I happen to be in Vancouver, Canada, right now. I’m off back home to Japan tomorrow on a flight at the ungodly hour of 6am, but in my short time here I managed to meet none other than Mr. Aaron Enevoldsen. Aaron is well known as a protagonist in the www.longtreksonskatedeks.com sagas.

In any case, we got chatting about the www.longtreksonskatedecks.com trips (through South America in 2009, and across Morocco in 2010). As we talked, I found that I feel kind of sorry for Aaron. Happy that he got two awesome trips, but sorry that both were on such awful surfaces. Bad surfaces can be good in a bad way, and bad in a good way. Good in that they cleanse the soul by the ravaging fire of mental and physical exhaustion. Bad in that  they punish the soul by the ravaging fire of mental and physical exhaustion. But when I told him that China was essentially 5,000km of the smoothest black-top in the world, he looked surprised. And it got me thinking again of the one skate trip which, if the cards were all lining up right, I would jump at the chance to do.

That trip is, to me, the holy grail of distance skateboarding: A Crossing of the Tibetan Plateau (map below).

大きな地図で見る

The route from Lhasa to Xining, via China National Highway 109, is 1,922km, according to Google Maps. Anywhere else in the world, one could expect to cover this distance on a longboard in around 6-8 weeks max. The following points, however, would make things very challenging.

1. Tibet Travel Permit: For foreigners to travel in Tibet officially, you need a permit, pre-planned itinerary, a guide, and a driver (even if you’d be travelling by human power) – see this recent Lonely Planet forum post. This would be the biggest issue for this trip to go ahead (although being fined and kicked out of Tibet would make a fun story).
2. The Altitude: For this trip, you’d probably want to start in Lhasa and end in Xining. The reason is simple; Lhasa’s altitude is 3,600m, and Xining is at 2,200m. Sure, there are a few 4,000m+, and even one 5,000m+ high passes in the middle, but at least you know you’re going down more than up. In other words, you’re starting at a very high altitude. That’s not the ideal way to start a journey. Altitude = thin air, thin air = very physically taxing. In fact, thinking about it, perhaps it would be worth starting in Xining, simply due to the fact that doing it that way would allow for gradual acclimatization as you’re skating. Either way, the consistent high altitude would be gloriously challenging.
3. Distances Between Services: Most distances between towns are between 80km and 120km. Not too terrible, but a headwind and a solid uphill day would mean carrying two days food and possibly water.

For all the challenges, the smooth roads (some short sections of unpaved road have been reported), amazing views, and the sheer sense of accomplishment, would surely make it worth while.

Here are some recent cyclists’ accounts of the route (both traveled Xining – Lhasa):

• Bill Weir in 2009 (a 10-page overview) - http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=116560&v=A3
• Adrian Wagner in 2010 (a day-by-day account) - http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=162524&v=6r

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    Permanent Link     Comments (10)

I wanted to run a few ideas by you rob. We should chat.

Yeap there is smoooth road…. Did it a while ago (2006)… But have no idea about permit & solo traveling these days. Would love to hear some updates on that topic. Also for west & east Tibet.. Happy traveling.

I think it’s a fantastic idea! You might want to read this guy’s blog, he went through in 2011 on a bike.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=8251&v=1rL

Hey Rob! find ur story totally exciting and inspirational. I think I’m interested in beating your record.

Definitely! Go for it! Instructions here: http://14degrees.org/en/?page_id=715

Thanks for that Steve. Looks pretty hardcore!

Yeah, the whole permit thing is a real pain.

Hey Rob, just wondering how you went at getting sponsors? I have one 1300 mile skate under my belt. I been researching my next Trip to beat yours and I wanted to see about how you got sponsors.

Hi Chuck, thanks for the question. When I started my trip, I had no sponsors. I was about half way though when I started to approach people. That said, I think the best thing is to create a short portfolio explaining what you are planning to do, and then send it to people you’d like to work with (or would like to have working with you) on the journey. Something like a 2-page PDF document with the who, where, when, how, why, and what of your planned journey.

As for breaking the record, you’ve seen my page about that here? http://14degrees.org/en/?page_id=715

Also, you may be interested to know that there’s a Brazilian guy, Marcelo, who has skated over 16,000km around South America. I’m not sure where he is at in terms of applying to Guinness, but he’s probably someone to keep an eye on (or at least follow on Facebook; he’s a great guy!): https://www.facebook.com/marcelopedalverde

Thanks Rob! I’ll def. Do that and check this guy out I appreciate your help.

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