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War-weary Afghan youth turn to snowboarding for thrills

Afghanistan's capital may seem an unlikely destination for snowboarders

Published: February 06, 2020 13:22 Compiled by Sara Al Shurafa and AP

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20200206_afghan_mountains — While Afghanistan's capital may seem an unlikely destination for snowboarders, a group of young Afghans is looking to put the city on the winter sports map and change perceptions about their war-weary nation. Kabul is better known for its hulking concrete blast walls and tense security checkpoints. But it also sits in a valley in the Hindu Kush mountains at an elevation of around 1,800 meters. The rugged terrain has inspired young Afghans to take to the surrounding mountains in search of fun. Image Credit: AP

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20200206_afghan_ski — Ahmad Romal Hayat, 22, who founded the Afghanistan Snowboarding Federation, said that even a country plagued by war and sectarian conflict can have room for sports. "We started doing it (snowboarding) to show this new face to the world," said Hayat. As a teenager, he started out on a skateboard. Later, he bought a snowboard in neighboring Iran and taught himself how to ride it. Hayat said he's the first person to bring a snowboard into Afghanistan, and the first to try it there. Image Credit: AP

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20200206_afghan — These days, he and handful of federation members hit the slopes outside Kabul each weekend, usually with around a dozen male and female students and plenty of spectators. They come for the free training on a snowy hillside west of the capital, often shrouded in pale grey mist. The mountain, known as Kohe Koregh, was used by the Afghan mujaheddin, or holy warriors, to rain artillery and rockets down on Kabul during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s. Now, it's a place for laughing kids who sled on plastic bags, while Hayat's team members work on improving their snowboarding skills on about 60 centimeters of snow. Image Credit: AP

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20200206_ski — Right now, the only places with enough security to offer winter sports activities are in Kabul and the central province of Bamiyan. Hayat said skiers and snowboarders haven't been able to explore mountains with great potential in Ghazni and Wardak provinces southwest of the capital because the Taliban hold those areas. Bamiyan province is infamous for once being home to two massive 1,500-year-old statues of Buddha carved into a mountain, which the Taliban blew up in 2001. But Bamiyan also hosts a skiing competition each year, and the country's small snowboarding community is set to travel there for an indoor competition on Saturday. They're also heading east to neighboring Pakistan's picturesque Swat valley later this month to take part in an outdoor competition. Image Credit: AP

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