Kamchatka

Land and people

Kamchatka, this long forbidden, mystical peninsula in the far east of Siberia is the goal of this voyage. Situated between the Okhotsk Sea in the west and the Strait of Bering in the east, this vast area was a restricted military zone and therefore a blank spot on the map. Today you can access Kamchatka, with 370 000 square kilometers nearly as big as France, and find a mainly untouched nature environment.

Two thirds of the total population of 400 000 are living in the capital Petropavlovsk. Kamchatka’s landscape is ruled by an extensive number of more or less active volcanoes. About 10% of all the volcanoes on the dry land of our planet are to be found here. With it’s 4750 meters, Klychevskaya is the highest of all of Kamchatka’s and Siberia’s summits.

From most of the volcanoes one can see the ocean. A more than 2500 kilometer long spectacular coast line forms wild fiords and cliffs. This unique nature reserve is home to the biggest Codiac and Grizzly bears on earth. These are particularly happy, when thousands of fat salmon fill the pristine rivers on their annual migration.

Heliskiing (heliboarding)

It was only a matter of time till we had to get interested in this amazing wilderness, after the few reports we heard about Kamchatka sounded that interesting: Summits up to 4750 meters and easy access runs longer than 2000 vertical meters in all angles and shapes. In spring there should be powder in the shade and spring snow on the sunny sides. Many slopes run straight down to the coast where shelf ice covers parts of the beaches…

Helicopter

Our lift, a sturdy MI 8 helicopter with room for 20 passengers, is exclusively reserved for us. Our pilots showed their capability during perfect drop-offs in strong winds and sensitive decisions if the conditions got too rough. There are no restrictions in the choice of landing zones other than weather and snow conditions. The chances to meet other skiers or snowboarders are rather small, too.