Home page
click here to see destinations and prices 2001 EXPEDITIONS
What is
a Wild Russia?
FAQ
Our Pictures Gallery
Maps collection
Our main destinations
  • Russian Altay
  • The Caucasus
  • Kamchatka
  • Kirghizstan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Uzbekistan
  • Karelia
    Our friends and
    partners
    Travel resources and
    useful links

    e-mail us



    • WILD RUSSIA 2000 report:
    One step to the New Millennium.


    The Barrels shelters, the basecamp for the mt.Elbrus ascents, June 24th, 2000


    Welcome!

    Mt. Elbrus:

    The Barrels basecamp
    The new Millenium. A special moment in time calls for a special moment in a persons life, which perhaps is the reason we have guided so many people to the roof of Europe (Mount Elbrus) this year. 36 out of 42 clients succeded in reaching the summit even though the weather and conditions were against us. We had landslides in Tymauz just 30 kilometers away.

    The slides above are of the Barrel Shelters at the end of the cable way (3800 m). Each barrel has a lobby, cooking area, and four bunks. These barrels are used as a basecamp for a summit bid instead of the burnt Priyut of 11th.

    Iskhak Tilov at the barrels
    Iskhak Tilov, native Balkarian, a veteran of Elbrus, the first downhill ski champion of the Soviet union who has been managing the barrels since 1953 and now is our Mt.Elbrus Program Supervisor.






    The snowcat going up to the Pastukhov Rocks
    To make life easier and more convenient for skiers (and even climbers!) there is a snowcat track. There are commercial rides to the Pastukhov Rocks (from 3800 m to 4800 m), which would facilitate mt.Elbrus ascents.



    The spot of the Priyut of 11th and the top of Elbrus behind Ruins of the Priyut and the roof of the new shelter behind
    One and a half hours walk from the barrels are the ruins of the Priyut of 11th. The descision about the reconstruction of this unique shelter at 4200 m is still being considered by the local authorities. However, next door a private shelter has been built and will be run comercially next year.

    Local rescue team shelter at 4200 m
    About 400 m to the right from the Priyut of 11th there is another very small shelter used by local mountain rescue team. It has a funny look but still can be used for emergency.








    Sultan and clients, June 2000
    The first wild russia clients of the Year 2000 and Sultan a guide and mountain rescue team member on the way to the summit.









    Kamchatka 2000 expeditions:

    Kostya and Yegor at the Tolbachik lava fields
    Among our other hiking, rafting and mountaineering expeditions on Kamchatka was again "The Bears and Volcanoes" at the begining of August 2000. It was truly an international team: members from Australia, England, USA. Later we set an expedition to Tolbachik volcano for our very first clients from Sweden. And again Kostya Landburd with his unlimited enthusiasm led the expeditions. Below Kostya meets Yegor again at the Tolbachik lava fields.






    A stunning sunset: view from the Avacha basecamp.

    Sleeping Kamchatka

    Tolbachik volcano from the basecamp
    The view of the Tolbacik volcanoe from the base camp on the still warm lava field even though the eruption was in 1975.
















    Tolbacik is a days drive from Petropavlosk, the last section is off road through the wilderness.

    Recce before riverbed crossing Riding in the dirt

    Mathew Logan (on the right), an australian journalist working for the BBC Moscow Service, preparing for his summit attempt on the Avacha volcanoe.

    Alan Schick during the Avacha volcano climb Mathew Logan

    Alan Schick (on the left), an american ex-engineer, who challenged to explore Russia after having visited more then 20 other countries. Even the Cold War has gone for 15 years Alan was not too much fond of seeing Moscow, but rather chose a wild side of the country first.

    Alan and Yegor on the top of the Avacha volcano
    In his 65 years he demonstrated a great performance during the Avacha volcano climb and made it to the top no problem. Congratulations Alan!!





    Burnt forest around Tolbachik
    Burnt trees after the great Tolbachik eruption in 1975 are half burried in the ash. A vast moonscape terrain behind says about the scale of this eruption







    Some more pictures from our Kamchatka journeys:


    Tolbachik eruption 1975 The master of Kamchatka The rarest orchid of Kamchatka: large flowered slipper The clay of mud cauldrons
    The Geyser Malachite Grotto Kamchatka summer landscape Steller's Sea Eagle: the ancient Kamchatka dweller A bear waylaying a school
    A black bear with white claws Kluchevskoy volcano eruption Kamchatka tall herbs A small mud volcano
    Basic food stuff - red salmon! Sunrise at Lake Kurilskoye A bear's dream Night Bombing
    Ilynsky Volcano at sunset in winter 11 km diameter Uzon Caldera - a small universe Stream Vodopadnyi (38 &° C) in the Valley of Geysers In the Valley of Geysers
    Berry tundra in autumn A view from helicopter to the Avacha crator The troffy Kluchevskoy eruption in 1993

    Unfortunately on this year our very important project "Siberian Soldier 2000" has not happened. A great idea and a proposal from the Brittish soldiers (RLC) was to drive the military vehicles from London to Yakutsk overland and summit untouched peakes in the most remote mountains in Russia - the Cherskiy Massive together with the Russian soldiers. Even there was the patronage from the HRH Princess Ann and the Brittish Embassy in Moscow the proposal has been denied by the highest level of the Russian Military authorities along with a political motivation. But thanks to the Russian National Emercom Headquarters the project was followed up and is to happen on summer 2001. The detailed information for interested parties (television production as an example) are available upon request.


    Join us for our programs on Kamchatka, mt.Elbrus, remote Yakutia, Altay and mystic Tuva in 2001 or read more about our favourite destinations around the area we love so much and always call the Wild Russia.

    e-mail us


    Since 1992, Wild Russia, most experience adventure travel guides on the Caucasus, Altay horseback treks, Kamchatka safaries.