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Extreme tourism
Demand for extreme tourism in Russia is greatly increased. Tourist’ firms
actively offer rafting, traveling on horse back, by bicycle and motorcycle. More
and more people are attracted by rafting, diving, pleasure flight on balloon and
many others. In Europe, for example, this kind of tourism began to develop by
quick temps and becomes more popular at the end of the 80-s – the beginning of
the 90-s and in Russia – since the middle of the 90-s. Let’s see several routes
of extreme tourism, go to various nooks of the country and look at the wonderful
pictures which the nature created. But first of all we will be carried away in
2005 and visit a festival of extreme kinds of tourism.
Festival of extreme kinds of tourism “Pyatigoria” gathers amateurs and
professionals of extreme. Biker-cross, where four sportsmen
simultaneously start from a steep slope and, surmounting obstacles, drive down
by winding route – in advance, can be called the most entertaining. Those, who
like more to climb up and conquer the tops, also present in the festival.
Assault of Spartacus rocks was carried out in various disciplines.
Now let’s divide extreme tourism into kinds. Let’s begin with water
kind of extreme tourism.
Diving is very popular in the whole world. It is underwater divings
with special apparatuses, providing a swimmer with breathing. Diving is both a
sport and entertainment. Engaging in diving, you will be able to look into the
enigmatic sea depths, nearby observe life of sea dwellers, sense yourself in
state of weightlessness, in free flight. Diving-lovers may enjoy beauties of the
underwater world of the Black sea in Anapa. You will like reefs of the
Taman peninsula very much. Places of ancient moorages, ancient anchors
and fragments of amphoras, remains of petrified flora and fauna.
For the last years under-ice diving becomes more popular in Russia. Under-ice
diving is arranged, for example, in the Valdai lake. Special program “Clear
waters of monasteries of Russia” was created there. Besides the Valdai a special
group organizes diving near Solovetsky monastery in Svyatoe lake, at
Balaam in Ladoga lake. You may see fantastic icy landscapes, adits and
grottoes, washed away by waters in the lumps of ice. Besides, under-ice drivers
come also to the White sea for diving. The most popular place here is
Rugozerskaya bay of the Kandalakshsky channel.
Windsurfing is driving on the oval board of coal-plastic with rough
surface for steadiness and with fins-stabilizers on the lower plane and a small
sail which is furled to the board. Surfing is the same, only without a
sail. As a matter of fact windsurfing is originated from surfing. In favorable
wind speed may rise to more than 10-12 m/c. In our day record is more than 70
km/h. Windsurfing today is one of the most famous kinds of active rest.
Windsurfing is never boring, every day teaches you something new, opening new
horizons. You will get incomparable feelings. Such kind of extreme rest does for
resorts of the Krasnodar krai. Competitions in this extreme kind of sport
are arranged in the beaches of Eisk every year. By wish you may take part
in it.
Water skis are one of the most famous kinds of active rest. It is a
worthy substitute for mountain skis. You will require 4 things for this sport:
water skis themselves, life jacket, gloves and diving suit. Water skis now are
very popular in the Black Sea coast.
Kayaking is dreadfully popular abroad. It becomes popular also in
Russia. Kayak is a small catcher boat, formerly widely-spread at many peoples of
Arctic (it has been kept at a part of Canadian and Arctic Eskimos). A trellised
frame of a kayak is made of wood or bone and covered with skin of sea animals
from above. A hole, which is tightened by a belt around waist of a rover, in the
upper part. It is sailed by two small oars and one bilobated. Kayak is almost
unsinkable and well fit to sailing.
Kayaking is a sport of individualists. Though it lack of team spirit,
nevertheless it gives an opportunity to throw down a challenge to the element
and stay with it face-to face. In the modern kayaking three main courses – row
slalom, rodeo and rafting. Slalom kayaking is an ability to maneuver in
the kayak, sensing boat and water. Rodeo, despite slalom, is not only a
masterly technique, but also an element of play. Freestyle on the kayak
is a conducting of various tricks on the boat due to the peculiarities of the
relief of the river. And, at last, rafting. Kayak is a good means for rafting by
a river of any complicacy or play rafting on a small section of a mountain
river, choosing separate obstacles: casks, banks and waterfalls.
