Regulations on the badge “for climbing a beluga whale. Fighting beluga whales at the Olympics Clothing, shoes, protective equipment

Located in Altai, on the border with Kazakhstan, Mount Belukha (4509 m) is one of the most famous peaks in Russia. The Akkem Gorge, from which most mountaineering routes begin, is popular among tourists because unique nature, wonderful views, and legends associated with this place.

The classic route to the summit is classified as 3A. Routes in this category require some technical skills, which, if desired, can actually be mastered in 1-2 days of lessons. On the Russian side, the slopes of Belukha have a northern exposure - therefore, here you need to have good physical fitness and be prepared for the fact that even in summer you will have to work at temperatures down to -15. This makes Belukha very different from the four-thousanders in the Caucasus and Asia - the climate here is much more severe.

When choosing equipment for climbing Belukha, you need to remember that the roads to it end 50 kilometers before the base camp. It turns out that the equipment should be suitable for both long marches in the rain (in Altai, heavy rains for several days are not uncommon), as well as for hurricane winds and severe winter frosts. You will also have to fit food, special and bivouac equipment into your backpack. To be honest, the task is not easy.

The peculiarity of climbing Belukha is that this whole event is more like hiking trip, than for regular mountaineering fees. Here you will not return from short trips to a permanent camp. Almost every day begins with getting ready, putting all the equipment in a backpack. This point must also be taken into account when choosing equipment.

People go to Belukha in winter and summer. And it's perfect different mountain. The equipment doesn't differ much. The list below is for summer climbing. In winter, you need a warmer sleeping bag, a winter down jacket, double mountaineering boots, and, of course, you won’t get there in sneakers. If you are going to Belukha in winter, it is worth making some adjustments to the list of special equipment below. We specifically noted those items of equipment that differ from the summer set.

Clothing, shoes, protective equipment

Personal special equipment

Personal equipment for bivouac and trekking

One of the biggest stupidities in the tasks assigned to us was work on Belukha ( highest point Altai, 4.506 m). When we came out to it, there was about fifteen hundred snowfalls. Larisa sent a radiogram to Biysk with a request to cancel the work due to a large layer of snow, avalanche danger, etc.

We were reminded of our duty to our Motherland. Larisa did everything right: she tried to mitigate her responsibility for the accidents that she foresaw. Fate decreed that everything turned out okay for us. Other people died.

At altitudes of more than three thousand, the snow layer exceeded 1.5 meters. Below we managed in about a week, although about five more men from another detachment were transferred to help us. It was necessary to dig holes in the snow to get to the ground and take metal measurements, and it was advisable to bring the radiometer probe closer to the soil.

When we approached one and a half thousand, we were allowed to thin the grid, but they continued to demand that we film all the way to the top.

Two permanent camps were organized: one at the edge of the snow at one and a half thousand, and the second at three. From one camp to another, a path about one meter wide was made so that a horse could pass along it under packs. The trail meandered from the lower camp to the upper one, and at the height of the upper camp it went horizontally. The length of this “shelf” was 150-200 meters. There were radios in both the upper and lower camps.

Every morning, at dawn, I loaded the Isterika with everything that the guys in the upper camp needed (there were eight of the strongest and most experienced men there) and went up. Late in the evening I went downstairs with samples. It was necessary to pass the snow (especially the shelf) while it was frozen.

Several days passed and in the first half of the day a group of mountain tourists from Novosibirsk came to the lower camp. There were eight of them: five men and three girls. They set up a camp away from ours. According to their route map, they were supposed to climb to the top of Belukha. I was not present at the meeting because... I was in the upper camp, but Natasha later told me that they explained to the guys all the dangers of the route and offered to wait for me and go to the upper camp together in the morning. I repeat, I didn’t know anything about tourists. Somewhere around four o'clock in the afternoon, we, in the upper camp, heard the sound of an avalanche, but did not attach any importance to it: avalanches happened often. At the beginning of eight o'clock I moved "home". I reached the “shelf” - there was no “shelf”: it was blown away by an avalanche. I returned to the camp and said to Brekhov: “Get in touch, we need to dig the shelf in the morning - it was demolished!” Volodya called Larisa, and she asked: “Are you tourists?” "What tourists?" Larisa told. Both we and they rushed to the “shelf”. We got there in about 15 minutes, and walked from below for almost an hour. They started screaming. Someone responds, but very quietly, and it’s already dusk. Hard to see. What's happened flashlights The 1960 edition is known only to those who lived then. They provide light like a candle illuminates a tent.

Why didn't anyone else die that night? Heaven protects fools... Everyone climbed into the avalanche (or rather into its frozen trail). Brekhov insisted that everyone tie a three-meter halyard to their belts, in case the avalanche started moving again and buried someone. We started from the shelf and went down. There are no probes, no light... About an hour later, about three hundred meters below the shelf, we found two. Alive and not very damaged. A guy and a girl. They were found only because they lay practically uncovered. They lowered the guys to the lower camp, and then Larisa demanded that everyone go to bed - to search again in the morning, but she no longer had the strength.

By some miracle we managed to contact Kosh-Agach, and we were promised a helicopter with rescuers and equipment in the morning.

We went out onto the slope while it was still dark. A couple of people on horses with axes were sent into the nearest forest to chop sticks and probes. When the helicopter arrived at about eleven o'clock, we had already left the slope. The snow “released” and the avalanche could start moving again. During the morning we found three, or rather two, living men and the body of one girl. It's already five. Where are the other three? More than a day has passed since they were buried. The hope of finding the living was fading.

Two rescuers arrived. The men brought a dozen factory probes, two stretchers, splints and painkillers. One rescuer was also a paramedic.

They wanted to take out the two heaviest ones (the Mi-2 didn’t take any more), but the helicopter was unable to take off. The pilot swore: “My engine should be overhauled, but they sent it!” In short, a second helicopter arrived from Kosh-Agach, both took off together and took out four alive, and we began to search for the remaining three.

We found another male body, the paramedic said that the guy did not wait for us and died from hypothermia. Two were never found. I heard that after a year one body melted, and one remained under the snow. There is more than one of these on Belukha.

The living said that their deceased leader did not wait for the temperature to drop and led them up the snowfield during the day. Everything was going well, but when they walked along the shelf, the girl walking last threw a snowball at the leader walking first. He turned sharply and hit the snowy slope with his backpack, after which the snow “moved.”

Like this: the nonsense of a leader (candidate master of sports in mountain tourism), one playful snowball - and four corpses, and four cripples!

Chronicle of accidents,
search and rescue operations for 2007 and early 2008

Govor V.V., Novosibirsk, ZMS, vice-president of the TSSR,
international class instructor, associate professor at NSU

1. Tragedy on a ski route of category III difficulty involving Krasnoyarsk tourists.
On February 11, 2007, the group of sports tourists consisted of seven people. The leader is Vyacheslav Popov, born in 1963, had experience in high-altitude climbing, participated in tourist sports hikes of the fifth and sixth categories of difficulty, climbed the Khan Tengri peak (6995 m) in the Central Tien Shan. The group included: Sergei Bulgakov, born in 1983, Evgeny Shvedov, born in 1985, Alexander Mikhailov, born in 1984, Ayuna Sanzhieva, born in 1977, Alexander Belyak and Anton Esipenko, born in 1985. R. One of the villages Shushenskoye, Krasnoyarsk Territory, the rest are from Krasnoyarsk. The leader of the group, Vyacheslav Popov, Ayuna Sanzhieva, Anton Esipenko and Sergei Bulgakov were killed.
The group's route documents are drawn up in accordance with the Rules. The route was approved by the ICC of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Tourism Federation. The group officially registered with the control and rescue service of Abakan. The preparation of the ski trip participants was appropriate for completing the declared route of the third category of difficulty.
The accident occurred while descending a frozen waterfall, more than 100 km from the Snow Leopard camp site, which is located on a small left tributary of the Bolshoy On River. Four fell on the ice while descending and fell from a high frozen waterfall. Later, three of them went down to the victims, and after assessing the situation, they made a decision: one stayed with the victims in the taiga, and two went to the nearest telephone line, which was at the Snow Leopard camp site, to call rescuers. They walked for 2 days through the taiga. On February 13, after 16:00, the first tourist to arrive reported the incident to rescuers. Then the most incredible stories appeared in the press. About “an unregistered group of climbers traveling at their own risk and falling off the ridge.” Such information could only get to the press through the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Details of the tragedy: to descend from the frozen waterfall, two hooks connected by a loop were driven into the rocks. At the moment the leader of the group began to descend, one of the pitons flew out, and the second remained, but the jerk was enough to fall off the leader and 3 other participants who were in the descent zone without self-belaying at the moment the leader began to descend. Since the three surviving participants at the time of the breakdown, the leader and three participants were just approaching the scene of the tragedy, they saw only the consequences of the breakdown: a torn hook and a rope hanging on the second hook. There are no living witnesses to the tragedy. One can only guess what came first: the hook popping out under load or the leader’s failure, which caused the hook to be pulled out, the participants being thrown off by the freed rope, or their attempt to hold on to the one who had begun the descent. However, the statement to the press by the head of the rescuers that “... that the group was not registered” is puzzling. And the assumption, “... that the presence of at least one means of communication would make it possible to avoid “such a tragic outcome...”.” Rescuers reached the scene only on February 15. This raises the question, what did they show us? central television February 13th and 14th?
The group was registered with the rescue service in the city of Abakan, a rescue service with a zone of responsibility in the area of ​​the hike. Why didn't you register there? And again the question of communication arises. Who and when informed sports tourists: what channels do the Ministry of Emergency Situations use, and what are the possibilities of communicating with them through these channels? What radio stations can be used for this? Sports tourists don’t yet have money for satellite communications, and they can’t physically carry a heavy long-range radio station or radio beacons in addition to their camping cargo.
Trouble does not come alone... After the funeral of Krasnoyarsk athletes, which gathered more than 300 people, the President of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Federation sports tourism returned home to his wooden cottage, which caught fire at night due to a short circuit. While saving his wife in a fire, a man who had previously defeated one of the most terrible forms of oncology died. We mourn and express our deep condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims.

