High Roads News Sticky , 2019

(2018 sticky archived in the sticky category. Still working out the new WP software & tagging )

 

LEH , DECEMBER 27TH ( LOSAR) : first night below minus twenty . Now a lot warmer & sunny. Occasional power cuts as minor streams freeze over. Srinagar-Leh still out. HIMACHAL/J&K WEATHER , DEC 12 : full day of rain down here in McLeod, snow in the high country. Srinagar airport out for five days in a row , heavy snowfall on Srinagar-Leh.
SRINAGAR-LEH RE-OPENED , DEC 6TH

WEATHER , NOV 27 : heavy rain & thunder thru the night lower elevations HP , snow over the Tohtang La. More snow over the Zoji La. Light snowfall predicted coming days. 
SRINAGAR , NOV 26 : multiple wounded in grenade attack near Kashmir University , Hazrabatal. 
SRINAGAR-LEH , NOV 22 : 350 plus persons, mainly truck drivers,  evaced by army near Zoji La after last days heavy snowfalls. 

Rohtang La , Nov 16 – The Tribune
MANALI-LEH , NOV 15 : HRTC buses begin running thru the Rohtang tunnel if/when the pass is blocked. 
JAMMU-SRINAGAR HIGHWAY REOPENS , NOV 13TH.
J&K , NOVEMBER 12TH : Srinagar-Baramullah train traffic resumés after 99 day hiatus. 
MANALI-LEH , NOVEMBER 12TH : BRO struggling to clear the Rohtang La, more snow to come next days.
JAMMU-SRINAGAR OUT , NOV. 8TH 
WEATHER , NOV 7TH : rain in Srimagar & Manali , snow in Gulmarg & over the Rohtang coming days. 
SRINAGAR , NOVEMBER 5TH : one dead , forty wounded in grenade attack at Hari Singh Street. 
October 31st : celebrations in Leh and protests in Kargil & Srinagar as Jammu & Kashmir state dissolves. 
J&K , Monday 28th : nineteen wounded , six critical , after grenade attack at bus stand in Sopore. Truck driver shot dead in Anantnag. 
J&K , October 12th : seven wounded , three critical , in Srinagar grenade attack . 
J&K , October 10th : travel restrictions for domestic tourists lifted. 
J&K , October 6th : 14 bystanders wounded in grenade attack against CRPF in Anantnag , S Kashmir. 
MANALI-LEH UPDATE , October 4  : snowfall over the Rohtang La .
J&K UPDATE , October 2 : basically no change . Closed schools , no internet , landline phones only. Talk of “gradual” release of detained politicians . 
MANALI-LEH UPDATE , September 21st : snowfall over the Rohtang La 
KASHMIR UPDATE, AUG 29 : renewed restrictions in Srinagar. Strikes in Kargil & Drass. 
KASHMIR UPDATE, AUG 19TH : partial phone services in the Vale. Schools opening – with few teachers and even fewer pupils turning up. 
HIMACHAL UPDATE , AUG 18 : hundreds of vehicles on Manali-Leh road trapped on N side of the Rohtang La before Keylong. Same situation between Gramphu and the Kunzum La on Manali-Kaza route. 
LADAKH UPDATE , AUGUST 10-12 : protests and clash with police in Kargil , including a few tear gas shells. Protests halted on Sunday , open market and traffic running. 

KASHMIR UPDATE , AUGUST 4 : state police now actively blocking entry to the Vale , Ladakhbound bikers diverted to  to Himachal Pradrsh. 
SRINAGAR-LEH ROAD OUT JULY 27Th for a second day after heavy rains and multiple landslides. Jammu-Srinagar also out at Ramban. 
MANALI-KAZA , June 30TH : Kunzum La opened June 30th. 
MANALI-LEH CLEARED , JUNE 10TH according to BRO. No word on buses from Keylong yet. 

MANALI-KAZA , JUNE 9 : Kunzum La cleared. 
MANALI-LEH , MAY 30 : day tourism to Rohtang top starting tomorrow. Night temperatures down to zero , daytime around ten. 
MANALI-LEH , MAY 22: HRTC state buses start running up to Keylong. 
MANALI-LEH , MAY 19TH : Rohtang La cleared . 
MANALI-LEH , MAY 17TH : 500+ vehicles go beyond Marhi -and gets trapped by landslide. Day tourists start to hike down on foot. Five klicks of road up to the pass remaining to be cleared. Rainy & clouds , to clear up by Sunday. 
MANALI-LEH , MAY 12TH :  voters bused thru Rohtang tunnel for the upcoming elections. 
MANALI-LEH , MAY 5TH : traffic allowed up to Marhi , altitude 3300-ish.

SRINAGAR-LEH OPEN , APRIL 28TH. Good weather forecast today , snow & sleet over the Zoji La next week. 
MANALI-LEH , APRIL 18TH : traffic allowed up to Gulaba

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 6TH : BRO working its way up from Gulaba @ 3000 meters , frequent avalanches.

