The Origins Of Skiing - The Silk Snow Pt4

The last episode of The Silk Snow documentary saga. A journey though Asia on the ancient Silk Road, with a pair of skis. Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and China: countries that are frequently covered in the news, often in dramatic and, quite literally, explosive tones. For two thousand years, these countries were connected and intertwined through a tight commercial network, historically known as The Silk Road. Throughout the centuries, on the mountains along this route, travellers and tradesmen such as Marco Polo sought for paths to reach China from the Mediterranean. The goal of this project was to travel through those Oriental mountains once again, and tell the story of the peoples living in small isolated realities far from the spotlight. Looking for more intense experiences and powerful storytelling, we decided to travel in the winter, when skis are the only way to get from one valley to the other. Our journey took us through Iranian volcanoes and Afghan hills, via the Hindu Kush and the Pamir Mountains, the cold Tian Shan in Kirghizistan and China, and finally, the mysterious Altay Mountains. This is the winter story of three unknown and astonishing worlds. A journey through ancient traditions, leading towards an uncertain finale in the rapidly modernizing rural part of China.