2026 Snowman Athletes Arrive In Bhutan

The 2026 International Athletes and their plus ones have arrived in Bhutan for the Third Snowman Race! The National production team and National Bhutanese Athletes greeted the international guests at the airport before settling into Paro for two nights of getting to know each other and exploring the region.

After a meeting with the Chairman and getting a good night of rest the entire team of National and International Athletes and guests hiked up to visit Paro Taktsang, The Tiger’s Nest, a wonderful way to kick off the Third Snowman Race.

Following one more night in Paro the team shared breakfast and loaded the two Coaster buses to head to the Himalayan highlands.

On the way to the mountains the crew stopped briefly at Dochula Pass. Sitting at 3,100 meters (10,171 feet) the pass has 108 memorial stupas and can offer the first glimpse of the big mountains and although low clouds obscured the view the team enjoyed the unique stop.

Following lunch in Punakha and shopping for traditional Ghos for the guys and Kiras for the girls the team stopped to have tea with Pem Zam, a previous female finisher of the Snowman Race. The current athletes appreciated talking with Pem and checking out her wall of race medals, bibs, and photos.

The group settled into Gasa for 2 nights to repack gear, revisit race strategies, and tour the Gasa Dzong, a 17th-century fortress-monastery that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Gasa District in northwestern Bhutan. During the visit many monks met the athletes, passed along blessings, and prayed for the Athletes safety and success over the 5 day stage race.

On the morning of October 19th the 4×4 trucks were loaded with all the Athletes and gear and departed Gasa to the trailhead leading to Laya. The group will next set out on foot and trek to Laya to acclimatize at 3,820 meters (12,533 feet) for then next few days before the Royal Highland Festival and the start of the race on October 24th. Follow the race progress with our live tracker (https://en.follow.me.cz/tracking-en/SMR2026/) starting on October 24th!