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The Tribune , April 6th
APRIL 4 : only military traffic allowed Wednesday & Sunday on Jammu-Srinagar road thru April and May . MANALI-LEH UPDATE , MARCH 22 : BRO makes their first guesstimate on road opening : April 10. Not the first time they have predicted an April opening – which never have worked out so far. More snow over the Rohtang in the weather forecast same day. Subzero at the top , snow turning to rain between the pass and Manali – prime avalanche season.
SRINAGAR-LEH UPDATE , MARCH 20 : road cleared up Sonmarg , but still avalanche prone and closed.
FEB 26TH : SRINAGAR , JAMMU & LEH AIRPORT CLOSED for a day after airfights over both sides of the Line of Control. One Pakistani , two Indian jets shot down.
FEB 22 : Leh airport closed in heavy snowfall.
JAMMU-SRINAGAR HIGHWAY , FEB 14TH : CRPF troopers killed in attack against convoy.Final death toll 42 CRPF , no civilian casualties.
SRINAGAR , FEB 10TH : four civilian , seven CRPF wounded in grenade attack at Lal Chowk. JANUARY 18TH : five dead found after Khardung La avalanche.Five missing.
JAN 18TH : three grenade attacks in Kashmir , one @ Lal Chowk.
J&K , JANUARY 16TH : more heavy snowfall , India Met Department issues avalanche warnings for Srinagar-Leh & Ladakh.

High Roads News Sticky , 2018

2019 :
JAMMU-SRINAGAR HIGHWAY , FEB 14TH : 20+ CRPF troopers killed in attack against convoy.

SRINAGAR , FEB 10TH : four civilian , seven CRPF wounded in grenade attack at Lal Chowk.
JANUARY 18TH : five dead found after Khardung La avalanche.Five missing.

J&K , JANUARY 16TH : more heavy snowfall , India Met Department issues avalanche warnings for Srinagar-Leh & Ladakh.

( 2017 sticky archived here )
DECEMBER 20TH : on/off conditions for Jammu-Srinagar road last week , now single direction traffic
DECEMBER 16TH , S KASHMIR : seven protesters killed in Pulwama
MANALI-LEH , NOV 15TH : Rohtang La out for traffic , Rescue posts set up in Marhi & Koksar for those crossing on foot. Lahaulis press for a opening of the Rohtang tunnel , not only for emergency purposes.
SRINAGAR-LEH , NOV 12TH out from the Zoji La in heavy snowfall.
MANALI-LEH, NOV 7TH : open road again up to Keylong , tourist traffic stops at Gulaba.
MANALI-LEH , Nov 3RD : Rohtang La out in heavy snowfall.
SRINAGAR-LEH temporary out November 1st in heavy snowfall. Temperatures now subzero at the Zoji & Fatu La.
MANALI-LEH , OCTOBER 11TH : fifteen centimeters of snow over Keylong , road out again.

HRTC buses again running Manali-Keylong , October 3 The Tribune
MANALI-LEH , OCTOBER 2ND : light traffic running south out of Lahaul over the Rohtang. Road cleared up to Sarchu.

MANALI-LEH , SEPTEMBER 26TH : hundreds evaced after last days heavy snowfall : some with IAF helicopters from Sarchu & Baralacha La , others thru the unfinished Rohtang tunnel.One meter of snow beyond Koksar. Weather improving , mixed sunny/clouds coming days. Above zero night time @ Rohtang La till end of week.
SRINAGAR-LEH , SEPTEMBER 23RD : Sonmarg-Drass out for a few hours , re-opened in the afternoon. Night temperatures now around zero at the Zoji La.

MANALI-LEH , SEPTEMBER 23RD : heavy rain thru the weekend at the Rohtang , night temperatures still just above zero at the pass.
MANALI-LEH , SEPTEMBER 18TH : temporary stop between Manali-Keylong after snowfall over the Rohtang. Coming days forecast : mixed sunny to rain , rain or snow in the weekend.

SRINAGAR-LEH , SEPTEMBER 16TH : first snowfall takes out the road for less than a day between Sonmarg and Drass.

AUGUST 9TH : RAINS , FLASH FLOOD NEAR LEH : rains on the W side of the Indus seems to have taken the same path as in 2010 : destroyed houses and road near Sabu and Shey. No reported loss of life.

J&K SECURITY , JULY 8TH : expect tensions on second year mark of Burhan Wanis death.

LEH , JULY 7TH : Happy birthday , Dalai Lama ( on visit until end of month ) .

SRINAGAR , JUNE 1ST : one dead , one wounded after protests at the Jami Masjid. Two grenade attacks in S Kashmir , no casualties.
SRINAGAR-LEH , MAY 30TH : road blocked for a third after landslide

SRINAGAR , MAY 25TH : massive clashes at Jami Masjid after Friday prayers , 40-50 wounded , shots fired inside the mosque.

MANALI-LEH OPEN MAY 14TH in news stories – not officially confirmed on leh.nic.in yet

SRINAGAR , MAY 7TH : three cars with domestic tourists attacked by stone throwers on the outskirts of Srinagar. One dead.
PULWAMA (south J&K ) MAY 7TH : grenade attack against CRPF , one wounded.
WEATHER UPDATE MAY 7TH : heavy rains over the Rohtang , rain in Sonmarg & Kargil.

J&K SECURITY , MAY 6TH : five militants ( including professor from Kashmir University ) and five civilians killed in Shopian. Curfews , transport and internet restrictions in Srinagar.
SRINAGAR-LEH STILL OUT , APRIL 24TH
SNOWFALL AROUND ZOJI LA , APRIL 20 : Srinagar-Leh out after Sonmarg.

