather than push on in heavy snow.
• Leave Gilgit in the morning. Roads freeze again as the afternoon sun goes off them.
• Check before you set out, with your hotel in Naltar or with drivers in Nomal. In early January 2026, after several days of snow, local authorities urged visitors to be careful of slippery roads.

Getting to Gilgit in winter has its own risks: flights are often cancelled in December to February, and the KKH can be closed for hours or days by snow and rockfall. Keep at least one spare day each way. Our guide on how to reach Naltar Valley covers the route from Islamabad in full.

Where to stay in winter

Naltar Bala has a handful of small hotels and guesthouses, some of which stay open through the winter. Rooms are limited: in January 2026 local reports described a shortage of rooms as visitors arrived for the snow. Book before you travel, and ask:

• How the rooms are heated, and whether there is a generator. Winter power cuts in Gilgit-Baltistan are long.
• Whether there is hot water in the mornings.
• Whether meals are provided, since there is little else open.

The Air Force has rest houses in the valley, but they are not generally open to the public. If Naltar is full, stay in Gilgit and drive up for the day, weather permitting. For more on the valley itself, see our Naltar Valley guide.

Naltar or Malam Jabba?

Choose Naltar if you are an experienced skier, want to watch or take part in the national championships, or are combining snow with a winter trip to Gilgit and Hunza. The setting, deep in a pine valley in the Karakoram, is hard to beat, and the snow is usually more reliable than lower down.

Malam Jabba, in Swat, is the more commercial resort, with a hotel at the resort, tickets sold at the gate, and lessons and equipment hire in the season. Our Malam Jabba guide covers it. But check the current situation carefully first: after a suicide attack on a police station in Kabal, Swat, in August 2026 killed 17 people, the UK government advises against all travel to Swat. Pakistani visitors still travel there, but read local news and police advice before you decide, and overseas visitors should check their own government's advice and their insurance.

Skip skiing altogether if you simply want snow. Our guide to Gilgit-Baltistan in winter covers the valleys that stay open and what a winter trip involves. For help putting a winter itinerary together, start with our trip planning page.

Frequently asked questions