Baikal ice skating. Winter Baikal on skates. day Cape Khoboy - Peschanaya village

Meeting time and place

At 7:30 am (local time*) on the first day of the program at the Rolling Stones Hostel (17 Sukhe-Bator St.) in Irkutsk.

You can get to the hostel from the airport and railway station by public transport or taxi. Organizational information with details will be sent to all participants in advance.

* In Irkutsk, the time zone is +5 hours to Moscow

Age restrictions

The hike is suitable for active teenagers from 14 years old with travel experience (accompanied by adult relatives). The upper age limit is discussed individually.

Temperature regime

You need to be prepared for negative temperatures: -5-15 during the day, -20-25 at night.

It is extremely important to pay special attention to the selection of warm clothes and waterproof shoes for a comfortable stay in the cold.

A big plus of this trip is that we won't have to carry a backpack all the time - on the ice we will use drag sleds, which will make our life much easier.

On the day, participants will have to walk from 12 to 22 kilometers.

Movement on ice is safe and comfortable in the presence of ice access / ice drifts (special rubberized shoe covers, sold in medical equipment stores, orthopedic goods, on aliexpress).

We will spend the night in warm tents with a stove, so we will not be afraid of the Siberian frosts.

Accommodations

1) 2 nights at the hostel (2-3 bed rooms)

2) In tents (the organizer will provide a tent with a stove or ordinary tents with a skirt). There are 12 places in a tent with a stove, for groups with a smaller number of participants we provide tents for 3-4 places.

How much extra money to take with you

Approximately 3000 rubles for additional meals.

The cost of renting a drag sled is about 600 rubles.

10,000 rubles will be enough for you with a margin.

In the village of Khuzhir there is a Sberbank ATM, but it does not always work and does not always dispense cash. Payment by card is available in some cafes and shops, but not in all. If there is no card payment, then they usually allow you to make a transfer through Sberbank-online.

You should not fully count on the possibility of payments by b / n.

Nutrition

1) 3 times

Breakfast - portioned oatmeal with dried fruits and condensed milk / jam, chocolate, cheese sandwich, tea.

Lunch - freeze-dried soup, chocolate bar, sandwich with melted cheese, sausage / lard.

Dinner - cereals / mashed potatoes with stew, canned vegetables, bread, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sweet for tea.

2) 6 times in a cafe / canteen / restaurant in Khuzhir (200-400 r at a time).

The local cuisine is very hearty and tasty.

cellular

There is a cellular connection in the village of Khuzhir. In other places, not always. Tele2 and MTS operators work best.

Tickets

Plane tickets to Irkutsk must be taken with arrival for 1 day before the start of the trip (to avoid delays due to a late flight or loss of luggage). Train tickets can be taken with arrival until 7 am by local time.

You can leave / fly back after 21:00 local on the last day.

In case of being late by the time of the meeting for more than 1 hour, the participant pays for waiting for the transfer of 700 rubles per hour, but not more than 3 hours. In case of being late for more than 3 hours, the participant gets to the group on his own (we will provide maximum assistance in this, but, unfortunately, at the expense of the participant).

We advise you to stay after a trip for a day in Irkutsk and leave later - wander around the city, go to the shore of Lake Baikal in the village of Listvyanka (here you can ride a husky, visit the most interesting limnological museum (dedicated to the study of Baikal), nerpinary, take a short walk to the Chersky stone , from where a beautiful panorama of the lake opens, look into the unique Taltsy ethnographic museum, etc. We will be happy to tell you how and where to get.

Winter Baikal is the largest skating rink in the world. If you are tired of crowding in parks with deafening music, then you are here. The boundless ice of a frozen lake allows you to take a break from people, roads, houses, from all the hustle and bustle of a big city and enjoy skiing in silence. We offer a comfortable option for a winter skating trip: we spend the night in warm guest houses and ride light - things are transported by car.

During the route, we will cross the Small Sea and visit the island of Ogoy, where the Buddhist stupa is located. We will walk to the Shamanka rock on the western coast of Olkhon Island in the Baikal National Park. We will make a radial exit to the eastern shore of Olkhon and Cape Izhemey. And at the end of the trip, we will ride along the Circum-Baikal Railway on a hovercraft - a hovercraft.

Winter Baikal is a fairy tale. And winter Baikal on skates is a fairy tale with adventures.

