Malikah is an inspirational young woman who has been working with Snow Camp, Ackers Adventure Centre, Snowsport England and her local community to engage Asian women in skiing. Malikah Khan wouldn’t shout from the top of the slopes that she is a trailblazer, she possibly wouldn’t even admit it to herself, but frankly she is.
A few years ago, at the start of her university studies, just before the pandemic hit, Malikah saw an opportunity for a free skiing taster session being led by Snow Camp, and with no expectations of enjoying it or it becoming a hobby, let alone a passion, took up the offer at Ackers. Having enjoyed the session, Malikah started to go to the slope regularly, improving and honing her skills before then having the idea that would change her Snowsport journey forever. Looking around at the instructors and coaches, she realised that she too was keen to develop others. Whilst becoming a ski coach felt like a personal goal, Malikah also had a much broader goal. Noticing that as a woman of colour she was not just in the minority of participants, she was in fact the only minority ethnic group representative enjoying our sport. After successful application for the Snowsport England Community Innovation Fund, the group was formed.
Malikah is now training to be a Ski Instructor and the sessions at Ackers continue to grow. Malikah is joining the Snowsport England Breaking Barriers panel to share her experiences within our sport.