Saved by Snowboarding: Victor Daviet and the Afghan Snowboard Team
“"Nothing was working, we were about to give up… But a girl heard about this story on a podcast, loved it and said she would help those kids. A few weeks later, we received an email saying that the visa application for France was accepted." ”
Victor Daviet
Snowboarder
What if your life was put in danger just because you liked to go snowboarding? In 2021, Salomon snowboard team member Victor Daviet went to Pakistan on a snowboarding trip with a non-profit group, where he met the members of the Afghanistan Snowboard Team. It was a meeting that would change their lives…and his, too. A year later, when the Taliban took power in their country, the Afghan snowboarders came under threat because of their love for snowboarding and for encouraging women to participate in sports. Fearing for their lives, they reached out to Victor, who they had met just once. With his help, and the help of a number of other empathetic individuals, the team emigrated to Annecy, France, the hometown of Salomon. To learn their remarkable story and see what drove Victor to help change their lives, we spent a day riding with them all at Avoriaz Ski Resort in the French Alps.
None of the Afghan Snowboarding team would have one day imagined coming to the slopes of Avoriaz, in the French Alps, riding alongside a pro snowboarder. This is the touching story of how Mussawer, Nizaruddin, Soroush, Nasima, Kazim and Mujtaba arrived in Europe thanks to the precious help of Victor Daviet, his friends and 2 American Angels.
“"Everyone feared what the Taliban could do with us, because we knew that what they did 20 years before was like a horror movie." ”
Musawer
Member of the Afghan Snowboarding Team
Are you wondering why there is a team of snowboarders in Afghanistan? There are no resorts, forcing locals to train on the sidewalks when there is snow. During summer, they gather the few snowboards they have, and they slide down from the sand dunes. They are pushed by the desire of feeling free and having fun, like any other teenager in the world.
Victor Daviet met this team of young snowboard enthusiasts in Malam Jabba, during the Pakistan International Snowboarding Open Cup - 2021. He was impressed by their tenacity and passion, which inspired him to make a video showcasing what it means to snowboard in these territories. This would be an opportunity to show new realities, distribute outdoor gear and educate them on the dangers of the mountains.
“"It touched me straight to my heart. We are all snowboarders, it’s my passion, my job and for them, they are risking their life for that." ”
Victor Daviet
Snowboarder
One day in August, Victor gets a call: "We need your help Victor, we are in danger because we were snowboarding". Everything just changed in one night, Afghanistan went to sleep and woke up under a different flag. The streets were empty, all the shops were closed, leaving the country as quiet as ever. After 20 years the Talibans had returned and with them a threat to everyone’s lifestyle as they knew it. This little team of snowboarders were risking their lives and were ready to leave everything behind because they were passionate about snowboarding.
Without any experience in the field, Victor immediately asked for some help on social media, hoping that someone could take that call for help and find a solution. Many have mobilized and helped to rescue these young people. The generosity of the mountain communities had a strong power, nothing would have been possible without the help and energy of beautiful people met along the way.
"We have been saved by some angels, by some heroes, that we met just once in our life. I think that is the power of solidarity and that humanity is still alive out there!"