What does "comfortable winter trip" mean?

Hiking in winter Baikal is, of course, extreme. We have compiled the route in such a way that you can get a dose of adrenaline, go ice skating and enjoy the scenery as much as possible, while remaining in your comfort zone.

Overnight stays are not in tents, but in warm and cozy rooms in guest houses. We will overcome simple transitions on skates light, taking with us only a small backpack with a thermos and a snack. Things are transported by car. Anyone who is tired can take a day off and drive the next stage in the warm seat of the car.

About winter Baikal

A distinctive feature of Lake Baikal is that the ice freezes in completely unimaginable forms. It seems that Kai from the Snow Queen was a huge giant, it was here that he played with ice cubes and made up the word “eternity” from them. Shades of blue, blue and black ice. Absolute transparency is amazing - everyone who came for the first time lies on their stomach and looks at the bottom, rejoicing like children.

The thickness of the ice cover in spring reaches two meters. There is so much ice on Baikal that it is classified depending on the method of freezing. Sokui is formed on the windward rocks - a thin ice edge, frozen in autumn from splashes of waves. The height of splash ice is often up to 10 meters. Underground ice is found in caves and grottoes - huge icicles hanging from the ceiling. Baikal is the place where you can feel like a White Walker from the Game of Thrones.

For whom?

The tour is suitable for lovers of winter nature, who are not ready to spend the night in a tent or do not feel confident enough to cover long enough distances every day. A great option for photographers - there will be a lot of time for filming.

If you want even more adrenaline, then pay attention to the route "

Evgenia Polyakova

I learned about the amazing ice skating expedition thanks to AlpIndustriya agency. Special thanks to Sergey and Elena Kovalev for inspiring and making my dream come true! To be honest, I have been planning this trip for the last two years and even now I am not fully aware of the reality of what happened. The dream of seeing the purest ice, feeling the power of Lake Baikal, listening to how it “sounds”, being in its very heart - Olkhon, in particular - in the village of Khuzhir, which is also famous for its peculiarities - came true.

Briefly about sensations and feelings. During our crossings, especially when skating on the ideal ice of Lake Baikal, decorated with marble cracks, you experience absolutely cosmic feelings! It doesn't compare to anything! Take my word for it, I have been to the South and North Poles three times and have never seen anything like it! When you rush along this mirror surface, an amazing feeling does not leave you, as if you are driving not on ice, but on the blue waves of the great lake. Over time, you get used to the feeling of flying and completely dissolve in this flow, but despite the speed, it is impossible not to notice the surrounding nature of Lake Baikal and not admire the primordial beauty of these places.

A little about the route and practical advice. We passed the route of 130 kilometers, ice hummocks and cracks, the Baikal wind, clean air and the feeling of flying over the smooth surface of a frozen lake. The most important thing is to be prepared. The ice on Baikal is always changing: sometimes it snows, cracks form, or you get into a field of hummocks, and then you have to drag your drags with a trunk over the hummocks. Sometimes such transitions can take several hours.

The weather on Baikal is also unpredictable, and one day it went badly. A strong wind accompanied us all the way to the village, sometimes blowing us off our feet, and the drags did not allow us to gain the required speed. It was that experience. What is important, ice skating on Baikal requires preliminary preparation. I advise everyone to take some training in skating on skis. And also, given the unpredictability and variability of the weather on Lake Baikal, you need to carefully consider the equipment and equipment that you will take with you. It is very important to maintain a balance between what is necessary and sufficient in this matter, since everything that you take will have to be carried along on your own. I certainly advise everyone to visit Baikal and join the AlpIndustriya team, to whom I once again express my gratitude. Thank you for this unforgettable adventure and for the opportunity to test yourself, your strength and endurance.

Vadim Lipgard

I really liked the team of participants, the guide who led the trip on the spot. Friendly relations were established both with colleagues and with the guide. Had a great ride! This year the ice situation was very good, and the weather is favorable. When passing the route, it was possible to act at an individual pace. The beauty of Baikal's nature and the unique opportunity to go on a skating hike are beyond description. But the most pleasant impressions are the Small Sea with numerous islands, mirror ice in Uzury and lunch with fish soup after skiing, and Peschanaya Bay is the most beautiful and least crowded place on the route. There were no negative impressions. The trip was darkened, of course, by the injury of a colleague, but the responsibility of the organizers or the accompanying person is not in this.

Ute

Thanks a lot! Alpindustria gave us a wonderful trip! You have been perfect in planning the trip with me. Without you, we would not have had enough confidence! Thanks Anthony!

Dmitrij and the driver did a very good job as well. Thanks to them!

The landscape and the experience were really great and unforgettable! The accommodation was perfect (probable the last night we would have preferred to stay in a two-bed room and not in a hostel). In general we experineced that ice skating on Baikal is a little bit more ambitious than skating in Austria on a natural lake, because I used to skate 100 km on that lake - but the ice is prepared to some extent. And the wind conditions are stronger than I have had experinenced in Austria and Sweden, so we asked Dmitrij to adopt the touring plan, what they did perfectly. We had really a lovely time in your nice country and I can fully recommend the trip!

From email correspondence:

Vitya, to hell with Spain! I want to go to Baikal. Are there any other spots on the team?

There are places, but you need to buy skates (from Finland), sleds, sticks with carbide tips. Can you make it in a week?

No, you can't do it in a week. Looks like no luck :(

After three days:

Dima, one participant does not go. All equipment is there. Are you with us? Buy a ticket. Now there are sale ones!

In two hours:

Vitya, I bought tickets! I'm on the team!

Road to Khuzhir

It's good that despite all my love for planning, there is still room for maneuver in life! So this time, having decided that I wanted a real outdoor, and not a banal trip around Europe, I managed to jump on the outgoing train and got into a wonderful team of guys, led by Viktor Savelyev (Petzl-Russia).

There were two big “unusualities” for me on this journey. Firstly, I finally managed to implement my school plans for a hike on the ice of Lake Baikal. It's great when dreams come true, which are 20 years old! And secondly, for a hundred years I did not go on a hike as a participant, not a leader. I will say, looking ahead, it's great! The head is freed from organizational issues to communicate with friends and Nature.

The story about this campaign (see below) is the essence of collective creativity. The text was written both by me and by my partners on the Baikal campaign. ( Italicized). So let's go!

Day 1: Moscow - Irkutsk - Olkhon island

Day 2: Skating training and a trip to Cape Sagan-Khushun

First cracks

At Cape Sagan-Khushun

ice crystals

Summary of the day from Lena Savelyeva:

We woke up, had breakfast in the canteen and started preparing equipment for the training session on the ice. Holes were drilled in the sleigh for attaching the rope and the skates were adjusted.

At 11 am, on two loaves, we went to Cape Khoboy. For the first time, we skated on the ice of Lake Baikal. 5 kilometers easy. Great! Further - an ice cave, hummocks, rocks. We climbed up and for the first time saw from above both the Inner (small) sea and Big Baikal. There was, as usual, the sun and good visibility. Far, far away, at a distance of 150 kilometers, one could see the Barguzinsky Range. After returning from the summit - lunch right on the ice. They even lapped from a crack in the Baikal water. Yummy!

The evening program was intense: sauna, sunset with a view of Lake Baikal, Madera.

Then the continuation in the dining room: delicious fresh omul (g / x), vodka, Martini, Manchegorsk tincture :)

Well, of course, each participant was looking forward to the beginning of the campaign. I really wanted to get out of civilization.

Day 3: First day of the hike. Ust-Anga - ice camp

Installing the first ice leger

Camp setup complete!

Our camp. Photo: (c) Jean-Philippe Birmele

Baikal crystal

Lena Savelyeva about this day:

Finally escaped from civilization!! At 11.00 in the morning we unloaded from the car and went skating on the ice of Lake Baikal. Warm! Sun! At first I had to climb the hummocks, going around the cape, but then the perfect ice until the very night (and this is a rarity, as it turned out later :)). Rolled on the mirror of Baikal and enjoyed!

Overnight on the ice near the cape?? It is impossible to imagine a more beautiful overnight stay. Multi-colored tents on ice screws, dinner on burners, and around the blue-white expanse of the lake. Luminous tents (and we have 7 of them) were reflected at night in transparent ice, like a garland. Sunrise hit on the spot :)

Summary of the day Dmitry Kovinov:

The start of the day is set! In the bay near Ust-Anga, where we start our skating trip around Lake Baikal, there is excellent ice! Everyone is in anticipation, like horses before the start of the race. Before I had time to take a couple of shots, my friends and comrades disappeared over the horizon. However, it wasn't there! The exit from the bay is blocked by real barricades made of ice fragments. The speed drops to 500 meters per hour! What's next? If such an ambush continues, how will we get through the 200 kilometers planned for four days??

