The two-stagegondola liftferries about 600 people per hour to and from Kongdoori Mountain, a shoulder of nearbyApharwat Peak(4,260m (13,976ft)). The ropeway project is a joint venture of the Jammu and Kashmir government and French firmPomagalski. The first stage transfers from the Gulmarg resort at 2,650m (8,694ft) to Kongdoori Station in the bowl-shaped Kongdori valley. The second stage of the ropeway, which has 36 cabins and 18 towers, takes skiers to a height of 3,980m (13,058ft) on Kongdoori Mountain, a shoulder of nearby Afarwat Peak (4,200m (13,780ft)). The second stage was completed in a record time of about two years at a cost of 180,000,000 Indian Rupees (i.e. some US$4.5 million) and opened on 28 May 2005. The French company had also built the first phase of the gondola project, connecting Gulmarg to Kongdoori, in 1998.