Testimonials for Bill's Trips

Naan and Paneer

Hey Bill

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the trip…still grinning ear to ear.  EPIC would be an app description… I really enjoyed myself and the whole Kashmiri experience. It was one of the greatest trips I’ve had.  I could spend another 2 weeks……..missing the mountain and snow now that I’m back in the city.  Thanks for everything. Really!  Super impressed with your operation and the quality of all the guides.  Tops!  I wish you guys good snow and weather for the next weeks!  Man….bummed just writing this email…I miss the mountain, exhaustion every night, and all that

Naan and paneer……mmm

Cheers

Matt

Stoked with everything

Thanks so much for the awesome adventure. We were stoked with everything – the place, the snow, the food, the people, the gear, the learning. It was so much fun and we really hope this isn’t the last time we see you here. Cheers for everything.

The way to go

Thanks again for the trip. Having got to know Gulmarg and some of the other options that are around, your trip was definitely the way to go. I am totally in love with Gulmarg and I will definitely be back next year, so, I will see you then, or, at Mount Hotham this year. Until then, enjoy the surf!

Kick arse

Thanks for a kick arse tour mate. Loved it. Onwards and upwards!

Sir William

Sir William of Kashmir – good to hear you have returned back safely to the motherland! It was a truly epic trip! Every time the boys get together it’s still all we can talk about. See you in another part of the world one day I’m sure. Cheers.

Knowledgeable friends

I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed our trip.  The entire experience was so much better than our previous trip to Gulmarg and it certainly wasn’t just the snow conditions that contributed to this. You should be extremely proud of the package you have put together. Often at the end of a holiday you are ready to go home but this was certainly not the case. I didn’t want to leave and am trying to work out the logistics of getting back there next season. Mark, Sam and Dave are a credit to you and made our stay and time all that much more enjoyable.  Their knowledge and help on a day to day basis was invaluable and very much appreciated. I felt more like we were skiing with knowledgeable friends rather than guides.

More than just a holiday

Hey Bill,

I just wanted to say hi and thanks again for an amazing trip. As I settle back into the everyday drudge I look back and realise just how amazing it really was. You guys have a brilliant outfit, from your main crew of guides through to the locals and all the staff. They all made it more than just a holiday.

I am keen to come back next year…

Best Skiing of My Life

Dear Bill

Just dropping you a line to say thank you.

Last week was the best skiing week of my life. It was a fantastic experience made possible by your super professional guides. I have to be honest that I was a little apprehensive about the skiing but going with Elliot and Dean just made me feel safe and allowed me to enjoy the turns. In addition, everyone was so helpful, supportive and friendly.

I very much hope to be seeing you guys in the future.

Cheers Bill

Mates

The guides catered well providing the freedom to ride as much or as little as you liked and the terrain that suits.  They were unreal – top bunch of blokes.  I owe Sammy a few pints for pulling me out of numerous powder craters.  The guides felt like they were mates, not just going through the motions.  Definitely made it what it was.  Bill’s experience and forged relationships made you realize you’ve got the best man on the mountain.  Certainly an experience I will never forget.

Luck of the Irish?

Hey Bill

Just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks for the trip. I think yourself and all your guys go above and beyond to put us on the best snow. I was a bit concerned when I had no luggage but Mez really did great to get me out with the limited gear at her disposal, and when the luggage thing was getting me down even went and sourced another board she thought might suit me better.  I think yourself and Natasha actually put proper time into trying to match group abilities, and I really appreciated this end of things. I’ve been plenty places where they say they do but really don’t.

I think the Highland and its staff were fantastic, and compared to a few of the horror stories we heard from down the village I was thanking my lucky stars we were where we were.  Sorry I couldn’t make the house boat for the grand finale but I’m sure Stevie kept the show on the road for the Irish.

Hopefully our paths will cross again.

Bottle Bill’s Trips Gold Standard! 

Hello Bill

Many thanks from all of us for a fantastic trip to Gulmarg. It was perfect – great skiing, weather, accommodation and food, but most of all, good people. We had an amazing time and the main challenge now is to work out how we can top it for next year, although it looked from the fresh snow as we left that this week would have been even better- I hope you have managed to squeeze in plenty more turns.

I think we got fresh tracks pretty much all day, every day. We got the best guiding possible; we were fed like kings and it all had the Bills Trips gold standard of incredible professionalism in a relaxed environment. I think you should try and bottle it!

Such an incredible experience

Hi Bill,

Missing it so much, I still have moments where I stare at my computer screen dreaming Kashmir powder!

Thanks again to you and the rest of the crew for providing such an incredible experience.

Kashmiri Time

…………….everybody around Bill works with passion and dedication, and have years of experience in their field. We always felt like guests while they played “hosts”.  We certainly never felt like customers.  You could feel that they all love that mountain, the country, and could not help themselves but try to share their love for that lifestyle and that part of the world.

