Whether its clocking up miles on the pistes, discovering untapped terrain or conquering a black run for the first time every skier and snowboarder has their own personal goals to achieve in the mountains. But in Afghanistan, a country that has been in a state of internal turmoil and war for over 40 years, one man has the hopes of the entire nation on his shoulders.

Sajjad Husaini is a man on a mission. Not only is the 28-year-old bidding to become Afghanistans first ever Winter Olympian at the Winter Games in Beijing in 2022, he is also leading the charge to put his countrys mountains on the map for skiers and for good reason.

The untouched mountains of Afghanistan offer an almost unrivalled chance of carving fresh, first-ever tracks a lot of the terrain remains un-skied and undiscovered. This is, of course, in part because the Foreign Office advises against all travel to the country.

Bamyan, 100 miles north west of Kabul, is the capital of the Bamyan Province in the central Afghan region of Hazarajat, and the focal point of Husainis efforts to encourage more international visitors to Afghanistans slopes.

"My hope is to develop skiing and tourism in Bamyan and to use the potential we have here," he said. "I love mountains and Bamyan is a province covered with mountains and snow."

The region sits in the shadow of the Hindu Kush mountains to the north east. The range stretches through Afghanistan to Pakistan and into Tajikistan, and is home to some of the most dramatic peaks in the world, including Noshaq,7,492m,Afghanistans highest mountain.

The Koh-e Baba mountains, to the south west, mirror this magnificence, reaching 4,951m at their loftiest point, Foladi. By comparison, Europes highest ski resort Val Thorens sits at a relatively modest 2,300m, with slopes up to 3,200m, and the highest mountain in the Alps, Mont Blanc, summits at 4,810m.

As well as big mountains, the region is rich with historic culture, most famously the giant statues of Buddha, the worlds largest, which were carved into the cliff faces in the fifth century and destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Located on the ancient Silk Route, Bamyan remains a peaceful region of Afghanistan, one of the few areas of the country where the Taliban has been unable to gain a strong foothold. This makes it one of the most popular spots for international visitors, but not yet skiers and snowboarders looking for an off-piste adventure.

This winter Husaini is hoping to change that, as skiers and snowboarders have the rare chance to experience skiing in Afghanistan on a 10-day trip organised by social enterprise ISHKAR. Participants on the pioneering trip will explore the backcountry off-piste terrain of the Bamyan region with Husaini and fellow Afghan professional skier Alishah Farhang.

While there are very few first-person accounts of skiing in the country to entice potential guests to join the trip, Husainis inspiring story, as well as the undiscovered appeal of the region, has recently inspired Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Daniel Etter to make a film that tells the truth of skiing in Afghanistan. The film, Where The Light Shines, takes its name from the translation of Bamyan, the place of shining light.

"Of course, as a visual storyteller, I was inspired by the immense beauty of the landscapes in Bamyan. But more importantly, the idea was to use the shared experience of skiing as a means to convey a positive story of Afghanistan that goes beyond the stereotypes of war and poverty that are dominant in the media," said Etter.

The opening sequences of the film demonstrate how the area has little infrastructure, with locals using shovels to clear paths for 4x4 vehicles up the mountains. But its this simple approach to life, tourism and skiing that will leave potential visitors intrigued.

"I enjoyed the beauty and the simplicity of life in Bamyan immensely. People were kind and open and I gained insight into Afghan society and culture I would not have expected beforehand," said Etter.

With mountains covering an estimated 90 per cent of the region and winters lasting at least six months, when temperatures fall as low as -30C, the conditions are ripe for powder turns and winter sports. But, as the film shows, turns are earned here the first lift, a rope tow powered by a motorbike engine was constructed, in part by Husaini, just last year. "Skiing is a new sport in Afghanistan most people in Afghanistan have never heard of skiing," says Husaini.

"We have good backcountry skiing in Afghanistan. The slopes are natural so we need to hike up and ski down," he explains. "It takes four hours just to go up and only four minutes to go down."

