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To skiers and non-skiers, the name, "Kandahar" for a resort at Taos Ski Valley generally is a puzzle and deserves an explanation. First of all, "Kandahar" is the name of a town in Afghanistan; actually founded by Alexander The Great during his monumental march Eastward to India and beyond. Now, the link between the town of Kandahar and skiing is provided centuries later by British General, Frederick Skeigh Roberts who, in August, 1880, marched 10,000 men from Kabul to Kandahar, Afghanistan - a distance of 313 miles in 22 days to relieve the siege of a British Garrison stationed there. A grateful British Government chose to Knight him for this effort in 1882 and in keeping with custom, the General chose the name "Kandahar" for this campaign; Thus, the General became the first Lord Roberts of Kandahar. Lord Roberts became Vice-President of The Public Schools Alpine Sports Club in 1903 and eight years later, on January 11, 1911, a group of Englishmen held the world's first downhill ski race in Montana-sur-Sierre, Switzerland and Lord Roberts lent his name to the ski trophy awarded the winner. This trophy was known as, "The Roberts of Kandahar Challenge Cup" and is used to this day for the premier of world downhill ski racing. In January, 1924, a group of British Alpine ski pioneers decided to form a ski club in Muren, Switzerland and for need of a better name decided to simply take the name "Kandahar" ; thus, starting what is undoubtedly the most famous ski club in the world- "The Kandahar Ski Club" , which was instrumental in organizing the first international ski meet and delivering the combined result of both downhill and slalom races. From that day forward a ski race meet was known simply as a "Kandahar". The driving force behind The Kandahar Ski Club was Sir Arnold Lunn, the man who invented and named the "slolam" ski race. Strangely enough, Sir Arnold always regretted his attaching the old Norwegian name, "slalom" to his invention- recognizing that the German word, "torlauf" (gate race) would have been far more appropriate. On March 3 and 4, 1928, Sir Arnold Lunn and his friend Hannes Schneider inaugurated and supervised the first Arlber-Kandahar race in St. Anton, Austria- a full two years before the FIS recognized downhill and slalom racing and three years before the first World Champianships in the Alpine Combined. Then came The Kandahar at Taos Ski Valley ... The metamorphosis of "Kandahar" from the name of an obscure Afghan town to a term for a ski race to a ski lodge at Taos Ski Valley is finally explained!