Words and Photos by Weston Ambassador Josh Laskin. Follow @joshlaskin for more pow slayin greatness.
For snowboarders and skiers, there’s nothing quite like making smooth, sweeping turns on light, bottomless, pow. But for me, snowboarding is a vessel that can be used to explore different corners of the world, learn about unfamiliar cultures, meet people who grew up in a different world, and delve into rich histories that differ from my own.
During the winter of 2024 I got a call from Dan Egan — pro skier who starred in a number of Warren Miller films, including Steeper and Deeper, in which Dan and his brother explore the region of Cappadochia in Turkey (or Türkiye as its referred to by the locals) — asking if I’d like to join him to go back to Türkiye to film a new ski movie, Return to the Silk Road. I’d be shooting still photos of Egan and his nephew Johnny alongside two top-tier videographers, Corey Potter and Tom Grissom (Grissom filmed the Warren Miller segment during their first trip to Türkiye, three decades ago).
For centuries, Türkiye was the center of the world; nearly every good and commodity had to pass through the region to get from Asia to Europe. Quite literally, it was the gateway between the eastern and western worlds. The people who have ruled the region, from the Romans to the Byzantines and Ottomans, have molded and shaped the country into what it is today. My long-time fascination with Middle Eastern history added a level of excitement beyond the opportunity to shoot some cool photos and find deep snow.
As I photographed the Egans, capturing their interactions with locals and their curiosity about the region's history and culture, I came to realize the skiing at Erciyes Ski Resort (an Indy Pass resort) was almost an afterthought.
Like all trips to Turkey, our journey began in Istanbul, where iconic mosques, like the Blue Mosque, tower over vendors serving traditional Turkish street food, and tourists and locals wander through the open-air spice markets.
The city, which is one of the only in the world to span two continents (Asia and Europe), is a true melting pot of cultures. Locals commonly fish from the bridges spanning the Golden Horn, an inlet that feeds the Bosphorus.
Erciyes Ski Resort, located nearly 500 miles east of Istanbul in the Cappadocia region, is an impressive ski area perched on the side of a dormant volcano that reaches an elevation nearly 13,000 feet above the relatively flat valley below.
We’d spend our ski days riding lifts and skinning or bootpacking around the resort, searching for pockets of untouched powder framed by unobstructed views of nearby mountain ranges.
While we found the resort to be relatively crowded, nearly everyone stuck to the groomed pistes, leaving untouched powder fields for those willing to put in the effort.
As we explored, enjoying every bit of ungroomed terrain without another person in sight, we wondered whether the local skiers truly knew what they had in their backyard. Or maybe we were a bit early, and the avid local skiers were waiting for the snowpack to build before coming out to ski their powder stashes. In that moment, it didn’t matter; the mountain was our playground.
All around, there were reminders that we were on the other side of the world, in an unfamiliar place, immersed in an unfamiliar culture. And the promise of sliding around on some snow was what got us there in the first place.
For locals, there was more to this hill than steep and deep terrain. Families gathered at the base, enjoying the snow, hot food, and most importantly, each other’s company.
For the Egans and our crew, chatting with locals, learning about their vibrant culture and history, and exploring an overlooked destination on the other side of the world reminded us all of what makes skiing and riding so special in the first place.
And of course, we made a ski movie.
Follow @joshlaskin for more pow slayin greatness.