Women Race In Afghan Ski Challenge
Women Race In Afghan Ski Challenge
Published : 20-Feb-2013 09:53
The Afghan Ski Challenge, a now annual race staged by the high mountain village of Bamiyan, 230 kilometres northwest of Kabul and 2500m above sea level, returns for its third staging on March 1st.
The race, sponsored by Arc'teryx who help provide skiwear for poorly equipped locals, brings together local and international athletes in a ski touring race to promote tourism in the war-torn area.
This year's race included Afghan women for the first time.
The race takes athletes through the Koh-e-Baba Mountains in central Afghanistan. Local participants train in a recently founded ski school for up to three weeks before the main event, lead by a Swiss ski teacher and a mountain guide. Previous races show that the local sportsmen hugely outperform international guests during the ascents, but there was significant potential for improvement in their skiing.
Bamiyan was world famous for its thousand year old statues of Buddha and was once a popular tourists destination on the ancient silk route, but tourist numbers have dropped from 15,000 per year due to the destruction of the statues and other cultural attractions by the Taliban.
Three years ago a small group of Afghan Ski-Fans (Aga Kahn Foundation) and employees of the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung founded the Bamiyan Ski Club and organized the first small, local ski touring race. The size of the race, which is free to enter, has grown significantly and this year five women have applied, in addition to athletes from other parts of Afghanistan.
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