NPR

A Nation With Some Of The World's Highest Mountains Is Finally Starting To Ski

Despite Nepal's wealth of mountains, downhill skiing is not a popular sport. It's expensive and there's a lack of infrastructure for it. But enthusiasts are encouraging young people to try the sport.
Doma Hyolmo, 15, carries skis during her first attempt at skiing in Kalinchowk, a village in the mountains of Nepal. While a few adventure tourists come to ski in Nepal, most Nepalese haven't tried the sport.

The Himalayan village of Kalinchowk, sitting at an altitude of about 12,000 feet in eastern Nepal and known for its temple to the Hindu goddess Kali, gets snow every year. After a recent storm, the town's young people flock to wooden lodges and dance around campfires.

Utsav Pathak is determined to get some of them on skis.

"In Nepal, nobody skis, I think," says Pathak.

But he does. The 23-year-old entrepreneur —. He has arrived from Kathmandu with skis and other equipment, and two busloads of people, to try to hook them on skiing here — the closest spot with some snow.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Tiny Desk Contest Fan Favorite: nobigdyl.
Last week, we asked fans what their favorite entry from this year's Tiny Desk Contest was — and 10,000 of you voted. We're excited to share that the winner of our Fan Favorite vote is "Go With The Ghost" by nobigdyl.! The band, which is based in Murf
NPR6 min read
A New Face, And New Chapter, In R&B's Unstoppable Rap Makeover
Dallas singer 4batz rose from obscurity to a breathlessly awaited debut in barely a year — but his arrival is part of a tense exchange between hip-hop and R&B more than a decade in the making.
NPR3 min read
FTX Says It Will Return Money To Most Of Its Customers
FTX says that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded, and some will get more than that.

Related Books & Audiobooks