ROHTANG LA , APRIL 19-20: night temperatures still just below zero , heavy snowfall

MANALI-KEYLONG OPENS – AGAIN..

April 14th – The Tribune

SRINAGAR-LEH , APRIL 13TH : traffic resumes , single direction only.

SRINAGAR-LEH ROAD OUT APRIL 11TH beyond Sonmarg after landslide.
MANALI-KEYLONG TRAFFIC , single direction only on alternate days , starts April 6th. Followed by snowfall over the Rohtang on the 8th…
MANALI-LEH , APRIL 4TH : less than a kilometer of road to clear at Rohtang top

Crossing the Zoji La , April 6th – The Tribune

SRINAGAR-LEH OFFICIALLY OPEN , APRIL 4TH.
KASHMIR , APRIL 3RD : internet restored in the Vale , but not the south. Strikes continues, including closed schools.
SOUTHERN KASHMIR , APRIL 2ND : second day of strike , internet services and train traffic shut down. 80+ wounded in widespread protests. Ten militants and four soldiers killed in the triggering event.
SRINAGAR-LEH CLEARED MARCH 31ST , opening next week : The Tribune quotes BRO official : “The necessary repair work and widening of the road is being carried out and it may be completed in the next few days”
Weather forecast coming week : mixed sun/cloudy , no rain or snow.
SRINAGAR-KARGIL ZANSKAR OPEN , March 25th – confirmed by Kargil admin

FIRST FRESH VEGGIES OVER THE ZOJI LA , MARCH 21ST : see the recent comment from Leh

MANALI-LEH, MARCH 22ND : snow over the Rohtang La , Kothi ( 10 cm ) and Keylong ( 15 cm ) .

SRINAGAR-LEH , MARCH 19TH : open road up to Sonmarg.

MANALI-LEH ,MARCH 17TH : snowfall over the Rohtang La and Keylong

MANALI-LEH ROAD CLEARING STARTS , MARCH 12TH : kickoff prayers and starting the big machines. Ideal conditions for avalanches – rain down in Manali , snowing at Rohtang top and temperatures swinging just above/below freezing point.
SRINAGAR , MARCH 10TH : grenade attack against Kralkhud police station , no casualties.
J&K 10th : SASE issues low level avalanche for large high areas in Kashmir : Gulmarg , Kargil and more. More snow in next weeks forecast.
GULMARG ( J&K ) FEB 16TH : five skiers hit by avalanche , one dead
FEBRUARY 16TH : one way traffic to Srinagar from Jammu running
HIMACHAL WEATHER UPDATE , FEBRUARY 13TD : first major snowfall , no traffic beyond Solang on the Rohtang road. Six centimeters of snow in Manali, 35 at the Rohtang La, 27 in Kothi, Keylong 11. Light traffic running in Spiti – eight centimeters of snow in Kaza.

KASHMIR/LADAKH WEATHER UPDATE, FEBRUARY 13RD : SNOW AT LAST
Jammu-Srinagar road put for a second day. 23 centimeters in Srinagar, 40-ish in Pahalgam & Gulmarg.
KASHMIR WEATHER UPDATE, JANUARY 29TH : seven weeks long dry spell ends(?) with light rains in the Vale . Eight cm of snow in Gulmarg.

MANALI-LEH : road closed, rescue posts at Marhi & Koksar closed December . This marks the end of the rescue posts , as the Rohtang tunnel should be operational in 2018. The tunnel work is closed for the winter and the Bailey bridge disconnected , so Lahaulis can still only get out with helicopter for medical emergencies. Work resumes May.
SRINAGAR-LEH : closed since December 14th. Zoji La tunnel project approved , estimated building time seven years. This will be a massive undertaking , ending Ladakhs long winter isolation.

WEATHER UPDATE HIMACHAL/LADAKH/KASHMIR , JAN 11TH :

Solidly subzero : Leh now in the -3 to -13 range , Rohtang La -5 to -16 , Kargil down to -20 .

Nights only subzero : Srinagar + 10 to -3 ( banks of Dal Lake frozen a week ago ) , Shimla +13 down to zero , Manali +10 to +1 .

JAMMU&KASHMIR SECURITY UPDATES :
JAN 23RD : grenade attack against Baramullah police station , one wounded. Grenade attack against army vehicle in Pulwama , one civilian wounded.
JAN 20 TH : eight police wounded in grenade attack at Pulwama , 40 km from Srinagar.
JAN 11TH : Separatist leaders call for strike on Jan 13th after civilian death in connection to protests in Kulgam district.
JAN 6TH: Four police killed by IED in Sopore , 45 km from Srinagar.

JAN 1ST : Attack against CRPF Camp in Pulwama ( 30 kms from Srinagar ) ends : five soldiers , one militant dead.

HIGH ROADS NEWS STICKY , 2017

( 2016 sticky archived , see the sticky category)

( Ice stupa  project at Phey , January 30th – follow the project at icestupa.org and #icestupa at instagram )

JANUARY 1st , 2017 : Historic second , Srinagar-Leh still open in January . First time was last year.

January 4th : Srinagar-Leh closes .

Srinagar-Leh , Manali-Leh Staus March 31st :

Manali-Leh : BRO working their way up towards the 3000 meter level from Manali , beyond Gulaba. Open road between Keylong and Darcha .

