An update from Arslanbob

I have now been in Kyrgyzstan for over a month and have had many good days of skiing. The lack of internet access put an end to my hopes of posting regularly on this site but now that I am based in the capital Bishkek I will post a little something about what happened during the first month in Arslanbob. Some photos uploaded to Flickr.com can be seen on the right hand side. I will be heading back to Arslanbob in a couple of weeks for some spring-skiing.

There has been less snow than usual this winter season. January was a lot warmer than usual and the streets in Arslanbob were often filled with melting snow or ice, which proved a bit troublesome for cars and people on the road. Two years ago they had a meter of good snow in the streets. February proved colder than usual so we have experienced a good mix of snow conditions, sometimes a bit difficult for beginner-skiers, but good for practising balance. All in all we skied almost every second day, mostly up on the agricultural fields where we found ideal slopes on different angles for beginner-skiers. Every now and then we headed up in to the mountains to look for areas where ski-touring with tourist could become possible. And especially three areas have proved very nice for winter mountaineering tourism. Both for one-day and multi-day trips. The possibilities for adventurous skiers are endless. Spring-skiing also have big potential. There is a lot of snow high in the mountain and when the jailoos (summer pastures) melt up they make for a very nice blossoming camp-site, from where sheltered snowpacks are accessible with ski-touring equipment. Establishing a “base camp” also makes it easier to employ cooks, porters and horses\donkeys to provide with food and other equipment.

Most of the guides of CBT Arslanbob are born mountaineers. They are tough and agile. Having no ski-lifts does something to your physical condition and in the beginning I had trouble keeping up with even the new skiers going up. Many of Hayats (the coordinator of CBT Arslanbob) 26 guides have willingly joined us in the practice area overlooking the town. Most of the guides are still beginner skiers but Hayat and Latchin with sons are always there and they are progressing well.

The equipment is old but working, the skins haven’t seen glue in a couple of years but are still in use. No one is complaining, and now a box of glue for skins has arrived from a recent visitor from the US. The only skis in town for children are home-made wooden ones, but skiing is the big buzz in the streets these days. Us skiing around the city and ski-roping after horses and cars is being noticed and especially the kids are very interested. Skis for the next generation guides are deeply in need and I really hope I can help provide this equipment.

Similar projects I have been in contact with have all purchased relevant equipment locally, but in Kyrgyzstan skis and especially skis for children in the “randonee\telemark\touring-class” are proving very hard to come by both new and second-hand. The only equipment available is preserved for the rich and therefore not possible to purchase locally.  It’s hard to imagine possibilities for import of relevant equipment to a price that fits the purpose.

But there are other possible options for providing skis to Arslanbob. I am in contact with several other ski-enthusiasts that are working on different approachings on import of skis. But the most probable option in planning seems to be a road-trip from Norway to Kyrgyzstan with a van filled with skis. But when this will happen is not yet decided.

If you can help arrange another option I will very much appreciate hearing from you.

-Kjartan

• PS: CBT Arslanbob would like a visit from one or more instructors also next winter season. Knowledge in Kyrgyz\Uzbek (both belong to the Turkish family of languages) or Russian is not necessary, even though it makes things a bit easier. Several of the guides in Arslanbob speak English  and CBT can help with transportation issues. The stay doesn’t have to be very long, and it can\should be incorporated with a trip to see more of beautiful Kyrgyzstan. Contact me if interested. Highly recommended!

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