They told me Uzbekistan was dry. That the mountains were wild and unpredictable. That the culture was ancient but the terrain—untouched. They didn’t tell me how it would change me.

Freeriding in Uzbekistan isn’t just about the snow. It’s about the silence between the trees. The sudden, steep walls that rise from flatlands like a dare. The feeling of standing on a summit with no tracks, no lifts, and no proof that anyone had ever been there before. It’s raw, and it demands something from you that resort snowboarding never will: total presence.

Where Fear Lives — and Dies

My first line in the Ugam-Chatkal range didn’t look like much from the bottom. But at the top, with wind biting through three layers and nothing but rock and cornices for company, it hit me: fear. The good kind. The kind that means respect. The kind that sharpens your senses like a whetstone on steel.

And then I dropped.

Everything blurred — not from speed, but from flow. My brain stopped narrating. My body took over. The turns weren’t planned, they were pulled from the slope like they’d always been there. I wasn’t riding down a mountain. I was moving with it. Uzbekistan gave me that.

It’s the People Too

At night, over tea and slow-cooked lamb, the locals shared stories — some in Uzbek, some in Russian, all with eyes that had seen winter from a place of survival, not sport. They didn’t care about my avalanche bag or carbon poles. They cared whether I respected their mountains. Whether I listened.

And I did.

Because when you ride in a place like this, where freeriding is not a scene but a way to understand the world, you don’t just ride better. You live better. You become part of something old. And maybe a little wilder than you were before.

Why Uzbekistan?

If you’re looking for groomers, stay home. If you want wild terrain, cultural immersion, and the kind of riding that makes you rethink everything — this is your place.

UNCOMMON’s Uzbekistan expedition isn’t curated for tourists. It’s built for riders who crave discomfort, depth, and discovery. You'll tour ancient ridgelines, ride steep, dry powder in forgotten valleys, and share firelight with people who ride not for Instagram, but for life.

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Rethink what freeriding means. Rediscover what it feels like to be human on snow.

‍→ Explore the Uzbekistan Expedition | #Uncommon #UzbekistanSnowboarding #SnowboardingExpeditions #FreeridingAdventure #SnowboardingTravel

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