Sawt Falasteen - Afghan exiles find snowboarding freedom in France

But the return of the puritanical Taliban to power in Afghanistan put an end to their dreams and sent them fleeing into exile amid death threats, with the new rulers condemning the "Western" practice.

"Snowboarding was a reason for me to survive," Khanzai told AFP from France, where he has lived for the last two years.

"And it's a motivation for me to keep up (boarding), although I lost everything back in the country," he lamented of his homeland, more than 5,000 kilometres (3,000 miles) away.

Khanzai grew up in Kabul. He was 18 in August 2021 when the United States pulled its troops out of Afghanistan, leading to the rapid collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces and the Taliban's feared return to power following two decades of bloody guerrilla insurgency.

At that time, Khanzai was part of a small band of around 20 enthusiastic amateur Afghan boarders.

Their vast playground was the imposing Hindu Kush range with its towering peaks of more than 6,000 metres (19,700 feet) above sea level.

Snowboarding in Afghanistan was a labour of love, though, due to a lack of winter sports infrastructure, or even instructors, meaning that enthusiasts would have to hike up mountains to ride the slopes, using techniques they had learnt by watching Youtube videos.

The effort was worth it for "the freedom when you get on the snow", said Khanzai.

Before the return of the Taliban, snowboarding provided respite in a country that even then was unstable and violent.

"Sport has always been aimed for peace, not for war," said Khanzai.

- 'Taliban doesn't like that' -

A chance meeting with French professional snowboarder Victor Daviet at an international competition in Pakistan would eventually lead to their exile to France.

"Despite their basic level, they were full of hope," said Daviet, 35.

It was his "Snowboarders of solidarity" association that helped seven young Afghans secure French visas in the autumn of 2022.

It was a "crazy adventure", said Daviet, who moved heaven and earth and leapt over administrative hurdles to help the Afghans.

It was a testament also to the power of sport.

"We had a huge amount of luck, it was almost a miracle," said Daviet, who has since taken the Afghans under his wing and now sees them as "brothers and sisters" who have "grown up quickly by necessity".

In Afghanistan they faced death threats simply for practising a "Western" activity, especially in a mixed team under a Taliban government widely accused of persecuting women.

"Girls and boys who do sport together: the Taliban doesn't like that," said Zirak, 23.

- 'I am saved' -

Zirak, who like Khanzai lives in Annecy at the foot of the Savoyard Alps in southeastern France, now speaks French.

She is studying graphic design, while Khanzai works in business. Both are fully integrated in their adopted home and never miss an opportunity to hit the surrounding slopes.

Besides her studies, Zirak says: "I work, I do sport."

She enjoys a "great freedom" that would be denied her in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has systematically curtailed women's rights since returning to power.

Zirak's family still lives in Kabul but Khanzai's was forced to flee to Pakistan.

"They're there because of me," he said. The Taliban had vowed to attack them if it could not lay hands on him.

"I'm happy to be here, I'm kind of saved. I survived the situation but I'm not completely happy because my home is in a very complicated situation and my people are suffering at the moment," he said.

Some of his Afghan friends have qualified for the 2025 Asian Winter Games later this month in China.

There are even those who dream of participating in the Refugee Olympic Team at next year's Winter Games in Italy.

But for Khanzai, that is not a priority. Rebuilding his life and helping his friends is what matters most.

W.Mansour--SF-PST