Ski Racing returns to Afghanistan
Ski Racing returns to Afghanistan
Published : 08-Jan-2024 05:00
A new ski club has launched in Bamyan Province in Afghanistan, thanks to the help of international visitors.
The former club stopped operating when the Taliban retook control of the country, but the new organisation has risen from the ashes.
The aim of the Bamyan Alpine Ski Club is to support the local community by training Afghan children in sports, arranging competitions in the region and managing the equipment that has been donated over the years by tourists.
International skiers will return to the region's Koh e Baba Mountain Range in February with specialist tour operator Untamed Borders.
Guests will meet the team from the Bamyan Alpine Ski Club and take part in the nation's only ski competition – the Afghan Peaks Ski Race – which brings together international tourists and the fledgling Afghan ski community.
Untamed Borders were the first company to organise ski tourism to the country back in 2011 and it has organised annual group trips ever since.
You can find out more about their operations by listening to this special episode of The Ski Podcast:
Many Afghan skiers use homemade wooden skis to be able to take part in the sport, which provides a vital outlet from the hardships in the region and an opportunity to mix with people from other nations.
Guests often donate equipment and funds to support local grassroots skiing, which is a valuable source of tourism and income for people who live in Bamyan Province, one of the least developed provinces in Afghanistan.
Although international visitor numbers are on the rise again, many of Bamyan Province's potential ski slopes remain undiscovered and it's this unique opportunity to ski virgin slopes, which is an exciting prospect for adventurous ski tourists.
"We only consider a trip to be true success if there are benefits for the communities we visit. The ski trips have always fitted the bill because our guests not only get an extraordinary insight into rural Afghanistan, but they also support locals by providing equipment, ski training and taking part in other schemes."
James Willcox, Founder of Untamed Borders
To become an international member of the Bamyan Alpine Ski Club please visit the Afghan Peaks website. To join Untamed Borders on their February trip, please visit their website.
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