Free Rider n° 28

Muztaghata, the emigrant of the dust: at the end of this journey the mountain awaits us that ski mountaineers from all over the world consider to be like a divinity: the Muztaghata… Marlboro country: uno Rossa goes Marlboro Country. Two cowboys from Emilia in search of powder. What appears to us upon arrival in Bridger makes us understand that an unforgettable day awaits us. The lightest powder I've ever seen. Georgia: political snow. The Caucasus extends 360° all around us, with the northern slopes shining with the reflected light of still crystalline snow... Kashmir: skiing in Kashmir in guerrilla warfare. I get off the cable car followed by three soldiers, guns on their shoulders. There are two military posts on Apharwat, the Line of Control between India and Pakistan is only a few miles away. Las Lenas: welcome to freeride paradise. After a heavy snowfall, the American and Nordic riders throw themselves onto the slope like madmen, it's impressive. You pass everywhere or almost everywhere, at the end the runs of the steepest couloirs remain. Mammoth: The two faces of the American way of life. For Americans, “go big” does not mean big flats and long jumps. Here the kickers shoot high, towards the blue sky of the photos. After a stalemate that seems to never end, you quickly descend towards a landing as steep as a north face. New Mexico: Hippie skiing in New Mexico. Taos is where Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda traveled with the hippies in Easy Rider and where German Ernie Blake built a ski resort, although most people imagine New Mexico as a desert state, full of snakes and without snow.