Road accident deaths drop by 50% in Saudi Arabia    SR 3.95 million fines for 3 employees of a company and 6-month jail for one for violating Capital Market Law    Qassim emir launches 52 health projects costing a total of SR456 million    BD and INS partner to elevate standards of infusion care in MENAT    Dubai Design Week launches its 10th edition, celebrating creativity and innovation    GASTAT: Passengers of public transport bus and train soar 176% and 33% respectively in 2023    Fakeeh Care Group reports 9M-2024 net profit of SR195.3 million, up 49% y-o-y driven by solid revenue growth and robust profitability    Italy's 'Libra' to arrive in Albania with just eight migrants on board    South Africa shuts border crossing with Mozambique over poll unrest    French families sue TikTok over harmful content that allegedly led to suicides    Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power    HRT does not impact life expectancy — UK health body    Liam Payne's body to be flown back to the UK    Suspect arrested for banking fraud totaling SR493 million as Nazaha pursues corruption charges    Arab leaders and heads of state congratulate US President-elect Donald Trump    Neymar suffers muscle tear, out for 4-6 weeks    Crown Prince hails Saudi medical team that performed world's first fully robotic heart transplant    Al Nassr secures 5-1 victory over Al Ain to edge closer to knockout stage    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



In Pakistan, skiers reclaim former war zone
SEBASTIAN ABBOT
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 13 - 03 - 2011

A boy uses wooden poles for skiing in Malam Jabba, Pakistan. (AP)
THE chairlift and hotel were destroyed, the snow was not the greatest, and the apres-ski was tea and rice. But at least the Taliban were gone and no shots were fired.
That made for a good day's skiing in the Swat Valley, “the Switzerland of Pakistan” until the Taliban moved in and turned the country's only public ski resort into a training and logistics base.
The military ran the insurgents out in 2009 and now I was in Malam Jabba to fulfill my dream of carving a few turns in Swat alongside a handful of local enthusiasts, some in colorful ski suits, some in traditional robes, and some with sticks for ski poles.
Unused to foreigners, who usually are under orders to stay out of Swat for their safety, my fellow skiers stared in disbelief as I hopped out of my truck after the seven-hour trip from Islamabad, strapped skis to my backpack and set off for the main 800 meter-long (2,600 foot-long) piste.
They followed me to the slope, those who could speak English goodnaturedly asking me how on earth I came to be here. It turned out that they were holding a “Peace Ski Gala” in hopes of whipping up support for rehabilitating the resort.
The skiers pushed forward a skinny man with a black beard who wore a sky-blue ski suit and white rear-entry boots. This was their best skier, they explained, and insisted I ski with him.
But first they wanted to be photographed with me, a puzzling request since mine was the only camera on hand. This would go on all day.
Finally we began trudging up the slope, past a slalom course marked with flags on wooden poles. The hike took only about 10 minutes since the snow was only good enough to ski the bottom half of the slope. Most of the conversation on the way up was dominated by a man in robes and a wool blanket who said he was a mathematician and asked for advice about getting a US visa — a common pursuit in this poverty-stricken country.
Finally, from a height of nearly 2,750 meters (9,000 feet), I was able to take in the full view of waves of mountains in the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges. Farther north, Pakistan has some of the world's tallest peaks, including K-2, but is too poor to have much skiing infrastructure. The only areas with ski lifts are controlled by the military for training.
The Wali of Swat, who ruled the area until the 1960s, used to move his court to Malam Jabba during the summer, tourism officials told me. It may have been during one of these trips that his good friend, the Austrian ambassador, proposed a ski resort.
The Austrian government funded the chairlift and provided skis and boots, while the Pakistani government built a hotel with over 50 rooms. Construction finished in 1988, but the resort lay idle for another 10 years because of disputes over whether it should be run by the government or the private sector. The government won.
Now the hotel stands in ruins. The chairlift was destroyed by the militants and its metal scavenged for sale as scrap. All that remains of the resort is a row of a dozen metal shacks that offer tea and rice.
After my first run down the piste, as I was preparing to hike up for another, a couple of chairs were set up on the snow and I was offered tea with Matiullah Khan, a Pakistani ski hero of Bode Miller proportions for having represented his country at the 1996 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China.
Khan, now 47, is a former air force officer with a bushy gray beard who wore a lavender ski suit. He runs the Malam Jabba ski school and helped organize the Peace Ski Gala. He said he hoped the government would rebuild the resort.
But the tourism officials said that would cost around $4 million, and the government has more urgent priorities rebuilding what was destroyed in the fighting and the floods last summer that washed away houses, roads and bridges.
As I hurried uphill for a final run before it got too dark to drive home, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Someone was behind me carrying a white cup.
I had forgotten to drink my tea.


Clic here to read the story from its source.