2. At the Krasnaya Polyana resort March 4, 2007
In the area of ​​the Salymovsky circus, in the Aibga ridge, in the area of ​​the 4th stage of the chairlift, an avalanche occurred, there were casualties: a ten-year-old boy from Tuapse died, presumably, three more people (skiers) may remain under the avalanche. On ski resort“Krasnaya Polyana”, where after an avalanche people can remain under the snow, three groups of rescuers from three regions were sent: Kuban, Adygea and Sochi, about 50 rescuers. At night they arrived at the scene of the incident. On March 5, the search for people who, according to eyewitnesses, were covered by an avalanche, continued. About 140 people, 5 units of rescue equipment, and 5 canine teams are working at the scene of the emergency. It is likely that there is no one else under the rubble, but rescuers are guided by the words of eyewitnesses, so in parallel with the search they are conducting an active survey in all nearby hotels to see if any of the guests are missing. No one reported missing people, but rescuers admit that, for example, a family could have remained under the avalanche, whose disappearance no one noticed. That's why the work continues. Considering that Krasnaya Polyana is preparing for winter Olympic Games 2014, passions flared up here and over this accident. The Sochi prosecutor's office opened a criminal case into the death of the child. Assumption - the tragedy occurred due to savings. The head of the press service of the Southern Regional Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation believes that the tragedy could have been avoided: because previously the Alpico Service company operating cable car, several times refused the services of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, whose specialists would ensure the safety of skiers. In particular, they organized duty posts, constantly monitored weather conditions and the condition of the slopes, and carried out rescue operations even more quickly. But, in his opinion, for now they prefer to save on tourists. Despite the tragedy in Krasnaya Polyana, tourists do not refuse trips to this ski resort. “Reservations cannot be removed,” stated representatives of travel agencies.

3. In a major car accident in the Altai Territory on June 8, 2007.
water tourists from Barnaul, Udmurdia and Chelyabinsk region. In an accident on the Barnaul-Biysk highway, a KamAZ truck and two minibuses collided: GAZ-322132 and a Mercedes. Four people died among the passengers of the Gazelle. Five passengers were hospitalized, three of them are in very serious condition. The Gazelle driver refused hospitalization. The KamAZ driver is in serious condition and was hospitalized at the Novoaltaysk Central Hospital. One of the 11 people in the Mercedes minibus, which took the brunt of the accident, survived. The remaining 10 passengers died. All of them were returning from rafting in the Altai Republic. Six are residents of the Udmurt city of Votkinsk, one is from the Chelyabinsk region. The authorities of the Altai Territory contacted Udmurtia. Perhaps on June 10, the bodies of the victims will be delivered home on a charter flight. The regional administration will take all measures to meet and accommodate relatives of tourists who died in the accident. As the vice-governor of the Altai Territory noted, there has not been such a major car accident in the Altai Territory for at least 20 years.

4. When crossing the river. Akkem (right tributary of the Katun River) 06/21/07
at 14-30 hours on the equestrian route, the horse of tourist Yulia Sergeevna Tomilova, living in Berdsk, Novosibirsk region, tripped. As a result, she fell from her horse into the river and was carried downstream. She was part of a travel agency group. The search for the tourist by the group and passing tourists did not yield any results. On the same day, the group reported what had happened to the Akkem police station, went down to the end of the “Lower Gorge” and in the morning continued their journey to the village. Tungur, Ust-Koksinsky district, from where on June 22, 2007 at 21.30 hours they contacted the ARPSP duty officer in Gorno-Altaisk by phone. On June 22, 2007 at 09.00, 3 people were sent from the Ak-Kem PSO to search, together with the local population and specialists from the Vysotnik camp site (Tyungur village) consisting of 7 people. In total there are 10 people with horses in the search group. The director and employees of the travel agency “Brothers Govor” only returned early in the morning on June 27, 2007 from the Altai Mountains, where the search work for the local guide (horse breeder) Viktor Tadyrov was still underway with the help of social activists and an instructor-guide, and the body of the deceased tourist Yulia Tomilova was delivered to Berdsk. (Resident of Berdsk, 34 years old). The instructor-guide will remain in the search area until the search work is terminated by local horse guides and residents.
Chronicle of events, ascertained during the analysis of the accident: on June 21, from 14-00 to 14-30, an accident occurred while crossing the Akkem River on horseback, when Tomilova Yu.S. fell into the water and was carried away by the current. While trying to help her, local horse breeder and guide Viktor Tadyrov threw himself into the water and was also carried away by the current.
On June 22, 2007, at about 19:00 in the evening, instructor-guide A.A. Kremer called the office of the travel agency “Brothers Govor”. this route and reported the accident, and that at the first moment the search for Yu Tomilova and V. Tadyrov was organized by the group. As a result, a section of the river downstream to its entrance to the canyon was examined, but Tadyrov and Tomilova were not found. After which the instructor-guide reported to the Akkem rescue center, where at that time there were 8 rescuers from the Gorno-Altai rescue team, who began to organize a search. The instructor-guide led the group to the village. Tungur and sent on a rented minibus to Novosibirsk. Immediately after receiving the information, the management of the travel agency contacted the PSS of Gorno-Altaisk. And we received confirmation that the PSS knew about what happened on the river. Akkem there was an accident and search work is being carried out. At the moment, the missing tourists have not been found. The travel agency “Brothers Govor” established 24-hour duty in the office.
06/23/07 instructor-guide with local residents We drove a GAZ-66 car to the search area (“Three Birches”). The travel agency informed the rescuers about this. At 16-00, after another contact between the Altai Republic PSS and the Akkem PSO, the rescuers informed the travel agency that the body of Yu. Tomilova was found in a hard-to-reach place in the Akkem River gorge, the body was tied and kept in the water to cool. The travel agency discussed with the PSS further transportation work: lift up to the trail by hand by rescuers and local residents, then carry on horseback along the trail to a clearing where a helicopter can land. After delivering the body to the specified location, rescuers contact the travel agency, and it will organize a helicopter flight.
06.24.07 at 14-00 the travel agency “Brothers Govor” was informed that the body of Tomilova Yu.S. was delivered to the agreed upon location and placed in the water there. The management of the travel agency ordered a helicopter, the departure of which was scheduled for the morning of June 26. It was decided that the director and his employees would leave for the city of Gorno-Altaisk at night and, upon arrival, fly out together with the rescuers to the site. The delay in the flight departure that evening was due to insufficient daylight for the helicopter with the body to return to Gorno-Altaisk and the fact that the search for V.D. Tadyrov was still underway, and it was necessary to conduct a search flight over the river. Katun and R. Akkem. At 10 p.m., before the travel agency representatives leave for Gorno-Altaisk from the village. Tyungur called the instructor-guide and reported that the body of Tomilova Yu.S. delivered to the village. Tyungur and asked the travel agency to help her transfer the body to the village morgue. Ust-Koksa. The travel agency contacted the PSS, and rescuers called a Ust-Koksinsk police car, which delivered the body to the morgue of the district hospital in the village. Ust-Koksa, accompanied by an instructor-guide and a friend of the deceased. At 22-30, the travel agency employees and the director left Novosibirsk for Gorno-Altaisk, and on the way to Berdsk they picked up a relative of the deceased. In the city of Gorno-Altaisk, at the emergency response center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Altai Republic, they clarified all the formalities and outlined an action plan, additionally taking a UAZ car and driving to the village to remove the body. Ust-Koksa. Having completed all the necessary formalities, the body was sent to the morgue in Gorno-Altaisk, accompanied by a relative of the deceased. The director of the travel agency left the village. Ust-Koksa in the village. Tungur and agreed there with local horse breeders and guides to continue the search for V.D. Tadyrov, leaving an instructor-guide there for coordination, as a representative of the travel agency. He returned to Gorno-Altaisk, where he resolved all issues regarding further transportation, as a result of which on June 26, 2007 the body was delivered to Berdsk, where on June 27, 2007 at 15-00 the funeral took place.
Special comments on the incident:
1. On equestrian routes, when moving on horses, choosing a path, movement tactics, and methods of overcoming obstacles, the dominant role belongs to the local guide (horse breeder).
2. The route does not include horse crossings across the Akkem River, except at its source (at Lake Akkem), where there is practically no current and there is a boat crossing, as well as along a bridge in the lower reaches of the river.
3. The backup option of descending along the Akkem River gorge is not considered even in exceptional cases, due to the presence of scree on the left bank in front of the narrow gorge with a canyon.
4. Viktor Tadyrov, 45 years old at the time of his death, had been accompanying tourist groups in this area for many years and was one of the most experienced, reliable and responsible Altai guides (horse breeders).
5. Voucher for Tomilova Yu.S. sold by the Berd branch of SIATT, the contract with the tourist was concluded there, the Reso-Garantia insurance policy was issued there. The management of the travel agency contacted the insurer "Reso-Garantiya" in Novosibirsk and Moscow regarding insurance payments and controlled the process until the insurance was paid.
6. There is a formalized route book with signatures from the group members about their knowledge of safety rules (HS) and a signature from the instructor-guide about undergoing safety training at the travel agency, a safety briefing log with signatures from the group members, a general and equestrian information sheet. Text of safety instructions on the equestrian route.
As a result of the analysis, the following was revealed: that the direct cause of the death of tourist Tomilova was not established due to the pronounced universal rotting of the corpse. Drowning is most likely due to injuries sustained while moving the body. water flow in a mountain river. It is known that she fell from her horse into the Akkem River, was separated from the horse, and in the section of the river viewed by the group members was unable to get ashore. Although at some point the tourists who observed the development of the NS noted that it rose to its feet near the shore, but then fell into the water and the stream carried it further. The reason for the fall from the horse was that the horse tripped while in a stream of water while crossing the Akkem River. The crossing was carried out in the middle reaches of the Akkem River and was not part of the approved route.
Local horse breeder guide V.D. Tadyrov, who organized the group’s crossing and was the first to cross on horseback, heard Tomilova’s cries for help and got off his horse, jumped into the water and swam after Tomilova. On the section of the Tadyrov River viewed by the group members, the tourist Tomilova was not caught up by swimming and they, separately, being in the flow of water, disappeared around the bend, first Tomilova, then Tadyrov.
06/23/07 Tomilova’s body was found in a hard-to-reach place in the Akkem River gorge. The remains of Tadyrov’s body were discovered at the very end of September in a tree crease located in the lower reaches of the Akkem River. It is not possible to determine the immediate cause of death from the remains. Presumably drowning due to injuries to the body received when it was moved by a water stream in a mountain river.
The decision on the crossing, the choice of the crossing location, the assessment of the water situation, the method of crossing the Akkem River in this place and the order of movement were chosen and established by V. Tadyrov. Instructor-guide Anna Kremer, in accordance with the established order of movement, brought up the rear of the column. V. Tadyrov began the crossing without waiting for the entire group to gather and the arrival of instructor-guide A. Kremer, who brought up the rear of the column. At the moment the crossing of Akkem began, the group significantly deviated from the approved route and by this time had overcome two crossings, which were also not included in the approved route. Movement along the equestrian route took place as planned. We arrived at Lake Akkem at the planned time and here the “Decision to change the route” was made by a majority vote. Instead of reconnaissance of the conditions for climbing the Kara-Turek pass, we took two days, losing time to leave the area along the approach route or through a lower pass, bypassing the Tekeli River gorge.
As a result of the analysis carried out by the MKK, the following was revealed: on June 21, at about 15 o’clock, a group of tourists consisting of 7 people, a local horse guide and an instructor-guide from the travel agency “Brothers Govor”, making an equestrian route of the III class, agreed with the MKK along the route of the village . Tungur - per. Kuzuyak - stream. Oroktoy - r. Tukman - lake Kildu - r. Tekelu - lake Akkem - trans. Kara-Turek - r. Kucherla - village Tungur approached the crossing of the river. Akkem. Thus, changing the approved route. The change in route was not agreed upon either with the travel agency, or with the MKK, or with the rescuers of the PSP "Akkem" and was adopted at the general meeting of the group by a majority vote on Lake Akkem (i.e., the opinions of the group members were divided, but the decision was made).
At the third, on this day, crossing of Akkem, not far from the entrance to the Lower Gorge, Yu.S. Tomilova’s horse. tripped, and she fell (possibly jumped) into the water and was carried away by the current. Hearing cries for help, V.D. Tadyrov, who was on the other side at the time, jumped into the water and tried to catch up with the tourist by swimming, but in the section of the river he was viewing he did not catch up and they were carried away around the bend, never to be seen again. The instructor-guide and the rest of the group were just approaching the crossing point. She crossed the river on horseback. Akkem examined the river bed from the shore to the entrance to the canyon, but did not find Tadyrov and Tomilova. Tomilova's body was discovered by rescuers and local residents. Tadyrov's remains were discovered by local residents at the end of September. The causes of death of Tomilova and Tadyrov have not been established due to severe damage to the corpses.
The Disciplinary Commission of the MCC of the Siberian Federal District established: that the death of Tomilova Yu.S. and Tadyrova V.D. occurred due to an accident. The accident occurred due to the fact that Tomilova Y.S. when crossing Akkem, when her horse stumbled, she could not stay in the saddle and let go of the reins and horse, as well as the attempt of the guide V.D. Tadyrov. help her by swimming. A concomitant cause of the accident is a change in the route that was not agreed upon with the ICC, the travel agency and the Akkem travel agency, and was adopted by a majority vote of tourists at the general meeting. The indirect cause of the accident was the failure to maintain the path along the left bank of the river. Akkem is in working order, forcing local residents to build it with changing banks with several fords. It is noted that Tadyrov V.D. previously he categorically refused even to transport cargo along the river bank. Akkem on horseback, not to mention the tourists as a backup option for leaving the route, so the travel agency didn’t even consider this path as a backup, although with the exception of the moving scree in front of the “Lower Gorge”, which is passed on the lead, on the old trail of others that are distinguished by difficulty There are no places, much less crossings. Since the group successfully crossed the river twice. Akkem and by the time of the accident had partially crossed the third, and later the participants remaining on the right bank also crossed, we can conclude that the water level in the Akkem River at the time of the accident was not high and that this was truly an accident.
... Beginning of October 2007. In a forest hole located in the lower reaches of the Akkem River, a local resident found human remains, identified by a waist belt. This is Vitaly (known to tourists as Victor) Dzhudovich Tadyrov, who tragically died in the Akkem River on June 21, 2007 at the age of 45 while trying to save a tourist who had fallen from her horse into the river. He was buried in the village cemetery. Tyungur.