Srinagar-Leh , April 12th : open road up to Sonmarg.

Night and day temperatures above the four  thousand meter level dancing just above/below zero : interesting times ( read : high avalanche risk ) ahead.

Manali-Leh , April 16th ( source : The Tribune ) ,  south side : road cleared up to Rani Nullah , a few kilometers from Rohtang top.

North side : open road Gramphu-Keylong-Darcha , team two working their way to Rohtang top.

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 20TH : Temperature now  above zero day  night at Rohtang top ,  tourists warned as Beas river water levels raising rapidly , snow rapidly disappearing below three thousand meters.

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 23RD : the first crossings over the Rohatang La has been made -on foot . One kilometer of remains to be cleared , BRO confident on opening the pass for traffic within the next days. Temperatures  dipping below zero again at night , so snow melting will slow down.

MANALI-LEH , LADAKH APRIL 25TH : big landslide takes out Manali-Leh below Marhi , at the three thousand meter level . Snowfall in Leh again.

MANALI-KEYLONG OPEN FOR LIGHT TRAFFIC , APRIL 27TH : confirmed by Keylong admin.

First cars to Keylong , 2017 , near Gramphu ( north side of the Rohtang La ) , April 27th The Tribune

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 30TH : snowfall in Marhi ( 15 cm ) , Rohtang ( 30 cm ) and Keylong ( 5 cm )

MANALI-LEH , MAY 4TH : south side of the Rohtang La blocked after avalanche at Rani Nullah and landslide near Beas Nullah.

SRINAGAR-LEH , MAY 7TH : ZOJI LA CLEARED  , BRO hopes to have the road fullt open by end of  the week. Weather forecast coming days talks of à mix of sunny and cloudy days , no rain or snow. Nights at the Zoji and Fotu La just at the freezing point.

SRINAGAR-LEH , MAY 8TH : FIRST HAND CONFIRMATION FROM LEH , FIRST FRESH VEGGIES ARRIVE ( see comments section) . Road still shown as closed at official Leh site .

SRINAGAR-LEH , MAY 11TH : road now officially open at leh.nic.in

MANALI-LEH , MAY 21TH : fresh refills of snow over the Rohtang and Baralacha La last two days . BRO now sceptical on their earlier prediction to open the road on the 25th.

ROHTANG LA OPEN FOR DAY TRIPS , MAY 24TH

MANALI-LEH OPENS , JUNE 7TH : first HRTC buses sent off from Keylong.

KUNZUM LA OPENS , JUNE 12TH: HRTC buses now running to/from Kaza to Manali & Keylong

J&K  SECURITY UPDATE , JULY : seven dead and nineteen wounded in attack on pilgrim bus on the Srinagar-Jammu road , July 10th

HIMACHAL MONSOON , AUGUST 13TH : landslide takes out 200 meters of Manali-Mando road , two buses and houses. Around forty dead.

 

J&K SECURITY , AUGUST 15TH : Indepence day in the Vale under the usual curfew conditions , limited traffic and internet. Four wounded in grenade attack fifteen kilometers from Srinagar.

J&K SECURITY , SEPTEMBER 7TH : one dead , fifteen wounded in grenade attack at Jehangir Chowk , Srinagar.

J&K SECURITY , OCTOBER 3RD : Srinagar airport in lockdown mode for five hours while the adjoining BSF base is under attack. All three militants killed after ten hours.

 

MANALI-LEH UPDATE ,  OCTOBER 22ND : Rohtang La now subzero at night. Daytime below +10 .

LADAKH/J&K/HIMACHAL WEATHER UPDATE , DECEMBER 10-13TH :
Heavy snowfall closes Jammu-Srinagar-Leh road , half of Srinagar flights cancelled.
Thirty centimeters of snow in Keylong etc in Lahaul , BRO put clearing of the Rohtang La on hold in anticipation of the coming heavy snowfall.

SRINAGAR-LEH UPDATE , DECEMBER 14TH : road officially closed at leh.nic.in

NEPAL-TIBET/CHINA  : Kathmandu-Lhasa road still not open for foreigners.

PAKISTAN-XINJIANG/CHINA : road expected to open (earliest) April 1st.

High Roads News Sticky , 2016

( 2015 sticky archived , see the sticky category)

January 4th : Srinagar-Leh closes.

JANUARY 1st , 2017 : Historic first , Srinagar-Leh still open .

MANALI-LEH UPDATE , NOVEMBER 2 : Manali-Leh now show as closed on the official Leh site , leh.nic.in , after first heavy snowfall traps Manali day tourists at the Rohtang La. Temperatures at top still dancing just above/below zero , permanent snow build up uncertain. See also this post on the October 15th rumor.

Manali-Leh , Manali-Kaza update , October 12th : first snow over the Rohtang & Kunzum La , night temperatures just below zero at four thousand meters.

J&K security update ( see also post below ) , October 2 : Baramulla army base under attack , two attackers and one soldier dead at first reports.

October 1st : all curfews lifted .

September 30th : partial curfew in Srinagar to prevent the announced protests at Lal Chowk. Protest schedule prolonged to October 6th.

September 17th : massive protests in Srinagar after eleven year old found shot dead.

September 16th : Reinforcements : Two more batallions arrive in Kashmir.

