...We must go back to 1990, when a distinguished mountaineering club from St.Petersburg was making an attempt on P'k Lenin (7.142m). In the club was a young mountaineer called Yegor Churakov. Fortunately he wasn't included in the attempt for the summit, when 14 members were swept away by an immense avalanche. The psychological effect on Yegor was profound, he eventually left for home convinced that he would never venture into the wild places of Russia again.

However, the next year he met Gary McCue from Wilderness Travel in the U.S.A, who wished to travel in the old U.S.S.R. looking for business opportunities. Yegor guided the trip which took them through the Pamirs, the Caucusus and to lake Baikal. In so doing discovered that he possessed the necessary skills to organise and guide successful expeditions and that he wanted to share Russia with others. Hence WILD RUSSIA was born in 1992.

The name was suggested by a scottish climber , Ned Rimmer, after a visit with Yegor to the Ala-Archa canyon in Tien-Shan. Later Ned was to become a friend and business partner.

Today Wild Russia is a team of young managers and guides skilled in leading expeditions to the remote parts of Russia and Central Asia with links and guides from the Arctic to the Kara-Kum desert and from the Volga National Reserve to Kamchatka and the Kuril islands.

Yegor Churakov, the managing director of Wild Russia, started to explore Russia with his parents from the age of 5 years by canoeing through the great rivers of central Russia, the Ukraine and East to the Yenisay. In 1985 he joined the Vysotnik climbers club and climbed in Tien-Shan, the Pamirs, the Caucusus and on the volcanoes of Kamchatka. He participated in expeditions to Commodors islands , Vrangel island, Tuva taiga and Mongolia.

In 1996 he visited America as a business intern with adventure travelcompanies SYMG, Mountain Madness and Boojum Expeditions. His home is in S'tPetersburg.

Ned Rimmer a sheep farmer and mountaineer is a co-partner and adviser. He looks after the queries and visa applications of the companys western customersand is usually the first point of contact. Ned has travelled in Kirghizia, the Altai and Karelia . His home is on an Hebridean island of the West Coast of Scotland.

Alfia Naghaeva, the co-partner and the regional manager in Central Asia, educated as an economist, since 1987 has done many climbs in Tien-Shan mountains, was involved in most serious mountain expeditions as the Wild Russia leader. Now she is living in Bishkek, Kirgizia.

Vladimir Moshakov (Vlady), the WR guide, very much attentive to customer's needs, excellent English, winner of the National rock climbing competitions, has great scope of experience as a mountain guide. Now he is living in St.Petersburg.