5. When descending from the lane. “Big Berel Saddle” 06/22/07
One of the tourists from the group of the Bureau of Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs received a leg injury and is able to move. To provide assistance at 05.00 Moscow time, 2 rescuers left the Ak-Kem PSO.
Speaking V.V.: Interestingly, on the Internet the “victim” himself categorically denies this fact. What is this? The attempt will explain why few rescuers searched on the river. Akkem?

6. Incidents from 09 - 19.06.07 in the Altai Republic.
While crossing the mountain river Bashkaus in the Ulagansky district, vacationer from Novosibirsk Valentina Osipova drowned. Her body has not yet been found. Since the beginning of July, nine incidents involving tourists have occurred in the Altai Republic, in which eight people were injured, four were killed, four were missing and two were rescued.

7. The rescue operation in Altai was successfully completed on July 13, 2007,
where a group of tourists went down into the Geophysical cave, located 38 kilometers from settlement Sarasy (foothills on the border of the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic). The tourists did not return from the route at the appointed time and did not get in touch. At about 13.00, two groups of rescuers went to the cave, but, fortunately, their help was not needed: the tourists reached the surface on their own. But passions ran high, the details are set out in the collection.

8. When climbing Mount Belukha 16 07.07.
The head of the Yekaterinburg group of tourists, Alexey Korzhavin, fell from a cliff. A group of tourists from Yekaterinburg, who were not registered with the PSS, climbed V. Belukha through the Delaunay pass. At the pass, group leader A. Korzhavin fell off a cliff and suffered broken ribs, a concussion and spinal damage. A group of rescuers from the Ak-Kem PSO, consisting of 4 people, came out to transport him from the crash site to the Tomsk Parking shelter, where the helicopter lands. As of 8 p.m. 00 min. (Moscow time) A. Korzhavin died before the rescuers arrived. Korzhavin’s body was transported from the crash site and is located at the Tomsk Parking shelter. On July 18, 2007, the body of the deceased Alexey Korzhavin was delivered by helicopter to Gorno-Altaisk, where it turned out that the relatives would have to transport the body of the deceased to Yekaterinburg at their own expense, since Alexey Korzhavin had not been registered with the Altai Republican Search and Rescue before the ascent division. Registration is necessary in order to receive assistance in evacuation in case of danger. In order to be able to call a helicopter for help, he needed to be insured with an insurance company that had an agreement with the Altai Republican Ministry of Emergency Situations. The Ekaterinburg tourist did not conclude any contracts, which means that the costs fall on the shoulders of relatives. One hour of helicopter flight in the Altai Republic costs about 46 thousand rubles, and it takes an average of 3 hours to transport a body to Gorno-Altaisk. It turns out that the relatives of the deceased must pay the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the republic almost 140 thousand rubles for delivering the body only to the city of Gorno-Altaisk.

9. Total since the beginning of the 2007 water season
in the mountain rivers of Altai, 12 people were injured, of which 9 people died - messages on the Internet.

10. In the Altai Republic 07/18/2007
when rafting along the river. Katun, a resident of Belarus died. The tragedy occurred on a simple section of the Katun River, 10 km from the village. Katanda Sergei Bulak, born in 1963, a resident of Belarus, died. The body of the deceased was found 200 meters from the scene of the incident. The Ust-Koksinsky District Prosecutor's Office is clarifying the details of what happened. On one of the difficult rapids, the raft capsized, as a result the athlete died, unable to cope with the river flow.
Speaking V.V.: It is said that the tourist died “on one of the difficult rapids” and what is strange, but the message indicates that on the Katun River there are not even simple rapids. The village of Katanda is located on the Katanda River, the left tributary of the Katun, 12 km above the village. Tyungur: “The raft capsized, as a result the athlete died, unable to cope with the flow of the river.” If this really happened in the indicated place, then the question arises, was he wearing a life jacket correctly? And is this an athlete? Maybe this is after all a tourist who paid money to local “guides” for rafting along the Katun to the mouth of the river. Akkem? Such rafting along a simple section of the Katun is carried out by one travel agency and local “guides”.
Comment on the information:
Tatiana: Sadly. Well, just the day before yesterday (07/22/07) I saw how in the Ust-Sema area the raft overturned, or rather, most likely it was overturned, and with laughter the people swam after the raft, losing their oars in the process... I don’t know how it ended, but the last two swimmers gradually began to lag behind the raft. By the way one climbed onto an overturned raft and began to dance there, it was noticeable that the people were not entirely sober and were having fun in this way.
Mayor: You shouldn't joke about things like that. This is not on a lake, in shallow water. Katun is the only river that has all 5 levels of difficulty ( Speaking V.V.: Here the Major clearly got excited. Firstly, there are six categories of complexity of routes, and secondly, there are many such rivers even in Russia, for example, the river. Yenisei with its origins).
Irenok: In fact, Katun has a level no higher than the 3rd category of difficulty ( Speaking V.V.: another expert on sports route classifications! Indeed, on the Katun, depending on the sections and included tributaries, there are all categories of difficulty, including the sixth. The complexity of routes along the Katun seriously depends on the water level. Don't forget that R. The Katun begins from the Gebler glacier, descending from the southern slopes of the Belukha massif and ends (changes name) 10 km below the city of Biysk, and also has rafting tributaries: Upper Kuragan, Koksa, Lower Kuragan, Kucherla, Akkem, Argut with a network of sources, Chuya with origins, Ursul, Sumulta, Chemal and Biya).
salnikov for irenok: It's not true about the third category. It very much depends on the place from which to start the rafting. With the Katun Cheeks, which are located upstream of the village of Ust Koksa - r. Katun is a five-river river.

11. Group of tourists from Kemerovo 07/25/2007
came to the bank of the Cairo River, the left tributary of the river. Argut. Having pulled the rope, the first tourist, Artem Kvashnin, began to cross the Cairo River. During the crossing, the tourist was carried away by a strong current into the river. Argut.

12. Group of women tourists 07/28/2007
consisting of 6 people at the same place along the path, approached the Cairo River and, seeing the rope stretched by the previous group, one of the tourists began to melt down. During the crossing, she was carried away by the current, and while trying to help her, two more women were carried away. Missing: Natalya Nazarova, born in 1970 (Kharkov), 50-year-old resident of Moscow, 68-year-old resident of Samara.
A stretched rope across the river. Cairo and the backpack on the shore were seen by water tourists from Novosibirsk, passing the route VI class. along the Argut River. However, below the mouth of the river. Cairo, during the rafting, the watermen did not find anything in the river or on the banks. The group leader reported this to the MCC immediately upon returning to Novosibirsk. The ICC transmitted the message to the Gorno-Altaisk PSS. From 04 to 08/09/2007, a group of rescuers carried out work to search for 4 tourists from two groups who disappeared at the mouth of the Cairo River. Rescuers, having crossed the river. Katun explored on foot the right bank of the Argut River from its confluence with the Katun River to the mouth of the Shavla River. Then we crossed on a catamaran to the left bank of the river. Argut and on foot, inspecting the shore, climbed up the river. Argut to the mouth of Cairo. The return route of the rescuers took place mainly along the Argut River, the search was carried out from the water, and both banks were examined. On the bank of the river Argut, after the water subsided in it, rescuers found a backpack, which was handed over to the operational duty officer of the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Altai Republic for further determination of its identity. By water, rescuers reached the mouth of the river. Argut, where it flows into the Katun, and about 4 - 5 km went downstream of the river. Katun to the highway. 08/11/07, due to the fact that the search did not bring the expected results, seven rescuers from the Altai Territory returned to Barnaul from the Altai Republic, as reported by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for Altai region. Speaking V.V.: The Argut River belongs to the sixth category of difficulty; it can be passed by a very limited number of specially trained tourist watermen on special vessels. Besides strong current On the Argut River there are a number of complex nominal rapids, in addition, the banks of the river are difficult to pass in some places, but there are paths.

