"the snow becomes your school."
For Arif Khan, skiing has been a part of life for as long as he can remember.
Growing up in Gulmarg, a Himalayan region known as India’s snow sports hub, winter was not a season but a playground.
Khan now prepares for the men’s slalom and giant slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympics, carrying the experience of competing on the world stage and the ambition to grow skiing across India.
His journey spans childhood thrills on snowy slopes, representing his country as the sole Indian athlete at Beijing 2022, and advocating for infrastructure that could put India on the global skiing map.
Khan’s story is not just about competition; it is about vision, community, and inspiring the next generation.
Childhood on the Slopes
Arif Khan wrote on Instagram: “When you grow up in Gulmarg, the snow becomes your school.”
In Gulmarg, winters can leave little to do but embrace the snow.
Khan told Olympics.com: “The only thing you could possibly do was go out on the snow and play, play with whatever is available there, so I picked up skis and used to be skiing around all day.”
That first sensation of speed on skis has stayed with him.
Khan said: “I still remember. It just goes, and you don’t think what is next.
“Next is always a fall for the first time. It’s just a speed that makes you feel something that you need to hold on to.”
Those early experiences shaped his approach to skiing and set him on a path that now includes six World Championship appearances.
Olympic Spirit
Arif Khan describes the Olympic spirit as motivation that extends beyond medals:
“It keeps your love alive for your sport, and with those feelings, you actually go and carve through the difficulties, do the greater things for your country, and for other people, that becomes the memory.
“You’re always remembered as you did something great for your country, so the Olympic spirit is a great feeling and a feeling full of love.”
He is inspired by the likes of Lindsey Vonn, who returned to competition at 41.
However, the American athlete suffered a horror crash in the women’s downhill competition.
Khan said: “It’s really amazing how Olympic spirit is built.
“It’s still alive, even if your age is a number, a big number, it doesn’t matter, you can still win.”
“You can still challenge yourself if you have a set purpose, set goals in mind, so it’s really inspiring for me and for the rest of the athletes.”
At 35, Khan is one of the older athletes competing in the Winter Olympics but age doesn’t deter him:
“When you start the sport, doing the sport at the age of between 10 and 15, if you keep up with the spirit and don’t let it go away, even if you are like really old 40 or 35 or 50, you can still be able to do the sport.”
Part of his inspiration is Khan’s 18-month-old son Luqman Arif-Khan:
“He already knows that his papa is skiing and so he will be watching this time, so it will be much better, and drive me more towards better performance, so it’s really lovely.”
Building Skiing in India
Arif Khan has set his sights on developing the sport in India:
“As a small nation in the skiing community, India as a country has a huge potential with a large number of mountain ranges.
“The world should look at India as a sports destination because we have so many places, so many options to develop.
So together with the communities like (world governing body) the FIS, together with the Olympic committees, we can promote and develop this sport to keep the Olympic spirit alive in India.”
Gulmarg remains central to the vision.
“It has really great mountains, it has great natural beauty. If you compare this place to the rest of the world, it could really overtake in beauty.
“The only thing that does not exist at the moment is the… potential infrastructure for the sport, so this became a purpose.”
He is determined to provide opportunities for young athletes:
“We have a lot of children, a lot of people who love the sport back home and back in the country, but they just don’t have that thing which is needed actually to excel, to learn and to be able to compete with the rest of the world.
“This place is one of the unique places that needs to be promoted and developed as a winter sports destination for India, so I took it as a challenge and I’m seeing myself coming up with some success and seeing it in the near future, we might have that thing.”
Arif Khan is now focused on the giant slalom and men’s slalom, which take place on February 14 and 16, respectively.
The 2026 Winter Olympics could be Khan’s final Games but he will continue to grow skiing in India:
“When you have a purpose in life, you just want to set the way for others.
“You don’t think of struggles, you don’t think of what is not there. You are committed to what you want to achieve, even if it’s a greater way or a smaller way, and you go for it.”
For Khan, Gulmarg is no longer just a training ground; it is a potential hub for India’s winter sports, a place where future athletes can learn, compete, and carry the Olympic spirit forward.
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