The first-ever Hindu Kush Snow Sports Festival began with colourful activities in the scenic Madaklasht Valley in Chitral district on Saturday. Drosh Assistant Commissioner, Abdul Haq, inaugurated the three-day festival. Officials of Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP), district administration and a large number of snow sports players, foreign tourists and spectators were present on the occasion.

TCKP and the Chitral district administration have jointly organized the event. The Hindu Kush Snow Sports Festival, which is the first of kind in the history of the province in Madaklasht, showcases a number of snow games including skiing, snow-tubing, trekking, snow-boarding, ice skating, ice hockey, making snow statues, cartoons, snow curling and others.

Traditional foods, barbeque, night music and workshops on the topics of climate change and eco-tourism are also part of the winter gala. Speaking on the occasion, Assistant Commissioner Abdul Haq said that the event was a great step towards promoting tourism and snow sports in the valley. He praised the organizers and said that not only the local but the foreign tourists were also enjoying the three-day mega event, which will send a positive message to the outer world.

Later, a number of snow sports activities including skiing, snow-tubing, trekking, snow-boarding, ice skating, ice hockey, making snow statues, cartoons, snow curling and others were held. The Hindu Kush is an 800 kilometer-long mountain range that stretches through Afghanistan, from its centre to northern Pakistan and into Tajikistan. It forms the western section of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region and is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram and the Himalayas.