13. According to the message dated July 25, 2007.
Three Omsk tourists disappeared in Altai. The search for three tourists from Omsk, who went hiking a month ago, has begun in the Altai Republic. The women, aged 45 to 48, went on a hiking trip along mountain passes in the Ust-Koksinsky region. On July 23, 2007 they were supposed to go to work, but by this time they had not returned from Gorny Altai to Omsk. Colleagues and relatives turned to rescuers for help verbally from an employee of the Intersib International Exhibition Center that a group of women, consisting of three people aged 45 - 48 years from Omsk, went on a walking trip along the route from the village. Tungur – Lake Akkem – Yarlu Valley – Yarlu-Bochi Pass – Suulu-Boch Pass – r. Suulu-Ayry - r. Baltyrdag - Argut r. - r. Shavla - confluence of the Shavla and Argut rivers - confluence of the Akkem and Katun rivers in the Tungur region, then to the city of Barnaul. The group led by Natalya Nikolaevna Kulishkina left Omsk on June 24, without insurance, and was not registered with the ARPSP. ( Speaking V.V.: in addition to the approximate route containing difficult crossings over mountain rivers, it is known that they were supposed to be at work on July 23, but did not appear until July 25, 2007). An employee of the Intersib center at the Ministry of Emergency Situations was recommended to write an application to find colleagues. On July 25, 2007, at 11.00 Moscow time, during radio communication, the group was reported to the Ak-Kem search and rescue point. During 25 – 26.07.07, a group of rescuers in the Yarlu Valley and at nearby places where tourists could be accommodated made inquiries about them. Orientation is given and the accuracy of the information is checked through the duty officers of the Ust-Koksinsky district and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. ( Speaking V.V.: You can find out about the arrival and departure of tourists from the border guards who issue passes to enter the border zone). 07.26.07 at 18.24 Moscow time from the Acting Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for Omsk region a message was received by fax asking for assistance in finding an employee of the International Exhibition Center "Intersib" - Natalya Nikolaevna Kulishkina and together with her Olga Vasilievna Melnikova and Marina Dizer. They were going to visit 5 energy stones along the above route ( Speaking V.V.: they did not draw up route documents, did not receive advice on the route, so they could very well have made a mistake in planning the traffic schedule and setting target dates, which was later confirmed). At 19.02 Moscow time, the rescuers received a call from O.V. Melnikova’s husband. – Dmitry Kizima and reported that the group left Omsk on June 24. to Barnaul by railway, then by taxi to the village. Tyungur. They had 10,000 rubles each with them, they had tourist equipment, they did not have climbing equipment ( Speaking V.V.: not necessary on this route), food supply for 4 weeks ( Speaking V.V.: the control period usually sets the time required to complete the route plus 1 - 3 days for bad weather and other unforeseen circumstances), there are no means of communication. They have no relatives or friends from the local population in the Altai Republic. Melnikova O.V. – born 1969 works at the company “Springs of Health” in Omsk, and Dizer M. was born in 1972. place of work is unknown. After leaving Omsk there was no contact. Melnikova's husband O.V. sent a statement with detailed description and photographs of women by fax. The ARPSP search and rescue team was involved in the search and rescue operations. On July 27, 2007, at 10.30 Moscow time, the telephone number of the duty department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Republic of Armenia received information from an employee of the Intersib International Exhibition Center that the missing women had gotten in touch and were currently on their way to Omsk.
14. In the Altai Republic 07/29/07 on the Myushtu-Ayry glacier
(Katunsky Ridge, area west of Belukha) a Moscow climber was seriously injured. During the mountaineering training in the gorge of the river. Kucherla, in the area of ​​the Myushtu-Ayry glacier (near the city of Belukha), Moscow resident Vladimir Kavunenko was injured. (? Speaking V.V.: mixing up last names is an unforgivable mistake for professionals). A signal for help was sent to the seasonal rescue post "Ak-kem". Rescuers reported that the victim suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a non-transportable condition. On July 30, with the help of a helicopter, a group of rescuers and doctors, he was taken to the republican hospital in Gorno-Altaisk. Mountaineering camps from Moscow have been under control of the Altai Republican Search and Rescue Unit (search and rescue unit) since July 19, 2007. All participants in the event are insured by the Military Insurance Company. The group climbed the mountain. Belukha.

Comments on the information:
qwert: 72-year-old Vladimir Dmitrievich Kavunenko is a legend of Russian mountaineering. He began practicing this sport in 1952, in 1968 he received the title of international master of sports, and in 1987 he received the title “Honored Trainer of the RSFSR.” As a coach, he trained 48 masters of sports of the USSR in mountaineering. Vladimir Kavunenko personally made 18 ascents of the sixth category of difficulty, 48 ascents of the 5th category of difficulty, of which 22 were first ascents and 28 were first ascents, and also led 18 mountaineering expeditions (Altai, Pamir, Tien Shan, Andes, Africa). In 1973, Vladimir Kavunenko received the title “Honorary Rescuer of the USSR”, and in 1999 - “Honored Rescuer of Russia”. From 1992 to the present, he is the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Association of Rescue Forces of the Russian Federation. In 1970, for participation in search and rescue operations in Peru, he was awarded the Peruvian government award and the Certificate of Honor of the Komsomol Central Committee, in 1985, for repeated participation in rescue operations in the USSR and abroad - the Order of the Badge of Honor, and in 1988 g. for leadership and personal participation in rescue work during the earthquake in Armenia - the Order of Friendship of Peoples. In 1995, Vladimir Kavunenko made a parachute jump to the North Pole." And yet, there is no route of the “second” category of difficulty to Belukha. There is a route of category 2B, the easiest of those available. ( Speaking V.V.: but not from the side of the Myushty-Aira glacier). Well done, Muscovites! We registered with the search and rescue team of the Altai Republic and insured ourselves with the Military Insurance Company. The only problem is that all the insurance won’t go towards paying for the helicopter.
And now about who really suffered on this day. 07/29/07 when climbing the mountain. As a result of a fall, Belukha suffered multiple bruises, multiple champion of the USSR in mountaineering and rock climbing, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Oleg Semenovich Kosmachev. Earlier it was reported that “the head of the training camp, Vladimir Dmitrievich Kavunenko, was injured. According to updated information, Vladimir Dmitrievich Kavunenko was not injured, his health condition does not cause concern. We apologize to the relatives and friends of Vladimir Dmitrievich.” We add that the severity of the injuries was exaggerated and does not correspond to reality. 07/30/07 Oleg Semenovich Kosmachev was taken by Mi-8 helicopter with a group of rescuers and doctors from the “Disaster Medicine” service to the republican hospital in Gorno-Altaisk. He was given first aid on board the helicopter. Currently, after a thorough examination by doctors at the republican hospital, Oleg Semenovich’s condition is assessed as satisfactory, he is active, his body temperature is normal, and there are no pathologies in the internal organs except for the fracture of the 8th rib. The mountaineering sports and educational expedition under the leadership of Vladimir Dmitrievich Kavunenko started in the year of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, the great Russian scientist, the founder of practical cosmonautics. The location of the expedition is a difficult-to-reach area of ​​the Altai Republic. The expedition began on July 19, 2007, its goal was to find an unnamed peak, about 4000 meters high, conduct reconnaissance and make the first ascent in order, using the right of first climbers, to name the mountain the name of S.P. Queen. Expedition route: Moscow – Barnaul (air flight), Barnaul – Gorno-Altaisk – village. Tungur (bus), village. Tungur – northwestern shoulder of the South Chuya Range (helicopter). The expedition was carried out under the auspices of the Russian Space Agency, as one of the events dedicated to honoring the memory of S.P. Queen. The mission of the expedition is to perpetuate the name of S.P. The Queen, creating a grandiose miraculous monument to him in one of the most beautiful corners of the planet - the Altai Mountains. Tradition, to assign names to such geographical objects like mountain peaks, it took shape a long time ago. As a rule, these are always meaningful names; names are symbols. Among the organizers of the expedition and its participants are climbers who have previously made first ascents more than once. With the direct active participation of members of the expedition, the following peaks appeared on the maps of Russia: “Peak of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow”, Peak of the “2000th Anniversary of Christianity”, “Peak of Underwriters”, “Peak of Gumilyov”, “Peak of the 60th Anniversary of the Victory”. The expedition is headed by the Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Master of Sports of International Class, Vladimir Dmitrievich Kavunenko. Taking part in the expedition: Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Professor, Doctor of Sciences of MSTU. Bauman Myslovsky Eduard Vikentievich, who in 1982, as part of the USSR national team, made the first night ascent of Everest; Master of Sports of the USSR, multiple champion of the USSR in mountaineering and rock climbing, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Oleg Semenovich Kosmachev. The organization of the expedition in the climbing area is being carried out by the Chairman of the Mountain Altai Mountaineering and Climbing Federation, Master of Sports of the USSR Vladimir Dmitrievich Shumilov. Outstanding figures of Russian cosmonautics took an active part in the preparation of the event: Twice Hero of the USSR, pilot-cosmonaut Viktor Petrovich Savinykh; Deputy General Designer, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Grigory Konstantinovich Yanko; Vice President of the Energia Corporation, Hero of the USSR, Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev; Twice Hero of the USSR, pilot-cosmonaut Ivanchenkov Alexander Sergeevich; Deputy Head of the Cosmonaut Training Center named after. Gagarin, Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut Korzun Valery Grigorievich; Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut Valery Ivanovich Tokarev; Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut Mikhail Vladislavovich Tyurin The expedition included climbers: Dmitry Vladimirovich Kulinchenko - General Director of Malakut Assistance CJSC; Mikhail Vladimirovich Kirilenko - executive director of Rosles Re LLC; Nilov Vladimir Leonidovich - Deputy General Director of Promtex-Orient LLC; Romanov Evgeniy Dmitrievich – head of the agency sales department of the Uralsib Insurance Group; Romanova Natalya Evgenievna – President of the Society of International Students of the University of Chattanooga, USA; Rybakov Sergey Nikolaevich – Deputy Head of the Agency Sales Department of the Uralsib Insurance Group; Pavlova Lidiya Nikolaevna – head of the loss settlement department of the Uralsib Insurance Group. The expedition is supported by the Association of Rescue Forces of the Russian Federation. General Partner and General Insurer of the expedition SOGAZ Insurance Group Partners: Reinsurance Company Nakhodka RE, Rosles Re LLC, Insurance Broker Oakshot, service company Malakut Assistance CJSC.

