The passion for skiing that also made them search and rescue heroes

On good days, on cold days, and on the most challenging days, the members of the Kosovo Search and Rescue Association are ready to offer their unstinting assistance in any situation.
Since the ski season started in Brezovica, you can find Ardijan Grazhda there, who had learned the sport of skiing since he was a child. Besides his talent, his great desire to save lives was another reason for him to join the search and rescue team.

"I've been in Brezovica since I was a child when I learned to ski, I know all the terrain, when there has been a case where someone got lost in the fog or had a problem. As a society that has known the mountain, we have gone out and searched for them. They have always called us, because we have been recreational skiers, but we have also saved people. We are here until the snow melts, from 9 am, when the cable car starts working, until it stops, we are here and we are the last ones to walk as soon as we see the mountain that there is no one," emphasizes Grazhda.

He says that since he knows the Brezovica area well and became part of the association, he also attended more advanced search and rescue training.

"Since we helped, I became part of the association and now I go with the KSF to trainings, make no mistake, I have done trainings with equipment for avalanche incidents and now it is the 4th season that I have been in this association. To save a life, there is nothing better, out of love for the mountain, now we are also helping people, and fortunately we also have good conditions," he declares.

Grazhda talks about the most difficult case he experienced in Brezovica, when he lost his friend.

"I remember my friend Arian Daci, we have been skiing together since childhood, that day he invited me to go skiing, it was the weekend, when his case happened I was the first to be rescued, but he couldn't make it and died from the avalanche. At that time we didn't even have good conditions. I remember another friend of mine from Ferizaj who couldn't be saved either, these are the most painful cases for me," he says.

Roxhens Canie from Pogradec is another volunteer with the association. He says that Kosovars taught him how to ski, and now he is returning the favor by saving lives in Brezovica.

"The reason I chose Brezovica is because I like skiing, I was taught by Kosovo Albanians, we are good at swimming but not skiing. Now I am part of the association, I like being humane, we have helped tourists and they are grateful to us," Canie emphasizes.

For 4 seasons as a volunteer in the association, Rozhensi tells of the occasion when he saved several strangers, and they still continue to appreciate him and keep in touch.

"The most interesting case was with Polish KFOR soldiers, they were not well and we brought them down, I felt that I had to intervene and help, it was a challenge, but at the same time it was nice when they wrote to me and told me that I was welcome and wanted to meet me, they told me that their door was open to me," he states.

Dušan Mirković says that he is constantly skiing and tries to see every tourist closely, ready to help whenever necessary.

"I am Dushani from Štrpce, I have been working here for 4 years, I am in the association to help others, I do everything that is needed, whether for injuries or even if someone gets lost. We are always at the service of tourists and visitors, usually I go out into the field and observe the place if someone is in need, then we immediately intervene and if necessary we send them to the ambulance", emphasizes Mirkovic.

The Kosovo Search and Rescue Association is spread throughout the country and whenever the need arises, they immediately mobilize. Since the association began its work, the desire of new volunteers to join has been increasing day by day, while also adding equipment that makes search and rescue easier.