The sea is never far away when you’re exploring the volcanic mountains of Kamchatka.
KAMCHATKA
RECOMMENDED BY James Morland
Kamchatka—a place that may be best known as a minor outpost on the Risk game board than a heli-ski destination—is one of the world’s last great uninhabited wildernesses. This peninsula adjoining the far eastern reaches of Russia is comparable in size to Japan (which lies to the south), and is bordered by the Pacific, the Bering Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk. Kamchatka is home to the world’s largest population of brown bears (i.e., grizzlies), some of the healthiest salmon populations in existence, and 160 volcanoes—a number of which make for one of the world’s more exotic downhill experiences.
“The first thing I say to people who are considering a trip to Kamchatka is that the snow conditions are not always perfect powder,” James Morland began. “But I’m always quick to add that even if you have poor conditions, it will still be one of the most incredible ski/snowboard trips of your life. No one—not even Russian tourists—was allowed to visit until the early 1990s, as Kamchatka was classified as a strategic military zone. Tourism is still a new concept there, and visitors somewhat of a novelty. People are very interested in talking to you—even though you can’t understand what they are saying half the time! It’s a really sparsely populated part of the world. In fact, the peninsula is the size of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland combined, and there are less than 400,000 residents … and 250,000 of them are in the city of Petropavlovsk. It’s about as wild and remote a region as you can find anywhere. On a scenery scale, it’s simply spectacular. You’re skiing on active volcanoes, sometimes into the crater, sometimes right down to the beach. Kamchatka also has some of the world’s longest runs. One run here is like several normal heli-ski runs stacked up on each other. They seem to go on forever.”
Petropavlovsk is the starting point for heli-ski adventures in Kamchatka. It’s safe to say that its architecture—monotonous, Soviet-style structures in vogue circa 1948—does not rival that of St. Petersburg. Even locals joke about the city’s lack of charm. “Petropavlovsk is a grim city, but its ugliness is offset by the friendliness of the residents and the awesome spectacle of the landscapes that surround it,” James continued. “We used to base ourselves in town, but now we stay about forty minutes outside of town in Paratunka, known as the hot-spring valley. Here, the helicopter—an Mi-8—can land right next to the hotel. Communication at the hotel, and anywhere else around Kamchatka, for that matter, is an amusing aspect of the trip. When you sit down to breakfast or dinner, you might order one thing and have something completely different show up. Suffice it to say, there’s not a particularly strong customer service mentality. Rather than getting angry about this, guests will do well to take it as part and parcel of the experience.” You’re much more likely to find iced vodka than Chardonnay served with dinner. “There will likely be some Russian visitors at the dinner table,” James added. “Trying to keep up with them on the vodka toasts can be dangerous. During May trips, the helicopters sometimes don’t take off until ten A.M., when the snow has softened—but we’ve still had cases of Western guests not making it aboard, thanks to the night before.”
The Mi-8s are powerful helicopters capable of carrying a passel of Alpinists. “It can fit in twelve skiers and four guides, plus two pilots, plus all the skis,” James described. “It can also cover a lot of ground. Flying from Paratunka, we’ll sometimes be in the air thirty minutes before we touch down on a volcanic peak. Depending on the terrain, we’ll either split into two groups or ski in one larger group. Either way, it’s one of the few heli-ski venues I’ve visited where, instead of stepping straight into their bindings and skiing straight away, visitors stand around with their jaws hanging open, cameras out, trying to take in the immensity of what’s in front of them. I remember one landing where we were surrounded by snow-covered mountains, while in the distance there was a peak that was jet-black. It was covered in ash and smoking away. We’re never far from the ocean. In some places the water is protected from the wind and thus calm, and you can see the mountains brilliantly reflected.”
Given its peninsular locale just east of Siberia, it’s not surprising that Kamchatka can see a bit of weather, including some wind … well, a lot of wind. “On my first visit, it was evident that there had been a ferocious wind,” James recalled. “Every single aspect looked like solid concrete! Amazingly, we still managed to find plenty of good powder, and in between we skied some exceptional spring snow: some sparkling surface hoar; cold, dry, chalky snow; sun crust; wind crust; rimed boilerplate; and everything in between. You name it, we skied it. All in all, the vast majority of runs were on very good snow. The terrain varies greatly from one area to another, with some good tree skiing at lower elevations, big volcanic faces, long steep couloirs, wide-open bowls, and long, mellow cruisers. A lot of these runs end with a mile or two of relatively low-angle terrain as you head toward the beach. You don’t need to turn; you can just sit back, relax, and check out the scenery—a smoking volcano over one shoulder, a steaming geyser over the other, and the deep blue sea before you. Usually, you’ll get in at least four runs before lunch. The average run will go about four thousand vertical feet, though some will go nearly ten thousand feet. After a lunch of hot soup, sandwiches—and of course, vodka—you’ll have a few more runs and usually end the day by skiing down to some hot springs near the beach. There you can toast the day with a glass or two of Russian champagne (or vodka) as the surf breaks in the background.”
JAMES MORLAND has been involved in the front line of the ski industry for fifteen years, and started EA Heliskiing (www.eaheliskiing.com) in the late 1990s. Since then he has been involved in all aspects of running the business, right down to the grass roots of guiding. James is a member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and is partway through the UIAGM guide certification in Canada. He has a particular interest in snow safety and holds the Canadian Avalanche Association’s (CAA) level 2 certification. James has also been a professional yacht skipper for twelve years, and has taken guests sailing all around the world, from Alaska to Southeast Asia.
If You Go
Getting There: The trip described above is run out of Petropavlovsk, which is served by Aeroflot (888-686-4949; www.aeroflot.ru) via Moscow.
Season: Most heli-ski trips to Kamchatka are led in April and May.
Lift Tickets: A week’s worth of heli-skiing with EA Heliskiing (+44 203 059 8787; www.eaheliskiing.com) out of Petropavlovsk runs around 7,000 euros.
Level of Difficulty: Kamchatka is recommended for advanced skiers only.
Accommodations: Lodging is provided at Hotel Antarius in Paratunka.