15. When rafting along the Lower Katun in the Altai Republic on July 30, 2007.
Director of the Tomsk branch of MTS OJSC Gennady Zarya died. August 1. The funeral took place in Tomsk at 11.00. Gennady Zarya was on vacation and resting in the area of ​​the village. Chemal. I purchased a one-day ticket water excursion.
Comments on information from the Internet:
Guest: What are the instructors there for? This is some kind of Russian roulette. No, I’m not ready for rafting anymore. And I won’t let my loved ones go.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You must have JavaScript enabled to view it. : Most likely this was an accident... once I was in the “septic tank” near the “Royal Hunt”, went to the “famous” waterfall ( Speaking V.V.: Kamyshlinsky), and there I saw in what condition the “rafters” were driving... People who are professionally involved in this sport will never get behind the wheel drunk...
Z: It depends where you go rafting. In general, for rafting you need to be sober and ready for any turn of events.
I: You know, everyone was sober. I was amazed that the minimum was done to avoid tragedy. Neither the vest nor the helmet saved us. In such places, special rescue methods must be developed. Signal flares, because there are many camps along the Katun and you can come to the rescue quite quickly. First aid kit for assistance on the water. Instructions on how to properly provide first aid. Rescuers who should supervise these places. This can be done even at the expense of the same company that organizes rafting, especially around dangerous places. And of course, such dangerous rapids are only for professionals. We learned about the 4th category of difficulty of the threshold when we were already there. ( Zhigarev O.L.: The complexity of obstacles, in particular thresholds, is determined by the category of difficulty. Difficulty category – determines the complexity of the entire route). It's very scary when they lift a person on board, turn him face up, and you recognize someone who is very dear to you. And you can’t change anything anymore. Remember that in these places the nearest village is several tens of kilometers away. That there is no connection. There are no cars. And you, going with your wife, husband, children, people you love, are risking the most precious thing you have. As for instructors, they must be professionals, and not just “cool”, “risky” guys.

16. Hydroglider 07/31/07
fell into the river Katun from a height of 300 meters due to a fallen wing. A teenager from the Republic of Korea, who bought an air excursion, crashed on this hydrohang glider. The Barnaul Transport Prosecutor's Office is investigating the emergency in the Chemalsky district of the Altai Republic. The operational investigation team arrived in the area of ​​the incident on August 2. The Aviakhim-Hydro hydrohang glider, which belongs to the class of ultralight aircraft, belongs to a resident of Barnaul, who “earned money” on it, providing services to tourists who want to look at the area from the air. The pilot of this vessel is the coach of the Barnaul children's and youth sports school. On July 31, at about 19:40, he took a teenager from the Republic of Korea, born in 1992, on board the plane and took to the skies with him. 10 minutes after takeoff, the plane’s wing collapsed, and from a height of 300 meters the aircraft fell into Katun. After the fall, the pilot independently climbed out of the cockpit and stayed afloat. The passenger remained in the cabin and showed no signs of life. After some time, water tourists from a passing raft helped him get out of the water, after which the pilot was taken to the Chemal Central Regional Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a closed fracture of the left femur and blunt trauma to the abdomen. The passenger's corpse was sent to the morgue in Gorno-Altaisk. On the same day, upon violation of traffic and operating safety rules air transport which negligently resulted in the death of a person, the Barnaul Transport Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal case (Part 2 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Let us recall that last year, 2006, a Corvette seaplane fell into Lake Teletskoye and sank, killing 3 people. The reason is the human factor.

17. Bashkaus River - death of an Ekaterinburg kayaker falling off a cliff and his search
(collected and reconstructed from numerous publications).
August 1 (July 30 - 31), 2007 in the Altai Republic during the passage of the water route along the river. Bashkaus, at the end of the “Lower Gorge”, a 28-year-old tourist (kayaker), television cameraman, from Yekaterinburg, Andrey Eremin, got lost. Rescuers received information about this on August 1 from the leader of an unregistered and uninsured group of tourists, consisting of 15 kayakers. The group passed water route VI category of complexity according to the river. Bashkaus from the village. Karakudyur to the mouth of the river. Chebdar. During the rafting, one of the participants, Andrey Eremin, being afraid to pass the next rapid, decided to move overland (he had a portable radio) from the mouth of the Kyzylgykh River, a tributary of the Bashkaus River and, naturally, fell behind the group of kayakers (or deliberately refused to raft in order to go out on foot from the gorge, assessing his capabilities as a kayaker in flood conditions, but, as it turned out, he overestimated his climbing capabilities). The group took his kayak and continued rafting. The last time Andrey contacted the group by radio was after crossing the Kyzylgykh River on July 30. The next day, July 31, the group completed the passage of the Lower Gorge and left the mouth of the river. Chebdar to the road and, without waiting for Eremin, went to the regional center of Ulagan, from where the head informed the rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Altai Republic by phone about the incident. Having received the message, the rescue service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations began search and rescue operations. Six people were involved in the search in the Ulagansky region, but the search with such forces on difficult terrain did not produce results and was stopped due to the fact that the further route is very difficult to navigate and requires special mountain equipment and watercraft. ( Speaking V.V.: Did the rescuers really not know where they were going and weren’t equipped accordingly?). It was planned to involve a helicopter in the search at this stage, but the Ministry of Emergency Situations stopped the search because the group was not registered, Andrey does not have insurance, and since there is no one to pay for the helicopter, it is not sent. The kayaker's friends gathered in Yekaterinburg and decided to go in search of him. The first group of volunteers was organized by Andrey’s friend Anton Khudozhnik. They insisted on resuming search efforts by rescuers and raised money for a helicopter. The first group of eight people, led by Anton Khudozhnik, set off from Yekaterinburg. Andrei’s friends, quite logically, immediately intended to involve a helicopter in the search and were well aware that there was a mountain gorge there that was inconvenient for landing a helicopter, but still the helicopter had to be lifted, at least for the search. If the helicopter search was unsuccessful or the money ran out, they decided to search on foot. They have been searching for Andrey without a helicopter for a week now, and so far to no avail. Experts estimate the chances of finding him alive are 50 to 50. ( Speaking V.V.: if we exclude an accident, then there were precedents for a successful exit from the “Lower Gorge”, so the chances of exit were much greater, especially since the place and direction of the exit was known). But the rescuers used the helicopter only after his friends arrived in Altai. Finally, Andrei’s friends arrived in Altai - eight people, some of them will go to the place where Andrei was last seen by car. ( Speaking V.V.: By car you can only drive to the beginning and end of the Lower Gorge of the Bashkaus River, this is too little). The volunteers decided to explore the area on foot. By the end of the week, 20 more friends - volunteers - will arrive to help them. Meanwhile, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Anton Khudozhnik began the search - in a helicopter, which was finally brought in for the search. Let us note that the helicopter was sent to search only when Andrei’s friends arrived and paid for the rental of the aircraft, since the group from which the kayaker strayed was not registered and not insured. Already at the 3rd hour of the helicopter’s operation, rescuers from the air noticed a man similar to Andrei Eremin lying on one of the Altai rocks. Anton Artist suggested that Andrei was unconscious, as he was very exhausted, and was sure that his friend was alive. He probably climbed the rock, but most likely his strength was exhausted and he lost consciousness ( Speaking V.V.: strange assumption. When climbing a rock, they do not lose consciousness. It is lost only when falling off a cliff, after a corresponding blow). After discovering and determining the location of a man lying unconscious on a rock, the task arose of how to raise him. The helicopter involved could not land or even hover here. The terrain in this place is very difficult. Landing at the scene of the incident is difficult due to the steepness of the gorge and the abundance of trees. Only the Mi-8 helicopter can operate here, but the Ministry of Emergency Situations does not have one at the moment. As Andrei’s friends found out, such helicopters were generally rare in the Altai Mountains at that time. I had to return, marking a place on the map to search for the Mi-8 helicopter. First we found out that the Mi-8 was at the Internal Affairs Directorate Kemerovo region, they even agreed that he would fly in search, but it was not possible to use it, since the head of the headquarters first stated that the weather was unflyable, and then that the helicopter was being repaired. ( Speaking V.V.: perhaps this is the right decision, because the wound has not yet healed from the loss of a group of snowboarders and the crew of a military helicopter that had not flown before Altai mountains). Andrei's friends cannot find the MI-8 helicopter, with the help of which they could get to the rock where their friend lies. They turn to the rescuers of Novosibirsk and Barnaul to use their helicopter (and find out that the rescue services of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the south of Siberia do not have helicopters at all and the rescuers use rented ones or order flights from the forest protection department).
After Andrey was discovered, at 10 am, a group of rescuers went to the place where he was lying, but it was a long way to go and the path was technically very difficult, so it is unlikely that rescuers would arrive at the site that day. Moreover, if an MI-8 helicopter had been sent to the rocks where Andrei is located, it would have saved a lot of time. Meanwhile, Andrei has been unconscious for at least a day, but his friends are sure that he is alive. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that they are aware of the situation, and rescuers on the spot are doing everything possible to save the tourist. The Ministry of Emergency Situations decides to disembark a group of rescuers from an existing helicopter to a further place from the rock where the kayaker was found lying motionless and at the same time prohibit Andrei’s friends from going to the place of his discovery on foot, citing the lack of a specially trained instructor. ( Speaking V.V.: were all of Eremin’s friends really unprepared for working in a rocky gorge and they couldn’t have been given an experienced rescuer or two or three... Nobody closed the area, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations cannot prohibit the exit of a group of volunteers, just as it cannot refuse registration, which is so often mentioned they say in the press).
Another Mi-8 with a mountain crew was found in Barnaul, but, most likely, on this day, it will not have time to fly out before dark. A few days after the discovery of the scene of the tragedy, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with a helicopter began to lift the body of Andrei Eremin. At this point, the rescuers had no doubt that the body found belonged to Andrei Eremin. Because his friends identified his clothes from a helicopter. It was assumed that the rescuers, after lifting the body into the helicopter, would take it to the nearest morgue, where doctors would conduct an examination and establish the cause of death. ( Speaking V.V.: if possible, because too much time has passed). In the meantime, until the body found has been identified, Andrei Eremin’s relatives and friends hope that it is not him. On August 13, EMERCOM employees in a helicopter reported that Andrei Eremin’s body had been lifted from the cliff. From that moment on, Andrei’s brother Pavel said, his friends have no doubt that this is the body of an Ekaterinburg kayaker, because Anton Khudozhnik participated in the operation to lift the body and identified Andrei Eremin. Neither the rescuers nor Andrei’s friends prefer not to talk about the exact cause of death until the rescuers deliver the body to the morgue and an examination is carried out there. Presumably, the kayaker fell off a cliff, which was the cause of death - this was the conclusion made by Altai doctors. The damage to his body was very serious, so Andrei Eremin was taken to Yekaterinburg in a closed zinc coffin. Andrei’s father and his friend Anton Khudozhnik collected certificates and materials that can confirm that the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Gorny Altai carried out a search rescue operation unforgivably long, and the ministry itself is not provided with equipment and does not have a flexible structure. Relatives and friends of Andrei, regarding the protracted rescue operation, appealed to Minister of Emergency Situations Shoigu and Russian President V.V. Putin.

