AIMS AND BENEFITS OF THE SKI SCHOOL
The main aim of the Zanskar Ski School is the social and economic development of the people. For Zanskaris, skiing could be much more than a sport. We hope that in the long term, the ski school will bring benefits for:
EDUCATION - Most children in Zanskar cannot get to school because of the deep snow. Those that do go find effective learning is severely inhibited by the sheer physical effort in travelling to school.
HEALTH - Zanskaris, especially children, often fall ill when their clothes become wet after wading through deep snow, and rheumatism is becoming more common.
COMMUNICATION - Villages in Zanskar are widely scattered, and there is no means of communication between them. Some villages, for example Jildo, are particularly isolated, and in the event of an emergency help can be very slow to arrive.
SPORT - The ski school will provide a sporting activity for the youth of Zanskar during the long and immobilising winter period, thereby promoting fitness.
TOURISM - Zanskar provides superb opportunities for cross-country skiing in the winter and for ski mountaineering in the summer. If Zanskaris were proficient at skiing they could accompany tourists as mountain guides, as in the summer.