Immediately after the hummocks, the skates began to fly off. Here's a skating trip for you! The straps don't hold at all! Together with Uncle Sasha (he is a remaster in our group), we tried all the options. Nothing helped! They even tried to wind it on ropes - nonsense! In the end, spitting on everything, I decide to walk, since I have a walkie-talkie, and I won’t pass the camp if I walk along the coast.

When two out of 19 people of our group remained on the horizon, it became clear that my speed on foot was many times lower than the speed of the group and something needed to be changed.

From the tenth option, I come up with a working solution - I pass the front strap of the skate through the boot lace. Hooray!! Now the sock does not fly off and you can go!

By lunchtime I was catching up with the group, but I completely “killed” my hands, because while they were suffering, I rode almost only on them. I miss lunch, I don’t want to be left behind, the devil knows what else these damned skates will throw out!

In the second half of the day, I even overtook five and took a few shots.

In the evening I "work as a photographer" while everyone puts up tents. We have dinner with hot smoked omul, taken last night on Olkhon, and porridge. Lots of tasty drinks from 20 to 40 degrees. A crowd of 20 mouths easily sentences 1.5 liters of alcohol. In the evening, races and wind noise, ice breaks are not audible, so the ice is warm, plastic!

Day 4: Ice camp - Buguldeyka

Text: Irina Bolshakova

So, the first morning of our march on the ice of Lake Baikal. Early. The night was quite hectic for me, at first Russian songs were shouted (scaring the French with the breadth of soul and range, will it really be like this every evening?), Then the cold from under the rug did not let me sleep, that's what weaning from winter hiking and old equipment means, for a long time she waited for the ice to begin to crack, fell asleep ... already in the morning, having decided to take a walk, while it was still dark, she crawled out of the tent. Not at all as cold as I feared, very quiet... I'm wandering in slippery boots, and then BOOM!

No, in fact, the ice just thumped, but in silence, darkness, and for the first time to hear such a thing ... It seemed to me that the sound rang out right under my feet, frantically looked around, saw a huge network of black cracks running away from me in different directions and I immediately forgot why, in fact, I went! I rushed towards the camp on wadded legs. Already lying in a sleeping bag, I was horrified (finally) listening to the sounds of Baikal, it crackled and thumped almost continuously, it is surprising that nothing like this happened in the evening. My fuss woke Sasha, he spluttered that everything seemed to me, I couldn’t hear anything at all, turned away and sniffed further. Dima and Katya didn't wake up either. But I could not fall asleep for a long time, imagining how the crack, snaked and expanding, stretches under our tent. I dozed off just before dawn, when one of the attendants shouted: “Guys, wake up, such a sun!”

Morning at the camp

Here is the key point: is it worth listening to? These dawns - sunsets have been seen and seen, only managed to doze off, warm up. But the choice was made for us, the attendant simply opened the zippers of the tent and lo! All I had to do was open my eyes, stick my nose out of the sleeping bag and admire Sasha's foresight, who set up the tent at the entrance to the dawn. The silvery ray of the sun that ran into the tent on the ice of Lake Baikal was worth the early morning fears!

In the light of day, all the open cracks around the camp turned out to be old and not at all terrible, and under our tent there was black solid ice. It was very easy to assemble, nothing gets lost or dirty on the ice. Yesterday's smoked omul returned to my sleigh, after all, a tasty thing, even in a "cooled" form. There are still six pieces left, out of forty carcasses.

Gypsies on Baikal! =))

We leave with Sasha, again for some reason, one of the last. Gritting my teeth, I hate to walk in the tail of the group. Today it’s a little easier than on the first day, I’m already better choosing the road among the patches of “bad” white ice, it became clear that along the cracks, which I was very afraid of at the beginning of the journey, it’s many times faster, the ice here is almost black, which means it’s very smooth and durable. The water regime turned out to be unusual for me, I haven’t drunk so much on the route yet, although I think I just found a reason to rest a little longer.