As for Bill’s organisation: Unique is the word I would use. From the minute you land he puts you in Kashmiri time and pace, and you immediately feel miles away from your busy Westerner’s lifestyle.  How he managed to attend to everyone’s special needs I still cannot explain. The laid back attitude with total professionalism and attention to detail is what struck me as a unique blend. Always underselling and over delivering.

I took immense pleasure in seeing the younger generation having a ball and discovering what true skiing is all about……

A big thank you to you Bill, and to your amazing team………including the whole dedicated Kashmiri team at the iconic Highland Park Hotel.

Memories to last a lifetime

Kashmir is an eye popping experience that challenges you physically and confronts you emotionally. The skiing is epic, but is best skied with guides with serious local knowledge. Our guide, Billy Barker is hugely respected by the locals and provides a level of professionalism that is second to none. Relaxed, patient and fun – all importantly, our group’s safety was his first concern. Going exploring with Bill in Kashmir has provided memories that will last a lifetime.

World class – a great experience

Recently my two teenagers and I had the good fortune to spend two weeks skiing in Kashmir, India. Bill Barker was excellent company and provided wise guidance in a relatively remote and raw skiing experience. His expert judgement enabled us to access terrain we could not otherwise have safely managed and he taught the fundamentals of safe back-country skiing. Bill was ever keen to allow us access to new experiences all in a spirit of good cheer. Nothing was too much trouble for him and whatever problems or difficulties arose were managed effectively and without fuss. This is not your average ski holiday you need to be fit and it tests your resilience on a number of levels, but you could not have a better host and guide-world class. A great experience.

Best One Yet

Hi Bill

Got back to the wilds of Melbourne and now that I’ve said hello to everyone I’d like to be back in Gulmarg. Thanks to you and the other guides for a brilliant trip. We think it was the best one yet and the three of us are pumped to do it again next year. The snow and the trips we did were unbelievable! We will be in contact after our debrief so we can get in early. Enjoy the rest of the season.

Cheers

Safety

Let me thank you for the great experience I had in Gulmarg. The way the tour was conducted was great, showing the guest a good time, skiing through trees and touring to remote areas without the need to compromise safety and trying to go beyond the envelope. The emphasis on safety and understanding of the snow pack was well brought out during the time l spent in Gulmarg, especially the last few days when we decided to forgo skiing a remote ridge from the top and return to the main bowl area. Avalanches triggered that day and several days later by seemingly experienced persons show the need for prudent decisions. I congratulate you and the members of your team. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

Accountants

I am still reminiscing on our Gulmarg experience with you guys. What a fantastic time we had, I can’t believe that I ended up skiing the Himalaya.  Mark and Sammy were fantastic guides. It’s hard to get guides with a sense of humour (they sometimes remind me of accountants!). You know what I mean. Again, I want to thank you for the fantastic experience.

Far more than a skiing experience

Hi Bill,

A very big thank you to you and your colleagues for making my time there so enjoyable – from guiding me in the snow, teaching me about snow make-up and conditions, introducing me to skinning, and thinking up some other great things to do e.g. snow shoeing to the top, and walking to Tangmarg. I enjoyed getting to know you all and think you are running a great show there with some other great people.

By the way I think you should advise visitors to tell officials that they are on one of your trips – your name is known so widely and in a very positive way as we found out when we returned to the airport. The local people you have gathered to work with you e.g. Yousef, Mansour and Wally are all great as well. It was far more than just a skiing experience and I really appreciated that aspect.

Kashmir has definitely touched me.

Felt Like A Queen

Hi Bill

I just loved my time in Kashmir with you!
……the adventure skiing, world-class guiding, Highland Park, good company, Kashmiri culture….
Thanks for looking after me so well.  Felt like I was treated like a Queen.
Send my thanks and good cheer to Sam, Lydia, Mark, Mark, Wali and Manzoor.
Biggest Cheers

Devo!

Bill and Natasha

A belated, but nevertheless huge and heartfelt thanks for our fantastic trip to Kashmir.

As Devo infamously said, “Freedom from choice is what we want” or at least that’s the excuse we’ll use for failing to pick a single highlight.  There were simply too many – the guests, the guides, Gulmarg, the snow, the slopes, even the skinning (eventually), Srinagar and the Shikara tour of Lake Dal (with the competing calls to prayer from various mosques drifting across the lake in the gathering dusk) – all brilliant!

I owe you a few Kingfishers, Bill.

Regards and best wishes

Best trip yet

Just a quick note to say again thanks for a really great trip, even though it was my second time to Gulmarg it was definitely the best.

Epic

Thanks for an epic trip, I know everyone had a cracker and it will always be a talking point whenever the lads are together. Thanks again for setting it all up for us and making it a trip of a life time for everyone on the tour.  Love to get back again one day.