LINES
Ski Touring · Backcountry Camps · Ski Expeditions
WINTER 2026/27 AT A GLANCE
Gudauri, Georgia
Informal ski-touring days with experienced riders. I am in Gudauri two to three weeks every month of the winter season. Non-commercial.
Next journey · Pontic Alps
30 January – 7 February 2027 · Turkey. Six days of guided ski touring and splitboarding, with Tsa Lung Foundations and meditation. Fully booked.
Next expedition · Tian Shan
10–23 April 2027 · Kyrgyzstan. Two weeks of exploratory ski touring in remote terrain with a small group.
Season 2027/28
The usual one- to two-week trips return from August 2027. Vote for the next destinations and hear about dates first.
Mountains are a central part of my life. I organise selected journeys in places I know well, and sometimes in lesser-known regions with strong potential for riding. The focus is on interesting terrain, engaging routes, local culture and enough flexibility to balance the appeal of a route with safety, always choosing the safer side when the two conflict.
Mountain Journeys
Mountain journeys range from a one-day route and week-long ski trips to remote camps and exploratory expeditions to places where no one has skied yet. Some are physically and technically demanding; others allow more time for recovery, practice and cultural or spiritual experiences along the way.
Meditation, Tsa Lung and breathing practice are part of some journeys, but not all of them. Sometimes we simply go skiing.
TYPES OF JOURNEYS
RIDE TOGETHER
Informal freeride days in Gudauri with experienced riders; not a guided service.
Sometimes I simply go riding.
When I am in Gudauri, Georgia, I often head out on ski-touring routes with friends or other experienced ski tourers and splitboarders. These are non-commercial days in the mountains, with no fixed schedule or guaranteed departure. If our dates, experience and plans happen to line up, we may ride together.
JOURNEYS
One to two weeks of ski touring in remote areas, based in villages.
Riding fresh snow is the main focus. If participants wish, meditation or breathing practices can become part of the daily rhythm.
CAMPS
Three to five days of skiing from a remote, comfortable camp, far from civilisation.
We live in the mountains and ski directly from camp, choosing terrain according to the weather, snow conditions and the group’s abilities.
The focus is on good skiing among like-minded people and the experience of several days of self-sufficient life in the mountains.
EXPEDITIONS
Exploratory ski trips in search of new lines.
Routes may not be fully worked out in advance, and plans stay flexible until we learn more on the ground about access, terrain and snow cover. These journeys are for experienced participants who enjoy exploration itself and are comfortable being part of the process rather than following a finished itinerary.
A typical participant
- several seasons of backcountry ski touring or splitboarding, confident off-piste in variable snow
- comfortable with 1,000–1,500 m of ascent and 6–8 hours on the move
- own avalanche kit and practical knowledge of how to use it
- at ease with basic accommodation, limited communication and help that may be hours away
- fine with waiting days, changed routes and turning back
Each expedition page lists its own requirements.
Some expeditions also contribute to Still Wild Mountains, my ongoing work in mountain research, route development, guidebooks and expedition design, and participants in these expeditions appear in the films and in photographs used in the books.
A Journey into the Himalayas
A film from one of our exploratory ski expeditions in the Himalayas
STILL WILD MOUNTAINS
Guidebooks, Ski Trip Design and Winter Expeditions
My guidebooks, route research and detailed ski-trip design live at Still Wild Mountains, a companion resource for people planning their own ski trips and expeditions. Also available on Amazon.
Mountains & Practice
On selected journeys, meditation and breathing practices become part of the daily rhythm, perhaps before breakfast, after skiing or on a weather day when we stay inside.
Some programs include structured instruction; in others, practice remains optional and informal. And some mountain journeys do not include it at all.
My Approach
I continue to guide private groups, but I no longer try to fill the season with bookings. I want to keep some time for myself and focus on fewer, more distinctive journeys: exploring new terrain and seeking unique experiences in wilder, less familiar places.
Upcoming Ski Journeys
Until July 2027, most of my time goes to study and personal practice, so the calendar is deliberately light. More journeys will return in the 2027/28 season.
WINTER 2027
TURKEY
KAÇKAR MOUNTAINS
JOURNEY · PONTIC ALPS
30 Jan – 7 Feb 2027 · Turkey
SPRING 2027
KYRGYZSTAN
HIDDEN LINES
EXPEDITION · TIAN SHAN
10–23 Apr 2027 · Kyrgyzstan
GUDAURI WOODS
Forest cabins near Gudauri, a base for ski tourers.
WHERE NEXT?
You Choose the Next Ski Expeditions: Season 2027/28
Your votes will help choose one to three destinations for the ski expeditions I organise in the 2027/28 season: winter 2027/28 in the northern mountains, and the southern winter of 2027 in the Andes. The destinations with the most votes will take priority.
The options below are places I’m interested in exploring. Choose the one you’d most like to visit and leave your email, or select “Other” to suggest a destination of your own. Suggestions won’t automatically appear as voting options; I’ll review them for future votes.
Once voting closes, I’ll announce the selected destinations and share the proposed dates, itineraries and participation details.
Voting closes on 30 April 2027. One vote per email address.
Your vote expresses interest, not a booking or a commitment to join. Departures remain subject to safe conditions, access and a minimum group size.
Current results 4 votes so far
- Kyrgyzstan: Tian Shan50%
- Tibet: Eastern Kunlun (Amnye Machen)25%
- Turkey: Southeastern Taurus (Cilo)25%
- Chile: Patagonian Andes0%
- Tibet: Mount Siguniang0%
- Georgia: Greater Caucasus (Racha)0%
- Georgia: Greater Caucasus (Tusheti)0%
- India: Zanskar and Ladakh Ranges (Ladakh)0%
- India: Pir Panjal and Great Himalaya (Lahaul)0%
- Turkey: Pontic Mountains (Kaçkar)0%
From the Field Notes
The Mountain Did Not Let Us In
Half a metre of fresh snow in the night, new snow over ice on the face, food for one more day. Mountaineers say a mountain either lets you in or it doesn’t. This one didn’t.
MORE AT AMNIMAKEN