Gradually we catch up with our guys, the group is very stretched, for a couple of kilometers, for sure. Only at a halt, when I saw Dima, I remember about the fotik. Still, the professionalism of the photographer affects this, but I'm just too lazy to stop and get the equipment so often.

Due to the fact that there is no definite lunch time, the middle of today's path is blurred, or rather smeared for several hours, I feel tired, I start to look at the navigator more often, how much has already passed, more importantly how much is left to the reference point. The vanguard of the group on the radio reports that they are four kilometers from the planned overnight stay, but the ice is very bad, and the leaders decide to get up closer to the village. Buguldeyka. We still have to stomp and stomp, or rather roll and roll, but it’s already hard to roll, the March Baikal ice has softened so much that the skates constantly fall through on white snow spots.

I am glad that we are sharply turning towards the coast, which means there is little left. But my hands hurt a lot, because of the sudden stops of the skates on bumps, I have to rely more on sticks, there are already strong “corns” on the palms from unsuccessful lanyards. Ahead, almost under the very shore, the figures of girls are visible, for some reason they stand in one place for a long time, either they are waiting for us, like signalmen, or something has happened. Skating has become quite bad, you have to take off your skates and go on foot, which is not much easier, the ice, although sprinkled with snow, is still slippery and very uneven.

For a couple of hours now, there has been a discussion on the radio that one of the participants took too far into the depths of Lake Baikal, “more seaward”, and there is no connection with him. The walkie-talkie has gone down, he doesn’t have a navigator, the sun is already setting, and it’s not clear whether he will have time to spend the night before dark. Sasha, Dima, and I barely manage to fall onto the sandy shore and the sun immediately disappears behind the coastal ridge.

The rest of the tents are already set up and only Katya is waiting for us on the shore, because our common tent is going with Sasha, and the group cans with Dima. The French are on duty today, they came a long time ago, the firewood is collected, the fire is burning. Dima surrenders the cans and immediately runs away along the shore to take pictures of everyday life. Sasha is trying to persuade us to spend the night again on the ice of Lake Baikal, but after last night and the constant cracking of ice during the day, I am categorically against it, even though there is almost no good place on the shore. Finally, the tent stands on the shore, the sleeping bags are covered and we crawl away to the fire to help the French prepare dinner. At this time, the lost participant Dima arrives, with the call sign "Omul", which from that moment turns into "Sea Omul". He is immediately given hot tea left from the route, dressed in a puff and sent to the fire.

Our leader is calming down, the group is spending the night, everyone is happy. And then screams are heard from the shore, more tourists are coming. It turns out that the guys from Moscow, Vitya and Misha, friends of the Savelyevs, caught up with us. We get all sorts of sweets: chartreuse, our northern lingonberry tincture, home-made liquor from pine cones, cut meat surprises, sausage cheese (the French were very surprised at it) and by dinner everyone finally relaxes, the difficult day is over, no one has been lost, people vied with each other to share their impressions of today , the girls gasp at the mileage of the super-buffalo Viti and Misha, and Sea Omul gives out toast after toast “about the ice of Lake Baikal and the vicissitudes of the path.”

Bonfire in Camp #2

The whole team is here!

Day 5: Buguldeyka - Babushka Bay

Pine ice near our camp

Coming out of the bay, we immediately find ourselves on bad ice. We're barely going. By lunchtime, under the gusts of a headwind, we go out to a symbolic place - a beautiful rock-arch with the name Perforated. We make a halt with hot tea.

To get on the ice you have to overcome a decent crack. Having twisted a little back and forth, we find a passage along an ice floe lying in the form of a bridge. The main thing here is not to fuss and not do stupid things. You don't want to swim in the ice water!

After a crack and a series of hummocks, I decide to try walking. It will probably not turn out faster, but at least it will be possible to look around. And then with such ice you have to look at your feet all the time, and not around. So you won't see Baikal! It feels like the speed will not be higher, but less effort should be spent!

And indeed, after an hour I notice that I am walking at the same speed as the guys on skates, who are riding a couple of hundred meters further to the sea, in a course parallel to me.

Surprisingly, walking is great! On such ice, this is definitely a good option. And yes, I love to walk. Minimum load - maximum pleasure! Bliss! I immediately remembered my recent solo hike in the Swiss Alps!

