Born in Perm in 1976. Graduated from the Veterinary Faculty of PSATU. Honored Traveler of Russia, Vice-President of the Federation of Sports Tourism of the Perm Krai, Master of Sports of Russia on sports tourism. Four-time champion of Russia and CIS countries in sports tourism, winner of international championships and competitions in sports tourism, head of the expeditionary project «Poles of Inaccessibility of the Earth», laureate of the Stroganov Prize, Ph.D. (Thesis «Reference routes and assessment of tourist opportunities in mountain areas»), Associate Professor of the Department of Tourism, Faculty of Geography, PSU. The author of the book «Secrets of the Poles of Inaccessibility» and «Secrets of Uncharted Mountains.»
Quotes
- One of my favorite sayings is «East or West, home is best.
- I am inspired by advancing. It is not interesting to stand still, one should always go along.
- My temper does not allow me to be alone for long — it becomes depressing.
- New travels for me are a great sport and overcoming difficulties. And, of course, I admire the beauty of nature.
- The main thing in an emergency situation is to do everything to avoid it.
My story
In my life, there were two hobbies: veterinary medicine and travel. In time, travels swept me off, and now I do only them.
I loved to travel from birth. From the age of three, as I remember myself, I loved to walk in the woods, for mushrooms, for berries. I admired those who rafted the rivers, who walked in the mountains and fields. But it seemed to me that all this was inaccessible: I was too small, and my parents were far from the love of wandering.
But when I turned 15, a friend sold me a rubber boat on the cheap. It was old, was deflating pretty quickly, but I decided: I should go for rafting. I called my grandfather, who was in his 75th year; it was his first trek in life, and he hit the road with me just because he loved fishing. Everything turned out pretty extreme: the boat deflated literally in the middle of the river, and we had to moor the bank posthaste. It was a thirty-degree heat, we dragged the boat through the fields, meadows, forests... When we arrived, the grandfather said that he would light a candle in the church for he returned alive, and swore off to backpack anymore. But I liked that experience. I felt how nature itself taught me.
In time, I understood that my own intuitive knowledge was few, and in 1996 I came to the city tourist club „Koster“ and worked hard there for four years. I gained experience, and since 2000 my team has been formed, with which we began to implement the project „Poles of Inaccessibility of the Earth.“ The aim was to visit the most inaccessible points of our planet and climb the highest peaks.
We had four autonomous expeditions to Tibet: an average altitude of 5000 meters, maximum — 6000, the route length — 2500 kilometers. The fourth one, however, was not finished, because we were deported by Chinese Special Forces. There was some kind of a restricted area on the route, so we were even hunted. But, fortunately, everything turned out all right.
During our expeditions to Alaska, lynxes approached our camp, and one night right near the tent a young lynx even purred. We saw quite closely some wolves, black bears, elks, deer, foxes, rabbits, who looked at us calmly and were not going to run away. We knew for sure that the Grizzlies were still sleeping, but one day at the end of the route we found fresh traces near the tent.
Now I dream to visit New Guinea, climb the peak of Puncak-Jaya.
I work in the Department Of Tourism and every year I take students to the Perm region and the Urals. Large groups gather: for example, this summer there were 47 people. A certain tradition has formed: we hold the bachelor graduation ceremony on the peaks of the Northern Urals. Graduates take beautiful dresses with them, and a wonderful celebration takes place. In such occasions, boys and girls learn to love their homeland, nature, and to be respectful to those around them. The routes are quite complex, everyone helps each other, and this is a strong educational component.
I never wanted to move from Perm. Wherever I was, even in the most comfortable countries, I understood that nobody really needed us there. Only home waits for us with love and joy. When I observe the reality, I see that, despite all the crises, it is becoming calmer and more pleasant to live in Russia and in Perm. I love to go home.