A snow cutting machine removes snow from a portion of a mountainous road before the Srinagar-Leh highway was opened to traffic in Zojila, 108 km (67 miles) east of Srinagar April 25, 2012. The 443 km (275 miles) long highway was opened by Indian army authorities for traffic on Wednesday after remaining snowbound at Zojila Pass, 3,530 metres (11,581 feet) above sea level, for the past six months. The pass connects Kashmir with the Buddhist-dominated Ladakh region, a famous tourist destination among foreign tourists for its monasteries, landscapes and mountains. REUTERS/Fayaz Kabli (INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY)