 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Shipping a couple of hundred kilos by airfreight (Heathrow-Islamabad) costs around £500 (can get a quote online here: http://www.russellsfreight.com/Air-cargo-to-Pakistan). So that's maybe 40-50 pairs of skis? They are resourceful people and will have ways and means of getting them the rest of the way to the Swat Valley. No idea what duties may apply, if any on used gear, but this plan sounds do-able to me. Donate your skis and a tenner and it might just work. My garage needs a clear out.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just a thought though. How will all the locals get to Bicester?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Bode Swiller,
Isn't CEM doing a mercy dash then?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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musher, I'm not sure he does dashing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There's quite a few options, ideally and most efficiently would be to pick up quantities of kit in one place, but if necessary could be collected together. Shipping individual pairs of skis is an expensive business (about £20 if you can get anyone to take them.... many won't!)
Hopefully I'll hear from Pakistan today, we really should start with what they need.
Important stuff coming up:
If you are able to help in any way, I have set up an eMail account: skiforpeace AT gmail.com
Please send me an eMail saying what you are able to do, that could range from:
- Donate shedloads of ski gear (location, quantities please)
- Donate a little bit of gear (what, where please)
- Contact someone useful (Ski rental comapny, shippers, whatever, wherever)
- Donate cash (NO DON'T SEND CASH - please just say how much you might be prepared to donate if a use for cash was needed)
- Donate time (this might grow, who knows, I don't have time if it does)
- Any useful suggestions
Please also say who you are and whether you would prefer to stay anonymous, if this gains momentum it is possible that it could be picked up by press. Speaking for myself I really like the idea that skiing - something which is often seen as one of the more frivolous activities - might actually be seen as a force for good. As far as the position of women is Pakistani society is concerned, it is far from perfect but the situation under the Taliban is a quantum degree worse, and the way forward has to be to talk and exchange ideas, not to ostracise those who don't conform to our view of the world.
As I say above, let's start by finding what they want and need, and work from there.
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Ham, e-mail you? Or PM you? Or post here?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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eMail me please, at skiforpeace at gmail.com, that way I can coordinate everything without having to trawl back through this oh-so-easy to navigate forum software 
Of course, feel free to post anything in public, too, all helps to keep a conversation going.
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Ham, good work.
I spoke to the MD at the Snow centre in Hemel Hempstead earlier today and he hopes that they will be able to donate some ex-rental kit (skis and perhaps boots plus clothing) although not sure what will be available. Likely to be May/June before their stock is being replaced, but I'm sure it will be just what the Swat Valley ski school is looking for. Probably have one or two pairs of skis myself that I no longer use. Will let you know more details as I can.
I can't think of a better way to piss off the Taliban that have a Pakistani girl go skiing on her day off from school on kit donated by the Kafirs from the Great Satan's little brother 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Ham, have you managed to contact the chap himself yet or are you waiting until you can find out if this is possible?
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You know it makes sense.
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I guess what you are looking for are a group of people that go to Pakistan sometimes that might be able to take something with them - I wonder if anyone has contacts with the British Cricket team. Another notion might be to contact a group like Sports Relief and tell them what we plan to do and ask if they have any useful contacts that we might make use of.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Megamum, the last trip to Pakistan by the British cricket team was abandoned because of safety concerns following the bombing of a bus in Lahore carrying the Sri Lankan team on it in 2009. I don't think any international cricket takes place in Pakistan as a result.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Megamum, the contacting sport relief to see if they know who to approach part of your post is a good idea.
I have asked various lorry driving ex-customers of mine to have a chat with their various bosses to see if anyone goes out that way for freight pick ups, as most of them drive on the continent now for foreign firms it might take a while to get a response.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great work Ham, email sent
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Ham, I'll contact Sport Relief.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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There's a pair of my dad's old skis up in mum's loft that we'd happily donate. They're about 2m long, but they're better than nothing.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'm sorry I won't be able to offer much in the way of practical support - I don't have contacts that I can think of to help, but I'm happy to come up with ideas. Hells Bells, I didn't know about the cricket teams, but it is great that you might be able to contact Sport Relief 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I have got various contact details and I have sent mails to all. Do remember that the territory and environment that this area operates in means that checking your eMail is not necessarily the top item on the day's agenda, or as easy as sitting down at your desk with a cup of tea.
Sport Relief sounds like a useful option, but I would emphasise that we should start with what they want out there.....
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What about all the old straight skis etc going on ebay? I saw 2 pairs of them and 2 pairs of rear entry boots at my local car boot sale the other day for less than a fiver. (each, that is, different sellers) and 2 more pairs of fairly modern ones at Otley car boot sale.
I would love to support this but I have a huge issue with Islam and the way the religion says women should be treated. Hopefully, like the video posted though, they are more progressive there in the ski resort.
Nothing in the Koran states women cannot ski, however it does state they should be covered and stay at home for their own protection, or something along those lines. (Because men shouldn't control their urges to rape etc???)
Islam aside, I would love to help skiing initiatives in poor countries.
I'm fairly near LBA if anyone needs someone to go there and chat to someone.
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Doesn't  have a deal with Alpinresorts? So someoneone here knows someone in Alpinresorts. That someone could very well have contacts with every ski rental shop in the Alps. One set of nearly scrap skis, poles and boots per ski shop at the end of the season?
So who did the Alpinresorts deal?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Rob has obviously spoken to his contacts at HH with a positive outcome. Surely we must have contacts in the other snowdomes and outdoor ski centres too that could be asked.? We could also ask them to put some notices up asking if any of their regulars would have old kit to donate, inc. shorter lengths for kids. In fact if we send out skis, I can see them wrapped in cast off ski clothing too. They had to be skiing in cold temperaturs and I doubt that they had much in the way of warm clothes and hats to wear. I'm sure we could squash in old clothing, gloves and hats too. Obviously rail mounted skis are going to be of most use and they will need an assortment of boots methinks.
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| crazy_skier_jules wrote: |
Nothing in the Koran states women cannot ski, however it does state they should be covered |
Well skiing is an ideal activity for them then
Muslim women from all different countries ski!
The Taliban are clearly not representative of Islam and they don't want ANYONE skiing in the Swat Valley, be they male or female.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| crazy_skier_jules wrote: |
| I'm fairly near LBA if anyone needs someone to go there and chat to someone. |
Your mission, should you wish to accept it, is to go and find Muhammad Shafique, he is Pakistan International Airline’s Manager at Leeds Bradford. Now they are running 777s to Islamabad, they have a lot of cargo space and he would have the power to ship stuff providing it's not too massive or heavy and it wouldn't necessarily need to all go on the same flight. It would be good PR fodder for PIA and, in any case, they should be interested in helping out you would hope.
Tomorrow I am assured I will have contact details for some senior bods at PIA but let's see what happens.
crazy_skier_jules, I'm afraid you now have to eat this communication.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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miranda, Oh, I know the difference, the Taliban are pure evil, some Muslims take the Koran way too literally and some are just fine.
Skiing is great for the more modest of us, as is fencing, my other other sport, the first female American Muslim fencer started because her mother was looking for a sport with modest clothing. She is now an Olympic gold medallist. I also met a lovely Hijabi fencer at my first competition. White hijab to match the kit 
I try to be positive about Islam, I am just not happy about the repression that can be done under the name of Islam, it is a discomfort that will always reside in me I think, as a free woman I do not like to see others repressed. I am just not comfortable with all the niqab-clad people wandering around here :/ I am a product of Western culture! Hijabs I have no problem with, if someone wants to wear a headscarf, go for it.
Bring on the hijab/helmet thread
(I'm kidding obv, if you can wear a hijab under a fencing mask you certainly can under a helmet.
All power to them, I hope to hear of and see plenty of women skiing out there just as well as the men.
Jut having a read of this; http://www.wisemuslimwomen.org/currentissues/sports/
And this could be their poster girl - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjan_Kalhor
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Thu 7-03-13 23:52; edited 2 times in total
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You know it makes sense.
