“Ski-Exotik. There the mountains reach up to 4,600 meters. You have fat snow and the longest lines on this planet with up to 2,000 meters in altitude. We were mostly on the move by helicopter – in a flight area as big as Tyrol.”

Uzbekistan might not be at the top of your list for ski destinations but it might be after watching this. Silk road powder skiing out of an old school MI-8 whirlybird…sign me up:

In February 2014 we were skiing in Uzbekistan in the totally lonely foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains. There the mountains reach up to 4,600 meters. You have fat snow and the longest lines on this planet with up to 2,000 meters in altitude. We were mostly on the move by helicopter – in a flight area as big as Tyrol. Nevertheless, there is only this one helicopter and no freeride competition. The bizarre thing is called MI 8, is 18 meters long, has a wingspan of 23 meters and 5 rotors. A real omibus of the air with a crew of three and up to 16 passengers. Not only did the helicopter porthole offer impressive views of the magnificent mountains, but also inside there was really something to see, because we had a go-go dancer from Tashkent on board. We had a lot of fun and unique experiences – both the helicopter and skiing as well as the mixture of peoples of Central Asia, the post-communist chaos and the exoticism of the Silk Road. Uzbekistan is madness and the real ski exotic!

The trip report provided below from whitehearts.de

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