Adventure athlete Samar Khan

First woman to ride a bicycle in Karakoram Mountains

Samar Khan is a Pakistani adventure athlete, snowboarder and mountain biker belonging from Lower Dir. She is the first woman in the world to ride a bicycle in Karakoram Mountain of Gilgit Baltistan. Let’s discover what made her build a successful career in adventure sports

Was your passion for adventure athletics inborn or developed later in life?

It was inborn. I remember, as a child I always wanted to do sports. I would see European athletes on television, acing one mountain after the other. The mountain would seem so similar to the one that I saw, from the window-pane of my room. Binge-watching those episodes, while residing in proximity to beautifully snow-capped mountains, how could I not be mesmerized by adventure athletics? I would idealize the European athletes, imitating their bodily postures for an extensive number of hours, and imagine climbing mountains in the same fashion, step-by-step, culminating and dominating the milestone of my devotion. This passion for adventure athletics remained hidden from my family, until receiving an opportunity to participate in a university hiking competition, and that’s exactly when it all started.

Choosing a ‘tough’ sport like cycling, and that too in cold-gripped mountains which people are hesitant to even climb. What ideas propelled you to opt for this journey?

It could be very challenging for someone born at a lower geographical altitude. I was born in Lower Dir and always got captivated by the natural topographic beauty offered by my hometown. I never felt propelled at all, in fact it was a drive and the only drive which kept me moving to experience the dominance of acing risks in my life. I see it as if it was in my blood. Had I not become an adventure athlete, I would not have existed. It’s in my blood after all.

Whom do you look up to as your professional inspiration?

When I started mountain biking, I could not look up to anyone in Pakistan, because no one had done it before. So for me, the only inspiration which was there and, obviously is still there, were the mountains, their strength and the absolute dominance of undiscovered nature.

Coming from a Pashtun family, how far do you think society and culture influenced your journey?

It was not an easy choice, Pashtun community and my own family, in fact, had different norms and values based on gender discrimination, and the roles associated with them. I always saw it as a driving factor towards achievement of my professional goals. I kept their norms and notion in my heart and worked hard to achieve my objectives, and with the passage of time, as my achievements got social recognition people started appreciating my roots. It is something which has always added to my respect and pride.

How far, do you think, people of Pakistan support and value adventure athletics as a global sport?

We are at the initial stages of recognizing adventure athletics as a global sport. People of Pakistan barely know about mountain-biking, snow-boarding and other adventure athletics, how could someone expect them to even value it as a sport? So, at times, I feel like I’m introducing the first-world sports in a third-world country and I need help.

What role do you think the sports-board could play in terms of facilitating national athletes?

It can play a major role, in terms of facilitating young-talent and professional athletes by establishing sports-complexes. We must not negate the fact that a champion is an asset of the country, and provision of their needs is a matter of national realms. I believe that the sport-board should ensure not only to train the athletes efficiently, but take care of their financial, legal, psychological and nutritional needs. As you know internationally, the athletes are looked after by teams of great government structures, comprising of experts from diverse professional backgrounds.

How much time do you dedicate to physical training on a daily basis?

Well, I do gym on a daily basis for 2-3 hours which includes core and strength training to build stamina of my body. Furthermore, I hike 10-12 km in Margalla Hills on every alternative day, while on weekends I do mountain-biking twice or even thrice at times.

Tell us the salient features of a bike which you consider is ‘ideal’ for mountaineering?

Giant Stance. It is a full suspension bike, exceptionally known for its ability to absorb shocks, protect backbone, body posture and joints from injuries. In addition to this, it offers an incredible gear-ratio, brakes and disc brakes systems. While buying a bike, I ensure that it comes under the right proportion of my body-height ratio. Normally, the bikes of this brand are not available in Pakistan so either we receive them through sponsors or by importing.

One message that you want to give to the young aspirants of adventure athletics?

I want to tell them, that the journey which they have chosen will not be an easy one. They will have to face a multitude of crises, obstacles, and challenges and make sure to emerge from them having improved, learned and grown not only as an athlete but a person. I want to inform them that consistency and the passion for self-improvement, will let them win laurels one fine day, and then people will recognise them by their names; which will be their ultimate identity.

What are your future goals?

I aim to break the barriers and challenge socio-cultural norms. My goal is to inspire, support and bring more women to the field of adventure sports. I see our country holds an ideal potential for becoming an international sports destination and of course, when it offers the world’s top notched mountains and lakes, the national talent must also not go in vain for providing a compatible credibility. Pakistani adventure athletes should have a prominent place when it comes to global contests of adventure sports. Moreover, I have a dream to represent my country in mountain-biking and snowboarding as an adventure athlete on various international platforms.