September 13th : two dead ( Shopian & Bandipor ) , one hundred plus wounded as Eid starts. Widespread curfews.

September 7th : Kulgam school on fire as CRPF breaks up protest rally , ninety wounded.

September 3rd : one dead , seventy wounded .

September 2 : 18 year old drowns in Jhelum river , Srinagar, while being chased by CRPF .

August 31st : one dead , 150 wounded and a parliament members house torched as remaining curfews ( but not downtown Srinagar ) are lifted . Strike extended to September 8th.

August 30 : seventy wounded in clashes over J&K.

August 29th/day 52 : curfews lifted in most of Kashmir, separatists calls for continued strike until September 1st. Ninety wounded in clashes at the end of the day.

August 21st / day 44 : sixtyseventh fatality : teargas shell kills protester in Srinagar.

August 20th : partial restoration of phone services , mobile internet still out . Oil tankers on new strike , citing numerous attacks against vehicles and drivers , cutting fuel deliveries – including to security forces.

August 15th : CRPF battalion commander killed , eight soldiers wounded in Srinagar on Indepedence Day .

August 10th , reinforcements : CRPF sends in 85 more companies to J&K

August 6th : three dead , 360 wounded in clashes on Friday and Saturday.

Telluride , August 4th : World Conference on Wilderness & Mountain Medicine ( joint conference of International Society for Mountain Medicine and Wilderness Medical Society ) ends – stand by for exciting news ..

J&K security update , August 4th : partial curfew in Srinagar, and Anantnag , Baramullah etc.

July 29th : 100+ wounded in J&K clashes.

July 27th : renewed curfew in Srinagar.

July 26th : curfew lifted all over Kashmir , except Anatnag in the south. Fourteen wounded , one dead . Protesters and police in Srinagar exchange teargas and stones.

July 20th : twelfth day of curfew . Printed newspapers re-appearing tomorrow. Oil tankers on eight day of strike , refusing to supply the Vale and Ladakh after attacks on vehicles & drivers.

July 17th : Delhi sends reinforcements , twenty CRPF companies , i.e. 2500+ men.

July 15th : curfew extended over the weekend , now in all ten Kashmiri districts . Total casualties now 40 dead , 1500+ wounded.

July 11th : Amarnath yantra resumes under heavy security measures. Fifteen police wounded in Srinagar grenade attack.

July 10th : major unrest after the killing of militant leader. Civilians attacking police stations ( and tossing one police car in to Jhelum river , one drowned ) , police attacking ambulances , and more. Twenty dead , and a lot more wounded.Partial curfew in Srinagar.

June 25th : second attack in a month on police/Army convoy on Jammu-Srinagar road in Pampore : eight CRPF police killed , twentytwo wounded. Armored personell carriers transfered from Chattisgarh region.

Himachal weather , June 9th : fourth day of rain , more to come the next days . Max temperatures between 31 degrees ( Dharamsala ) 25 ( Shimla & Kalpa) , twenty-ish in Keylong.

Srinagar-Leh , June 8th : landslide near Sonmarg takes out the road , BRO at work clearing it.

May 23rd : Manali-Leh OPEN

May 23rd : Supreme Court decides on appeal against the NGT regulations at the Rohtang La : no changes , new hearing in two weeks . Taxi union demanded a fivefold increase in allowed traffic , with the ..odd argument that hydro electric power plants generates far more pollution (!).

Rohtang La open for day tours , May 21th

Rohtang La daytours , May 18th : traffic now allowed up to Marhi – with sad ,isolated patches of snow.

May 3rd : really , really official – leh.nic.in roadmarker now shows Srinagar-Leh as open.

May 1st : mangoes in Leh , in a mail from Phey school : “..trucks came too on 1 May and we’re eating mangoes in Ladakh! Hooray!”

image

( The Tribune , May 1st – Amin War )

SRINAGAR-LEH OPENS ON APRIL 30 : it’s official in todays ( April 28th ) news , and the weather forecast looks good.

SRINAGAR-LEH UPDATE , APRIL 25th : Zoji La cleared , BRO expects to have the road fully open ” within a few days ” .

image

( Zoji La inspection , April 25th – from Ladakh News Service group , Facebook )

MANALI-LEH UPDATE , APRIL 24th : snowfall over the Rohtang , both sides : five centimeters of snow down in Keylong. 350 persons trapped for eight hours near the pass on Sunday , until BRO managed to clear it agagain.

Srinagar , April 15th : fifth civilian death on Friday in the widepread protests in the Vale. Srinagar under partial curfew , including shutdown of internet .

April 10th : 6.8 earthquake in Afghanistan rocks Srinagar, Shimla , Kullu… no word on casualties yet.

MANALI-LEH UPDATE , APRIL 7th : Rohtang La cleared but not open for traffic yet ,according to BRO. Mixed clouds and snowfall in the weekend in the weather forecast.

SRINAGAR-LEH UPDATE , APRIL 1st : BRO has cleared the road up to ten kilometers from the Zoji La pass. Nights still ( barely) subzero at the pass & in Leh.

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KASHMIR WEATHER UPDATE , MARCH 17th : heavy rains over the Pir Panjal , roads blocked. Thirty centimeters of snow in Sonmarg . More snow over the Zoji la on the Srinagar-Leh road.