By evening, I notice that the guys walking in front begin to move towards the shore. Probably camp! Indeed, a characteristic rock appears on the right, a photograph of which, even before the campaign, Victor sent out as a guide for the next camp.

We go to the beach at dusk! It was a busy, working day, and in the evening, Katya and I also had a shift of duty. We cook potatoes with stew. Partners get drinks. Good evening;)

Lena Brechka about this day:

In the morning we woke up from the French call “Atable !!” (in the official translation, this is a call for lunch or dinner). And our French team together prepared an excellent breakfast for us.

Our paths with French friends diverged at this stage of the journey. They were leaving for home, but we had to continue our route along the Baikal ice according to the plan. After a well-thought-out farewell by Vitya Savelyev, staged like in hockey, we continued the route with a slight sadness.

The day turned out to be excellent - sunny and without wind. However, good ice did not appear. Walking was hard. After several crossings, we stopped for lunch. Vitya Dubitsky prepared tea for us on gas. We had a good snack and rested by the beautiful shore in the rocks. At lunch, it was decided to go to the far parking lot, that is, another 14 kilometers.

The mood was excellent, a beautiful rock loomed ahead, at which we were waiting for parking in the Babushka bay.

By seven in the evening, having crossed the hummocks, someone entered, and someone drove into the bay.

Babushka Bay is a beautiful sandy bay with pine trees. The rocks around are reminiscent of the Krasnoyarsk Pillars - “rocks of pines”. I remember pine trees with aerial roots right on the sand. And in the evening - a great dinner with surprises. Liqueurs, delicious meat and canned fruits enhanced the impression of a beautiful campfire right on the shore of Lake Baikal, an unusual starry sky and our warm and cozy company.

It's been a wonderful day!

Day 6: Babushka Bay - camp "near the forest hut"

Morning in Babushka Bay

typical view

On route

Text: Dmitry Kovinov

A wonderful morning began with a small, this time without skates, a walk to the Peschanka Bay, adjacent to ours. The surrounding rocks are like Krasnoyarsk pillars! In the morning the weather was so good that it was not at all a hunt to leave. But we must move forward, there is no other way.

Almost from the very beginning, the "bad" white ice started and, following yesterday's example, I took off my skates and changed into trekking shoes. Good thing you took them!

And indeed, it is easy, immediately there was an opportunity to look around! It’s a pity that there are no cats, it would be absolutely great with them!

By the 12-hour communication session, I had caught up with a large group of tourists of twenty people on foot. It turned out that this is a children's group from Moscow. They have a peculiar method of movement - instead of sleds, backpacks on skis, and ordinary figure or hockey skates on their feet. Inefficient. They don't go faster than me, a pedestrian.

At the next communication session, I received good news from Victor - if you take a couple of hundred seaward, you can go out on black ice. That's why I was surprised why my partners went so quickly beyond the horizon!

Once again I change my sneakers for my high-altitude LaSportiva Spantik, put on skates on them, and taking a little to the side I really go out onto the fields of pure ice. The speed instantly increases by 3-5 times up to 15-20 kilometers per hour! Now it’s clear why you need to skate on the ice of Lake Baikal!

On this high-speed section we catch up with another group, which also moves in an unusual way - sitting on sleds and pushing with sticks. Having caught up with the first, I start a conversation. It turns out that the guys from Novosibirsk. I do not have time to break away, as on the right in the direction of travel I notice that my friends turn sharply towards the shore. Are we already there? That's what "correct", hard and fast ice means! We covered a huge distance in an hour! And how far could they drive if there was always such ice?!

In the evening we go to the radial on the surrounding hills. For some 20 minutes, through a pine forest, we climbed a sheer cliff on the shore of a lake-sea. Amazingly beautiful. Untouched reserved nature. A sea of ​​pine forests warmed by the sun, which is unusually warm for this time of the year, and in front of you is the boundless Baikal Sea. Excellent day!

Day 7: Camp "near the forest hut" - Bolshoye Goloustnoye village - Irkutsk

Khamar-Daban. 100 kilometers in a straight line.

Text: Lena Savelyeva

We got up at 7 am. The weather is wonderful - like autumn in the Crimea. Opposite, Khamar-Daban glows. The hummocks gleam in the sun. The ice promises to be black (the highest category!!), so we are cheerful and cheerful. Moreover, there are only 15 km to the finish line of our trip.

There was a party halfway through. Shore Track, curling, sledding. Worked out getting out of the water onto the ice using special equipment :)

At 14:00, minute-by-minute according to the trip plan, we loaded into the car in the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye. Two hours - and we are in Irkutsk! And there, as usual. Walking around the city, Angara embankment, Ussuri Balsam :)

It's been a good hike. We must repeat!

Baikal ice in March. Classification.

During the trip, I saw as many types of ice as I have not seen in my entire life. I will try to classify the quality of ice for skating tourism.

• Black smooth ice. Perfect. Without much effort, having behind you a sled with equipment weighing about 15 kilograms, you can easily keep a cruising speed of 10-15 km / h! It's a pity that we came across only 15 kilometers of such ice (10% of the route).
• Most of the route (about 70%) we passed on ice, which was located along small cracks filled with water, surrounded by fields (spots) of degrading ice. The main difficulty in moving on such ice is the need to constantly track such narrow strips of ice and jump from one such strip to another, constantly changing direction. In addition, when changing the line of motion, the sled moves by inertia, overtaking and pulling you. All in all, it's a pretty nerve-wracking story. It is very difficult to admire the beauty on the go. It was for this reason, especially when the strips of "good ice" completely disappeared, it was easier to just walk on foot, taking off the skates. Thank God that the top of my boots - (LaSportiva Spantik -) allowed walking more or less comfortably. My colleagues in plastic climbing boots were much less comfortable walking.
• Degrading ice of various formations. We have 15% of the route. The most tin! Riding through such an ambush on skates is horror! The speed drops to 4-6 kilometers per hour (almost like when walking), while you also need to work with sticks! In my opinion, it is not logical to ride through such an ambush on skates - the speed is only a little faster, and energy costs are many times greater! Trekking shoes with mini crampons are ideal for efficient passage of such surfaces.
• Snow on ice. (less than 1% of the route). The popularity of traveling on the ice of Lake Baikal lies precisely in the amazing features of the local nature - most of the snow is simply blown off the ice of the western shore of Lake Baikal. However, small pieces of shallow, 5-10 centimeters, snow were encountered. Their main trouble is that if you "fly" to such an "island" at high speed, there is a high probability of falling, since the speed of movement in such areas instantly drops!
• Hummocks (less than 1% of the route). Passing hummocks is a tin! The speed drops to 500 meters per hour, the sled with the load is constantly turning over, and it’s easier to screw yourself up! There is only one reason when the passage of hummocks is justified - if they cannot be bypassed! It would be ideal to have photographs from the air in order to find the shortest path between the hummocks or their narrowest places, but of course this is not possible and we had to act on a whim. Fortunately, their height almost never exceeded 50-70 centimeters, and from the height of human growth it was quite possible to view steamers. Although we are still lucky, the hummocks can not reach 1.5-2 meters in height!! Experienced walkers on the ice of Lake Baikal advise to always bypass the hummocks "seaward", i.e. not from the side of the coast, but moving further away from it. It is believed that the main hummocks are localized off the coast and prominent headlands.
• Cracks. Despite the abnormally warm weather, there were not so many cracks. On average - one crack for every 2-5 kilometers. Where it was not far to bypass them (move along them until they run out), we did this. When there is no opportunity, we crossed them. Cracks differ in width and "degree of openness". The widest crack that came across to us was about 70 centimeters wide. In order to cross it, we brought the sled to the very edge, thereby giving slack for the rope, and stepped over them without removing the skates. Most often, we found such areas where some kind of ice floe blocked the crack, and simply moved along this ice floe to the other side. The vast majority of open cracks were 10 to 30 centimeters wide. We crossed such cracks on the go, almost without slowing down, just stepping over the skating (similar to the technique of roller skating when driving onto a curb, for example).

And it also happens (the guys walked in parallel with us, on the same days, but on bicycles)

Already on the second day of the trip, we realized that due to the warm weather and the scorching sun, the ice condition deteriorated sharply after 14-15 hours. Skates, especially those of participants with a large weight and a short blade length, began to miss even black ice!!! The correct tactic in such cases is early exits in order to cover the planned distance for the day before lunch (similar to the tactics of spring hiking in the forest, when the speed of movement along the morning crust is several times higher than the speed of movement, after lunch, when the snow "let go".

