Pushing open the door, the darkness and thick acrid smoke combine to create an eerie mystical atmosphere. I pick my way through the narrow room past men wearing red tassels in their hair and long sleeved sheep skin coats, complete with twelve inch blades by their side. Others wear cowboy hats, baseball caps or balaclavas. The women have dark plaited hair, an eclectic array of necklaces, bracelets and thick multi-coloured rug-like dresses with bells jangling from their waist’s. I take my place at the end of the room, furthest away from the yak-shit powered stove. It’s crowded, warm, and in stark contrast to my room, positively cosy. It’s early, but these guys have been awake for hours. They’ve already covered 20km in the snow at temperatures touching minus 25C. This is just a pit stop; they’ll
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