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The Afghan Ski Challenge, a now annual race staged by the high mountain village of Bamiyan, 230 kilometres northwest of Kabul and 2500m above sea level, returns for its third staging on March 1st.

The race, sponsored by Arc'teryx who help provide skiwear for poorly equipped locals, brings together local and international athletes in a ski touring race to promote tourism in the war-torn area.

This year's race included Afghan women for the first time.

The race takes athletes through the Koh-e-Baba Mountains in central Afghanistan. Local participants train in a recently founded ski school for up to three weeks before the main event, lead by a Swiss ski teacher and a mountain guide. Previous races show that the local sportsmen hugely outperform international guests during the ascents, but there was significant potential for improvement in their skiing.

Bamiyan was world famous for its thousand year old statues of Buddha and was once a popular tourists destination on the ancient silk route, but tourist numbers have dropped from 15,000 per year due to the destruction of the statues and other cultural attractions by the Taliban.

Three years ago a small group of Afghan Ski-Fans (Aga Kahn Foundation) and employees of the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung founded the Bamiyan Ski Club and organized the first small, local ski touring race. The size of the race, which is free to enter, has grown significantly and this year five women have applied, in addition to athletes from other parts of Afghanistan.

My guess is not. All reports indicate that French only accept French qualifications as of high enough standard, despite attempts at pan-European standardisation.

The national French Ski School, the ESF, has sought to distance itself from a French court decision to ban British Tour Operators from offering free ski hosting services to their clients.

"Following today's court ruling in France with legal action brought against UK tour operator, Le Ski, Simon Atkinson, Director, ESF has issued the following statement: ESF has incorrectly been cited as being the organisation for taking the Le Ski to court for its own protectionism. It should be stressed that ESF has not brought the action in the French courts, but the Public Ministry's (French Administration) did so in pursuing action against Le Ski for non-compliance with French regulations, after a Border Police Patrol Control found them to be contravening French law," said a statement released by the ESF via a UK PR company.

The disagreement between the French ski school and tour operators has been going on for decades in various forms but has recently resurfaced with a new legal move, targeting the British tour operator Le Ski, which has been bringing skiers to the French Alps for 30 years.

In previous confrontations the argument centred on the term 'guiding' with tour operators changing the job title of staff who showed new guests atound the slopes to 'hosts' to avoid confusion with fully qualified ski guides.

The French say the move is to protect safety of British skiers and boarders with ski hosts often not having French-recognised qualifications of a high enough standard.

However commentators say that the move, as in previous cases, is about protectionism and that it will backfire of the ESF. They say ski hosts only offer resort familiarisation tours and do not instruct or take skers in to dangerous areas. Market leader Crystal issued the following statement:

"Crystal Ski is disappointed with today's court ruling, however, we are pleased to hear that the tour operator has decided to appeal. We have temporarily suspended our social skiing service in France whilst this process goes through the courts. We have never seen social skiing as a replacement for a ski school as social skiing is where a representative from the holiday company takes guests on familiarisation tours of the slopes, show them good lunch spots and how to avoid the queues. They do not go on black runs or off piste and stick to gentle slopes. No instruction is given."

Internet discussion boards are already filling with highly negative comments about the French move and the ESF in general.

The ESF statement continues, "This is not an ESF led court action, but the organisation has rightly shown its support for French law to be upheld and that for those organisations using hosting or other personnel to 'guide' such people must possess a valid qualifications to do so. ESF is committed to ensuring the safety of UK tourists using French resorts for winter sports. ESF reiterates its commitment to supporting the UK ski industry and will work with UK tour operators in finding workable solutions for lawful guiding on the French ski slopes."

Le Ski says it will fight the court's decision and has 10 days to appeal.

(The White Thrill CREDIT St Anton am Arlberg Tourist Board and Photographer Josef Mallaun).

"The White Thrill" will be happening again in two months time to close St Anton's 2013 ski season.

The remarkable mass-start race sees 500 participants race the nine kilometres down to the valley and as well as rapidly reaching its maximum participants number quota each year, it attracts thousands of people for the spectacle.

The iconic race is open to skiers, snowboarders and Telemarkers, amateurs and pros alike and starts at 2,650m above sea level on the Valuga Ridge at 5pm on 20th April. The race includes a 150m uphill climb over 37 vertical metres.

The record time top competitors will be trying to beat is seven minutes and 40.6 seconds to beat set last year by Florian Holzinger of Germany. For everyone else times of between 11 and 18 minutes are a good average followed by a huge party which is thrown after the race to celebrate the prize giving ceremony and heroes of the day.

The whole spectacle will be streamed live on the internet via www.stantonamarlberg.com

(Pic Credit: Alain GROSCLAUDE/AGENCE ZOOM)

Ski racer Ted Ligety has become the first man in 45 years to win three gold medals at an Alpine Skiing World Championships.

