EXPEDITIONS

Snowmobiles: to Solikamsk - It's No Distance

Trips and travelling are exciting in any season. Long-lasting in summer and short weekend trips in winter. But! For off-road and extreme travel fanciers (when off-road vehicle is in the garage in winter) there is always a means of travelling for example a snowmobile, which one can use for just making circles around the dacha or for going on a real male extreme trip.

We would like to tell you about a same trip which took place this weekend to be more exact on 10 February, 2007.

The day was clear and charming. The sun was shining brightly. At first there were invitations then preparations and then… It is Evgeniy Kopygin (the chief organizer of the trip) who will tell us what happened next.

The trip was prepared for within two weeks. Both the creators and participators had some doubts in this respect. And the former of the above-mentioned had even been more hesitant: 'Maybe we should not have done all that, maybe the preparation was to no purpose. Probably we should have given that all up!' Luckily the evil spirit did not manage to prevent them from doing what they wanted to. All the more the Ural weather favoured the courageous adventure-seekers with hard frost. 'Why did we get prepared? If we are prepared then we ought to go!'

About the route and the program in short.
New Lyady - Solikamsk - New Lyady. The distance is about 500km. Start is at 8.00. Lunch and refuel in Solikamsk. Coming back. Dinner and Russian banya (bath) in New Lyady. The approximate duration of the trip is 10 hours.

The route had to take place near Dobryanka, all the more we were in its suburbs. Thus we were eager to see such an interesting action with our own eyes. We calculated that it would take the snowmobiles two hours to get from New Lyady to Dobryanka. We began waiting for them to pass us by about 10 o'clock. We appeared on the ice of the Kama river. The frost was hard -26 degrees. The first thought was: 'Will they go? As one might say: to be or not to be - that is the question.'
At a distance there were some fishermen. It was all so peaceful and quiet: only the sun and the sparkling ice.
Being deceived in our expectations we left the river and only about 11 o'clock breaking the peace of our remote place with engine roar there rushed past snowmobiles on the river. When we ran out there was not a trace of them. To be more exact there were only their traces (we counted 9 machines). There was still hope to see them that was why we made up our minds to try to meet them in the evening. We came onto the river when it was still light but there were no guys. We heard their engines only at 22:00, which meant that everything was all right and they had fulfilled their plan and had been to Solikamsk.

We were eager to ask questions and get full and interesting answers. Here is our conversation with Evgeniy:

- What do you like better - participating in trips or in competitions? Answer please as a snowmobile owner.

Evgeniy: Trips.

- What attracts you in week-end trips?

Evgeniy: Intercourse with nature, making new friends and surely achieving a particular aim or aims. In the trip to Solikamsk there were two goals. The first was to reach Solikamsk and the second was to hold a peculiar record of the distance of one-day trip - 527 km.

- How many trips did you organize this season?

Evgeniy: This is the second trip. The first one was 'Ivan-Gora - The White Mountain.'

- How many courageous snowmobile riders did not fear this extensive trip?


Evgeniy: There were 15 men and 12 machines. The full route was conducted by 9 snowmobiles and 10 guys.

- What difficulties did the participators have to face? It was frosty you know (-26C).

Evgeniy: It seemed to me that the main problem was connected with helmets and glasses which grew misted and then got crusted over with ice from inside. With time we learnt to overcome it. We warmed them on the snowmobiles' mufflers during a halt.

- We know that you rode on the river. What was your average and deliberate speed?

Evgeniy: The maximum speed of one of the participators was 140km/h. The average speed was 60-70km/h.

- Did you happen to see anything unusual on the way (picturesque areas, beasts' traces, strangers, snowdrifts, hummocks)?

Evgeniy: The Sylva and Chusovaya are covered with a lot of fluffy snow, thus it is very comfortable and 'soft'. The Kama is on the contrary covered with a thin crust of ice over snow. On the outskirts of Dobryanka despite the frost there is a much frazil (water on the ice under snow). There were no hummocks so far because it was not the right time (too early) for them. They usually appear before spring.
What really shocked us was Berezniki. You see there was very thick smog in the form of a mushroom as if after an explosion! The view was terrifying! Though on the other side of the Kama there is the village Usolye with clear sky above it. On the bank of the river Kama in the suburbs of Usolye there is a tumbledown country estate of the Stroganovs'. We saw a wedding procession there.

- How did far-away snow-clad Solikamsk welcome you?

Evgeniy: in Solikamsk we were met by Alexandr Baykiev. He provided us with a good dinner, refuel of the snowmobiles tanks and saw us off. We would like to thank him wholeheartedly for his concern and support.

- Did you confine yourself to assumed time limits (start-finish)?

Evgeniy: Of course we did. For the reason that there actually were not any determined time limits. To be quite serious the trip started at 8 o'clock and ended at midnight.

- Are there any rules that should be observed without fail in a big group?


Evgeniy: Yes. There must be the first in the column (leader) and the last (final) participant. And there are a lot more rules. When everything is all right nobody needs them but when the situation becomes more extreme the rules appear without anyone's noticing. Nobody formulates them but everyone obeys.

- How did you feel when you came back?

Evgeniy: Tired, glad, satisfied. We did it!

- What would you 'italicize' in the trip?

Evgeniy: Can you imagine 500 km driven in one day. Of course we experienced a lot and it is difficult to distinguish anything.

- As it was not the first expedition this season what was it like in comparison with the previous ones?

Evgeniy: It is not right to compare. All is different. That trip was in the forest, this one on the river. The speed was considerably higher. If you see the final point of the route at the map you will understand everything. It is the North. In this trip we came back home but in the previous one we moved only in the direction of the destination.
The way back is a special thrill. We often keep silent because everybody thinks about their own cares and problems.
When we returned one of the participants said: 'All the way thought about work, life and other things. I liked it a great deal.'

- If it is not a secret where else are you planning to go this season?

Evgeniy: The mountain Oslyanka - for sure. Maybe Kungur and Chusovoy. And certainly somewhere else. Not around the dacha - I can assure you.

This is the way we are! Someone will call us 'crazy'. We will just say adventure-seekers. And each will be right in their way. The only thing is important in all this - to see the world with our own eyes. And having seen to tell others how beautiful charming and immense the Perm Territory is. Thus inch by inch, step by step we will attract others to such trips in order to help them love and be proud of the native land.

Isn't it the best thing in our life - to admire the place where you were born and where you live!

O.B.