- Sahil Thakur, Syed Zain and Faizan Ahmad Lone have double Winter Olympian Arif Khan as their mentor and guide
- All three have represented India at various global events and are among the brightest Alpine skiing talents in India
Gulmarg (Jammu & Kashmir), Feb. 23: On a wind-carved ridge above Gulmarg, where the snow gleams with the promise of ambition, three young Indian alpine skiers are carving more than lines into ice. They are carving a future.
The three athletes in focus — Sahil Thakur, Syed Zain and Faizan Ahmad Lone — share a single mentor and a single dream. What binds them together is not geography. Manali’s towering slopes and Kashmir’s powder fields could not be more distinct, but a shared lineage of belief shaped under the watchful eye of Mohammad Arif Khan, the trailblazer who became the first Indian to represent the country twice at the Winter Olympics, unites them.
Under Khan’s guidance, the trio recently trained in Italy’s Sudtirol region, absorbing the technical rigour and competitive mindset that define Europe’s alpine elite.
Sahil Thakur: Inheritance and Instinct
For 19-year-old Sahil Thakur, skiing is inheritance and instinct. Raised in Manali in a family where snow is both playground and profession — with father Devi Chand and brothers Rajneesh and Rahul all skiers — Sahil speaks of Italy with reverence.
“When I returned, I could feel the difference. The coaching, the attention to technique — it changes how you see the mountain,” Sahil said.
A national gold and silver medallist and a competitor at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea, Sahil now fixes his gaze on the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. His ambition is not tentative — it is inevitable.
Syed Zain: Aspiration on Ice
If Sahil’s journey was written in his bloodline, Syed Zain’s was carved from aspiration. Raised in Humhama on Srinagar’s outskirts, the 16-year-old grew up far from the European epicentres of Alpine skiing. Yet his rise has been emphatic — two gold medals in Slalom and Giant Slalom at the inaugural Khelo India Winter Games in 2020, followed by two silvers at the Junior Nationals in 2022.
“Skiing is a European sport, but Olympians like Arif Khan showed us it can belong to India too,” Zain said.
His foundation was laid at the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM) in Gulmarg, refined by Khan’s mentorship and strengthened during the Italy training programme alongside dozens of Indian athletes. Zain also credits six-time Olympian Shiva Keshavan for inspiring India’s winter sports ecosystem.
Faizan Ahmad Lone: Perseverance and Opportunity
Faizan Ahmad Lone’s story is one of perseverance sharpened by opportunity. A five-time national gold medallist and four-time Khelo India champion, the 19-year-old’s ascent has been powered not only by talent but by crucial support.
“Skiing is expensive. Arif didn’t just coach me, he helped me secure sponsorship. That allowed me to compete internationally,” Faizan said.
Faizan has represented India at the 2025 Winter Asian Games in Harbin, China, and competed in FIS races across Dubai and Kazakhstan — each race another step in India’s gradual climb toward alpine relevance.
Chasing Dreams on Gulmarg’s Slopes
Beyond medals and training camps, there is a quieter symbol of their shared journey. Each of their helmets bears the signature of Federica Brignone, the Italian Olympic champion and one of Alpine skiing’s modern greats.
“Her signature reminds us why we do this. It keeps us focused. It keeps us dreaming,” they said.
On Gulmarg’s slopes, where cold air sharpens resolve and every descent demands courage, Sahil, Zain and Faizan are no longer just athletes in training. They are standard-bearers of a nation still learning to believe in winter — carving their way toward history.
For more on KIWG 2026, visit winter.kheloindia.gov.in.