Skateboarding
Skateboarding
The crew are in Samarkand for the final Hotel Uzbekistan edit
Patrik Wallner’s trilogy of skate edits from Uzbekistan concludes, as Ethan Loy, Vladik Scholz, Pasha Kuznetsov and Rob Wootton hit Samarkand. Trip organiser Kirill Korobkov takes up the story below.
These, then, were the ingredients that formed the international crew of skaters on our mission around Uzbekistan: American standards of skateboarding provided by Ethan Loy and Rob Wootton, a piece of absurdity from Russia's Pasha Kuznetsov and German precision we could all see in Vladik Scholz's manoeuvres. The last leg of the trip led us to the most historically-rich Uzbek cities, Samarkand.
Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva used to be way stations on the Silk Road. Central Asia was a perfect meeting point for merchants travelling between Europe, Middle East, Russia, China and India. With all the cultural and scientific exchanges between people from all over the world, Uzbekistan was once more advanced than many countries in the region. Many of their stunning ancient citadels, mosques and madrasas are still there. Central Asian architecture manages to give their buildings their own special look.
Rasha Kuznetsov - Frontside 180 Ollie
© Gaston Francisco
Dusk in Samarkand
© Gaston Francisco
Ethan Loy - Fakie Lipslide
© Gaston Francisco
Wagons roll
© Gaston Francisco
I like to explore ancient cities that haven’t totally evolved into silent museums. I like places with history, but which also have modern life in the same old streets, walls and buildings; Uzbekistan is good for this type of sightseeing.
I think that out of all the ancient cities we passed through on this skate trip, Khiva was my favourite- it's slightly further away from the main attractions which made it a bit less touristy. It was more of a ‘living city’, with kids playing in the streets, people coming home from work, and classic Russian cars parked in between traditional Uzbek houses. All this panoply is surrounded by very old citadel walls which are open for people to climb and explore.
Another great memory from the trip was the Registan Plaza in Samarkand, where we pitched up right before sunset. A wide, spacious plaza between three different madrasas, each building’s facades feature unique, beautiful mosaic panels. Framed by the dwindling light and an empty sky, the vista made for an indelible mental postcard from our skate trip.
The next day, we even managed to skate around the corner from Registan where the local tourist police surprised us with their welcoming attitude and some proper crowd control.
Styling and profiling
© Gaston Francisco
Can't knock the hustle
© Gaston Francisco
Pasha Kuznetsov - Ollie
© Gaston Francisco
Born to be wild
© Gaston Francisco
We’ve touched quite a lot on the history of Uzbekistan here, but actually right now the country is going through a very interesting and turbulent moment, too.
Two years ago, a new president came to power raising hopes for better development. Uzbekistan reformed its national currency, introduced visa-free entry from most countries and started opening up to international investment. Only a couple of years ago, ATMs were rare even in the capital: modernisation was needed.
With a population of 32 million and natural resources like gas and oil, Uzbekistan has potential for solid economic growth. All these changes attracted the attention of different international organisations, including the International Monetary Fund.
We actually met the Director of the IMF in person while we were in Bukhara. Christine Lagarde and her entourage walked by while we were skating over one of the rails we’d found. She even saw Vladik trying to Heelflip it. We all wished he landed that one.
Uzbekistan – and Central Asia in general – is a very intriguing region to tour. It might be not the easiest place to go, but this is one of the reasons also why it has managed to preserve its authentic style and heritage. It's always cool to visit somewhere that looks like nowhere else in the world.