HIMACHAL WEATHER UPDATE , MARCH 17th : 45 centimeters of snow in Pangi Valley. More snow over the Rohtang . Daytime temperatures barely above zero daytime in Keylong , below zero both night and daytime above four thousand ( i.e. The Rohtang La before Keylong , and nearly all the way between Keylong and Leh ) . More snow coming in this weekends weather forecast .

HIMACHAL WEATHER UPDATE , MARCH 7th : heavy snowfalls and avalanche warnings in the high passes : 90 cm at the Rohtang La , 35 cm down in Keylong . Snow turning in to sleet and rain in the lower reaches.

HIMACHAL WEATHER UPDATE , MARCH 7th : heavy snowfall over the Rohtang & Kunzum La , 30 cm in Keylong .

Srinagar-Leh update , March 1st : BRO at work from Sonmarg towards the Zoji La , snow levels between one and three meters. First guess from BRO : work completed up to Leh by the end of the month – this would be nearly two weeks earlier than the record in 2013 . NB : they have been wrong before , many times .

Himachal weather update, February 20th : heavy snowfall above 3000 meters , half meter over the Rohtang La , Kunzum La and Saach pass . Twentyfive cm in Keylong.

Himachal weather update , February : moderate to heavy snowfall in Shimla and over the Rohtang La on the 8 & 14th.

Himachal weather update , January 7th : 30 centimeters of snow at the Rohtang La , 15 centimeters in Keylong , also breaking the long warm spell in Shimla.

January 30th : BRO starts clearing the road from Manali towards the Rohtang , earliest ever.

January 4th :

LADAKH : SNOWLOCKED since December 21st , 2015 : Srinagar-Leh closed , and from the Manali end BRO retreats from Marhi ( south side of the Rohtang La ) and Koksar (north) . No fresh veggies in Leh for a couple of months..

NEPAL FUEL CRISIS/EMBARGO : you can get in by land , the usual route via Gorakhpur and Sunauli. Flights run with the airlines that can refuel before landing in Ktm . Little drama for tourists , apart from some price raises.

NEPAL-TIBET : Friendship Highway between Kathmandu and Lhasa still not open after the 2015 earthquakes.

PAKISTAN-XINJIANG/CHINA : Karakoram Highway closed as usual , opening ( earliest ) 1st week April.

SIKKIM-CHINA : Nathu La closed for the winter , and still not an option either for Indian nationals or angrezis.

High Roads News Sticky , 2015 (archive)

( updates right now from behind the Great Firewall , less
snappy )

DECEMBER 21st , LADAKH SNOWLOCKED : Srinagar-Leh closed , and BRO retreats from Marhi ( south side of the Rohtang La ) and Koksar (north) . No fresh veggies in Leh for a couple of months..

December 16th : Rohtang cleared from Manali , northern slope down to Koksar to be cleared by tomorrow.

December 12th : heavy snowfall closes the Rohtang La . Eleven centimeters of snow in Keylong & Kalpa. Light snowfall over the Kunzum La @ Saach Pass.

Heavy snowfall takes out Srinagar-Jammu-Leh road and Leh airport for a day , December 11th. Twenty inches of snow in Gulmarg.

Srinagar-Jammu road , December 8th : two militants killed , four wounded in confrontation close to Srinagar : two police , one tourist , one local .

Himachal weather update , November 27th : HP receivs a brief kiss of snow at the 2000 meter level ( Shimla , Manali etc ) . Day and nigh temperatures still above zero . One cm of snow in Keylong.

MANALI-LEH CLOSED , NOVEMBER 15th.
SRINAGAR-LEH UPDATE , NOVEMBER 12th : Srinagar-Kargil open in alternate direction , every second day.

Srinagar , November 6th : eleven CRPF police wounded in grenade attack. Expect tense situation until Modis visit is over.

November 5th : heavy snowfall in Drass , Kargil & the Zoji La, Srinagar-Leh road closed.

OCTOBER 26TH : MAJOR EARTHQUAKE IN AFGHANISTAN , hundreds of dead , shakes northern India – so far material damages only on the Indian side. Sad day in an already torn nation.

October 24th : Rohtang La now beyond the tipping point , subzero both day and night. The snowfall predicted in the coming days will be around for a long while.

September 24th : online permits introduced for day visits to the Rohtang La at himachal.nic.in Daily quotas :

500 commercial Manali vehicles
100 commercial Himachal vehicles
100 out of state commercial vehicles
300 private vehicles

Himachal Pradesh , September 22nd : first snowfall over the Rohtang , Baralacha and Kunzum La. Open roads.

Himachal Pradesh , August 31st : eighteen dies as a local bus plummets down to the Sutlej river bank near Rekong Peo on the NH22/Hindustan-Tibet road. In a case of spectacular bad timing bus drivers in Una district shut down all traffic the same day as a protest against proposed new road safety legislation.

