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EVER FANCIED OWNING A SKI RESORT? 21 May 2002


How would you like to own your own ski resort?

Yes? All you need to do then is to contact the Pakistan Government’s Privatisation Committee, which has offered Malam Jabba, a ski resort in Pakistan, up for sale.

The resort, located in the picturesque Swat Valley, was originally built in 1988 in cooperation with Austrian specialists. However it remained ’mothballed’ for a decade before finally opening in the late 1990s.

In true estate agent style, the resort is described by the Privatisation Committee in the following flowery terms:

"Malam Jabba ski resort is only 300 km (around 6 hours) from Islamabad, close to the border with Afghanistan. There is an air strip about 45km away and a helipad at the resort. The resort height is 2896m and the ski area is up to 3096 metres, with two double Doppelmayr chair lifts.

Malam Jabba is equipped a hotel with 52 rooms including four suites; restaurants with seating capacity for 100 people; a coffee shop for 50 people and an additional lounge also to seat 50 people. There is also a police station and hospital for skiing related injuries.

The area receives an average of 5m of light powder snow between January and March. Cold winters and warm summers are the basis for the potential of the area as a year round attraction.

The top station of the main lift has small dismounting area close to a drop of a few thousand feet. Care is required, but the single chain fence should keep you safe. The slope is groomed regularly but this can take two days. The main problem is the diesel generators that run the lifts - you may need a gas mask rather than goggles."

So if the proximity to Afghanistan hasn't put you off, and it sounds like that perfect resort that you've always wanted to own, then get in contact.

Interested parties are welcome to make an inspection visit to the resort any time in May with bids to be submitted at the latest by May 31st.

[Main story from the Ski Club of Great Britain May 2002]

ski area is up to 3096 metres, with two double Doppelmayr chair lifts