Skiing Past The Taliban
The Film Champions of Golden Valley Highlights An Afghan Ski Club And The Turmoil That Comes With It
In the Bamyan province of Afghanistan—180 kilometers from Kabul—small tribal communities dominate the landscape. The mountains themselves rise to a high altitude of over 8,300 feet above sea level. It’s a rugged, largely untouched area. It’s unapologetically stunning.
Its history is rich but also devastating. Once a haven for the Buddhist community, key religious buildings were demolished during early Taliban rule in 2001, and stunning cave monuments were destroyed by bombs by the Taliban. Shortly after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan.
The realities of war tore apart communities and left the U.S. entangled in a conflict that many Americans overwhelmingly opposed. An AP-NORC survey from 2021from 2021 found that 62 percent of respondents believed the war was not worth fighting.
Regardless, the war happened, and despite all the challenges it brought, there were silver linings, such as the rise of skiing in the region—a welcome distraction from poverty and the harsh realities of war.
Over the years, the blossoming ski culture piqued the interest of the international community, including filmmakers Ben Sturgulewski and Katie Stjernholm.
They are the minds behind the new documentary Champions of Golden Valley, which follows the growing Afghan ski scene, dominated by a ski race in the region called the Afghan Ski Challenge.
Founded by Swiss national Christophe Zuercher in 2010, the race gained international intrigue in the following years. The film, directed by Sturgulewski and produced by Stjernholm, follows the journey of the Bamyan Alpine Ski Club, the group behind the aforementioned race.
Champions of Golden Valley tells a story that initially does not stray far from other cinematic tales about skiing—following a champion or rivals from training to victory. As the years went on, the passion for training both boys and girls in ski racing grew. However, not all the racers had access to the fancy gear we are accustomed to.
Unlike many of us, they don’t head to the local ski shop to buy equipment; most of them make their own. Skis are crafted from wood, and ski boots are virtually nonexistent—just everyday shoes held to the homemade skis with bindings made from plastic bottles. Equipment is even more expensive and scarce than it is in the U.S.
“No boots, just whatever shoes somebody has, like rubber boots. I certainly saw some socks as well,” Sturgulewski said.
As the group built skis, their more experienced competitors made international waves, attracting attention from American and European ski enthusiasts. The group also constructed a rustic ski lift—made from a rope, wheelbarrow, and a motorcycle.
Boys and girls in the community found a constructive outlet.
But as the filmmaking process progressed, so did the crux of the story. Following the U.S. withdrawal from the region, a humanitarian crisis grew as the Taliban regained control. This ski movie quickly transformed into something more profound.
Now making the festival circuit, the film highlights some very real truths about war, poverty, and adversity while showcasing an inspiring story of self-reliance.
Sports have always been a vector for discussing the real people and passions behind significant social and geopolitical issues, and skiing is no exception.
When the coach opened skiing up to women, it put a target on his back, prompting him to seek refuge abroad. “The Taliban takeover was incredibly tragic. We started getting messages from Aliash, and we began talks with the club,” Stjernholm said.
The filmmakers were involved in helping him and the female skiers escape.
“By the time we were involved, we were able to help some members of the ski club and some female skiers evacuate. We worked with an NGO in Germany, as well as volunteer veterans, intelligence agencies, and international governments. The process was very chaotic. There were many pathways out, but none were straightforward,” Stjernholm added.
This shift was a massive setback, especially for those still in Bamyan. In September 2021, the ski club posted a stunning video of the region’s views on Instagram, alongside the saddening caption: “Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in winter but no skiing anymore because sports are not allowed; as with most things, everything is forbidden or very limited under the Taliban.”
However, the ski club found a way around it and has since moved forward, but only for some. The local ski team now focuses more on providing a constructive outlet for boys in the region, allowing them to continue skiing despite the Taliban’s ban on women in sports.
Some tourist groups still venture to the region despite the global turmoil with some slated to visit for the annual race in February.
The Taliban has made efforts to entice tourists from across the globe to consider Afghanistan as a vacation spot, but women are not allowed to participate. Education beyond the sixth grade is prohibited for women under Taliban rule.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, the United Nations issued a stark rebuke of the Taliban’s ban on women in sports following the summer games. “This ban is part of the Taliban’s institutionalized system of sex and gender discrimination and oppression, which may amount to crimes against humanity,” the UN stated in a published statement in August.
It is unclear when or if conditions will change for women in the region.
Despite the challenges, there is hope for the future, as the film outlines, due to the increased awareness of the race, the ski community, and the challenges it faces.
“What we are now focusing on is trying to bring entertainment and winter enthusiasm, especially the locally made skis, to life,” Alishah Farhang, the ski club’s coach, told City and Slopes magazine.
Champions of Golden Valley is currently making the rounds at acclaimed festivals, including the Tribeca Festival in New York City, the Austin Film Festival, and festivals in mountain communities like Crested Butte and Aspen.
If you are interested in donating to help support the Bamyan Alpine Ski Club, Afghan refugees, the future of women’s rights in Afghanistan, and of course their film, the filmmakers have set up a portal on their website.