If you think that it isn’t enough for you and you want something new and
interesting, you should try kitesurfing – a board for surfing and a kite,
fit to it. This simple construction permits to sense force of the wind in hands,
sliding of the board on water. With the help of the wind a kite tows you in the
direction, in which you, but not wind, want. You will get unforgettable
impressions. This kind of extreme is available almost in all beach resorts of
Russia.
The Irkut river (in translation “revolving”), in the upper section of which
rafting, resembling slalom, as a narrow stream of the river constantly
changes, is arranged, flows on the whole length of the valley of Tunkinsky
national park. Travelers will have to work in team actively not to overlook
required turn, turn away from stones, pull out a raft or a catamaran, colliding
with large stones.
Rocky banks with mysterious grottoes and caves, waterfalls, rapid stream,
stony river-beds and clear water attract numerous tourists in spring and in
summer. Rafting by rivers of the Southern Ural are both non-categorical rafting,
when tourists haven’t to have special skills and experience for participating in
traveling, and routes for professionals. Rafting by the Belaya river attracts by
exotic of ìàëîîáæèòûé places.
One of the most popular routes of rafting in Karelia, in which even
children may take part, is rafting by the Shuya river. The river flows by
densely populated places, flows along the high banks, covered with piny woods,
abounds in beaches and, certainly, rapids – of the second category of
complexity. Rafting by the Katun river of Altai. On the section from
settlement Ust-Koksa to the mouth of the Akkem river the Katun flows in the wide
valley, banks are low, covered with bushes. Width of the Katun here reaches 120
m, there are abundance of channels, robberies, islands, shallow rifts. Rapids
are easy. The first serious obstacle in the Katun river is “Akkemsky break”.
These rapids represent a corridor, width of which is 40-80 m. Its left bank is
rocks and the right one – a large mound, above which there are two shelves,
covered with forest. Along the upper one the path stretches round about the
rapids. The whole rapids are seen on the right bank. Peculiar obstacle of the
Lower Katun is powerful water, banks, height of which is over 2 m, whirlpools.
In this section the river numbers more than 50 obstacles. Obstacles of the Katun
is characterized by thick swells and whirlpools. Rapids “Ilgumensky”, “Kadrinsky
break”, “Shabash”, “Teldekpeni-1 and 2”, “Ilimsky”.
Land kinds of extreme tourismEquestrian
tourism is extraordinarily popular in the Southern Ural. It is much
pleasanter to ascend on horseback than overcome this distance by foot. Horses of
Ural of Bashkir brood – a result of crossing of steppe horses with forest ones
which lived to the north from Bashkiria – are extraordinarily sturdy,
characterized by intellect and quiet temperament. Equestrian tourism in the
Southern Ural develops mostly owing to traditions – horse in Bashkiria has been
esteemed as a national symbol at all times. According to efficiency of tourists
equestrian tours may represent both ride, which is combined with teaching
riding, and also travels of many days. Such travels are an opportunity to cross
several natural zones: deciduous forest, coniferous taiga, forest-tundra, feel
aroma of forest herbs, of which famous Bashkiria balsams are infused, inhale
clear mountain air and admire picturesque landscapes.
Another way of conquering mountain paths of the Southern Ural is
biking tours. As a rule, car is provided for biking and equestrian routes
and it means that travelers can enjoy speed and natural beauty of the preserves
of the region in full measure. Biking tourism attracts not only by sense of
speed, freedom but also interesting excursions and an opportunity of valuable
rest in the open air. Biking tours are available in all seasons.
Mountain kinds of extreme tourismAlpinism is
considered to be an extreme rest. Today alpinism is an industry which is being
evenly developed and popularized. As a rule summer is chosen for ascend. The
weather permits to reach a planned top with minimal losses. However, amateurs of
the most pungent sensations don’t stop even in winter. And difficult
meteorologic conditions and avalanching even add sensory acuity to travel.
Mountain is a way to subdue oneself, risk, overcome everything and reach the
top. You may try it in the resorts of the Krasnodar krai.
The Elbrus region - a wonderful nook of the Kabardino-Balkaria
republic – always attracts people who are capable to estimate splendor of
the sparkling world of mountain tops and the air, saturated with aromas of
grasses. It is an international center of tourism, alpinism and Alpine skiing. A
net of rope tows, 12 kilometers of rope-ways, 35 kilometers of Alpine route. It
isn’t by chance that the Elbrus region is considered a real Mecca for
mountain-skiers. Blanket of snow is formed here on November, in the Alpine zone
the snow lies till May - June. The routes are perfectly equipped and do for
sportsmen and also for beginners. These routes are considered ones of the most
beautiful in Europe. Beginning mountain-skiers will be taught to feel confident
on the mountain slopes of skilled instructors.
