LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/760149
41 Winter 2016 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Our next leg of the trip was to the 40 Tribes backcountry yurts in eastern part of the country. A two hour tour takes us out of the village of Ichke-Jergez up the village road until it peters out into low angle pine forests that lead to three traditional Kyrgyz yurts. The yurts are decorated in the traditional style, with wood stoves in the center and bright and colorful floor mats. For the next four days, we will be day touring from these yurts into the towering mountains that lie to the south. A few quick snow profiles reveal a wind slab problem on all north facing aspects in the alpine, as well as a loose dry problem on all aspects on slopes over 38 degrees. Unfortunately, we are not able to ski some of the steeper terrain due to near-perfect avalanche conditions higher in the mountains. We decide to go for the summit of a nearby peak on our final full day of skiing from the yurts. We follow our skin tracks from the previous day's tours through the early morning stillness until we gain a ridgeline, which we follow to a small bench be- low a steep headwall. We switchback up the headwall, and it feels steep enough that I could fall off, but kick turn after kick turn eventually spits us out where the snow stops, with only several hundred more meters of boot packing to the summit. Once on top, we are greeted by a panoramic 360 degree view of monolithic-like peaks deeper into the mountains. The peaks stretch into the horizon, and I can only imagine the possibility of virgin summits and unseen valleys beyond. There is a won- derful, overwhelming sense of group accomplishment. I am at the highest I have ever been. It is our last full day, and despite the adverse avalanche conditions, we have accomplished our goal. We have backcountry skied in Kyrgyzstan. I close my eyes and let the moment engulf me, then open them to once again take in the infinite peaks extending into the distance. Back in Bishkek, the city is loud, dirty, and fast. We stroll the wide avenues, retracing our steps from that first day. It seems like a lifetime ago. Coming on this trip, to a place as physically and culturally different as anything I have ever experienced, has afforded me a more objective view of the world. Coming to Kyrgyzstan was a like seeing the world for the first time: a reversion to the unbiased childhood worldview devoid of pre- conceptions, and I believe that I will look back on it as one of the great adventures of my life.