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| Messages 1 - 37 of total 37 in this topic |
Nate D
climber
San Francisco
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Jan 24, 2011 - 07:28pm PT
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wow. thanks for sharing!
wonder if they've all been climbed yet. :)
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Jan 24, 2011 - 07:32pm PT
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Nice find Joseph!!!
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jan 24, 2011 - 07:42pm PT
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Very nice - I wonder what kind of rock those spires are, and how they formed? Is that the Lena River? Kind of looks like it - there are things south of Yakutsk called the Lena Pillars. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Pillars
This seems reminiscent of the "People of Stolby" thread. Russia is a very large and diverse place. Yakutsk is the coldest inhabited place of any size on earth - the climbing season must be pretty short.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jan 24, 2011 - 07:53pm PT
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hey there say, healyje... this is very nice... this set of rocks...
thanks for sharing...
:)
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 24, 2011 - 07:54pm PT
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Looking at the wiki entry for the Lena River, these pillars are on a small tributary river called the 'Sinsk River' heading north off the Lena River at Sinsk, Republic of Shaka, the river appears to be crawling with these pillars at every turn.
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Alexey
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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Jan 24, 2011 - 08:08pm PT
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wow, I had been in Yakutsk couple of times as airport transfer, but I've never knew about such beauties..
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 24, 2011 - 08:11pm PT
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I stand corrected, the pillars in the upper photo appear to be on the smaller Sinsk River, the ones in the lower photo had to be on the larger Lena River proper from the look of the size of the river in the photo. And sure enough there is a couple of bands of them directly on the Lena down-river of Sinsk across from Kytyl-Dyura.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 24, 2011 - 08:17pm PT
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Looks to be many lifetimes worth of climbing in the area, especially given the season is probably short. Plus you can head down-river to Severobaikalsk on Lake Baikal for some wind and kite surfing.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 24, 2011 - 09:26pm PT
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No matter how you try booking a flight from PDX > YKS they want to send you around the world the wrong way via New York and Moscow. Need to figure out a way to book PDX > NRT > YKS...
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Jan 24, 2011 - 09:28pm PT
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Looks wild!
Thanks for posting up!
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cintune
climber
the Moon and Antarctica
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Jan 24, 2011 - 09:42pm PT
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A post on mountainproject seems to indicate a no climbing policy. Hell of an evac if things go south. All limestones, dolomites, and shales according to the UNESCO world heritage site, too, so maybe a bit on the chossy side. Still cool to look at, anyway.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 24, 2011 - 09:51pm PT
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Just sent a note to some St. Petersburg guides asking them what the story over there is - what are the extents of the Nature Park (does it include both the Lena and Sinsk river pillars or just the Lena's), also let them know I was asking in the context of trad vs. sport climbing, so no bolting.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
leading the away team, but not in a red shirt!
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Jan 24, 2011 - 09:56pm PT
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Whoa. Freaky stuff, that.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 24, 2011 - 09:59pm PT
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Also dropped an email to Andrey Nikiforov, who's from Siberia and guides
Siberian rafting as well as Kamchatka Volcano trips. Someone will know what the deal is...
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 24, 2011 - 10:16pm PT
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Alexey, what's the story on traveling to YKS?
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Alexey
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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Jan 25, 2011 - 12:31am PT
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the story have nothing to do with climbing...
I was working in 80th in St- Petersburg's company which was responsible for design of Hydro- electric stations all over USSR. One of them was constructing on the river Vilyuy which merge with Lena river
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilyuy_River
I visited couple of times construction site of Vilyuy Hydro- electric stations-transferring from big airplan to small in Yakutsk airport, and actually never see Yakutsk itself.
Now I regret that I did not see this amazing formations. Anyway booth times I was there in winter and it was fricking cold -45C
Alexey
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 25, 2011 - 12:45am PT
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What's the best way to get there from the West Coast...?
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Jan 25, 2011 - 12:56am PT
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Call me a lightweight, but I will never again fly within Russia on their "airlines." Zero maintenance, Zero parts, old, and pilots who may or may not be sober. I have had several flights inside Russia on TU planes and NEVER again!
I will walk from Moscow to these pillars before I board a winged Russian deathtrap again.
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Alexey
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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Jan 25, 2011 - 12:56am PT
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The shortest is to fly from West coast international to Khabarovsk (Habarovsk?) and from there to Yakutsk local air (Aeroflot). But shortest is not always easiest in Russia.
I remember in 2003 I was planing trip from San Francisco to Russian Far East and in term of both time and money pick up the flight SFO- NewYork-Moskow- Khabarovsk.
edited: Ihateplastic - I would not worry about drunk pilots and plain crash traveling Aeroflot,( but my wife still remember Aeroflot service as horror dream) but it would be really difficult to travel Russian far east without Russian friend , or any communicator. Very few speak English, and in Yakutsk - you can count then with one hand fingers.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jan 25, 2011 - 01:55am PT
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I will walk from Moscow to these pillars before I board a winged Russian deathtrap again.