FLOODINGS IN LADAKH , JAMMU AND KASHMIR , HIMACHAL PRADESH AUGUST 8th :

Jammu-Srinagar road OUT
impressive rains in Himachal , Mandi bus station under a lot of water
high and fast water in all Ladakhi rivers after days of continous rain
trekkers airlifted from Markha trek
Himachal weather forecast : more rain all coming five days
Leh , Srinagar , Kargil weather forecast : cloudy to sunny coming days
Manali Standoff , take two ( July 9th ) : NGT new hearing set to July 16th. July 6th : National Green Tribunal shut down all tourist activities at the Rohtang after previous court orders have been flaunted ( five thousand vehicles yesterday vs the permitted one thousand etc ) – and dock the pay of a number of Manali officials until changes are made. SAACH PASS OPENS , JULY 4th : this means finally all four routes to Leh are open. SPITI UPDATE , JUNE 25TH : Manali-Kaza still officially closed ( i.e. no buses yet ) , despite all contrary rumors. Bad , bad conditions from Gramphu and eastwards with snow and slush. Heavy rain predicted , also on the Shimla/Kinnaur route. J&K and Himachal weather update , June 23rd : monsoon kickoff , heavy to very heavy rain predicted coming days. Manali , May 26th : Supreme Court upholds the ruling of the National Green Tribunal : max 1000 vehicles per day to the Rohtang La , and a two tier tax on regular vs diesel vehicles. LADAKHI INROADS : JUNE 13TH : MANALI-LEH OPENS , 2015 : cfirmed on official Leh site , all vehicles , June 16th Light traffic only , still not confirmed from Le. Weather coming days : thunder , rain and some clouds. Interesting days. June 6th : Border Roads reaches the Baralacha La . Remaining road to be cleared Baralacha La to Sarchu , Leh-Sarchu already open. June 3rd : Rohtang weather coming days : snow and rain. + 4 degrees lowest nights in Keylong , still just under zero at the Rohtang. May 28th : Manali Taxi Union strike ends : same traffic limitations to the Rohtang , taxes on hold until June 8th. May 26 : Snowfall over the Rohtang and in Keylong (!) takes out the road again. Manali , May 22nd : Supreme Court rejects Manali Taxi Unions plea for a stop to the traffic limitations to the Rohtang La & diesel tax. Full hearing May 26th. Manali , May 20th : very calm days on the road below the snowline , with the NGT cap and taxi union strike. See separate post below. When the traffic over the Rohtang resumes : 1) no traffic on Tuesdays , same procedure as every year , only Border Roads maintenance 2) second priority HRTC buses for Lahaul , and eventually Leh . 3) third priority Rohtang day trippers , only 1000 vehicles per day , and the new diesel tax. Manali-Leh , May 15th : Rothang La open for cars , not buses . Open road from Keylong to Darcha. Temperatures still dancing just above/below the freezing point at the Rohtang La : still time for more avalanches. May 11h : HRTC buses now running from Koksar ( north side of the Rohtang ) up to Key long . May 4th : Rohtang cleared from Manali beyond Marhi up to Rani Nullah , i.e. six kilometers from Rohtang top. On the north side the bulldozers have grinded to a halt , after using up all the stockpiled fuel. Fuel to be airlifted in. Srinagar-Leh fully open , May 25th Srinagar-Leh OPEN , May 8th : Light vehicles only first , buses and trucks to follow after more work by the BRO. Fresh veggies for all – congrats ! May 2nd : first crossings of the Zoji La – on foot. April 18th : Zoji La cleared almost cleared now , from both sides. Borders Roads new goal to open within a week .Weather forecast coming days : mix of clouds , some more snow at the high end of the road, and later sunny . ZANSKAR : Kargil-Padum road open SPITI UPDATE June 23rd : some second and third hand reports of the Kunzum La now opened , no details. June 7th : open road Shimla-Kaza-Losar , BRO has ( one report so far ) reached the Kunzum La. . Manali-Kaza still closed after Batal . NEPAL , MAY 12th : NEW 7+ EARTHQUAKE, epicenter 68 klicks west of Namche Bazaar. Friendship Highway from Kathmandu to Lhasa out already after the first earthquake – massive destruction in Kodari/Dram

High Roads News Sticky , 2021

HIGH ROADS STICKY , 2021 

( NOT ) UPCOMING EVENTS , SEPTEMBER : Ladakh Marathon 2021 cancelled

LAHAUL ( HP ) UPDATE , AUGUST 2 : 194 persons evacuated from Udaipur surroundings to Keylong , using ladders for river crossings , zip lines etc.

MANALI-KAZA ROAD RESTORED , AUGUST 30

LADAKH & HIMACHAL RAIN, FLOODINGS JULY 28 :

Srinagar-Leh : heavy rain taking out dam after Kargil.
Kargil-Padum road out , BRO Heping to restore within day(s).
Manali-Leh : high water levels , Darcha villagers evacuating.

Manali-Kaza road out between Gramphu and the Kunzum La pass.
Leh district official site issues weather alert : continued rain may trigger flash floods.
Weather forecast : continued rain over the weekend in Kashmir , Ladakh & Himachal Pradesh.

HIMACHAL , JULY 27 : nine tourists killed in recent rockslides enroute to Sangla, sixty waiting for evacuation. Continued rain in coming days weather forecast.

HIMACHAL WEATHER UPDATE , JULY 13 : massive floodings over the last days in Dharamsala , Shimla etc . Manali-Kaza road out in landslide after Gramphu. Continued rain in the coming days weather forecast.

MANALI-LEH , MAY 10 : traffic thrown open over the Baralacha La for light vehicles ..and closed in renewed snowfall next day.

