ABOUT THE RACE

The Iraq Ski Race officially began in 2017, when Untamed Borders was the first company to run a commercial ski trip to Iraq in partnership with VI Kurdistan, a local tourism and adventure travel company. Untamed Borders has returned every year since 2016, taking international guests to compete in the Iraq Ski Rally, part of the Choman Winter Festival, sponsored by VI Kurdistan.

The Iraq Ski Rally is an event that celebrates backcountry skiing by joining together international skiers with local Iraqi Kurds to compete in a fun and friendly tour of the Zagros mountains of northern Iraq. The rally event is an informal race that includes skiers of all abilities coupled with a winter festival involving dancing, sledding and Kurdish food. The first Iraq Ski Rally took place in February 2018 as an experimental event in the town of Choman, a small mountain town in northern Iraq along the border with Iran. More than 20 skiers participated, coming from Australia, United States, Switzerland, Denmark and Slovakia, along with a large contingent of Kurdish skiers. A second event in 2019 brought bigger local crowds and founded the Choman Ski Club.

After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, the third Iraq Ski Rally took place in February 2023. Organizers brought refugees from the Darashakran Refugee Camp and built upon the success and lessons learned of the first. The team designed several runs down the mountain sides from the headquarters of VI Kurdistan. About fifty local skiers joined the international guests, the refugees and the Choman Ski Club for two full days of skiing the Zagros mountains.

To donate money, go to the Darashakran Run Club Just Giving Page or contact Adrian Brune at ambrune@gmail.com for a donation of lightly used running shoes, clothes and other gear.