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I think getting skis and boots will be relatively easy. What they really need out there is uplift. Briton Lifts aren't too far from LBA either http://www.snowflex.co.uk/contact.asp - they must have some serviceable but unsaleable stuff knocking about.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Occasionally portable rope tows pop up on ebay too - small I know but a beginner's slope is a start.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| crazy_skier_jules wrote: |
I try to be positive about every religion, I am just not happy about the repression that can be done under the name of religion |
FIFY
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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True that! Just seems moreso in Islam, but there are plenty of other nutters out there claiming to do things under their various sky gods.
More on Marjan and inspiring other Muslim women:
http://niamhgriffin.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/marjan-kalhor-skier.html
| Quote: |
But for Iranian skiier Marjan Kalhor taking part in the Winter Olympics this year was the craziest thing she'd done. The first Iranian woman to take part, the 22-year old was quoted as saying "I'm just very happy, very happy," adding that she hoped her efforts would show "Muslim women there is no limitation for them, even with hijab they can do whatever they want and they can get here like me."
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and in terms of women's rights... http://muslimwomeninsports.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/surfing-sisters-in-gaza-hit-waves-of.htmlAnd why shouldn't they surf? I am sorry but these attitudes are backwards. It's a wetsuit ffs. It's not a sexy article of clothing nor particularly immodest...
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Fri 8-03-13 0:07; edited 1 time in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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one possibility, not just for shipping but also for wider communications, might be to find a British NGO which is working in that area in collaboration with a local group. They will have a handle on what are probably very difficult logistics as well as other vital information (including formal and informal political structures; just parachuting in what might look like quite valuable stuff without going through the relevant local authorities/headmen etc could end in tears. boring bureaucracy perhaps but without someone who knows the local scene well meaning outsiders can create more problems than they solve).
The most effective way of doing that would probably be for somebody willing to take the lead on this here to write to their own local MP, telling them of the plan and asking them to find out from the Department for International Development whether they could suggest any NGOs working in that area with whom it would be sensible to make contact, to identify needs and assist with logistics etc. The letter should make it clear that no aid money is being requested (aid for a ski school wouldn't be a priority for aid funds).
An MP would write to the relevant Minister and his (or her) letter will get priority attention in the Department and a reply which has been submitted through senior officials - not just something off the cuff from a junior civil servant.
The question about female participation is actually a very good one. The fact that female Pakistani skiers exist doesn't mean they'd get much of a look in if some nice new shiny stuff arrived.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| crazy_skier_jules wrote: |
| I'm fairly near LBA if anyone needs someone to go there and chat to someone. |
You'd be a living legend if you can talk them into sending a T bar lift!!
Mission Impossible II ?? 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| pam w wrote: |
An MP would write to the relevant Minister and his (or her) letter will get priority attention in the Department and a reply which has been submitted through senior officials - not just something off the cuff from a junior civil servant.
The question about female participation is actually a very good one. The fact that female Pakistani skiers exist doesn't mean they'd get much of a look in if some nice new shiny stuff arrived. |
I'm a bit cynical when it comes to politicians, but you have a good point. Transport to the resort from the airport requires reliable local contacts. Perhaps (former?) Baroness Warsi might fit the bill on both counts? Not sure what influence she has over there though.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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ALQ, Resorts are dumping T bars all the time, replacing with chairs, so, somewhere like a forgotten corner of Dopplemayr or Poma there will be unwanted trade-ins awaiting recycling. How you get it shipped, installed, yada yada is another matter.
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Bode Swiller, These people are nailing shoes to planks. I'm not certain that uplift is a concern?
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Thornyhill, your probably right that uplift for the locals won't be too big a concern but in might attract a bit of tourism from other areas which in turn could fund better equipment/avi safety etc moving forwards.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thornyhill, that youtube clip on page one seems to suggest otherwise.
My starting point is to ask for a chairlift and hope to get a T bar, or ask for a T bar and hope to get a rope tow, but if you just ask for a rope tow you probably get told to walk.
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lilywhite, yep, a bit of economic development in other words.
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FAQ
