Homerun gives fresh impetus to winter sports athletes in Pakistan

The morning test run provided the organisers a taste of what was to come. There were thrills and spills as skiers and snowboarders came speeding down the Malam Jabba slope. Thankfully, though, there were no serious injuries.

The thinning ice on the slope also didn't help, forcing a tweak in the format of the inaugural edition of the Red Bull Homerun in Pakistan on Saturday.

Instead of a mass sprint to the finish line, the participants were divided into groups of five each with the winners of each of the individual races competing in the afternoon final. No one really cared though. Most participants were thankful at getting a chance to take part in an event that is held globally. Some of them travelled to Malam Jabba from the remote Madaklasht valley in Chitral and from Naltar in Gilgit-Baltistan.

"For our kids, this is a big opportunity," snowboarder Adeeb Hussain, who led the team from Madaklasht, told Dawn.

"It's an international standard event and the exposure they got here is something new for them." Key to arranging for the team from Madaklasht to come to the Homerun is PakistanAustrian skier Suhaib Ahmed.

Over the last few years, the 31-year-old Suhaib has turned his attention towards mentoring and providing opportunities for potential future winter athletes in Pakistan.

Madaklasht is a newlydiscovered winter sports venue of the country. Skiing, though, has been part of the community there for almost a century. Inspired by the members of the Royal British Army, who discovered the area as a potential skiing venue back in 1930s, locals have been crafting wooden skis of their own.