Mountain skis and snowboard
Mountain skis and snowboard Mountain skis are one of the oldest kinds
of active rest. With years quantity of those who want to ski decreased, on the
contrary rather increased. Besides, mountain ski service is much qualitative and
various than 10 years ago. Mountain ski tourism is the most developed, perhaps,
of all kinds of extreme tourism in Russia. We have mountain ski resorts of quite
high quality. And though they much yield to its analogues, for example, in
European countries, our tourists with mean income visit Russian resorts with
pleasure.
Freeride
Freeride (descent out of a route) Krasnaya Polyana Descend out of
routes are, no doubt, a top of winter rest and at the same time a difficult and
unsafe - increased demands in technique, especially on the difficult snow,
becomes a serious obstacle for those who make their first steps “out of route”.
Difficulties in orientation, possibility of avalanching and other mountains
dangers considerably limit possibilities of advanced riders. Many people refer
Krasnaya Polyana to one of the best places for riding out of route in the world.
Developed macrorelief, favorable arrangement of the rope-way, which permits to
descend in few circuses of the Aibga ridge without a helicopter, nearness of the
top of Black Pyramid and other tops of massif Aibga create çêàóñå conditions for
backcountry.
Dombai
Dombai is one of modern centers of rest and sport, climbing, mountain
ski and tourist Mecca of Big Caucasus. International competitions for Cup
of the world in freestyle, All-Russian competitions in slalom, giant slalom and
snowboard were arranged here. In winter Dombai is intended for mountain-skiers.
Season for skiing lasts since the 20th of December till the 15th of April and
all will find something what they want on the slopes. Its routes are of
different complicacy – for beginners and skilled skiers. Thickness of snow cover
is large and reaches 3 meters in some places. A ski-track is wide, slopes are
lack of superfluous steepness. Dombai is not only standard routes but also large
opportunities for free skiing. Rich relief permits to build routes of various
complicacy, exposition of the slopes gives an opportunity for skiing by the snow
of different type.
Air kinds of extreme tourismParachute sport is
serious and all disciplines, listed below, imply serious training. Classic
parachute jumping includes two exercises: the first one is jumping in accuracy
of landing, the second oneis a complex of figures in free fall. Relative work.
This discipline has as its object a constructing of maximal number of various
figures by a team of several parachutists. Classic number of parachutists in a
team is 4 and 8. There are also teams of 16 sportsmen. Main figures for
constructing is usually announced beforehand, name of these figures give some
idea about their form: “glass”, “star”, etc.
Cupola acrobatics consists in constructing of formations of cupolas of
released parachutes. In this it cardinally differs form other kinds of parachute
sport, where work for the result is carried out before releasing of parachute
(except jumps in accuracy of landing).
Those, who love the sky and flights, may go to the mountain Yuysa
(Caucasus Mineral Waters), which is considered an ideal place for para- and
hang-gliding, wind rose permits to fly almost in all direction of the wind. In
the beach in Dagomis you may try to go for a ride in tow with a
parachute. You will see the resort from the bird flight. It will give you
a sea of pleasure and adrenalin.
Ballooning is available for a usual person in different festivals,
which are arranged in Russia. Range ability of the balloon depends on force of
the wind (certainly, nobody will fly in hurricane), in medium strength of wind
it reaches 20-30 km. In the festivals balloons rise to the height of 1000 m.
Landing place fully depends on meteorological conditions. The best place for
flights in the balloon is Abinsk. Abinsk area belongs to submontane areas
of Caucasus and numerous tourist routes lie in its territory. Visiting of
the festival of aeronautics, which is traditionally arranged during May
holidays, will be interesting for amateurs of mass shows. Besides flights of
balloons you may see concerts of folksy groups, eat local cuisine, ride, take
part in competitions and sporting events.
There is a great number of opportunities for spending a holiday. But extreme
kind of rest remains to be the most interesting and exciting. Above listed
varieties of extreme give vent to fantasies and opportunities to try one’s
forces, helps for several minutes or hours imagine oneself a lord of the wind
and waves.
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