Trip Itinerary
Thursday 5th:
Arrive in Bishkek and take an internal connecting flight to Karakol. In Karakol you’ll spend the evening at a local guesthouse, dinner included.
Day 1. Friday 6th:
A few hours of lift assisted snowboarding at Karakol ski resort will help you warm up the legs. In the late afternoon you’ll be transferred by road to the next guesthouse in Jyrgalan Valley in a private mini-coach. Unpack, eat dinner and relax.
Day 2. Saturday 7th:
After a hot breakfast we’ll set off (packed lunch provided) for exploratory splitboard tour in the local zone. Along the way we’ll dig pits to make snow-pack assessments, run avalanche training drills and transceiver search refresher sessions. We return to the guesthouse for dinner.
Day 3. Sunday 8th:
Today we’ll really warm up your snowboarding legs and get you used to riding at a higher altitude on a skidoo uplift day. We’ll make multiple shuttle runs to the top of the designated freeride zone in Jyrgalan Valley looking for the best powder lines
Day 4. Monday 9th:
Today we’ll will make a much longer tour, starting from the guesthouse and returning in the late afternoon for lunch and a complimentary sauna before dinner and the 4th night at the guesthouse.
Day 5. Tuesday 10th:
After breakfast we’ll transfer by road to a neigbouring village (approx 30 minute drive) to collect the horses for today’s adventure. The horses will take us on a calm approach deeper into the valley and help us gain a 600m altitude bump. After an hour or so we will leave the horses behind and continue the ascent on splitboards to the peak. A big descent follows all the way back to the same village. We transfer back to our guesthouse by car for dinner.
Day 6. Wednesday 11th:
After another good breakfast we’ll make a tour much further into the valley riding lines along the way before stopping for the night in a backcountry yurt. The yurt is basic, but it’s warm and clean. A local shepherd will be on hand to cook dinner and keep the fires burning throughout the night for us. Any overnight toiletries and small travel bags will be taken up to the yurt by a snowmobile.
Day 7. Thursday 12th:
After breakfast at the yurt we’ll splitboard to that days objective ( conditions allowing ) which is a 3600m peak. We’ll make the descent all the way back to Jyrglan village in time for a late lunch. After lunch you’ll need to pack in time for a 5pm transfer back to Karakol to spend a last night in the guesthouse there and enjoy a traditional farewell Dungan dinner.
End of trip
Friday 13th:
After breakfast at the guesthouse you can take a taxi to Karakol airport in time for your flight to Bishkek and onward destination
Fitness & Ability
We will look to make a vertical ascents of around 1200m per day so your fitness level will allow you to do this over consecutive days. You will most likely also have been on a Rider Social trip before, if you haven’t we will need to talk with you to assess the general group fit and ability level.
What’s Included
- 6 days of splitboard guiding with Paul Verdier UIAGM
- 8 nights’ accommodation (yurt camp and guesthouse)
- Ground support vehicles – cat-ski, horses and snowmobiles
- Private return transfers to Karakol
- Private return transfers from Bishkek International
- Breakfast & dinner on 8 nights
- Lunch on 7 days
What’s Not Included
- Flights to Bishkek / Karakol
- Personal Insurance
- Splitboard equipment
- Backcountry safety equipment
- Alcohol
Payment Policy: A deposit of €795 is required immediately upon booking your session with The Rider Social. The balance of your trip costs are due 8 weeks before the course start date. Failure to meet the payment deadline 8 weeks before the start date will forfeit your place on that session without refund.
Cancellation policy: For cancellations made up to 8 weeks before the course start date, 10% of the ‘deposit’ amount paid will be refunded. For cancellations occurring within 6 weeks of the course start date no refund payments will be made. If cancelling a course within 6 weeks of the course start date, payments made cannot be refunded, carried forward or moved to another course.
Refund policy: The Rider Social is not liable for refunds or compensation due to late arrival, failure to attend or complete a course due to injury or illness, travel restrictions, resort closure, adverse weather conditions, force majeure or any other causes or conditions outside the control of The Rider Social
Covid: In the event that you can’t attend your session due to Covid, associated travel and holiday disruptions including (but not exclusive to) resort closure, FCO imposed travel restrictions, airline train or ferry travel bans imposed by International or local governments, a 50% refund of the balance paid, minus the non refundable deposit amount, will be refunded to you (the client).
In the event that you can’t attend your course due to you, (the client) being personally affected by illness, inability to travel due to illness or any other personal restrictions affecting your travel The Rider Social will not be liable to refund any monies (as stated in the refund policy above). It is strongly recommended that you have adequate personal insurance for illness, personal cancellation and personal travel disruption.
Upon booking any advertised session of any duration with The Rider Social you are in agreement of the Payment & Cancellations policies listed above.
