BAMIYAN: From the edge of a slope in Bamiyan province, rivals cheer as they take turns racing down the mountain, united in keeping skiing alive in Afghanistan.
Although home to spectacular mountain ranges, including the mighty Hindu Kush, the country does not have a widespread skiing culture, and equipment is also expensive and scarce.
But that hasn’t stopped the growth of a thriving skiing cohort eager to continue developing the sport in Afghanistan, despite the loss of sponsors and prominent skiers who left the country after the Taliban took over in 2021.
“Ski racing has lost a bit of its color in Afghanistan” since Taliban authorities returned to power, said Esmatullah Haidari, 23, who captains the local ski team.
But he added that “there are still passionate skiers who don’t want skiing to disappear”. Shah Agha Rezayee, a coach and long-time skier, said fans of the sport had “revived the spirit” of skiing.
“We should work on it because it is our motivation, interest and love,” said Rezayee, who dreams of representing Afghan skiing at the Olympics.
Today there are teams in at least six provinces with hundreds of members, some of whom hit the slopes of Bamiyan in early March for the federation’s first official race of the season.
A long line of competitors, wearing warm clothing and neon pins, shouldered their skis as they marched up the ski slope of Bamiyan, which lacked a lift.
A handful of men gathered to watch and joined in spirited applause as each adult and child competitor crossed the finish line.
Women no longer participate, as Taliban authorities have effectively banned women from all sports, even though they used to make up a large number of skiers in Bamiyan, according to the federation.
“We feel their absence,” Haidari said. “Everyone should be free, they should be able to study and ski, it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy,” he added. “We miss our sisters so much.
Foreign women do not face the same restrictions, and visitors have continued to join Afghans on the slopes, including at events organized by the charity Bamyan Alpine Ski Club.
One such event was the well-attended Afghan Peaks Ski Race, which was also sponsored by the local TV station this year.
Hikers with adventure travel company Untamed Borders brought about 130 kilograms (285 pounds) of gear into the country with them to donate. Many skiers make do with donated equipment and handmade wooden skis.
“We have a very limited budget for this sport,” said Mohammad Daud Kargar, president of the Afghanistan Ski Federation. “Some organizations have cooperated with us in the past, but we have not received any help in the previous three years.”
Nasratullah Nasrat, who learned to ski from YouTube videos, said he hopes to one day ski for Afghanistan, but expressed concern about the “very limited resources” available to skiers.
“Unfortunately, the government is not paying much attention, the slopes are not ready and there has been less snow recently,” a 20-year-old man from Wardak province told AFP, referring to the late arrival of snow this year during the dry season. Earth.
Haidari repeated the calls but was determined to continue the relay of two Afghan skiers, Sajjad Husaini and Sayed Alishah Farhang, who left the country after the US-backed government collapsed in 2021.
Even if “we don’t get the resources, we will make wooden skis and we will not let skiing die in Afghanistan, especially in Bamiyan,” he said.
