Written by: Ushna Khan
Posted on: February 03, 2020 | 
Skiing Practice at Rattu
When famous mountaineer Hans Gmoser said, “A person should have wings to carry them where their dreams go, but sometimes a pair of skis makes a good substitute”, he was not exaggerating. Our three-day trip with the LUMS Adventure Society at the Rattu Army High Altitude School gave us quite a few bruises, but many memories too. If you live in Pakistan, you must travel to these destinations and enjoy the thrill of skiing in the crisp air and vast snow.
Journeying to Rattu is a game of luck in the winter months, due to heavy snowfall in the Northern Region over the last few years. It is better to head here in early January, as roads usually get blocked later. We began our journey from Islamabad in the first week of January, with a six-hour stopover at Besham for lunch at the PTDC, and a further six-hour journey to Chillas, where we stayed overnight at Hotel Panorama. The next morning, we layered up as we were about to reach our destination. We had to switch to jeeps for the final two-hour long ride, which dropped us right outside the ski resort.
The snow clad valley of Rattu in Astor was every bit as breathtaking as seen in photos. Situated at an altitude of 9000ft, it stands in front of huge, snowcapped peaks. It felt like another realm altogether, with pine trees decorating the skyline.
The Ski Slope
We had contacted the commandant in charge of the resort earlier, and received permission to stay here. Our rooms had army grade sleeping bags and heating facilities, as the temperature was lower than we had anticipated; it sank to about -9 degrees during the day, and went even lower at night. Nevertheless, we still wore the woolen jackets and socks for good measure. To our surprise, the resort also had warm water facilities, which definitely made the stay much more comfortable.
After settling down, we gathered at the mess for a limited but filling meal, as we would do so for the remainder of our stay in Rattu. Later, we were greeted by the Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the resort, who gave us an initial briefing about the history of the school. It was formed in December 1987 to train troops in High Altitude and Mountain Warfare operations, including teaching them skiing. During summers, students are also given a chance to climb mountains with heights of over 19000 feet.
Rattu Mess
Excited and nervous as we were, we lined up in the field the next morning to begin our training session. We were issued our skis, which we dragged diligently to the nursery slope. In our first session, our instructor familiarized us with the ski shoes and ski movements, which included some basic posture-maintaining techniques and ski control. Most of us spent the first day falling and learning how to brake. It was like learning to walk all over again, but only we were much older. By evening we had much better control over our acceleration, and the next day we were given the go-ahead by the instructor to try out the mighty Tatanka slope, which was basically level 2.
Students Skiing
Level two was much trickier and the stakes of falling were higher, but there were medical facilities readily available to take care of anyone, if hurt. We had two sessions here, one in the morning and another in the night, and none of us could get enough of it. There were fights over who got to use the pulley to head up the slope. The actual skiing down the slope only took about 30 seconds for us to reach the bottom of the hill.
Enroute to the Tatanka Ski Slope
We tried and (hilariously) failed to copy some of the more advanced moves our instructor taught us. At night, we were all awarded certificates for completing the ski course. We all managed to learn how to ski without breaking any bones, but some of us were disappointed that we could not try out the third, and a much steeper slope.
Skiing Without Sticks
Besides skiing, the resort had a few other entertainment facilities, which included a sunroom, a working television, table tennis and rappelling activity. Our hosts were kind enough to set up a bonfire night for us. The only issue was the lack of mobile signals in the area. Due to worsening weather condition, we could not leave the next morning as planned, and had to spend an additional two days. But all the while the mangers were quite cooperative, and we only traveled to Islamabad after receiving confirmation that the roads had cleared.
Other than the Rattu Army High Altitude School, Pakistan is also home to a few other skiing resorts which host national and international ski enthusiasts. There is the Naltar Ski Resort patronized by the Pakistan Air Force, which also hosts the national skiing championship every year, and has internationally acclaimed ski slopes. The Malam Jabba Ski Resort also sits among breathtaking views and good skiing facilities, and there is a new resort currently planned in the Kalash Valley of Chitral.
Skiing and skiing resorts are a relatively recent phenomenon, but given the numerous mountain ranges in the Northern Pakistan, they could be developed by the private sector, in order to reap the lucrative benefits of tourism.
All photo credits to the writer.
You may also like:
