February to May 2010: Heliskiing / Heliboarding Kamchatka 2010
Kamchatka Heliskiing / Heliboarding
Kam 1: 26/02 – 08/03/10
Kam 2 06/03 – 16/03/10
Kam 3 14/03 – 24/03/10
Kam 4 22/03 – 01/04/10
Kam 5 01/04 – 11/04/10
Kam 6 09/04 – 19/04/10
Kam 7 17/04 – 27/04/10
Kam 8 25/04 – 05/05/10
Journey dates are subject to changes according to the flight times!
Price: 4,650 EUR
+ flight from 690 EUR
For Kamchatka pictures please visit our Picture Gallery.
We are pleased that you are interested in our heliski journeys or have already booked a journey with us.
When we took our first guests to Kamchatka for a heliski adventure nine years ago, we were the pioneers. Today we are, as the only company concentrating on this destination for such a long time, the specialists for this region. No heliski destination of the world has such a lot of adventure and unique experiences to offer. And no one knows this region better than we do. We work with some of the best pilots, very reliable helicopters, and together with a team of outstanding mountain guides from Europe and Kamchatka we build a well-rehearsed team. In this mountain area of about 35,000 square metres we have explored more than 230 runs, which partly carry our names. These are breathtaking rides in absolutely fascinating landscape. Sometimes they lead us past snarling and breewing vulcanoes down to the ice-clad coast of the Bering Sea, sometimes more than 2,000 vertical metres in one go. Whoever is looking for powder, adventure and a unique experience, will be absolutely right with us on Kamchatka!
Information on the country
Kamchatka, the mysterious peninsula in the very far north-east of Russia:
- set between the Bering Sea in the east and the Okhosian Sea in the west
- 8 ½ flight hours away from Moscow
- 350.000 people live on Kamchatka.
- The highest peaks are 4,800 metres above sea level.
- The winter months last from October to May and snow depths of up to 10 metres do not disturb the locals much.
Our basis
Our basis is in Elizovo. 30.000 people live here. Elizovo is a suburb of Petropavlovsk, the capital of Kamchatka, which is only about 18 km away. Elizovo is very lively and most of the inhabitants earn their money with fishing. A colourful market and many small shops with westernly articles can be found in the centre. Directly behind the town one of the many mountain ranges start; here can also be found the alpine skiing centre Marosnaja with two lifts. From Marosnaja one can get a beautiful view over the vulcanoes in the north with the more than 3,000 metre high peaks of Korejaksky and Awatschinsky and to the south the volcanoes Viluchinsky und Mutnovsky.
European guests in Elizovo are still „exotic“. But in the meantime we are well-known with the locals and very often they let us take part in their culture and every day life, which is always hidden to “normal” tourists.
Length of the journey
Why our heliskiing journeys are longer and include more helicopter hours than those of other operators? That’s simple: we think, if you go to the other end of the world for some skiing, you should be rewarded for this by unforgettable skiing experiences. During the eight days, that our guests are on spot, the chances to get these great skiing days are very high. And as we usually use up the 10 helicopter hours included in the package, it is just fair to include them in the journey price from the outset.
Mountain guides
The following professionals will look after your safe heliski adventure 2010 on Kamchatka:
Flory Kern
State-approved mountain and skiing guide, founder and head of Ski Berge Abenteuer.
Flory had been to Kamchatka about 10 years ago and has been exploring these wild mountains for heliskiing ever since. He knows the mountains and volcanoes of Kamchatka like noone else and you can always rely on his great intuition in finding the best runs.
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Wolfi Schmid
With his calm and predominant manner Wolfi has been working as a professional mountain guide for many years. Perfect freeride skiing technique as well as a great ”nose” for the best snow in alpine regions characterize Wolfi. He was one of the first mountain guides taking part in heliskiing on Kamchatka and with his outstanding knowledge of the region will guide you safely through the mountains of Kamchatka.
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Bernd Adler
Bernd has been working as a professional mountain guide in summer as well as in winter for more than 10 years now. Predominant leadership quality, an easy-going manner and great experience in alpine regions make him a complete mountain guide. As a professional mountain rescuer he is always there if there is an emergency in the mountains. Not only during our heliski journeys can we fully rely on him.
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Fedor Farberov
Fedor, or Fedia, as we call him, knows the mountains of Kamchatka like nobody else. He is with us for all heliski operations on Kamchatka. His vast mountain guide experience together with his mountain guide and rescue formation in Canada make Fedia a brilliant mountain guide.
Helicopters and pilots
For the heliskiing on Kamchatka we usually use helicopters type MI-8, one the most-built flight objects of the world. On spot we work with the only company who can look back on a year-long experience and for over 15 years now disposes of an operating authorisation by the state. Every machine is thoroughly checked after every operation and wear parts are exchanged on a regular basis.
Normally Alexander „Sascha“ Astroitin steers our helicopter. Sascha is one of the best and most experienced helicopter pilots in Russia and looks back on an active flight experience of almost 35 years by now. He handles the MI-8 helicopter like nobody else and very often makes possible landings in areas, which are otherwise very hard to access.
Safety
Safety is always our top priority. Although we always try to get the best experience for our guests, we never do this by compromising your safety. Any risks, which we have an influence on, we will keep under control. But as with any activity in alpine regions, also with heliskiing there are some risks, which we have no influence on. You should be aware, that you will have to share these risks with us, if you go exploring the mountains of the world with us.
In all our heliski destinations we are far away from rescue services. Therefore, we have conceived our own safety strategy. We divide the participants into groups, which usually consist of 6 – 8 persons. Each group will be lead by a UIAGM mountain guide. Another safety guide will accompany the groups in the end. This well-rehearsed safety strategy gives our guests more freedom in the runs. Also we can be sure to have always enough professionals on spot. Furthermore we always carry extensive First Aid and rescuing material with us and also dispose of the professional knowledge of how to use it. Your further safety benefit with our heliski journeys is the fact that we are on spot several months of the year. Long before we officially open the heliski season on Kamchatka, we take our time analyzing the snow conditions in the different regions. Also during the season we daily collect information about the conditions and their changes. This way we can discover critical changes much more quickly and adopt our selection of the best heliski spot for the day.
Requirements
In order to be able to enjoy a heliski adventure in Kamchatka to the full, you should dispose of a sound skiing technique in every terrain. Also a good physical condition and endurance for up to 10,000 vertical metres per day are required. Heliskiing in Kamchatka is reserved to the advanced freeride skiers, not least because of the very long runs. Flory Kern – Ski Berge Abenteuer – hast he right to not take participants on tour or leave behind in the helicopter, if they delay the group or show conditional weaknesses.
Material
Freeride skiing equipment (min. 85 mm under the binding) and safety equipment, consisting of shovel, probe and LVS device are compulsory. The safety equipment can also be hired from us free of cost. An avalanche airbag backpack can be used, but is not necessary. It is recommended to wear a helmet. You will receive a detailed packing list from us about 30 days before the journey. Every participant is responsible for his own material. It is not possible to buy or hire any spare equipment on spot.
Wheather and conditions
In order to find the best snow, we are constantly looking for regions with high rainfall quotas; with a yearly average of 2,800 mm per square meter, Kamchatka is in of these regions which get a lot of rain and snow fall.
Heliskiing is highly dependent on weather, snow and avalanche conditions. The situation on the mountain is characterized by forces of nature, on which we mostly have no influence. Therefore, this sport is not always perfect and you should prepare for this accordingly. Heliskiing in Russia is skiing in high mountain regions which are not controllable. Nobody can say what will expect you during your week on Kamchatka. It might be the most fulfilling skiing experience in your life, but it might also become a disappointment if the weather and snow conditions are not good. Our experience shows us that we get about 5 days of heliskiing out of 8 days on spot on average.
Our daily heliski program
Choosing the best heliski spot for the day is mainly determined by wheather, wind and snow conditions. These three factors, together with our experience on spot, have lead to a very good yield of great runs. When the conditions are good, we start at the hotel at 9 in the morning, at 9:15 we start by helicopter to the chosen area.
Now we have the whole day to explore the almost unlimited widths of the Kamchatka mountains. When, in the afternoon, we get a little weary, we will look for a windstill landing place and enjoy local specialities like salmon sandwiches and kaviar. After that we will start again with full power until the mountains cast long shadows over the vast areas around the mountains of Kamchatka. On the flight back to Elizovo we will often land at one of the hot springs and will reflect on the experiences of the day while taking an agreeable bath.
Even though we know the mountains of Kamchatka like the back of our hand, unfortunately we cannot make the sun shine every day. But we will try to adapt our daily program accordingly. If the wheather is better in an area further away from Elizovo we are always prepared to take the helicopter and the team of pilots on a trip lasting several days to a region with better wheather. When starting such activities you can largely profit from our wide knowledge of the area.
Bad wheather program
„Even in paradise not every day is a perfect day…“ Even on non-flying days there is a lot to explore in Kamchatka. Petropthe local ski resorts can be a day full of fun. There are runs of up to 400 vertical metres through lush forests down to the sea. For those who want to relax a little bit more, there are many hot springs in the valley of Vilutschinsky about 40 minutes drive from the hotel. A day in the city with a visit to the market and to the museum can be very interesting, too.
Moving about on spot
For all activities which are part of the program, we have a travel coach at our exclusive disposal. Night trips into the city of Petropavlovsk can be easily made by taxi.
Vertical metres / heli time
We do not count our skiing in vertical metres, but in actual helitime, i.e. it counts only when the turbines are running. Because of this we are not bound to stay as close as possible to our base, as is the case with most other heliski operators, but we can also explore more remote areas and terrains. This way we can also respond much better to the wishes of our guests. Our motto: “Quality is better than quantity!“
Our service package comprises 10 helicopter hours. With these 10 hours we usually get about 35,000 vertical metres. If these hours are used up and the weather is good, we can fly on at a price of, assumed we have 14 participants, about 180 EUR per person and heli hour, dependent on the cost on spot. If there are more participants, the price per heli hour will rise accordingly.
If for weather reasons we cannot use up all 10 heli hours we will recompense every full hour, which we did not use up, with 160 EUR per hour. The reason for the price difference is the fact that the helicopter needs to be provided in any case. With this procedure we have found a very fair rule, which saves everyone involved unnecessary trouble.
Hotel
Our hotel, the „Hotel Art“, is a small and cosy private hotel, only 5 minutes away from the heliport. During our heliski season, we are usually the only guests. It is situated very centrally in Elizovo. Within 5 walking minutes one can get to the market, many shops and cafes. Apart from a comfortable bar we can also use the lounge with an open fire as well as a sauna. All rooms are equipped with bathroom and TV. From the hotel you can make phone calls to Europe without any problems, also an internet flat can normally be used 24 hours a day. It is recommendable to bring a laptop.
Prices and costs in Russia
Lately the prices in Kamchatka have more and more adjusted to European standards and in some cases even exceed these. Unfortunately we as a tour operator can do nothing against this unpleasant development. Therefore, we need to reserve ourselves the right to, after a period of at least 4 months after effecting the travel contract, but not less than 21 days before the journey, increase the travel price, if there has been an unforeseen increase of travel costs, especially the fuel costs. Of course we will increase the price only as much as the cost – divided by the number of participants – has increased. In this context please also note paragraph 5 of our travel conditions.
Number of participants
Normally the number of participants is restricted to 14 people (without contractual warranty). For all our heliski journeys there is minimum number of participants of 12, which need to be achieved 8 weeks before the journey at the latest. In this context please also note paragraph 9 of our travel conditions.
Getting to Kamchatka
When flying to Kamchatka from Europe you always need first of all to go to Moscow. From here it is then another 8 flying hours to Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky. The number of airlines flying to Kamchatka is very limited. We work together with different travel agencies all over Europe who will be able to book the best flight for you.
Important note regarding the flights
Because of the exposed location of Kamchatka, especially during the winter months heavy storms and snow fall can occur. If this happens, flights can be delayed up to two days. Also changes of flight times and schedules, on which we have no influence, do regularly occur at short notice. In this case we do have to change the travel dates up to two days back or forth also at short notice. Therefore, you should in any case be flexible at least two days before and after the journey and not schedule any important meetings directly before or after the journey.
Flights and visa
It is best to book your flight with one of our partnering travel agencies. Here you will get competent advice and in case of changes of the flight schedule, you will be informed directly and automatically booked on another flight together with the rest of the group.
Also we work together with different visa agencies in several countries in order to get your visa for you. Together with your travelling documents you will get a visa information sheet, on which we have outlined how to obtain a visa and what to do. Depending on your nationality there are considerable differences.
Service package
With us you will have no hidden costs! Our proven service package from last season will therefore remain the same. The following services are comprised:
- 8 overnights with breakfast in the hotel in double rooms
- dinner, if we eat in the hotel (3 evenings)
- 8 days travel organization and guiding by two UIAGM mountain guides and one safety guide
- 10 heli hours (app. 35,000 vertical metres)
- official invitation and hotel voucher from Kamchatka (necessary in order to obtain the visa)
- visa for Russia
- all necessary flight permits
- national park fees
- entry enquiry / registration with the authorities on Kamchatka (compulsory since January 2007)
- extensive lunch and drinks during the heliskiing
- all bus rides on spot (if part of the program)
- registration on spot (OVIR)
- lift tickets in the skiing centers in case of bad weather
- entrance fees for thermal baths
- Russian evening on a Datscha, with delicious Russian food
- special direct health insurance in Russia, which cares for quick and unbureaucratic help in case of an accident
- 5-star insurance package of Hanse Merkur insurance, consisting of a travel cancellation insurance, a travel health insurance, an emergency insurance,
a travel accident insurance, and a luggage insurance - city tour in Moscow (if the stopover in Moscow on the way there is longer than 6 hours)
- insolvency coverage
Our service package does not comprise:
- flight Europe – Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky
- dinner out of the hotel, between 15 EUR and 25 EUR, depending on the restaurant
- activities outside of the program
- drinks in the hotel
We are already looking forward to another unforgettable heliski season in the mountains of Kamchatka with you!
Yours
Flory Kern
and the Ski Berge Abenteuer Team
