Hindukush Snow Festival: Foreign tourists enjoying various snow sports in Madaklasht

CHITRAL: The local and foreign tourists continued to enjoy various snow games on the second day in the ongoing Hindukush Snow Sports Festival in the scenic Madaklasht valley in Lower Chitral district on Sunday.

Besides other foreign tourists, Canadian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Gilmour Wendy, also visited the Hindukush Snow Sports Festival in Madaklasht and participated in the cleanliness drive.

He said that children of this scenic spot were very fond of snow sports, including skiing, snow-tubing, trekking, snowboarding, ice skating, ice hockey and others. The diplomat said that his country would extend every possible help and support to the local populace in promoting snow sports and tourism in the area.

Jointly organised 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 showcased a number of snow games, including skiing, snow-tubing, trekking, snowboarding, ice skating, ice hockey, making snow sculptures, cartoons, snow curling and others on the second day.

Traditional foods, barbecue and night music are also part of the three-day winter gala. This is the second time that an official event has been organised in the Madaklasht beautiful tourist spot.

Hailing the initiatives of KP-CTA and others, the locals said that organising the event at official level was a great step towards promoting tourism and snow sports in the valley. They praised the organisers and said that not only the local but the foreign tourists were also enjoying the mega event, which will send a positive message to the outer world.

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.