SRINAGAR, Jan 15: Hopes of rescuing a Norwegian woman who disappeared on a ski trip in the Indian Himalayas are fading after a week of search efforts in the bitter cold, officials said.It is not the first time the woman, identified as 26-year-old Franciska Rogne by the Norwegian Embassy in India, has gone missing while holidaying at the Gulmarg ski resort in the occupied Kashmir.

A year ago Rogne was lost for six days in the snowy wilderness around Gulmarg along with two other skiers before being rescued, said Ann Ollestad, the Norwegian ambassador to India. Police had earlier said Rogne was missing for only two days in 2007.

Rogne, described as a very experienced skier, was last seen a week ago leaving her hotel and heading for the slopes a short while before a heavy snowstorm set in.

“Last year there were three people and all the equipment in the world,” Ollestad told Reuters. “This time she went out without any equipment.”

She said she had been told that chances of finding Rogne alive were slim, given the extreme weather conditions.

The embassy said it has sent a team to Gulmarg to help with the search.

Gulmarg has been attracting more foreign skiers since the resort’s cable car was extended in 2005.—Reuters