Ski touring, or ski alpinism, makes mountain slopes not equipped with mechanical lifts or cableways accessible. It’s possible to make your way to even the wildest parts of the Kamchatka peninsula. Kamchatka offers ski tourists its endless picturesque expands and wide selection.
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Elena Safonova
In Russia’s east, near the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (a city on the Kamchatka Peninsula, 11,900 km from Moscow) lies the Avacha group of volcanoes. The group consists of five giant volcanoes; three are extinct, while one remains active.
Elena Safonova
The volcanoes can be seen from almost any point in the city. These locales draw tourists in both the summer and winter. The popular European winter sport of ski touring is becoming more and more popular among local residents.
Elena Safonova
Ski touring, or ski alpinism, makes mountain slopes not equipped with mechanical lifts or cableways accessible. It’s possible to make your way to even the wildest parts of the peninsula. Kamchatka offers ski tourists its endless picturesque expands and wide selection.
Elena Safonova
Koryaksky Volcano is the tallest in the Avacha group. It towers 3456 meters (11,338 feet) above sea level. This gigantic volcano is active. It last erupted in 2009.
Elena Safonova
The ascent up Koryaksky and Avachinsky Volcanoes starts from the base camp where lodges for tourists are set up. Although many hot springs exist throughout the Kamchatka Peninsula, there are none here. Nevertheless, there are real Russian banyas.
Elena Safonova
In good weather, visibility reaches 100 and more kilometers. Ski tourists usually climb up Koryaksky Volcano to a height of approximately 2000 meters. The steep slope makes ascending further than this rather difficult. But descending from here is pure pleasure!
Elena Safonova
Koryaksky Volcano is its own kind of Mecca for ski alpinism. There are pistes with various levels of difficulty: for beginners as well as advanced athletes.
Elena Safonova
In order to ski on slopes like these, you’ll either need to be accompanied by experienced mountain guides or undergo special preparation. This area has, among other things, a real risk of avalanches. It’s for good reason that skiers take avalanche equipment with them: a shovel, beepers, and a backpack with supplies.
Elena Safonova
Every year, lovers of off-piste skiing flock to Kamchatka from various regions in Russia and other countries. In addition to the amazing beauty of the slopes, there are new mountain skiing challenges that can help perfect skiing techniques.
Elena Safonova
The relief of Kamchatka’s mountains is quite varied: you never know what landscape will appear from a new ledge or because of a different turn. Going up the mountains on a ski touring expedition opens up winter sights.
Elena Safonova
You can see all of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Avacha Bay at a glance from the volcanoes’ slopes. (Avacha Bay is a large bay that freezes over in the winter. It is one of the largest bays in the world, second only to Australia’s Port Jackson Bay. Avacha Bay is 24 kilometers long.)
Elena Safonova
Avachinsky Volcano, which gives its name to the volcano range, is also an active volcano. Steam and gases can be seen coming from its crater very often. A ski touring climb to the crater usually takes about 6 hours.
Elena Safonova
This giant is located within the Nalychevo Nature Park where special attention is paid to the ecology. In the summer, riding any sort of transportation at the volcanoes’ base is forbidden. In the winter, you can reach this magical place on your own two feet…on the condition that your feet are ski touring.
