The best choice in winter Saturday

The best choice in winter Saturday is walking on fresh snow at dawn…and then unforgettable feeling of headlong flight on your board, when you draw twisting patterns on virgin snow-covered way.
The Butakov ravine – is very popular place among residents of Almaty in any season: for riding on horses in summer and skiing on gentle ski slope in winter.
But my aim is free riding on the slopes that are higher, steeper and absolutely untouched by man, where only tracks of animals can be found…
The sun is still behind the pass, but it is even better – it’s not so hot, only fresh freezing air that nips your face. Mighty firs flirtatiously show off against me with their snow adornment, rowans allure with crimson clusters of sweet berries. It’s amazing – real winter fairy-tale is so close to modern city!
So, I am on the pass, greeting the bright sun, taking in every quantum of warmth and light. Mentally I’m drawing the details of a route on sparkling white slope and darting down!

I’m flying down, arc after arc, jumping up at natural ski jumps, and, landing in the snow as like in feather bed. I stop for a moment, and admiring the trace, drawn with my board, like brush on the canvas. Then I sliding down from a slope. After a few more turns I’m skiing at full speed along the bank of frozen river, first on the narrow path then weaving along firs. There is small slope in front, but my board dislikes rigid surface, therefore I’m turning to the left to take the bypass round the line on fluffy snowdrifts, maneuvering between fragile bush stems, crown with umbels and burs.

I make a stop in front of little bridge over the river and after seeing around trajectory of the following motion along road border, smoothed with snowmobiles, leisurely, I’m sliding on gentle surface. It’s difficult to describe delight of new colors that appears after the sun’s appearance! I feel pleasant tiredness and slowly skiing to the car. And there is a whole winter with sea of snow and happiness ahead!