Hindukush adventure: Snow sports festival kicks off in scenic Chitral valley
Peshawar: Amid boosting adventure tourism in the country, the three-day colorful Hindukush Snow Sports Festival kicked off in Chitral on Saturday.
Assistant Commissioner Drosh Abdul Haq inaugurated the colorful event in the scenic Madaklasht valley in Lower Chitral district.
A large number of local and foreign adventure tourists are participating in various snow games.
Men, women, youth and children took part in various competitions of snow games, including ice hockey; snow trekking and making snow sculptures and cartoons on the first day of the snow sports gala.
Besides, a large number of local and foreign adventure tourism lovers are expected to attend the snow sports festival.
Earlier, the district administration and locals warmly welcomed the foreigners to the scenic Madaklasht valley. They were extending all-out support to the tourists and players of snow games to make the event a success.
While speaking at the inauguration ceremony, AC Drosh Abdul Haq said that participation of foreign tourists in a large number added additional flavor to the ongoing festival.
Traditional foods, barbecue, night music and workshops on the topics of climate change and eco-tourism are also part of the winter gala to raise awareness about the ever-rising environmental pollution.
The local and foreign tourists are enjoying the festival and appreciated the arrangement made by the concerned authorities.
Last year, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department had organized a successful event in collaboration with the district administration and Snow Sports Club.
The Hindukush is an 800 kilometre-long mountain range that stretches through Afghanistan, from its centre to northern Pakistan and into Tajikistan. It forms the western section of the Hindukush Himalayan Region and is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram and the Himalayas.
Jointly organized by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KP-CTA) under the aegis of Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs Department, Lower Chitral district administration and Hindukush Snow Sports Club, the festival showcases a number of snow games, including skiing, snow-tubing, trekking, snowboarding, ice skating, ice hockey, making snow sculptures, cartoons, snow curling and others.
Besides officials of the Tourism Department and district administration, a large number of adventurists, lovers of snow games and foreign tourists and trainers attended the event.
