jammu-and-kashmir-kicks-off-winter-sports-with-snowshoe-race

The Jammu and Kashmir Snow Shoe Association kick started the season opener snowshoe race on Sunday at Mammoth Meadow, Dara Srinagar.

The event has been kept open to all to attract fitness enthusiasts towards snowshoeing. Organisers conducting the event are expecting a good number of athletes to turn out for the event.

As per J&K Snowshoe Association officials, Mammoth Meadow falls in Srinagar district and takes around one hour of hike from Dara, Harwan.

“It is the season opener race before we go full throttle for the season. We expect a decent number of athletes to turn up for the event as it is the first event of the winter season,” Khan Gulzar, competition manager, told mediapersons here.

General Secretary of the J&K Snowshoe Association, Dr Altaf Ur-Rehman, said that the association, along with the Snowshoe Federation of India, is planning multiple events this season in Kashmir.

“The sport is based on and dominated by Jammu and Kashmir. Over the UT, athletes have shined at the national and international levels in this sports discipline that is mostly hosted and played in the EU and the United States.

It is a tough long-distance endurance running sport combined with mountain climbing, which is why Kashmir athletes shine in it,” Dr Altaf Ur Rehman said.

“Snowshoe is a winter sports discipline that can be held anywhere and doesn’t need infrastructure upgrades.

Last season, in collaboration with the Sonamarg Development Authority and the Hoteliers Association Sonamarg, the National Snowshoe Championship 2024 was held, which was a huge success and attracted both national and international media coverage,” he added.