Siberia encompasses five million square miles of freezing tundra spanning most of northern Asia. And what else? A nascent snowboard culture, perhaps? Friendly locals and untracked lines? Where there is snow and mountains there are usually folks enjoying the alpine. But Siberia remains an unknown entity—a vast, mysterious chunk on the map with little beta. A land waiting to be explored. 

It’s November. Reports of heavy snowfall blanketing quaint towns along the Trans-Siberian Railway suggest a brighter picture than the region’s nickname of the “Sleeping Land” implies. It’s time to see what it holds and paint memories between the lines. 

After long flights from Munich and Zurich, respectively, our crew assembles at the buzzing Moscow Domodedovo Airport before taking another six-hour soar to the city of Irkutsk, some 3,000 miles east of the Russian metropolis. Yeah, Siberia is a long way from home. The group consists of Daniel Schneider, the unofficial cook, Andreas Weiss and his positive vibes, photographer Louisa Marie Summer and me, the shaper of the powdersurfers we’re riding on this trip…

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