18. When climbing the Peremetny pass, 07/04/07.
A tourist from Moscow, Alexey Rasskazov, went missing. The search continues for a tourist from Moscow, who, according to a preliminary version, fell from the Peremetny pass on August 8, 2007.

19. When climbing the “Dome” pass (North Chuysky ridge) in the Altai Republic 07/07/07.
Sergei Polyakov, a member of a tourist group from Biysk, fell and received a traumatic brain injury. The victim was taken to the Ak-Tru mountaineering camp, where he died from his injuries. The body of the deceased was taken to the village morgue. Kurai.
Speaking V.V.: Kupol Pass (1B, 3565m, snow and ice). Location: North Chuysky ridge, peak Dome of Three Lakes. Slope orientation: north-south. Connected valleys: river valley Aktru and the river valley Gelo. Total travel time: depending on the chosen route, from 5 to 7 hours.

20. In the mountains, near Krasnaya Polyana, 08/09/07.
A group of ten tourists got lost, four of whom were children. Presumably, tourists are at an altitude of 2.5 thousand meters above sea level in the Malalaba River area. On August 1 (nine days ago) the group left the Kuban village. Kropotkino and headed to the mountainous region. On the morning of August 9, one of the group members called the rescuers and reported that they were lost. The supply of food that the tourists took with them was designed for seven days. On July 10, 2007, rescuers from a Mi-8 helicopter found tourists in their expected area and took them to Adler. On August 10 at 11.00 the helicopter landed in Adler, with 10 people on board, all alive and well. Before the hike, the tourists did not register with the rescuers, who could advise the tourists: what to do if they get lost in the forest, where to go, what to eat, how to sleep. But it is not reported whether the group had completed route documents.

21. Incidents on the water as of August 14, 2007.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Altai Republic associates a significant increase in tragic incidents with tourists with an increase in the number of vacationers: weather conditions this season are very favorable for vacation.
In July-August 2007 years on the river Katun happened ( Speaking V.V.: registered) 7 incidents on the water, 2 people were rescued, 6 people died (including 1 child), 6 people were missing. ( Speaking V.V.: a total of 14 people were injured). In 2006, during the same period, 4 people died on the water. Since the beginning of July 2007 on the river. Katun state inspectors of the State Inspectorate for Small Vessels of the Altai Republic conducted 14 raids and patrols. 60 violations of the requirements of the “Rules for the Use of Small Boats” and “Rules for the Protection of Life on the Water” were identified. 60 administrative violation reports were drawn up and fines amounting to more than 30,000 rubles were imposed.

22. A tourist from the Nizhny Novgorod region died in Gorny Altai on August 24, 2007.
While rafting on the Chulyshman River in the Ulagansky district of the Altai Republic, a tourist from the Nizhny Novgorod region died. According to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for Altai, the traveler fell out of the raft while passing the river. The body of the deceased was delivered to Gorno-Altaisk. In total, since the beginning of the year, six tourists have been injured in the Altai Republic, 11 have died and four have gone missing, the Ministry of Emergency Situations noted.

23. All Russian tourists, cut off from the world by the elements, were rescued in the Himalayas. 09/29/07
employees of the Russian embassy in India assured that there were no other Russians in the Himalayas besides the rescued ones. Four Russian tourists- Georgy Churakov, Sergey Kazakov, Svetlana Kazakova, Sergey Mamukhov - were blocked in the Indian part of the Himalayas due to bad weather. In addition to the four Russians, seven German citizens and an Australian were missing. According to Andrey Zhiltsov, the organizer of routes in the Indian Himalayas, four Russian tourists are at an altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level. Four Russian tourists rescued in the Himalayas.
News agencies reported that about a hundred tourists, including Russians, disappeared in the Himalayas after a snowfall; it later turned out that the panic was raised in vain. The Russian Embassy in India reported that four Russian trackers were stuck in the mountains - by 15.00 all of them were safely evacuated. Due to snowfall in the mountains, about a hundred climbers, including several Russians, disappeared. Several groups of tourists from Russia, Germany and Australia, as well as their Indian guides, disappeared in bad weather. After heavy snowfall for 36 hours, contact with them was lost. Local authorities said an urgent rescue operation was being prepared. One person died. Soon, the Russian embassy in India denied the report of dozens of missing people and victims: “These are fables. Information about missing tourists in the Himalayas is not true.” In fact, the embassy reported that tourists, including Russians, did not disappear, but were stuck in the mountains due to snowfall. All this time they maintained contact with them, and when a woman in the group became ill, she was evacuated as soon as possible. Four Russians: Georgy Churaev, Sergey Mokhov, as well as the married couple Sergey and Svetlana Kazakov, made a pedestrian crossing along the Gangodri - Badrinath route at altitudes of 4 - 5 thousand m. Together with the Russian trekkers (tourists), three tourists from Germany set off on the journey. The group began the hike on September 17, and on the night of September 20-21, it was blocked in the mountains by bad weather. Heavy snowfall, which did not stop for more than 36 hours, trapped tourists in the mountains. Svetlana Kazakova developed altitude sickness - the woman’s body was unable to properly adapt to the altitude. To prevent cerebral edema from developing, she had to be urgently taken to the hospital. The travelers, who had a satellite phone with them, contacted rescue services. The Russian embassy, ​​having learned about the incident, asked for help in carrying out the operation from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense. Due to bad weather, rescuers managed to reach the site only two days later. Two army helicopters found the tourists. Food and medicine were delivered to them, and Kazakova was evacuated. She is in the hospital and her life is not in danger. Four Russian tourists who found themselves blocked in Indian Himalayas due to bad weather, they were taken by helicopter to the nearest village. According to the director of the travel company that organized the trip, Sanjay Saini. “I have great news - all members of the group have been rescued - four Russian tourists and four Indian guides,” he said. A group of four Russian tourists, accompanied by local guides, one of whom suffered frostbite, was making a two-day hike to a popular pilgrimage site - the village of Badrinath in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, where a Hindu shrine is located, the agency's source said. The weather in the climbing area deteriorated three days ago, snow began to fall, and roads to Badrinath, which is located at an altitude of about three kilometers above sea level, were destroyed by landslides in several places. Russians and several other groups of tourists from different countries found themselves cut off from the outside world in the area between Badrinath and the nearest settlement of Joshimath, which is located below. The operation lasted two hours and ended at 3.30 local time (2.00 Moscow time). Svetlana suffered from mountain sickness and was evacuated first and admitted to the Joshimath hospital; her health is not in danger. Next to her are two other Russians. The fourth was flown by Air Force helicopter to Badrinath due to weather. “From there it’s an hour and a half by car to Joshimath, the road has already been cleared, so he’ll soon be reunited with his comrades.” A group of eight people was evacuated from a height of 4480 meters, the snow cover there was almost two meters high. “You have no idea what I went through, how I prayed for the sky to clear so that the helicopter could make another flight.” From Joshimath, tourists will be sent to a military airfield in Bareilly, after which they will return home. “Some of them planned to visit the high-mountainous village of Kedarnath, but I won’t take them there - the risk is too big,” said the director of the travel agency, who organized the rescue operation at his own expense. So far, nothing is known about the fate of other foreigners - Germans and Australians, as well as several groups of Indian tourists who, along with their accompanying people, were cut off from the outside world by bad weather. Usually the season for traveling to the high-mountain shrines in the Indian Himalayas, which annually attract thousands of pilgrims from all over India and foreign tourists, ends in October, but this year the cold snap came unexpectedly and ahead of schedule.

24. Early October 2007
In the Garhwal Himalayas, an accident occurred with a Russian group of tourists, as a result of which two people died from illness. On September 27, 2007, a group of 10 Russians, without completed route documents, walked from Gongotri to Badrinath. The route is a standard trekking route from Badrinath to Gongotri, with a length of 92 km. The first part of the route (2/3 of the distance) is a gradual ascent with an increase in altitude relative to sea level: from 3000 m to 6000 m with access to the pass. The second part of the route (1/3 of the distance), descent from 6000 m to 3000 m. Most of The route took place in snowy conditions atypical for this time of year: along a path covered with a significant layer of snow. For acclimatization, 2 radial exits were planned: first from an altitude of 4000 m to 4600 m and in the middle of the route from 4500 to 5500 m. The first radial exit was completed, but the second was not due to bad weather conditions and, as a result, behind schedule. Weather: At the end of September, a cyclone arrived too early in the Garhwal Himalayas and a large amount of snow fell. In the first part of the route, from 23.09 to 03.10, the weather was unstable, it often snowed. The second part of the route took place in clear weather: during the day it was sunny up to +25 degrees, and at night it was cold up to -15 degrees. From 15.10 a cyclone with heavy snowfalls arrived in the mountains again.

