About the CLUB
Formed in 2017 with a few skis from Iran and a lot of moxie, the Refugee Ski Club celebrates backcountry skiing with the Choman Ski Club by joining proa and amateurs to regularly ski the Zagros mountains around Choman — the club’s home base. The aim of the ski club is to spread a new sport throughout the area, help attract outside investment for new lifts and routes and offer a new perspective on the region, other than one associated with long-term war. The club holds a lending library of ski equipment and offers weekly training sessions.
Members of the Choman Ski Club prepare for an event with the Refugee Ski Club in the Zagros mountains in Northern Iraq.
Near the end of every ski season, the Choman Ski Club puts on the Iraqi Ski Rally to introduce ski touring, as well as attract interest in building ski and snowboard infrastructure in the region. At the end of the annual February ski festival, the Choman Ski Club also puts on its own backcountry race inviting racers of different abilities, including the Refugee Ski Club, to climb and ski down Mount Hassarost and participate in a local celebration.
Members of the Choman and Refugee Ski Clubs hike back up the mountain following a backcountry ski run down. Only one lift exists in Iraq; the Choman Ski Club aims to attract more.