After countless pitches, explanations and justifications to the Kazakh consulate about how three snowboarders were looking to ride in their streets and not the nearby Himalayas, they finally agreed to let this motley crew in. The result was something far beyond our expectations—a rail mission that became an adventure. The crew bartered with locals for a van named “Rick”, continually bribed off corrupt officials, visited the Kazakh healthcare system and fought off bums or stray cows while trying to hit rails. Through it all, they opened the door to a multitude of snowboarding possibilitie...