The Bamyan Ski Club

THE
BAMYAN
SKI
CLUB
ORGANIZER
OF THE
AFGHAN
SKI
CHALLENGE
THE RACE
WHERE
THE WHOLE
WORLD
WINS
EST.
2011

THE
MISSION
The Bamyan Ski Club is a nonprofit
organization, founded
2011 and based in Zurich,
Switzerland. The Club supports
ski sports and peaceful development
in Afghanistan. Its
activities involve running a ski
school for girls and boys in
Bamyan, Central Afghanistan
and hosting the annual Afghan
Ski Challenge, an international
ski touring race. The Club’s
manag ing board consists of a
former World Class skier, Swiss
entre preneurs and personalities
from the NGO-sector.
7 TH AFGHAN SKI
CHALLENGE 2017
KOH-E-BABA
BAMYAN PROVINCE
AFGHANISTAN

THE
STORY
SO FAR
In March 2011, a group of Swiss
ski enthusiasts organized a ski
race in Bamyan. It was the first
race ever to be held there. To
the Afghans, skiing was a strange
thing. Even so, ten boys took
up the challenge of com peting in
the event. It was the local car
mechanic who carried off the
victory. The Afghan Ski Challenge
hit the headlines worldwide.
The event was covered by
The Wall Street Journal, the
New York Times, The Guardian
and hundreds of TV stations.
In the 6 th chal lenge in March
2016, 70 skiers participated.
Even though Afghanistan is still
a destination for only the most
dauntless kind of tourists, many
participants were foreigners
from as far away as Australia
and Canada.

THE
NEXT
CHAPTERS
Since the winter of 2014/15,
two Afghan skiers have been
coming to St. Moritz, Switzerland,
for professional trainings.
With the support of the Bamyan
Ski Club, the city of St. Moritz
and ski manufacturer Völkl,
Alishah Farhang and Sajjad
Husaini hope to become the
first Afghan skiers to participate
in the Olympics and be part
of the Winter Games 2018 in
South Korea.
The Bamyan Ski Club is also
working hard to establish a permanent
ski center in Bamyan
and to put the first ski lift in the
mountains of Afghanistan into
operation soon.

HOW TO GET
INVOLVED
THE RACE
The Afghan Ski Challenge is held
annually at the beginning of March
in the Koh-e-Baba moun tain range,
south of Bamyan. The 7 th edition is
scheduled for March 3 rd 2017.
For more information please visit
afghanskichallenge.com. The British
outfitter Untamed Borders is
offering a 10 day package tour to
the event. For further information
please contact
info@untamedborders.com
The Afghan Ski Challenge at
St. Moritz is a charity ski race,
taking place in late December/
early January in the skiing region
of Corviglia, St. Moritz. More
information on: st.moritz.ch or
bamyanskiclub.com.
THE APRÈS-SKI BAR
Since the winter of 2014/15 the
Bamyan Ski Club has its own Club
House in the heart of St. Moritz.
The après-ski bar that serves
delicate food and the best Afghan
Mules in town is open from
mid-December until the end of
March. With each consumption you
support the Bamyan Ski Club and
its projects.

BECOME
A MEMBER
For CHF 80 a year, you can
become a member of the
Bamyan Ski Club. As a member
you are entitled to the exclusive
Bamyan Ski Club Badge and
the stylish Ski Club Pin. Twice a
year you will receive a newsletter,
which keeps you up to
date about the club’s activities,
and you will be invited to the
annual Member’s Cocktail. With
a membership your entrance to
the Bamyan Ski Club Bar is
guaranteed as well as your pole
position at the Afghan Ski
Challenge at St. Moritz. To
register, please fill in the inlay
or contact:
member@bamyanskiclub.com
DONATIONS
If you wish to support the
Bamyan Ski Club even further,
donations are of course most
welcome.
Credit Suisse,
CH19 0483 5125 5530 9100 0
Account: 1255530-91

unit38.ch
bamyanskiclub.com
afghanskichallenge.com