So one of the ulterior tasks of this trip was to deliver fresh uniforms to the ski patrol, courtesy of Cloudveil. I didn’t want to publicize that fact until we had a good idea of how to best do it, with a minimum of red tape, bureaucratic bullshit, and hassles. There is a strange undercurrent here in Gulmarg, where a lot of people are trying to take credit whenever something good goes down, and pass the blame whenever something bad happens.So finally, 2 weeks after arriving in Gulmarg, I had a conversation with Mahraj Dar, brother of Kashmir Alpine Shop partner Hamid, who claimed to be the “team captain” of the patrol. We lined up a meeting with the 12 senior members of the ski patrol at the bar at the lower Pine Palace that night. It seemed like everyone in town knew about our booty, and we had to fend off everyone from our hotel manager Lateef to independent tour operators and guides who wanted some gear for themselves. We stuffed it in a duffel and headed down to the bar to present them with the new uni’s.