A TRIP REPORT by MICHI BÜCKERS
"How different can skiing be? You might think powder is powder. Far from it"
Michi Bückers – mountain guide, tandem pilot and sports scientist. With 30 years of ski touring experience, he has already seen and experienced a lot. However, the trip to Kyrgyzstan surprised him and his team in many ways.
Powder in Kyrgyzstan
After about 30 years of ski touring experience and ski touring trips to Chile, Argentina, Norway, the USA, Georgia and many days in the Alps, it seems that a very special type of snow – or rather snowpack structure – had so far slipped through my fingers. But more on that later.
The trip to Kyrgyzstan begins as hoped and planned. We land in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek and immediately take a taxi transfer to Karakol. Outside our window, the beautiful landscape glides by – and of course the activity, which seems surreal and bizarre to us.
What is immediately noticeable even from the car: the sparsely populated country, about five times the size of Switzerland, is a true melting pot. Asian and Russian cultures and languages meet here. The usual quickly learned phrases like “thank you”, “yes” and “no” are often followed by the question: “Kyrgyz or Russian?” – as these are the two official languages of the country. But many people also speak very good English.
The food is also a mix of Asian and Russian dishes. We enjoy it immensely – that much is clear after our first lunch stop. Visiting hot springs and having dinner in a cheerful mix of dance hall and restaurant is the perfect conclusion to our arrival in Kyrgyzstan.
The following days we spend in a yurt camp at 2,600 m altitude, about 30 km away from any civilization. Thanks to Skidoos pulling us and our luggage into the valley, we can save ourselves the long approach. The snow feels extremely fluffy under our skis, and breathtaking touring terrain opens up before our eyes. No tracks lead into the valley, and mountains up to 4,800 m, combined with radiant sunshine, entice us to the first tour. The surprise comes quickly. Even breaking trail is “different.” Every second step breaks through to the bottomless, and even in position 5 it still feels like trail breaking. Even though we had heard about the often poor snowpack structure and had been advised to bring skis as wide as possible – we were truly surprised by this “quality” of “bottomless powder.” Unfortunately, there were also long faces on the descent. This snow is, to put it mildly, an acquired taste and of course also leads to a very tense avalanche situation.
We enjoy the days in our remote valley nevertheless – not least because of the magnificent views and the yurt life with sauna tent and hot tub.
The move to a hotel in Jyrgalan, a small village at 2,400 m, is a real game changer. It has freshly snowed upon our arrival, and the terrain here is much gentler. We start our first touring day at the new location without great expectations, and soon smiles appear on our faces. The snowpack structure already feels much better while breaking trail. And indeed, we are rewarded with an incredible day. After three ascents, endless perfect snow and many shouts of joy, we place our skis next to the hotel’s own hot tub. May it continue like this – and it does. On the return journey we all agree: “We love Kyrgyzstan” – with all its facets.
Photo & text: Michael Bückers
