Bander Saleh is a 24-year-old Saudi student currently in the United States on a scholarship. He is also ranked today in the top 50 list of snowboarders in the US, putting his home country on the map.
According to Saudi Gazette, Saleh competed with the country’s best snowboarders and has now made it to the US Snowboarding Nationals, which is due to take place in April in the state of Colorado. To qualify, Saleh first made it through the regionals in the freestyle category, coming out on top in Slope Style 3 and winning bronze in SlopeStyle AFP during the North Tahoe regional qualifiers.
Saleh’s journey towards conquering the slopes has been a remarkable one. Prior to arriving to the States to complete his university studies, the young champion said that snowboarding was a new sport to him. However, through continuous practice, he quickly mastered snowboarding and now competes professionally.
Bander Saleh
“I’d literally never seen snow while living in Saudi and I’m competing with guys who grew up on boards,” he said. “But from the first time I tried it, I knew this was going to be my sport.”
Saleh has been involved in a number of sports before snowboarding that helped him master the slopes faster. Coming from Riyadh, he used to skate, which he explained helped him “prepare for the physical challenge of snowboarding and helped me learn the ways to move and shift my body for the various maneuverings necessary to compete at this high level.”
His ultimate goal is to participate in the January 2019 ‘X GAMES’ in Aspen, Colorado.
Although Saudi Arabia does witness some snow fall now and then in northern regions such as Tabuk, which enjoyed stunning wintery scenes just this January, the Kingdom does not have winter seasons that allow locals to try snow-centric sports such as skiing and snowboarding. However, Saudis are renowned for mastering sports found nowhere else such as sand skiing, which requires a sand board, balance, courage, and lots of sunscreen.
