It is a mater to rejoice that Pakistan Skiing has made to the Winter Olympics – perhaps for the fourth time? In the China Olympics Muhammad Karim participates as the lone athlete with three senior officials of the Winters Sports Federation of Pakistan accompanying him.
Karim is a resident of Naltar and before him Muhammad Abbas, also resident of Naltar and an employee of Pakistan Air Force was the first skier to make it to the Winter Olympics at Vancouver Canada in 2010 after qualifying the laid down criteria of the International Skiing Federation (FIS).
Skiing for children of the Naltar Valley was natural. Abbas was a toddler in early 90s and used to come along with other kids to the PAF Ski slopes to ski in tattered clothes wearing improvised skis made from twigs and fastened to their feet. Seeing the talent in him I provided a pair of old skis and some kind of ski dress that with alteration could loosely fit him. Pakistan Air Force encouraged the young children of the village to avail the skiing facility. It was from then on that the young boys started to groom.
In 1989 I was posted to command Pakistan Air Force Base Kalabagh, and Naltar is a part of the Kalabagh Base. In the winters of 1990 Air Chief Marshall Hakimullah Khan visited Naltar and finding the opportunity it was here that I proposed to the Chief of Air Staff for his approval to establish Pakistan Skiing Federation and opening the skiing facility at Naltar to the youth of the country. The Chief immediately not only accepted the suggestion he asked me to do it as quickly as I could and assured me of his total support. With support from the Chief of the Air Staff and Pakistan Air Force I got down to initiating the process of establishing the Ski Federation and within that year the Federation was formed with member associations from all the four provinces, Northern Areas (now GB), Islamabad Capital Territory and the three Services; Army, Air Force and Navy. In 1991 we had the first National Skiing Championship at Naltar. By 1993 the Ski Federation of Pakistan was in a situation to invite the Prime Minister of Pakistan as the Chief Guest on National Championship finals. Skiing was practiced in Pakistan since 1956 and in Pakistan Air Force since 1958 but it received the impetus after the formation of the Federation in 1990.
It has been thirty years since then and going to the Olympics with one skier is not really a laudable achievement. It is understandable that skiing is no hockey, football or cricket that the kids would start playing in any street corner or a village ope
space with the gear not challengingly expensive. The sport of skiing is different; it needs extreme cold climate with plenty of snow which cannot be found in most part of the country. Therefore the sport is naturally confined to the more mountainous areas in the north. Naltar is one such area in the country and the Federation has focussed efforts in all these years to produce Olympic level skiers from this nine kilometre long small valley. It is perhaps for the reason that in Naltar there was an already established skiing facility managed by the Pakistan Air Force and the latter made it available to the Federation. So the Ski Federation found a comfort zone. But in the 30 years more slopes could have been explored and developed and more youth could have been introduced to skiing in order to build a larger pool of skiers and to popularise the sport among the youth, the civil society, decision makers, the corporate sector, and the public at large. From the terrain and climate point of view there are abundant sites in the country which provide suitable climate and environment for skiing. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has locations in Swat, in Chitral and in Kaghan Valley. Azad Jammu and Kashmir has sites in Neelum and Bagh and of course Gilgit Baltistan in Naltar, Rattu, Minimarg, Domel and Gultari. I am sure there are places in Baltistan as well where ski slopes can be developed. In the recent past foreign investors have been seen showing interest in developing holistic skiing areas in the northern valleys of Pakistan. A serious effort needs to be made to attract such interested investors and provide them necessary facilitation and support to ensure maximum materialisation. I am not sure any such initiative has been incorporated for projection at the Pakistan Pavilion at the ongoing Dubai Expo.
Winter Sports are not only downhill skiing. There are a number of other categories of winter sports like, simply putting, cross country skiing, snow-boarding and ice skating etc. We could have easily developed facilities for these events at not too exorbitant costs and attempted to find place in some of these other categories as well.
Skiing is probably the most expensive sport anywhere in the world. It requires expensive personal gear and skis and costly travel to ski area, boarding, lodging, lift and lessons charges etc. Therefore, it falls beyond the easy financial reach of a common enthusiast in Pakistan and hence requires to be supported by civil society organisations, business houses, financial institutions and the Government. It is for the Winters Sports Federation of Pakistan (later named), of which I happen to be a part, to reach to these segments of society for the future promotion of skiing in the country. Pakistan has the mountains, the snow and the talent and if harnessed properly I see no reason why the country should not excel in winter sports.