Kamchatka - Facts, figures, and my preconceptions

I first heard about Kamchatka sitting in a bar in Krasnaya Polyana. Sacha and Ivan from Croatia, and Tony and I were discussing the idea of going there after the thrill of our first heliboarding trip in Russia. An elderly gentleman lent over and spoke to us. "Until 10 years ago not even Russians were allowed into Kamchatka" he told us. "Kamchatka is controlled by the Russian military and only members of the military or those born in Kamchatka and fishing the Bering sea were allowed there." he explained. With the dismantling of the former Soviet Union access to Kamchatka has improved and there are daily flights, all of 13 hours across 9 time zones, from Moscow into Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (totalling 7500 m or 4690 miles!!!). When last I looked one could also fly into Kamchatka (PKC) from Vladivostock, Magadan, Chabarovsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk and internationally from Seoul and Anchorage. The only other access is via sea, either on freight or fishing boats. We managed to score a great deal on getting there from Moscow. Our flight cost Euro 130 for a one way ticket (I am fly out to Vladivostok and catching a train back to Europe after calling curtains on Winter 07/08).

In the two years that the Kamchatka has rolled off my lips, the large majority of people that have any conception of where it is are those that have at some time in their lives played the game of Risk. For those that don't know much about Kamchatka, I have outlined more of what I have learned about it below. I clearly have some preconceptions of what to expect and I think it will be interesting for me to document my expectations prior to my arrival. This is what I know and/or suspect.Kamchatka, a world heritage sight, is also called the Land of Fire and Ice and is a 1250km long volcanic peninsula on the Pacific rim that's stretches 1000 kilometres to the northeast of Japan. I have been told that it is a territory that Japan once laid claim to and there remains a low-level diplomatic dispute over the sovereignty of this territory (a refreshing change from a recent trip to Gulmarg in Kashmir).

There are over 300 volcanoes, of which about 30 are active, with the highest called Klyuchevskaya Sopka being 4750 meters above see level. During the winter, snow stretches from the top of these volcanoes down to see leave and it is possible to board onto the beach. I am looking forward to that.

The main industry in Kamchatka remains the fishing industry but due to its unique and unspoilt nature, tourism to this area is growing. I think I read a few years back that there was no GSM (cellphone) network but I understand that has changed, and finding an ATM isn't too difficult either.

I did read this crazy story about two guys that walked across the Beiring straight from Alaska and, upon their arrival, were detained and imprisoned for immigration violations. Its crazy stuff. Take a look at it.

The population is approximately 400'000 with more than half of those living in the main city, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Until 1990, no foreigners or nonresident Russians were allowed to visit. In 1991, the Russian Federation was established as an independent republic and Kamchatka was opened for visiting by foreign guests.

The main industry is the fishing industry, and there is a greater variety of Salmonid (trout, salmon etc) than anywhere else in the world. I have already made notes on the pictures I want to take of the fish markets.

In terms of skiing and snowboarding terrain, I expect it to be a lot more mellow than Krasnaya Polyana. I think that the geology of volcanoes means that it will not have incredibly steap pitches. I hope I am proved otherwise. I am looking forward to a challenge after Gulmarg.