25. In the Katunsky ridge 10.10.07
from the top of the Mensu glacier ( Mountain Altai) rescuers evacuated the body of a tourist who died two years ago (2005). Rescuers evacuated a body, presumably one of the members of a tourist group from the Republic of Belarus, who went missing at an altitude of about 4000 m below the peak of Eastern Belukha in July 2005 as a result of a snow and ice collapse. Presumably, this is Belarusian citizen Kirill Korshak, who was caught in an avalanche in 2005. As reported to ITAR-TASS in the Siberian regional center of the Russian Federation Ministry of Emergency Situations in Krasnoyarsk, the man’s body was discovered after the descent snow avalanche and melting ice on Mount Belukha.
Let us recall that the tragedy occurred on July 20, 2005, when a huge mass of snow and ice fell on the mountain climbers’ camp from Minsk located on the mountainside. The Belarusian tourists were preparing breakfast at this time. Four people died and five tourists were injured. The bodies of two dead Belarusians, Alexander Prokhorov and Vladimir Belanovsky, were discovered, but the bodies of the group leader, 54-year-old Georgy Moskalev and 28-year-old Kirill Korshak, could not be found. Mount Belukha, where the tragedy occurred, is the highest point in Siberia (4506 meters above sea level). There are 169 glaciers known on the slopes of the Belukha massif and in the valleys with total area 150 square kilometers. The incident with the Belarusian group, which occurred in July 2005, is far from the first in a series of unfortunate incidents. For example, in 2002, four Russian travelers also died in a sudden avalanche, and on July 20, 2004 (the same day as the “Belarusian” tragedy), while climbing Belukha, a 33-year-old climber from Bryansk fell into the abyss and died. Local rescuers several dozen times a year have to use a helicopter to rescue explorers who find themselves in emergency situations here. mountain peaks. Local residents believe that at the top of Belukha there is a land of spirits. They say that everyone who wants to get close to her innermost secret is thrown off by the mountain.

26. Around 5 p.m. on October 24, 2007 (local time)
on the Yurunkash River in China, as a result of a capsize of two catamarans, the following were killed: the expedition leader, Honored Master of Sports, seven-time Russian champion, Sergei Ivanovich Chernik, and his son, two-time Russian champion, Ivan Sergeevich Chernik. On October 27, 2007, at about 5 p.m. (local time), while attempting to leave the hiking area of ​​the remaining members of Sergei Chernik’s team on the Yurunkash River in China, two-time Russian champion Vladimir Borisovich Smetannikov died and Dmitry Ivanovich Tishchenko went missing as a result of a catamaran capsizing. Details of accidents and their analysis are given in this collection.

27. In the fall of 2007, near the Ioli weather station, in the Sovetsko-Gavansky district of the Khabarovsk Territory
at night, while drinking alcohol, a quarrel arose between the two camping tourists and a hunter from the village of Kopi. A drunken hunter opened random fire from a gun at people sleeping in a tent. Three tourists were seriously injured, as a result of which one of them died. The 51-year-old hunter was detained by local residents and locked in a winter hut, not far from the Ioli weather station, so that he would not do anything stupid. In the morning he was found dead. The hunter hanged himself before investigators arrived at the winter hut. One of the tourists who received gunshot wounds died at the scene, two more were hospitalized. A criminal case has been opened regarding the attack on Khabarovsk tourists (“Murder and attempted murder of two or more persons”).

28. Rescuers of Gorno-Altaisk 10/25/07
We began searching for a twenty-year-old resident of St. Petersburg, whose loss the girl’s mother sounded the alarm about. She told the police that on October 2, her daughter went hiking in the mountains from Gorno-Altaisk. Since then there has been no news of her. The tourist's mobile phone does not answer.
(Speaking V.V.: This is the very case when you really need to register with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, if you haven’t filled out the route documents, then at least give in writing the details of your route and the target dates to choose from: rescuers, close relatives and (or) close friends. Most likely, the girl went to the mountains with a “wild” group or with a “wild guide.” Large group It’s simply impossible to go missing, since there are relatives, friends, there must be a deadline and a route. Since there were no reports of missing other tourists, it is most likely that there was no group as such, and the girl simply left home. The safety recommendations outlined above are basic ones from the International Travelers Code. But the Ministry of Emergency Situations can only advise one thing: there is no need to force everyone to register, you just need to understand who, above all, is interested in the safety and control of the movement of “their groups and participants.” And this is not the Ministry of Emergency Situations, but the organizations whose groups go on the routes, including the International Red Cross, travel agencies and federations. They know the routes and deadlines of their groups well and control them, interact with rescuers if the need arises, but they don’t particularly need total registration and control, as well as recommendations from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, because they know their job. There needs to be a clear division of powers here. If rescuers are a public service, then their work, for which they receive money, is rescue, and not storing papers, and rescue at any time and in any place upon an alarm call, and not according to pre-developed plans. Calculate how many routes one travel agency has on average, multiply by the number of travel agencies and the number of arrivals and you will get a figure that is unrealistic for registration and control. At the same time, there are quite a few “wild” groups and “wild” guides, and that’s exactly what we need to do).

29. The first mountaineering tragedy occurred in new year holidays 01/02/08 in Gorny Altai.
In the Aktru gorge (Kosh-Agach district), a member of a group of climbers consisting of 3 people, a candidate for master of sports in mountaineering, Mikhail Nedopoiko, died when he fell into a crack on the Maly Aktru glacier, to a depth of about 15 meters. The climbers climbed without organizing simultaneous belay. The body of the deceased was recovered by rescuers and taken to the Ak-Tru mountaineering camp, where it was handed over to representatives of the Novosibirsk region.

30. According to reports from 01/07/08, from January 2 to January 12 in the Aktru gorge
Rescuers are taking measures to ensure the safety of training sessions for climbers from two regions of Siberia. Number of participants – 40 people, half from Tomsk region, the other is from the Kemerovo region. On January 7, one of the training camp participants suffered a knee injury after a fall. Rescuers sent the climber to the village. Aktash, where he received medical assistance. The victim's condition is satisfactory and he returned to the base in Aktra.

31. During the descent of the Nizhny Novgorod group,
consisting of 5 people, a tourist from Nizhny Novgorod Arkady Karusevich and suffered a shoulder injury. The tourists were unable to lift the victim out of the cave on their own, since he was located at a depth of 240 m. Report of an emergency in the area of ​​the village. Basargino Altai region received on January 7 from the participants of the descent. On the same day, the first group of rescuers arrived at the scene, went down to the victim and conducted reconnaissance. After the arrival of the second group of rescuers on the morning of January 9, the operation to transport the victim to the surface began. This required hanging about 300 meters of safety railings. By evening, rescuers from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in the Altai Territory successfully completed the work of transporting Arkady Karusevich from the cave. The second tourist from this Nizhny Novgorod group is Usanov A.S. Born in 1977, I received 2nd - 3rd degree frostbite in the mountains on the toes of my right and left feet while going to the cave on January 4th. Both tourists were hospitalized on January 10 at the central regional hospital of the Altai region, which is located 30 km from the scene of the incident. It is not reported whether the group had any routing documents.

32. On the Severnaya River on July 5, 2006, 3 Moscow tourists died.
Rescuers are doing everything possible to search for Moscow tourists who disappeared last week while rafting on the Severnaya River in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The rescue area has been expanded to cover a larger area of ​​the Turukhansky district. In the city of Igarka, on the banks of the Yenisei, a control and observation post was set up, with rescuers on duty. They monitor the flow of the river. A network will be installed at this point on the Yenisei, if only the water flow allows it. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 28 people and seven pieces of equipment (Mi-8 helicopter, two hovercraft, four watercraft) are involved in the search.
Five tourists from Moscow, having rented a helicopter, arrived on July 5 at the Severnaya River, located 119 kilometers from the city of Turukhansk, and began rafting on two catamarans. In the afternoon, both catamarans capsized on the river rapids. The search for tourists began on July 6. On the same day, 12 kilometers above the mouth of the Kol River, a tributary of the Severnaya River, two of the five tourists were rescued. Later, on July 11, the body of another tourist was found in the Turukhansky district. The fate of two more people remains unknown. The Severnaya River is a rapids river of IV - V categories of difficulty, on which only specialists of the highest category are allowed to raft. It is impossible to work there without escort, without rescuers, without personnel specialists. Even rescuers say: the place is wild, there is taiga all around, the nearest settlement is more than 100 kilometers away. And right now the northern rivers are at their deepest. They might not have known about the disappearance of tourists for a long time, since the tourists, bypassing security rules, did not register with the local Ministry of Emergency Situations - the control and rescue service. They learned about the missing tourists from local airline pilots who noticed the overturned catamarans from the air. According to Emergency Situations Ministry employees, accidents among amateurs extreme species sports occur mainly from carelessness. People overestimate their capabilities, neglecting safety rules. It happens that highly qualified professionals also die - the elements are the elements, but the majority are still due to their own frivolity. “The trouble is that a lot of people, and especially newcomers, are not registered in the search and rescue formation, and therefore do not have the opportunity to maintain communication when passing checkpoints and along the route,” says Evgeniy Borshchakov, head of the search and rescue formation department. and rescue of people at sea and water bodies. Experts consider another problem to be the fact that Russian fans of extreme sports suffer from the so-called advanced amateur syndrome. This was stated by an experienced diving instructor, director of the OK club diving center Sergei Ogloblin, speaking at a round table dedicated to the problem of tourism safety. “After five dives they feel like they are real pros. They neglect minimal safety precautions, dive without special training and the necessary equipment, and even use the services of illegal diving centers,” Ogloblin said. “Advanced amateur syndrome” is typical not only for divers, but also for lovers of other extreme types of recreation. “With such a dangerous mentality of tourists in Russia, there is no clear scheme for training guides and instructors; the industry is full of amateurs,” said the director of the department alpine skiing travel agency "Wind Rose" Vladimir Dubinin. – Anyone and everyone is certified on a commercial basis. Moreover, in the Russian Federation there is, perhaps, not a single insurance company that could provide professional insurance to extreme tourists.” Experts believe that in order to prevent accidents, it is necessary to introduce financial and criminal prosecution for non-compliance by extreme sportsmen with safety measures and unjustified risk. It should be noted that this practice already exists in a number of European countries, for example in France. Another real way to solve this problem is travel insurance. Based on the experience of other countries, the costs of work for doctors and rescuers are paid by insurance companies.

World legends mention mythical countries where sorcerers and gods live, where there is a source of eternal youth and untold riches. Humanity has lost its feet in search of their traces. Scientists believe that some are worth looking for in Russia.

Sveta-dvipa

"In the Sea of ​​Milk, north of Meru, lies big Island Shvepa-dvipa, White Island, or Island of Light. There is a country where bliss is tasted. Its inhabitants are brave men, removed from all evil, indifferent to honor and dishonor, marvelous in appearance, filled with vitality. A cruel, insensitive, lawless person does not live here...”

Where have you looked for this paradise from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata? Some Indianists, such as Colonel Wilford, identified Shveta-dvipa with Great Britain. Why not? An island beyond the sea, in the north (for the authors of the Mahabharata). Blavatsky Elena Petrovna, who was a famous representative of the mystical order of Theosophists, in her “Secret Doctrine” placed Shveta Dvipa in the region of the modern Gobi Desert. Some researchers, on the contrary, see Arctida under the White Island - a hypothetical northern polar continent that once existed in the Arctic, but as a result of cataclysms that allegedly occurred from 18 to 100 thousand years ago, went under water (hypothesis of the German zoographer Eger).

