Skier and full-time freelance writer Eric Segalstad will document three months of skiing in Northern India this coming winter. Starting Christmas he'll be in Kashmir at Gulmarg, a ski area with world-class terrain less than a mile from the 50-year-old Line of Control between India and Pakistan. It's an area filled with contrasts: monkeys live in the snow-covered forests, lifties carry machine guns for safety, and a pair of new Poma gondolas transport skiers 4,400 feet to 13,057 feet. From there, look west into Pakistan and although the lines look inviting, dropping in would mean crossing the Line of Control, entering the world's highest battleground. According to an old Indian saying, "Kashmir is paradise on earth," but the Eden is on a constant verge of possible interruption.

In March Eric travels to the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh where late-season snowpack allows for touring lofty backcountry lines in mountains known in Hinduism as the abode of the gods.

The trip will be documented once a week (internet access permitting) by blog, still photography, and video clips on TheLineOfControl.com.