Tourists rest after making a snowman. Picture by Suman Tamang

Tiger Hill (Darjeeling), Jan. 1: A massive traffic pile-up on the way to Tiger Hill robbed the Balwa family from Rajasthan the opportunity to see the famous sunrise. But they were not complaining — because they were busy snowball fighting.

“This is a feeling we will never forget,” gushed Arvind Balwa, breathless with excitement. “This is just like plodding through sand. Only, a lot better.”

A four-inch thick layer of snow carpeted the higher reaches of Darjeeling in the new year.

Jalapahar and Tiger Hill, which witnessed the first snowfall since 1997, was thronging with tourists and residents of the lower reaches of Darjeeling, intent on being a part of the “white New Year” party.

Not even an overcast sky or temperatures, hovering at 4 degrees Celsius, could dampen the spirits of revellers at Tiger Hill.

For once, the famed sunrise took the backseat as cameras clicked non-stop with eager tourists striking a pose in the snow. The more enthusiastic even took the trouble of building snowmen for the sake of the “once in a lifetime snapshot”.

The late night snowfall was limited to places nestled above 7,450 feet. Only scattered snowflakes and the nose-numbing mercury gave away “nature’s New Year gift to the hills” in Darjeeling town.

As news of snow spread across town, many were seen scurrying to Tiger Hill, not only to enjoy the snowfall but also to pay homage at the Singha Devi Dham — a temple in the area.

Cashing in on the snow-rush were taxi drivers who jacked up the fare for a one-way trip to the hills from Rs 200 to Rs 300.

The snow was a windfall for local residents around the tourist hub. Setting up makeshift tea and snacks stalls, they did brisk business throughout the day.

The late-comers were, however, disappointed. The tourist onslaught and the sun thawed the snow by 9 am.

Officials, including the district magistrate, additional district magistrate and Darjeeling subdivisional officer were there at Tiger Hill.

Paritosh Kumar Roy, SDO, Darjeeling, said: “The beauty is really unbelievable here and I had not thought that it would have snowed so heavily. We have had an early snowfall in January this year and I hope it will snow again.”

The early snowfall began this year on Christmas, when Sandakphu, a popular trekking destination, and parts of Maneybhanjang and Kurseong were whitened by hailstones. Tiger Hill and the town were, however, not visited by Mister Frost.