“China by Chauna” A Historical Adventure.
The next morning we hopped on a bus and drove a few hours to a village called Chunkor where we transferred our gear to six chauna’s (horse drawn sleighs). It was then that we started on our unsuspecting journey to Kanas Village.
One of our guides had found a stone pictograph the summer before that had an ancient drawing of a horse and a skier. This discovery dates skiing back three thousand years. The Beijing Museum is buying it from him this May. Our mission was to seek the place where skiing as we know it was invented and document the contrast between our modern styles and their age old tradition.
View from the bus
After two days of traveling by horse North through mountain passages we arrived at a farm called Axialbak. The only people there were a Mongolian family who were very welcoming despite the fact we arrived out of the cold, late at night. We all unrolled our foam pads and sleeping bags on their woven mats and it was lights out. As I fell asleep I wondered what kind of terrain we would find to ski the next day.
Our cook with the host family.
We spent two nights at the Mongolians cabin. During the day we would tour from their backyard into the hills and shoot in the light powder snow that blanketed the side of the mountain. We would follow them on their home made ski’s with horse hide skins into the hills and watch as they pointed it straight relying on one single pole as a rudder. Both groups had fun and it was apparent by the universal language of smiles and laughs.
We got back on the chaunas and continued on; we arrived in Kanas that evening. In Kanas we met with some locals and sessioned a snowy hill behind some of their houses. The sun was shining and having finally made it the whole 108 kms from Chunkor our spirits were high. That night Kanat, the head horseman, laid a soundtrack on a local string instrument.
Here’s a shot a snapped of a man making repairs to his shovel. I noticed that many of the tools around town were all hand made.
Here’s a picture of the typical house in Kanas. Many people used motorcycles in the snow, I didn’t see one snowmobile but I could imagine the look on their faces if someone road in on one. Priceless.
I met a young boy that got a blast from stepping on my skis with his shoes and sliding down a small hill in the village. I had Akbar our guide/translator ask him whether he had some ski’s at home that he could use if we went to a bigger hill and he said that he’d go get them if I came along. I followed him down a trail that led over the Kanas River bridge and down to his farm. He showed me around his animals and his two little twin sisters were following us around with toy whistles, they must have been about 3 or 4 years old.
China was an exercise for my mind, body and soul. I was born a skier and I’ll die a skier. To travel thousands of kilometers from my home mountains to pay respect to the birthplace of my sport, and my lifestyle was an honor and a privilege.
Huge thank you to Chris Patterson, Collin Witherill, Ilja Herb and Chris Anthony. What an amazing experience; I learned so much! Also, without the help of Akbar from Kashgar Mountain Adventures our trip would have been nowhere near as successful and smooth, cheers buddy! Big ups to Josh Haskins at Warren Miller! To everyone else that we came across along the way, thanks for the great food and hospitality.
“Meow” A quick hello.
The blue computer screen rays and the smell of burning cigarettes and sting my eyes as I write this. I’m typing from computer number 9 in a net cafe in Aletai. It’s been awhile since my last update due mostly to the fact that I’ve been trekking hundreds of kilometers through Northwest China behind a horse drawn sleigh. I set out to Kanas Village with the Warren Miller crew to visit the town where skiing was invented 3000 years ago. Our journey has been long and tiresome but the mountains, snow and culture make it all worth while. When I arrive home I will post my whole story but for now I have a few more days of travelling ahead of me before I’m back in the comfort of the BC coast mountains.
Next time you reach the top of your local hill take a few moments to appreciate the fact that long ago, men and women chopped down trees in their backyards and fitted them with horse hides for skins and leather bound bindings to have the same gliding feelings that we now enjoy. While the equipment has certainly changed, our goal is still the same; get out in the beauty of nature and feel at peace as we float down the hill.
Dubai, UAE
In May of 2007, I flew to the opposite side of the world to visit Ski Dubai, the world’s largest indoor ski area. The city was unlike anything I had ever laid eyes on. Thirteen percent of the world’s construction cranes stood tall against the horizon as we made our way from the airport to the Kempinski Mall of the Emirates on our first day.
The hotel is a whopping 1.3 million square feet. Inside you can find everything from designer clothing outlets to 5 star restaraunts to cars for sale. The project took 10, 000 immigrant workers 3 years to complete. The interior was an amazing example of the pride they take in keeping their 6 star hotel looking good around the clock.
The pool deck was a great way to unwind before heading down to the dome for a few turns. Eating burgers at the swim up bar was a luxury I had never experienced.
One day as we scouted locations by car I snapped some pictures of some of the many projects in the works in downtown Dubai. The architecture was very unique; I caught myself staring at some buildings trying to understand how they would have been built.
This buiding reminded me of the Emerald City that Dorothy and friends visit at the end of their mission through Oz.
This is Burj Al Arab, the only 7 star hotel in the world. We entered the front doors with camera equipment and were immediately told that if we weren’t guests, we couldn’t stay. Needless to say security was tight.
Here’s a shot of me and my partner in crime, Andreas Hatveit (08 X Games Gold Medalist). The large slanted building in the back? You guessed it, the ski dome. At night, the ring that circles the hill lights up in a series of colors. It’s a wild site.
One afternoon we made our way to the water. I like to make a point of swimming when I’m visiting a new country or body of water. This time around I checked the Persian Gulf off my list.
Some locals were surprised to see the cameras but warmed up when we let them take a peek at what we were shooting.
At one point during the trip we took an elevator to the top of a building to see what the scenery was looking like. We were lucky enough to be observing on a day that had little wind because wind storms in the desert make it impossible to see very far.
You can see the world’s tallest tower in the reflection of this shot. Luckily enough Collin was there to capture it all on film. Atta boy.
The hottest afternoon of the trip was when we visited the desert. We drove for about an hour and a half before we arrived at a small shack hidden in the rolling dunes. The temperature inside the van read 44 degrees celcius, the hottest I’ve ever experienced. A kind local lent us his toys and before I knew it Andreas and I were chasing eachother around on atvs under the blaring sun.
After a good rip around the dunes we cut the motors. Before heading back to the city we made two very special new friends, Mr. Jones and Mr. Sheelah.
Thanks to everyone at Warren Miller Entertainment. Especially Tom Day, Josh Haskins and my man Collin. Thanks to the Ski Dubai locals for being so welcoming and Andreas Hatveit for being an awesome room mate and one cool cat!