As well as infrastructure on the slopes, potential visitors can forget the quaint wooden ski chalets found in traditional Alpine ski resorts. Bamyan is home to ancient Qala mud brick fortresses and crumbled ruins, which date back to when Genghis Khan, the great Asian ruler of the 13th century, laid waste to the region.

Yet despite parts of the area lying in disrepair there is a burgeoning ski industry. Bamyan Ski Club, which opened the first permanent ski centre in the country in 2018, is playing a crucial role in the growth of the sport. It was under the watchful eye of club founder Christoph Zurcher, from Switzerland, that Husaini took his first turns in 2012, aged 20. Unlike other novices shown in the film skiing on wooden planks, he had access to proper ski equipment, after Zurcher saw his potential.

Over the years dozens of local Afghan boys, and since 2013 also girls, have learned to ski with the Club. They all have one primary goal, to compete in the Afghan Ski Challenge, which the Club hosts each spring. The race is set in the backcountry terrain of Bamyan in the Koh-e Baba mountains, and while the course varies in distance each year, the rules stay the same: everyone starts at the same time, competitors must carry all their own equipment and supplies, the winner is the first person to cross the line having successfully reached all checkpoints, and, strictly, no weapons.

After competing in his local race for many years, Husaini now travels to the world's top ski resorts to compete in the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup in the giant slalom and slalom races, but he has his sights set on the biggest global stage of all. "I hope we can represent Afghanistan for the first time in history at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games," he said, making the chance to ski with him this winter, on the ISHKAR trip, even more unique.

The 10-day trip is open to keen skiers with some experience of backcountry skiing, and costs from 2,680 per person in a group trip of six people, including food, travel and accommodation. The itinerary includes four to five days of guided skiing plus days spent seeing other cultural sights in Afghanistan.

ISHKAR, the company behind the pioneering trip, is a social enterprise set up by Britons Flore De Taisne and Edmund Le Brun. It's an online marketplace that helps craftsmen and women in war-torn countries connect to the international market. The duo have recently been named on Forbes 30 under 30 list, and this winter will run their first ski trips to the country, with three dates set in February and March and limited places remaining.

For security reasons the trips full itinerary cannot be made public. Safety was one the challenges the film crew behind Where The Light Shines faced. "While Bamyan is extremely safe, Kabul and the provinces between the two are not. I was almost kidnapped once and only got away because my translator concocted a story of me hailing from an Afghan father who migrated to Germany and us getting married in the following summer. The kidnappers-to-be only believed it after her father confirmed the story on the phone," said Etter of his experience when filming.

Following the death of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a US strike in Baghdad in January, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently advises against all travel to all areas of Kabul and the rest of Afghanistan. The incident has led to increased tensions in the region and, according to the FCO, there is a possibility of an increased threat against Western interests and the security situation could worsen with little warning.

"Together the founders of ISHKAR have spent more than a decade living and travelling to Afghanistan. The company takes security very seriously, and follows a number of uncompromising security principles,"said the trip organisers at ISHKAR. "All ISHKAR trips are led by experienced local guides, who are highly knowledgable about where it is safe to visit. ISHKAR draws on its range of contacts from across the Afghan government, local NGOs and security experts to ensure that ISHKAR has most up-to-date security information prior to, and during, the trip."

Safety concerns and cultural differences aside, watching Husaini in action on the untouched slopes of Bamyan echoes the action footage of world-class winter-sports films that premiere on big screens, shot in bucket-list destinations such as Alaska, Japan and North America.

"The feeling in the mountains is the same anywhere you go. We dont think about who is up here or what ethnicity they have, we are just living the sport," said Husaini.

That said, when asked where his favourite place to ski is? His reply is prompt: "Of course, Bamyan."

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Skiing in Afghanistan: Meet the man who wants the world to enjoy the war-torn country's slopes - Telegraph.co.uk