• Plan a hike in late February - early March, the ice is still good, the day is already longer and warmer.
• Take it seaward, further from the coast the ice is usually better.
• Don't go solo (crack)
• Have a supply of gas in case of bad weather and overnight stays on ice
• Walkie-talkies are very useful!
• Have several backup exit points along the route in case of bad weather and unforeseen conditions

our team

Dmitry Shepelev

Jean-Philippe Birmele

Dimitri Medvedieff

Sebastien Teysseyre

Arnaud Tisserant & Sophie Ayche

Conclusions on skating on the Baikal ice

A small comic trailer about our skating trip on the ice of Lake Baikal. Pieces of the video were filmed on the iPhone 5, and I'm still going to edit the film more seriously. But the hands are not yet reached ... Shot on the camera iPhone 5. Cameraman: Dmitry Kovinov. Sound - Apple.

Or just an awesome video about what ice is like in Sweden!

And this is just a beautiful video about Baikal!

Day 1. Meeting in Irkutsk

Meeting at the airport in Irkutsk (it is better to plan a morning arrival in order to catch a group transfer). Transfer to Listvyanka village. Visit to the Limnological Museum. Overnight at the guest house.

Day 2. Listvyanka - Kurma. First time on the ice

Transfer from Listvyanka to Kurma village. Ice skating practice. Overnight at the camp site.

A day to get acquainted with the ice, time to play enough, run and tune in for a serious journey. Baikal covers an area of ​​just over 31 thousand square kilometers, and the average ice thickness is 1 m. Thus, the subject of our study is more than 28 trillion tons of selected ice. It is also worth adding the rocks and mountains surrounding the lake, forests, rich flora and fauna.

Breakfast and dinner at the camp site, and instead of lunch - a snack with tea right on the ice.

Day 3. Ride on the islands of the Small Sea

We will go on skates to the islands of the Small Sea. Ogoy Island, where the Buddhist stupa is located. Transfer to the village of Kharantsy.

The Small Sea is a part of Lake Baikal, separated by Olkhon Island. The length of the water area is about 70 km, and the width is from 5 to 16 km. Included in the Pribaikalsky National Park.

Overnight - Guest house in Kharantsy. Breakfast and dinner are included in the price, and instead of lunch - a snack with tea right on the ice.

Day 4. Uzury village and Cape Khoboy

Transfer to the village of Uzury. We will inspect the weather station, go down to the ice and go to Cape Khoboy. We will spend the night again in Kharantsy.

The village of Uzury is the only settlement on the eastern side of the island. There is a meteorological station here and there is the only gentle exit to the shore on the eastern coast of Olkhon. According to official figures, as many as 9 people live here.

Day 5. Cape Izhimey

Departure on skates along the eastern shore of Olkhon to Cape Izhimey. Overnight in Kharantsy.

The depth of Baikal is 1637 meters, you will have more than one and a half kilometers of water under you. We will pass by a large number of hummock fields. These are frozen heaps of ice fragments that were formed as a result of compression of the ice cover.

According to legend, the wise hermit Khan-guta-babai lived here, who ... however, this is a long story. The main thing is that good conquered evil and the places are very beautiful.

Day 6. Rock Shamanka, Cape Burkhan

Transfer to the village of Khuzhir. On skates we will go to the rock Shamanka and Cape Burkhan. Overnight in Khuzhir.

The village of Khuzhir is the largest settlement on the island of Olkhon.
Shaman rock is one of the most famous images of Baikal. Her images are in every film or photo album about Baikal. Sacrifices and vows have been made in a cave in this rock since the time of the first shamans.

Day 7. Eastern coast of Olkhon

Early departure to the Idiba Pad. Skating along the eastern shore of Olkhon to the village of Sakhyurta (28 km). Bathhouse and celebratory dinner. Overnight in Sakhyurt.

The Idiba Pad on the South-Eastern coast of Olkhon Island is surrounded by high mountains and ends with a rocky bay on the shore - this is one of the most beautiful panoramas of Greater Baikal.

Day 8. Return to Listvyanka

Transfer to Listvyanka via Irkutsk. Buying souvenirs and free time. Overnight at the guest house.

We will have lunch and dinner in one of the cafes in the village.

Day 9. Circum-Baikal Railway