What’s Our Height?

Whenever guests visit our homestay, one of the first questions they ask is, “What is the height here?” They usually want to know how many metres or feet above sea level we are located. I now understand why after interacting with many of them over the years. ‘Height’ as they put it or altitude gives people a sense of being in the mountains. Many also associate it with cooler weather, or fresh air, or compare it with some other place, or simply feel the pleasure of being at a certain height.

But altitude alone tells only a small part of the story. Imagine two places, both at about 7,000 feet. One is in the Western Ghats of southern India and the other in the Himalayas. Although they are at a similar altitude, they experience very different climates. The Western Ghats remain pleasantly cool throughout the year and almost never receive snow. The Himalayan location, on the other hand, can become bitterly cold in winter and may be covered in snow. The difference is largely because of latitude, or how far north or south a place is. People usually don’t ask the latitude.

Yet there is more to it than that. The direction a slope faces can make an enormous difference. In the Himalayas, a north facing slope like ours receives very little winter sunshine and stays much colder. A south facing slope enjoys far more sunlight during the colder months. That is a horticulturist’s dream here in this region as it gets ample about of sunlight even in winters, and hardly any chances of late spring spells of frosts.

Then there is the influence of the local landscape. Even within a small area, nature creates its own microclimates. In our garden, the shape of the land forms a small hollow where cool, moist air settles on winter mornings. As a result, this part of the area remains colder for much longer than the surrounding areas. The open lawn and the greenhouse warm up well under the winter sun, but most other areas remain extremely cold.

Nature is wonderfully complex. Altitude certainly matters, but it is only one piece of a much larger picture. Latitude, the direction of the slope, local winds, sunlight, and the shape of the land all work together to create the climate we experience.

Most guests are perfectly happy knowing the altitude. In fact, even I am guilty of using only this number to market my homestay. Only a few try to understand the fascinating story that lies beyond that single number. Yet, I feel it my duty to talk about latitude, face of slope, and microclimates when any of my guests wants to know the ‘height’. After all, they asked for it !

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