We make the last run of the day from a smaller but very steep mountain directly into the "Chimgan" ski area. However, the term "ski resort" has a very special meaning here. Although there are lifts here - even a chairlift - there are no groomed slopes and you simply ski down wherever you can... The lift track is of course not rolled and the drag lift consists of a hodgepodge of different bars that glide past the access point. A T-bar follows a plate bar and then a steel bar or a wooden construction... But it works and everyone who comes here to ski - and occasionally even to snowboard - is clearly delighted. Although most of the ski equipment is very old and worn and functional clothing is in short supply, it's not just the winter sport itself that counts here. The time spent together in the snow is the decisive factor. Cheers and cries of enthusiasm echo back and forth and there is a lot of laughter when someone lands on their stomach with their skis crossed. Down by the road, tables are set up with drinks and barbecues on which shashlik skewers are sizzling, or people gather at one of the drinking stalls after a day's skiing to toast their friendship with vodka. This is also the meeting place for the village youth. The boys hang around casually smoking on their horses and occasionally take a lucky chosen one from the group of gossiping girls for a short ride.
Unfortunately, we don't have time to really immerse ourselves in the Uzbek après-ski. There's a big party at our hotel today that we definitely don't want to miss. The daughter of the Uzbek president is celebrating her fortieth birthday today. As the first basses from the sound check of the music system boom through the walls, we are sitting down to dinner. We are having plov, the Uzbek national dish made from rice, mutton and raisins. The flatbread slightly reduces the fat content of the food, while the excellent vodka does the rest. This is an obligatory part of every meal anyway. A half-liter bottle costs just as much as a glass of orange juice and by the time we have finished eating, the first five bottles have already been emptied. In the meantime, the upper-class party scene has also arrived from Tashkent. The parking lot has filled up with pimped-up vehicles that would also cause a stir in Germany. Everything that is good and expensive is lined up here, polished to a shine, and it is a mystery to us how they have managed to master the bumpy road up to here unscathed with so little ground clearance. Long-legged beauties in expensive dresses are led past the bouncers into the party area where a raucous party is raging. We prefer not to ask where all the wealth comes from, but accept the invitation to join the party. In the meantime, the vodka has taken full effect and before we know it, we've been hooked up and pulled onto the dance floor. No one will be going to bed early tonight. Tonight we are guests and we have to submit. Tonight, the last bottle is far from being emptied.
Travel information
Uzbekistan has a population of around 26 million and an area of 447,400 square kilometers and is located in Central Asia. The Tien Shan Mountains are a foothill of the Himalayas with the highest mountain in Uzbekistan, the Beshtor at 4,301 m.
Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are the only landlocked countries in the world that are themselves only surrounded by landlocked countries. So you have to cross two national borders to get to a country with access to the sea. Uzbekistan is a fairly safe country to travel to and the people are very hospitable.
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan with around 2 million inhabitants, located north of the Great Silk Road on the border with Kazakhstan and on the western edge of the Tien Shan Mountains. There is an international airport in Tashkent and from here it takes around two hours to reach the mountains.
Visa
A visa is required to enter Uzbekistan.
This can be applied for directly at the Embassy of Uzbekistan: http://www.uzbekistan.de
Or via a visa agency: e.g. www.visumcentrale.de
Travel agency
The Heli trip to Uzbekistan, as well as div. other freeride trips to Central Asia is offered by SnowXplore:
snowxplore
Mathias Andrä
Carl- von- Ossietzky- Strasse 24
02826 Görlitz / GERMANY
Phone: +49/ 3581/ 661 248
Mobile: +49/ 170/ 96 21 506
WEB: www.snowxplore.deE-May: info@snowxplore.de Mathias Andrä takes care of everything from visas to flight bookings and on site and is the perfect contact person.
Best time to travel to Uzbekistan
The highest probability of powder in Uzbekistan is from January to March.Ski resortsIn addition to Helisation, there are two very small and old ski resorts around U-tan.
No slope grooming or slope maintenance can be expected here. The lifts are very old and in catastrophic condition.Chimgan - 6 lifts, including 1 chairlift Beldersay
- 2 lifts, including 1 chairlift
Hotels
Directly on the reservoir in Charvak "Hotel Chorvoq Oromgohi" (Uzbek name/ also Hotel Pyramidy) with western standard from approx. 25$ up to 100$.
Directly at the ski resort in Beldersay "Hotel Beldersoy Mehmonxonasi " Hotel Beldersoy
In Tashkent e.g. "Hotel Intercontinental", "Hotel Sheraton"
Travel
E.g. with Aeroflot from Munich or Frankfurt via Moscow to Tashkent approx. 650€ Travel tipYou should definitely visit Samarkand, the city on the Silk Road. Registan Square and the Bibi Xanom Mosque alone are worth a visit.
Travel guide
Lonely Planet Central Asia
There are no good maps.