Ligety's third victory at the Shladming championships came in the giant slalom which he won by nearly a second from the silver placed racer from the home nation.

As well as being the first skier to achieve three golds in one Championships, Ligety is only the fifth ever man to make such an achievement and the first north American ever to do so, indeed the first non-European. To add to the list of achievements, the 28 year old joins Bode Miller, Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Vonn in equal first place for the most World championships gold medals – each racer have five a piece.

Ted "Shred" Ligety is also the co-founder of and a sponsored athlete for brands Shred and Slytech. Ligety wore a technology packed Shred's Half Brain D-lux helmet with exclusive ICEdot technology which helps ensure he is fully protected on the mountain.

Ligety also crossed the finish line wearing Slytech's new Backpro XT Naked, FortressRace Mitts and Assault Armguards, featuring Slytech 2nd Skin Technology and Shred's new Monocle goggles.

The last person to complete the achievement was Jean-Claude Killy, who won four golds 45 years ago in 1968. Ligety is the first-ever American and first ever non-European to achieve this.

The three other men to have won at least three golds in one championships are Toni Sailer (Austria), who won four in 1956 and three in 1958; Eriksen (Norway), who won three in 1954 and Emile Allais of France who died last autumn, who won three in 1937.

"This hasn't sunk in yet," Ligety said. "It's just really cool to have your name mentioned with Jean-Claude Killy's. You dream about it as a little kid, but I don't know if you ever really think it can happen."

The "superstorm" currently bringing blizzard conditions and major disruption to the Eastern United States is being welcomed as good news for the region's ski areas which, local media reports, have been so far enduring a 'lacklustre season.'

Accumulations of nearly 90cm (three feet) have been reported on ski slopes, the biggest so far in Massachusetts where Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Princeton reported 80cm/ 32inches.

The snow has been falling right across the region however and although falls at resorts further north have been small, they've still been significant. Killington in Vermont, for example, the region's largest ski area, reported 30cm/a foot in the past 24 hours.

The new snow has been particularly good news for people living near Big Squaw Mountain Ski Resort in Maine which re-opened at the weekend three years after it last operated.

The ski centre ceased trading in 2009 due to operating costs outstripping income but the owner leased the centre to a non-profit community group for a dollar and it's that group which has re-opened the hill today, Sunday, 10 February, 2013.

For a short period, Manchester's Chill Factore indoor snow centre has offered a challenge to skiers and boarders who love the exhilaration of the snow - but just don't think that indoor slopes cut it?

The UK's longest real snow slope, Chill Factore, is putting its money where its mouth is, and offering a Money Back Guarantee on lift passes to skiers and boarders who haven't visited before.

"Yes, you heard that right. If you don't love the slope, you don't feel the exhilaration, and you don't enjoy the thrill of the powder - you'll get all your pennies back. Simple," said a statement on behalf of the centre near the Trafford Centre.

You can book your visit at www.chillfactore.com/ski and the centre is open 9am – 11pm every day (except Wednesday 7.30am – 11pm) and the offer is valid only on visits Monday - Friday up to Friday 15th February 2013

In order to be entitled to get your money back you must be a new Chill Factore customer and not already on the database money back and after your visit you'll need to fill in a customer feedback form.

Bear in mind that Omnibus survey statistics show 96% of Chill Factore customers would recommend a visit and check the full list of T&Cs which include:

"If …our service fails to meet your expectations and you wish to request a refund, the lead booker must visit the Chill Factore Guest Services desk on the day of your Introductory Lift Pass and request a money back guarantee form. This form needs to be fully completed and submitted on that day providing detailed feedback about why our experience failed to deliver, before a refund can be given. All refunds must to be claimed on the day of your activity at the Guest Services desk inside Chill Factore. Any forms received after this time will be treated as a standard feedback/guest complaint with no guarantee of reimbursement of any kind.

Strictly only one refund is permitted per household."

Lindsey Vonn will be out of ski race action for the remainder of the season after crashing out of the Super-G at the start of the Alpine Ski World Championships in Schladming, Austria yesterday afternoon.

The American ski superstar who is a four-time Alpine World Cup champion and is the current Olympic Downhill skiing champion was airlifted from the course and was said to have a "complex torn ligament knee injury" by doctors although she is not having immediate surgery.

Training on Monday had been cancelled due to heavy snowfall and the start of the race on Tuesday was reported to have been postponed 13 times due to poor conditions including failing light.

The U.S. team's website reported that while Vonn will be out for the rest of this season they expect she will return in time for the 2013-14 World Cup circuit and the Sochi Olympics in a year's time.

The next Alpine World Championships in two years time are due to be staged in Vonn's home resort of Vail/Beaver Creek.