Much of this development has been driven by the incumbent air chief, Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Tahir Rafiq Butt, while he was serving as the president of the federation. Pakistan gets its first ski chairlift in Naltar Valley but getting there might be a problem Three chairlifts also operate in Muree, Patraiata, and Ayyubia, but those are only for tourism purposes and not for skiing or any other winter games purpose. Naltari ski chairlifts are now the only operational ones in Pakistan for winter games purposes there used to be another one in Malam Jabba (some 40km from Saidu Sharif), but it fell victim to terrorism. They have been brought to Pakistan with the help of Swiss and Chinese experts. The chairlifts therefore are part of the Ski Federation of PakistanвЂ™s (SFP) endeavours to harness Naltari passion and develop Naltar as a world-class skiing resort in Pakistan, equipped with facilities and amenities that are comparable with any winter sport destination across the globe. Skiing is as much a tradition in Naltar as it is an identity. AbbasвЂ™ homemade wooden kit is presently displayed in a Canadian museum. On these same home-made wooden skis trained Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Karim the duo represented Pakistan in the Vancouver (Canada) and Sochi (Russia) winter Olympics respectively. Most Naltaris cannot afford the expensive ski kits available in the market and many thus tend to carve their own kits from wood chopped from the pine forests nearby.

They say skiing comes naturally to almost every girl, boy, man and even housewives in Naltar.

Situated some 40km away from Gilgit, the Naltar Valley is home to all skiing activity in Pakistan. For the Naltaris, it is not just good news, it is great news. вЂњPakistan Zindabad!вЂќ reverberated in the valley, as the first successful test run of the ski chairlifts concluded in August. Some of the longest Magic Carpets are the 560-foot (170В m) long installation at Stratton Mountain Resort, and the nearly 800-foot (240В m) carpet at Buck Hill in Burnsville, Minnesota, which has an overpass over a ski run.There might be no other good news in the year for the inhabitants of Naltar Valley, Gilgit Baltistan other than their new 180-seater ski chairlift. Some Magic Carpets are covered for rider comfort and minimizing snowfall accumulation. During operation, the carpet return device (at the top) must be periodically cleared of accumulated snow and ice. Overnight snow accumulations must be cleared before operation, typically by hand shoveling or sweeping. Their slow speed, limited distance, and capacity confine them to beginner and novice areas.Д¬ontrolling the snow to be at proper level for the entrance and exit is a more challenging snow control and grooming operation than a chairlift or rope tow. Since skis and boards are naturally slippery and the belt operates in a snowy and wet environment, friction is limited. Magic carpets are limited to shallow grades due to their dependence on friction between the carpet and the bottom of the ski or board.

Ski magic carpet