Supporters of Arctida often associate the legend of Shveta-dvipa with Hyperborea, which, according to ancient authors, was also located somewhere far to the north. But north is a flexible concept. Some linguists have discovered similarities between Ural place names and Indian names. So, based on the research of A.G. Vinogradov and S.V. Zharnikova, the legendary Shveta-dvipa ended up on the territory of the Urals, White Sea, basins of the Northern Dvina and Pechora rivers, Volga-Oka interfluve.

Khara Berezaita

In history there are so-called nomadic toponyms, which various sources associated with in different places. These include the Haru Berezaiti mountain range from the Zoroastrian texts of the Avesta, with Mount Hukairya. This is the archetypal World Mountain, from behind which the sun chariot of the deity Mithras rises in the morning. Seven stars sparkle above her Ursa Major and the North Star, placed at the center of the universe. From here, from the golden peaks, all the earth's rivers originate, and the greatest of them - clean river Ardvi, falling with noise into the white foamy sea of ​​Vourukasha. The Swift Sun always circles over the mountains of High Khara, and day lasts six months here, and night lasts six months. Only the brave and strong-willed can cross these mountains and get to the happy land of the blessed, washed by the waters of the white-foamed ocean. Some researchers compare it with the already mentioned legendary mountain Meru, which is located next to Shveto-dvipa in the Urals. But, according to the Italian researcher Giraldo Gnoli, the Pamir and Hindu Kush were initially perceived as Khara Berezaiti, and then these beliefs were transferred to “more serious mountains,” or rather to Elbrus. The ocean in this analogy is obviously the Black Sea. By the way, this does not contradict the ideas about the mythological country in the north among ancient authors. Many Roman authors gave the same description of the Black Sea region that we can give today of the North Sea - severe cold, everything is covered with ice, people are dressed in thick skins.

Altai Shambhala

Shambhala is a mythical land of Hinduism and Buddhism. The fabulous land promises fabulous conditions - to give eternal youth, to open all the knowledge of the world. “If you know the teachings of Shambhala, you know the future,” said about magical land Nicholas Roerich. Traditionally, the entrance to Shambhala is placed in the mountainous region of Tibet, somewhere near the sacred Mount Kailash. But, according to Roerich’s teachings, there should be three gates of Shambhala. One of them is located in Altai, in the area of ​​Mount Belukha - a sacred peak among the local Altai peoples. According to their beliefs, there is a land of spirits there. One of the Altai shamans, Anton Yudanov, said in an interview that even clergy do not dare to approach the mountain closer than 10 km, and the attempt to conquer Belukha, which many people undertake every year, is a real sacrilege, followed by punishment. It’s not for nothing, he said, that Belukha is called “the killer mountain,” where most tourists have died recently: “ sacred mountain will throw off everyone who seeks to approach its secret.”

Delphinapterus leucas Pallas, 1776

Squad: Cetaceans (Cetacea)

Suborder: Toothed whales (Odontoceti)

Family: Narwhals (Monodontidae)

Genus: Beluga whales (DelphinfpterusLaceped.1804)

Other name:

Belukha, Beluga (equivalent, the first is most common)

Where he lives:

The beluga whale population is divided according to its flying areas into 29 local herds, of which about 12 are located in Russia. Distributed circumpolarly, between 50° and 80° N, inhabiting all Arctic, as well as the Bering and Okhotsk seas; In winter, visits to the Baltic Sea are known. In pursuit of fish (salmon at spawning), beluga whales entered the big rivers(Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur), sometimes rising upstream for hundreds of kilometers.

Size:

Beluga whales are characterized by sexual dimorphism: males are usually larger than females of the same age. Weight: males reach 850-1500 kg, females 650-1360 kg with a typical body length of 3.6-4.2 m. The largest males reach 6 m in length and 2 tons in weight.

Appearance:

The beluga's head is spherical, "lobed", the lower jaws practically do not protrude forward without a beak. The vertebrae in the neck are not fused together, so the beluga whale, unlike most whales, is able to turn its head. This makes it easier for her to navigate and maneuver in ice. The pectoral fins are small and oval in shape. The dorsal fin is absent - this allows the beluga to move more freely under the ice. Hence the Latin name of the genus Delphinapterus leucas - "white dolphin without a dorsal fin."

The skin with a loose layer of epidermis (up to 12 mm thick) resembles an external shock absorber and partly protects beluga whales from damage when swimming among the ice. They are saved from hypothermia by a layer of subcutaneous fat up to 10-12 cm thick, in some places up to 18 cm, which is up to 40% of the beluga whale’s body weight. The skin color is monochromatic. It changes with age: newborns are light brown due to a thick layer of epidermis, which, as the baby grows, falls off in pieces and the lower parts of the dermis rise to the surface with an abundance of dark pigment - melanin. The general coloration becomes dark blue, growth and molting continue and the young become gray, then bluish-gray; individuals older than 4-7 years are pure white.

Behavior and lifestyle:

Some beluga whale populations undergo regular migrations. They are associated with the seasonal movements of schools of fish. Thus, the movement of the beluga whale population from Cook Inlet in Alaska repeats the movement of its main prey - salmon.

In spring, beluga whales begin to move to the shore - to desalinated shallow bays, fjords and the mouths of northern rivers. Flying off the coast is due to the presence of food here and the higher temperature of the desalinated water. The latter improves the conditions for molting and shedding the old layer of epidermis. Often, in order to remove the dead surface layer of skin, beluga whales rub against the bottom - sand in shallow water. Beluga whales are attached to the same flying areas, visiting them from year to year. Tracking individual individuals has shown that beluga whales remember their birthplace and the route to it after wintering.

Local herds in summer (reproductive aggregations) play a dual role in the biology of the species. Firstly, they ensure population reproduction and isolation from neighboring local herds, and secondly, they play a vital role in terms of all types of individual contacts (sexual, play, etc.) between members of the herd, maintaining hierarchical relationships and promoting education and training young animals. This ensures the preservation of the social structure of the local herd and the individual and group status of its members.

Not all populations migrate. Their necessity is determined by specific ice conditions and the presence of food accumulations.

In winter, beluga whales, as a rule, stick to the edges of ice fields, but sometimes penetrate far into the glaciation zone, where winds and currents support cracks, leads and polynyas. When large areas become icy, they make massive migrations from these areas. The polynyas to which belugas come up to breathe can be several kilometers apart. Beluga whales find them using direction finding and sometimes location. But sometimes they find themselves trapped in ice captivity if the distance to clean water exceeds 3-4.5 km. The dorsal part of the body and the upper part of the head consist of thick and durable skin, which allows them to be used to support wormwood, breaking ice up to 4-6 centimeters thick.

Beluga whales are social animals. The beluga whale herd consists of clans, and clans are made up of families organized on the principle of matriarchy. The family consists of primary family groups: mother and 1-2 cubs. Males in the herd and clan play the role of guards and scouts for fish accumulations. At large concentrations of fish, several herds of beluga whales sometimes gather, and the feeding animals gather in herds numbering hundreds and even thousands of animals.

Nutrition:

The basis of the beluga's diet is fish, mainly schooling fish (capelin, cod, cod, herring, navaga, flounder, whitefish and salmon species); to a lesser extent - crustaceans and cephalopods. Beluga whales do not grab prey, especially benthic organisms, but suck it up. An adult consumes about 15 kg of food per day. But such lucky days are rare.

Reproduction:

In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, mating in beluga whales occurs in April - May, in the Gulf of Ob - in July, in the Barents and Kara Seas - from May to August, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence - from February to August, and in Hudson Bay, fertilization of females occurs from March to September. Thus, the mating period lasts about 6 months, but the bulk of females are fertilized in a relatively short time- end of April - beginning - mid-July. During the rest of the year, in most cases only individual animals mate.

The childbearing period is extended, as is the mating period, and childbirth can occur from early spring throughout the summer months. Thus, pregnancy in beluga whales lasts 11.5 months; there is an opinion that this period can reach 13-14 months. As a rule, females give birth at the mouths of rivers that bring warmer waters. The female brings one cub 140-160 cm long, very rarely - two. The lactation period lasts about 12 months. The next mating can occur one to two weeks after birth.

Lifespan:

Life expectancy in nature is 32-40 years (known maximum age females - 44 years old).

Number:the exact number is not known.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are about 150,000 beluga whales in the world. Russian populations, according to the International Whale Commission, number up to 27,000 individuals. At the same time, the 3 largest groups of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk number up to 20,000 beluga whales.

Natural enemies:

The enemy of beluga whales is the killer whale.

Threats to the species:

The main danger for these whales is toxic waste that pollutes their habitat, as well as industrial displacement from their Arctic habitats, especially key areas - breeding and feeding areas. IN last years Noise pollution has sharply increased - due to the development of shipping and an increase in the flow of wild tourists, which interferes with normal reproduction and leads to a decrease in the number of cubs - i.e. reduction in herd size.

Interesting Facts

IN winter period The beluga whale hunts cod, flounder, goby, pollock, making very deep dives - up to 300-1000 m, and remaining under water for up to 25 minutes. Despite its massive size, the beluga whale is distinguished by its agility; she is able to swim on her back and even backwards. Usually swims at a speed of 3-9 km/h; when frightened, it can make jerks of up to 22 km/h.

For the variety of sounds they made, whalers in the 19th century. The beluga whale was nicknamed “the canary of the sea” ( sea ​​canary), and the Russians developed the expression “beluga roar” - the characteristic roar of a male during the rut.

Researchers counted about 50 sound signals from belugas: whistling, squealing, chirping, squealing, grinding, piercing scream, roar and others. In addition, beluga whales use “body language” (slapping the water with their tail fins) and even facial expressions when communicating.

In addition to screams, beluga whales emit clicks in the ultrasonic range. A system of air sacs in the soft tissues of the head takes part in their production, and the radiation is focused by a special fat pad on the forehead - a melon (acoustic lens). Reflected from surrounding objects, the clicks return to the beluga; The “antenna” is the lower jaw, which transmits vibrations to the middle ear cavity. Echo analysis allows the animal to get an accurate picture of its surroundings. The beluga whale has excellent hearing and echolocation. These animals are capable of hearing in a wide range of frequencies from 40-75 Hz to 30-100 kHz.

The beluga whale also has well-developed vision, both under water and above its surface. The beluga whale's vision is probably colored, because... its retina contains rods and cones - photoreceptor cells. However, studies have not yet confirmed this

Compiled by: Member of the Board of the Marine Mammal Council,

Head Laboratory marine mammals Institute of Oceanology RAS, Doctor of Biological Sciences V.M. Belkovich