EXPEDITIONS

Perm - Gubakha (A Fairy-Tale Told At Night)

Long winter evenings and a biting north wind blowing outdoors make you feel like dreaming of far away expeditions and imagining yourself to be an endless land explorer or at least just listening to stories of experienced guys. To listen and to take good note of it (to be on the safe side).

Once upon a time we talked about this and that but when Evgeniy Kopygin began to narrate a story about a snowmobile trip to Gubakha he could hardly answer our endless questions with which we bombed him. So, it is up to you to believe it or not, but here the story begins…

Evgeniy: It was in January, 2006.

-Why did you decide to reach Gubakha?
Evgeniy: This route was not mapped out deliberately. We arrived at the boat station in New Lyady where we keep snowmobiles and quite of a sudden we made up our minds to have a ride. So the ride was in the direction of Dobryanka. Then decided to go farther. I understood that we had gone far North when we saw an oil tower with a tongue of fire! Then we concluded that Gubakha was pretty close to us. We could not help going on.

-What were the main points of the route?
Evgeniy: From New Lyady to Dobryanka (there is a petrol station). From Dobryanka along the common road for 15-20 km, then along forest tracks which had been used for transporting woods to our destination that is Gubakha (with its mountain skiing lodge).

-How long is the route?
Evgeniy: The total extent of the route is 404 km. The way there is about 200 km. It took us 4,5 hours to get there and 3,5 hours to return back.

-What was the most interesting and unforgettable in the trip?
Evgeniy: Most part of the route stretches along very strange roads in the forest. At first you get great pleasure while driving a snowmobile on such off-roads, secondly the wonderful nature of the surroundings fills you with a great amount of positive emotions.

-What was interesting in Gubakha?
Evgeniy: We stayed in Gubakha only for one hour just to have a snack in a caf?. The matter is that the weather forecast promised the next day to be much colder and as we were dressed rather lightly we did not think it possible to spend the night there.

-What was the way back like?
Evgeniy: It was getting dark. When we reached Dobryanka it was already dark, so we drove on the storage pond without resting. The speed was 100-110 km/h. New Lyady welcomed us with a delicious dinner and a warm fire-place.

-What are your general impressions of the trip?
Evgeniy: While having dinner and sharing opinions we came to a common conclusion that we had had a nice ride, NEVER HAD GOT STUCK, consequently were not tired of digging out our snowmobiles. We were pleasantly tired of perfect emotions and excellent impressions!

-To sum it up what did you do and what did you fail to do?
Evgeniy: We did not map anything out, that is why it is impossible to say that something failed. Everything was perfect!

-What would you improve in the future?
Evgeniy: It is better to start the way earlier. We got started at 11, but we should have left not later than 9 o'clock.

-What would you recommend to those wishing to follow your steps?
Evgeniy: I would recommend not to lose time hesitating but to go and have a lot of fun!

We invite everybody to participate in a trip on 10 February 2007 from New Lyady to Solikamsk and back.

About 500 km.
Starting from New Lyady at 8 o'clock.
Lunch and refuel in Solikamsk.
Coming back.
Dinner and Russian banya in New Lyady.
The approximate time of the trip is 10 hours.

Accident prevention:
- ECM (Emergency Control Ministry) escort
- mechanics of 'Dilos-Extreme' escort.

Things to take:
1. Petrol supply for 300 km. For push-pull snowmobiles full tank and two 20-25 litre gasoline cans. For fourth-stroke snowmobiles full tank and one 20-25 litre gasoline can.
2. Food (sandwiches) for two snacks (on the way to and fro). Hot tea.
3. Very warm clothes. For protecting the face - a mask (better a helmet).

Snowmobiles can be transported to New Lyady on any day of the week. There is a petrol station and a car park.

That's it! Everything is ahead! The winter has not yet come to its end! What does it have in store for our snowmobile fanciers. I promise a lot of exciting and unforgettable trips and competitions (corresponding to your fitness and likes) are guaranteed for you today and tomorrow. Listen to your heart and soul and set your imagination free. Why not go hunting into the bargain?! (You will have a chance to demonstrate your best shots).