MINGORA: Young amateur skiers of Malam Jabba area have vowed to become professional and do the country proud by winning the international ski championship.

They spoke to Dawn after participating in the three-day skiing championship at the Malam Jabba snow festival, which ended on Monday.

The event attracted thousands of tourists, who enjoyed snow-related activities, including skiing, skating, snow tubing and snowboarding.

Six ski teams and around 30 individual skiers participated in the championship.

The local skiers, who performed in the championship, told Dawn that they had a passion for skiing and wish to play the sport professionally at international level.

“Though we learnt skiing using the wooden gears and accessories made by ourselves, we, the amateurs, are capable of challenging professionals. We need training and coaching of international standard to learn professional ways to play the game and once that happens, let me tell you that nobody will be able to stop us from winning international skiing events,” said skier Ihsan Ali.

Another young skier said he had participated in the event for the first time.

“It was my dream to ski in a professional tournament and it came true this time. Before this, I with my friends skied on small slopes near my house,” Mohammad Ali said, adding that he like others loved skiing and awaited the skiing season for 10 months.

Minor skiers also participated in the event.

“Skiing wearing professional gears and accessories is easy and safe. I enjoyed sliding down the slope. I wish to ski more and more,” said nine-year-old Mohammad Noam.

The minor skiers said they needed coaching and opportunities to do professional skiing. A large number of tourists watched the tournament and said it was an interesting experience to see skiers in action in Malam Jabba.

“For me, everything here is new yet pleasant. I’d watched snowfall and skiing on TV only but here, I watched all that by my own eyes on a snow-covered hill. It is so beautiful and lovely,” said Irum Iqbal, a tourist from Faisalabad, who showed up with family.

The tourists expressed the hope that the government would organise winter sports and ski championships regularly to promote tourism.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2019