Those are words to live by. I've quite a few hours in some of those death
traps. I gots some stories. As a Commercial license holder and a Russian
Studies major I've always kept a finger on the pulse of their airline
industry. It is a sick puppy, at least as far as the domestic business is
concerned. There are some domestic airlines who are making an effort but
it is rather hit-or-miss. The sad part is that they build pretty good planes
and they have capable pilots (when they're sober) but the maintenance is
way beyond the pale.
An AN-124 crashed outside of Irkutsk in 1997 when a computer malfunction
shut off the fuel feed to the aircraft's engines! That is the official
cause although I recall reading in "Aviation Week" that fuel contamination
was also strongly suspected. That is something you expect in Africa not a
country with a space program.
ps
TFPU HEALY! COOL! Too bad most people who have gone out there weren't
there for the scenery. I doubt you could climb there in the summer unless
the wind was blowing the skeeters to Alaska.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Jan 25, 2011 - 02:01am PT
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rock and ice article in 3, 2, 1 weeks.
you heard it hear first
the TNN - Taco News Network
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Jan 25, 2011 - 02:09am PT
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Nice find. Incredible place.
Looks other Wordly. Wow.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 25, 2011 - 04:07am PT
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The forecast for this Friday is -43F.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 25, 2011 - 09:31am PT
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Nah, not worried. I've read a few TRs of people passing through just Yakuskt by land and river and it's pretty grueling. No reliable transport. Boat, train, and bus schedules all dubious. Mosquitoes the size of grizzly bears. No one speaks anything but Russian and the local language. Lots of shakey folks about. All in all, short of having oodles of time and money it seems like a pretty hardcore place to just venture through. I think David Lama would get his ass kicked there in short order.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 25, 2011 - 02:47pm PT
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Got this from Alexey:
Honestly the Lenskie Stolby is the remote place with long access and not prepared for climbing. As well in general the rocks there are not stable and very old. Only somewhere (a little) you may climb, and all the time with not very solid belay, because of the rock instability.
He must be a granite guy...
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cintune
climber
the Moon and Antarctica
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Jan 25, 2011 - 02:59pm PT
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Very old.... Cambrian carbonates... true 'nuff.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2011 - 07:01am PT
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Just got an email from a fellow named Slav who works for yakutiatravel.com (I presume govt) and he knows some rock climbers he's going to try and put me in touch with. Should be interesting...
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Jan 26, 2011 - 11:10am PT
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like china's stone forest or the spires of madagascar--only lots more of it, apparently.
skeeters? catch it right after the first frost. choss? something to drop on your FSB tail.
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Johnny K.
Mountain climber
Southern,California
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Jan 26, 2011 - 11:15am PT
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Next thing,you all will want to climb the ruins that go along the road of bones.
If anyone is seriously getting to Yakutsk without plane.Your best plan would be to take enduro bikes or offroad vehicles across the river to access Yakutsk.Think UNIMOG. You can also find some local to take you,try to get basic russian skills before heading out lol
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2011 - 02:48am PT
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Huh? No, I wouldn't climb anywhere protected, with petroglyphs, or prohibited. I'm only talking climbing trad and I don't use chalk. And that's why I'm talking with the folks there (just got turned on to some climbers), to find the extents of the park boundaries, what's allowed, and what isn't. There are clearly columns all over the area on several rivers. If you look at the yellow circles on the previous page you can see the Sinsk River has them at every turn. And yes, at least some portion of it all is nominated as a world heritage site and I certainly totally support that. Others parts are being developed into tourist parks. I guessing there has to be pillars which available to climb and given I can do the LNT thing if I went I don't feel like I'd be doing anyone a disservice. Personally I find it pretty hard to compare the two and a bit odd to be invoking the imagery of the one to glibly cast it over a possible LNT trip to the other.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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Jan 27, 2011 - 03:21am PT
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I heard the local ethic is free solo only, and then down solo(s) to get off. I hope you packed a lunch.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2011 - 03:33am PT
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You're right! I totally forgot about those crazy videos of masses of folks free soloing around. Turns out that place is about a 1000 miles to the west of Yakutsk. I'm guessing with softer rock around Yakutsk they may not be quite as into free soloing, but you never know given how scarce something like nylon ropes would have been for decades. I'm about to send an email to the local climbing 'community' in Yakutsk and I'll be sure and ask about that - thanks for the reminder!
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trucking si
Trad climber
brighton uk
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Dec 19, 2012 - 04:14pm PT
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i know im late on this but im doing a litle reserch on a climbing tour of russia genral idea is st petersburg to bernt straits i gather the season in the urals is may to sep so this could be a chalenge as i say this is sumthing im looking into for feasbilty but if it is posible there could be up to 15 seats. eney info on rock climbing in russia or info for russia/thorts is most welcom
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 25, 2017 - 10:24pm PT
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Would still love to go, what a sight. Not happening for awhile with all the work I have happening - sigh.
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| Messages 1 - 37 of total 37 in this topic |
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