Ryce has existed since 2008 as a travel website for adventurous travelers. Peter Hofman, Bart Bremer, Jelmer de Boer, and Thomas Kos wrote many adventure travel stories for the site. During an overland trip to Kyrgyzstan in 2012, Peter Hofman met the local Kyrgyz guide Maksat Aitkulov. Since Peter didn’t want to drive back, Maksat decided to buy his campervan. This encounter marked the beginning of a close friendship between two men from completely different backgrounds, yet they shared the same vision: to develop winter sports.
Once back in the Netherlands, Peter Hofman founded the Ryce Travel Foundation together with Raimon Loman, Jorrian Hop, and Wim Hofman. The foundation’s goal is to develop adventure tourism in countries along the Silk Road. In the early years, the focus was primarily on sending ski equipment and expertise. Maksat Aitkulov started a ski rental and football school using gear from Europe.
From 2015, the foundation began offering trips to Kyrgyzstan. Maksat Aitkulov opened a Ryce Travel office in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, which housed a ski rental and a community center. With limited resources, ski trips were organized around Karakol. A yurt camp was built, horses were brought out of the stables, and snowmobile drop-offs were arranged through Slava (Topol).
The first trips were an immediate success. The very first travelers wanted to book again the following year. Kazakhstan and Kosovo were added to the program within two years, with help from Ruslan Asanaliev and Bardhosh Morina. In 2018, the first PistenBully (snowcat) was purchased in Kyrgyzstan—an enormous step in the development of winter tourism.
In 2019, Georgia was added as a destination, in cooperation with Tornike Matsaberidze. This shifted the focus of the trips to the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. In 2020, trips expanded further to the Middle East (Turkey and Lebanon), but unfortunately, COVID disrupted operations from March 2020 onward.
The COVID period was a difficult time for the destinations. In the Netherlands, a fundraiser was launched for Kyrgyzstan. Within a few weeks, a truckload of aid supplies was collected. Despite many setbacks, the truck eventually reached Kyrgyzstan. Most of the costs were covered through a crowdfunding campaign.
After COVID, Ryce Travel grew rapidly. A second PistenBully was added in Kyrgyzstan in 2022 (and a third in 2024). Cat skiing became a recognized activity, and Ryce Travel launched the Silk Road Freeride competition in Kyrgyzstan. Together with Gear4Guides and Adventure Not War, the film Silk Ride was produced, further establishing Kyrgyzstan as a winter sports destination.
Meanwhile, trips in the Balkans and Caucasus also expanded. Cat ski trips were added in Georgia and Kosovo. Numerous (summer) trips were organized for partner travel companies such as AmiGO Reizen, Journal of Nomads, VillaVibes, and PowderHounds. In winter, the focus shifted toward Adventure Winter Travel, Cat Skiing, and Ski Safaris.
To mark the foundation’s 10-year anniversary, China was added as a winter destination in 2025. With the lifting of visa requirements, visiting China has become easier. Additionally, new ski resorts are rapidly developing in the Xinjiang province—bordering Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia.
As the cherry on top, Ryce Travel organized the Freeride World Tour (FWT) Qualifier in Kyrgyzstan in 2025. This milestone officially put Kyrgyzstan on the map as a ski destination—especially with plans for a modern ski resort in which Ryce Travel is involved. Near the village of Jyrgalan, a state-of-the-art ski resort is being developed, featuring more than 100 km of ski slopes.
The future looks bright. In the coming years, a new ski school will open every year. Baby lifts are being installed in remote villages. Volunteers will train local instructors. In collaboration with Blizzard, SnowWorld, MK Skiservice, SnowSports, Gear4Guides, Faction, and Sungod, everything is being done to ensure that local children can be trained as skiers and snowboarders.
Get in touch if you’d like to help out in any way. Booking a trip is already a huge help—
You get a unique experience; they get a fair income. That’s the motto.