The Highlight Land and People Skiing and boarding Program

Petropavlovsk- Kamchatsky
          Skiing in a universe of ice and fire -
                    discover one of the wildest landscapes and ski on active volcanoes

The highlights
Skiing on active volcanoes in the most incredible, still wild and remote landscape of volcanoes, alpine mountain range and fjords with wildlife such as bears, eagles, sea lions and seals.
This place offers descents of 2000 - 3000 vertical meters and therefore, it is an extremely efficient ratio of helicopter time /drops.

Land and people
Kamchatka, this long forbidden, mystical peninsula in the far east of Siberia is the destination of the trip. 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 as such, a blank spot on the map. In the 16th century, people started to explore these Far East territories. It took a long time before people settled in this really tough with rough place. Russians, Japanese, British and French were fighting to get the control of this pacific gateway, which became, during the Cold War, a highly strategic location…
Today it is possible to go to Kamchatka, 370.000 kilometres square - nearly as big as France - and to discover a mainly untouched nature. Two thirds of the total population of 460.000 inhabitants, is living in the capital, Petropavlovsk. The landscape is composed of an extensive number of more or less active volcanoes. About 10% of all the inland volcanoes of our planet are there. With its 4750 meters, Klychevskaya is the highest summit of Kamchatka and Siberia. From many of the volcanoes one can see the ocean. The long spectacular coastline offers more than 2500 kilometres of wild fiords and cliffs. In this unique nature reserve, live the biggest brown bears on earth. They are particularly happy, when thousands of fat salmons fill up the clear water of the rivers in their annual migration.

Skiing and boarding
It was just a matter of time before we got interested by Kamchatka, after the few reports we heard about its amazing wilderness: Summits up to 3000 meters with easy access, runs of 2000 or 3000 vertical meters in all angles and shapes! In the spring, there is powder in the shade and spring snow on the sunny sides. Many slopes run straight down to the coast where shelves of ice cover parts of the beaches… Our machine, a sturdy MI 8 helicopter is exclusively for us. There is no limitation in the choice of landing zones other than weather and snow conditions. The chances to meet other skiers or snowboarders are rather small. If we cannot take off because of the weather conditions, we can go skiing in the small ski lift areas around the city or explore the region with dog sleights or skidoos.

Program
Apart from the flights from Seattle or Anchorage, which are direct, you have to fly to Moscow. After another nine hours of connecting flight in an Illyouchine 96 (Russian aircraft of latest generation - spacious and comfortable) you finally arrive and meet us and our Russian friends and guides Nikolay and Vitaly in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. A 30-minute taxi ride takes you to our base camp - the international hotel "Petropavlovsk" in the city. After the mandatory safety instructions regarding the helicopter approach, behaviour on the terrain and avalanche awareness, you will be ready to experience some of the biggest and most scenic runs in the world. Every morning we will decide, together with our pilots, which area would offer the best weather and snow conditions. After a bus transfer from the hotel to the helipad, we will fly to an advanced base close to the chosen summits (10 to 45 minutes). There, we will leave an extra container of fuel and other additional equipment. We will have the choice between large slopes or steep couloirs. The summits are 3500 meters high and we can often ride down to almost the sea level. After our active day, we have the choice between a short visit into the crater of an active volcano or a bath in one of the many natural hot springs. Diving into a steaming hot pool surrounded by steep walls of snow seems to be a natural way of relaxation in a land with so many volcanoes. Then, a taste of the famous local smoked salmon with a cool beer makes you think there is no better place than this long forgotten peninsula…

PRICES & DATES

Return to top