LEH , April 6 : extended COVID curfew . No public transport except for key personnel.

LEH(PHEY) April 5 : SECMOL campus in quarantine.

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 23 : sixty centimetres of snow down in Keylong…

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 21 , whiteout caravan : Border Roads brings back 147 persons down to Darcha in continued heavy snowfall. Twenty more in six vehicles remaining near the Baralacha La pass. Day and night temperatures still subzero even below 4000 meters ( i.e. nearly all of Manali-Leh after Darcha , and around Fotu La on Srinagar-Leh ) . Frequent heavy snowfalls recently , temperatures shifting above/below zero at lower altitude… excellent conditions for more avalanches.

The Tribune , April 21

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 18 : one meter plus of snowfall at the Baralacha La , traffic to be disrupted “at least for a week “ according to Lahaul traffic police.

LADAKH COVID UPDATE , APRIL 18 : all Leh districts schools closed until April 30.

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 17 : light vehicle traffic starting Darcha—Leh , ending (?) the block since April 4th.

WEATHER UPDATE , SRINAGAR-LEH/MANALI-LEH/KAZA-KEYLONG , APRIL 16 : continued snowfall over the weekend , pause Monday-Tuesday, resuming Wednesday.

COVID-19 update Ladakh , April 17 : 1363 active cases , highest number since the start of the pandemic.

COVID-19 update Ladakh , April 14 : active cases spiking from mid-March , doubling over the last week to 851 active cases. First confirmed death since end-January on April 10.

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 14 : avalanche at Baralacha La

MANALI-LEH , APRIL 13 : Baralacha La out for more than a week , Lahaul admin organizes langar and shelter for hundreds truck of drivers in Darcha.

WEATHER UPDATE , APRIL 6 : heavy snowfall projected in the coming week over the Manali-Leh , Srinagar-Leh & Kaza-Keylong roads.

SRINAGAR-LEH , March 31st : avalanche hits BRO vehicle near the Zoji La , killing one road worker. Weather forecast : more snowfall during the weekend and next week. Night and day temperatures still below zero.

MANALI-LEH , March 28th : first oil tankers reported being sent off from Sarchu , road open up to Leh according to media.

Continued snowfall in weather forecasts for Sunday & Monday.

WEATHER UPDATE , March 22 : continued snowfall the coming days at the Zoji La ( Srinagar-Leh ) , Baralacha La etc ( Manali-Leh ) and Kunzum La ( Manali-Kaza ) . Subzero temperatures day and nightime even down at the Zoji La @ 3529 meters , excellent avalanche conditions at lower altitude and when it gets warmer.

COVID-19 update Ladakh  March 22  : 130 confirmed deaths , one third of that in November. Three confirmed deaths  in January , zero in February & March. 

Manali-Kaza , March 21th : Kaza-Losar-Kunzum La pass cleared , closing in on Batal @ 4000 meters. BRO aiming for a April opening. Weather forecast : continued snowfall the coming days, Kunzum La subzero day and nighttime . 

Srinagar-Leh , March 13th:  Indian Air Force airlifts 387 stranded Ladakhis in to Leh ,  March 14th.  Continued heavy heavy snowfall until the 15th. 

Srinagar-Leh , 7-10 March : continued heavy snowfall , 52 cm total @ Gulmarg

Srinagar-Leh , March 6th : Indian Air Force airlifts forty from Kargil to Jammu. 

SRINAGAR-LEH OPENS , February 27th …. and closes next day in heavy snowfall. 

February 7 : Chaddar trek ends

January 10th : Pangong Tso reopened for tourism

(2020 sticky below , to be archived )

ALL INDIAN VISAS STOPPED , MARCH 18TH

SIKKIM , MARCH 17 : no more Inner Line Permits issued , all domestic tourists barred .

SIKKIM , MARCH 5 : no more PAPs issued , all  international tourists denied entry to prevent COVID transmission .

Ice stupas @ Gangles , 4000-ish meters , above Leh, January 4th. Khardung La road to Nubra in the background.

SRINAGAR , FEB 2 : four civilian , two CRPF wounded in grenade attack at Lal Chowk.

LADAKH & KASHMIR , JAN 15TH : light snowfall here in Leh last night. Army & Air Force evacing 27 Chaddar trekkers over the last days , one with frostbite to Leh hospital. Avalanches in Kashmir , multiple civilian and soldiers dead.

SRINAGAR , JAN 8 : two civilian , zero CRPF wounded in grenade attack near Kashmir University.

CORONAVIRUS IN TIBET : one known case in Lhasa on February 24 . All tourist groups cancelled – and massive restrictions for pilgrims as well . Count on this lasting over the annual closure in to minimum mid-March.

( image via High Peaks Pure Earth

MANALI-LEH , OCTOBER 3 : Atal tunnel formally opens , ending the winter isolation of Lahaul. See upcoming post below.

MANALI-LEH , OCTOBER 31 : second snowfall of the year closes Manali-Leh beyond Darcha , and Manali-Kaza beyond Gramphu . Thirty centimeters of snow in Jispa , fortyfive at the Baralacha La pass. Temperatures now solidly subzero day and night from 4000-ish meters , i.e. everything from Patseo to Lato on Manali- Leh , the Kunzum La to Kaza , and Fotu La on the Srinagar-Leh route.