Return To The Roof Of The World
Win a T-Shirt and Hoodie this issue in our FREE subscriber prize draw.
The inspiring edit is well worth a watch! Kiteboarding at 4000m altitude, mad!
The Crathorne family’s most recent journey along the Pamir highway to the roof of the world. The 1000km journey from Dushanbe – once part of the historic silk route – took us along dirt roads through steep-sided mountain valleys, alongside raging rivers and over high mountain passes, including the Ak-Baitel pass at 4650m.
The destination? The Roof of the World Regatta, an extraordinary event on a high altitude lake in a remote part of Tajikistan, home to the Karakul community. At almost 4000m altitude, the weather at the lake is notoriously fickle; iced-over for eight months of the year the water is close to freezing, storms can appear suddenly with no notice and the area is liable to snow in the summer. This makes kiting conditions on the lake unpredictable and challenging but the ridiculously beautiful surroundings and the people of Karakul make this such a special event and I am hopeful for good conditions at the 2017 Regatta this summer.
My deepest thanks go to Cabrinha and NP Surf for backing me.
I would also like to thank the unbelievable Roof of the World Regatta crew, especially Tony, Jackie, Gulnara, Guim, Martina, Azamat, Vasya and Matthias.
Freddie Reed, you are an editing wizard, thank you for your time. And thank you Roo Panes for your beautiful song.