PESHAWAR: Pakistan International Snowboarding Championship and Festival kicked off at the Malam Jabba tourist resort in Swat valley on Friday.

Over 44 national and international players, including four women players from Europe, Afghanistan and Pakistan, are participating, according to a statement issued here.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KP-CTA) and the Samson Group of Companies are jointly organising the event.

Besides snowboarding, traditional foods and a music festival are also part of the gala to entertain the visitors.

The statement said men and women joint slalom and parallel joint slalom competitions were held on Friday, while concluding ceremony would be held on Saturday (today).

Malam Jabba is the only civil skiing resort in Pakistan at about 8,500 height.

The tourism department had also arranged the snowboarding championship at Malam Jabba last year. A large number of people from across the country and internationally had participated in the event.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2021