Gulmarg hosts first-ever 5km SnowShoe race

Gulmarg, Jan 25: Gulmarg Ski Resort on Sunday hosted the first-ever 5-kilometre SnowShoe race at high altitude, with around 100 athletes from across Kashmir competing in extreme winter conditions at over 9,000 feet above sea level, marking a major milestone in the promotion of SnowShoe sports in the region.

As per a statement issued, athletes across multiple categories, including Senior Men Open, Junior Men, Senior Women, Junior Girls, and Sub-Junior Boys and Girls, participated in the event.

MLA Tangmarg Farooq Ahmad Shah was the chief guest on the occasion. Other dignitaries present included CEO GDA, Assistant Director Tourism Tahir, President SnowShoe Federation of India Mir Muddasar, Vice President J&K SnowShoe Association Arif Laigaroo, and General Secretary J&K SnowShoe Association Dr Altaf-ur-Rehman.

Addressing the gathering, Farooq Ahmad Shah hailed the event and praised the growing popularity of SnowShoe sports in Kashmir.

“SnowShoe is a much-needed winter sport. The association and federation have made it a premier winter discipline in a very short time. I will ensure that SnowShoe is included again in the Khelo India Winter Games programme after being excluded from the fourth and fifth editions. This will largely benefit J&K athletes, as the sport is dominated by local players,” Shah said.

SnowShoe Federation of India President Mir Muddasar highlighted the historical and future relevance of the sport.

“SnowShoe is a sport with a history dating back thousands of years and also a sport of the future, especially considering changing weather conditions and the status of winter sports,” he said.