Prehistory
In autumn 2006, I caught the eye of promotional fares of Siberia. Sale was very "sweet"! Particularly attracted its price (3800 USD. Round trip) tickets to Irkutsk. I'm tempted to buy tickets 6 of his comrades, and from October to February, we lived in anticipation of a winter lake. As we accumulate information about Lake Baikal winter I came across an article by Alexander Tokarev and Oleg Steps on their winter journey to Baikal ice skating. That it was a sensation! I was ecstatic! The idea of traveling to skate for long distances I was very impressed. Firstly, it is fully consistent with my internal mood of the autonomous multi-day trip to beautiful places, and secondly, it was something new. And it is not for nothing that I have a few years earlier, plunged into the world of mountain and ski touring, pondering on this topic:
"This is a bicycle - they can ride in one day, and you can go on trips. There are kayaks, on whom you can also go for a weekend in the suburbs or to leave for 2-3 weeks in distant regions. There's skiing, where you can go to multi-day hikes. Hence, we can skate and arrange something like that? Oh yes, it requires ice, and a lot of ice! Where is this found? "- I sighed. Only Dutch painting, where a simple urban audience of 17-18 centuries. cuts across the ice extended urban ponds to skate with long curved blades, continued to maintain confidence in me that once the ends have come together to end ...
At that time, in 2007, except for the above article, I could not dig up any material on skates for the respective journeys, we calmed down and went easy on Olkhon, a walk on the eastern and western coast, went on a trip to Uzury and Hoboyu. Olkhon icy incrustations on coastal rocks, ice cave, and incredibly smooth and transparent ice of Lake Baikal, where you can skate drove off a few miles away, and they are covering a few miles better than the Moscow city rinks - it was fabulous! I really liked the Baikal in winter, and the idea of traveling on skates is not extinguished, and waited for a new round of events.
A new turn took place in autumn 2009, when I again found a rather attractive tickets Siberia by 6400 Rub. Return to Irkutsk. In parallel with the tickets, I found that traveling on skates on Lake Baikal are no longer isolated, Irkutsk people that make such attacks quite regularly and that the site's forum http://www.angara.net now you can find lots of information to prepare for a similar journey. I threw the cry of a people, and immediately found several like-minded people. Sasha J. (with great ardor supported the idea of a hike and still have not traveled with us) surprisingly quickly dug out a link to the company «Shilov skate», in which we subsequently purchased our skates to travel. Everything was going: like-minded people, skating, information, tickets! We had to act.
Predpohodnaya training was not so vain: slowly bought tickets and skates, gradually began to try these out on the city rinks, there were thoughts on how to improve skating, in parallel with this, I read reports from other travelers and monitored the ice situation at Lake Baikal. Already close to the case (when, finally, to clarify the route of our way) we had to attend to transportation and other issues. Here in the last few days had put pressure a little bit: the layout, it turns out we have not prepared, and skates are not sharpened at all, and fixing altered, and instead ordered, was a bus shuttle was detected. Route, incidentally, was selected closer to the departure (before that was a few global options), asice situation in the lake is changing very quickly (within about a week): Can one night of snow pile up so much that later on skates is not sweet to have, maybe a few days to inflate snow cover, which was lying a month ...
Thus, the winter Baikal ... Next dry details of our trip. I hope they dry brighten photos, talking more than words.
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Our planned route Buguldeika - Listvyanka (140 km) have been completely in the right time. The weather was beautiful, as expected: from -2 to +4 during the day, from -11 to -2 at night (or rather, at a time when we have looked at the thermometer). Here are just starting the third day, all the while blowing a headwind.
About the wind. Firstly, when the wind (and he's not weak), it seems much colder, and the person has to pack in Balaclava and ski mask. Secondly, the wind greatly affects the speed of movement. Skates - very malleable, and our backs with backpacks were good sails (especially when it was seen by Lisa). When the second day of the fair wind blew, we were literally carried away ahead! Of course, I realize that it is not blowing so hard, but what is this thing, when everything begins to fall because the speed does not have time to see the small cracks and get back skating, and when the girl sitting on a backpack, blows to the right place backpacker! But that day we drove the greatest distance (36 km). When the wind was blowing towards us, the rate has fallen markedly. No sticks with this wind it is almost impossible to go!
   
Of ice. Most of the way, fortunately, as declared meteosnimki, ice was the mirror-clean! It was fantastic to behold and a pleasure to ride! Imagine a huge rink of excellent quality, and completely unloaded by other skiers! Mmmm ... It places the ice hummocks (heaps of rubble ice of different sizes), but mostly near the shore. They repeatedly had to fight, wading ashore at night (near the coast they were on 50 meters wide, but just in the middle of the lake - normally the width in meters). Sometimes (but not too often) met the so-called (by us) "rough" ice. This is when it sort of visually transparent and smooth, but it is clear that in some places, in shallow depressions, accumulated snow. Only a small spot of 3 * 3 cm, having lain on the ice in zavetrivaniya more than 2-3 days - and the speed at this spot is lost now! On this ice had become slow and carefully maneuver between these spots. There were also fragments of jagged ice simply type washboard, but it perezhivaemo, and not so many of them were. But the saddest situation was waiting for us at the site Big Cats - Listvyanka. Sometimes the ice was not visible at all under the snow, had to walk. Well even if there is snow and a long strip - skates are somewhat similar to a cat, and walk on packed snow in them comfortably (blades fail, but you seem to be in normal walking shoes). But when chunks of ice and snow alternate - it is very difficult! Once again in the evening the snow fell (was a snowstorm lasting about 10-15 minutes on the ice was formed even snow, resembling a thin, thin feather shawl), and Baikal instantly transformed: he was white, like the rest of the lake, covering the winter snow . Too cute.To go specifically do not mind the snow, here are just some of the cracks were not visible ... In general, I believe that the ice we are very, very lucky!
We can not, of course, not to mention about the beauty of ice, about the variety of his drawings, cracks, shapes, colors. That words and even pictures can not convey! He is handsome, in general! Those places where cracks do not generally like to just expanse of water. Go to such places even a little scary: It seems that under you only water ... In the evenings, the ice begins to crack, hoot, gurgle ... It was a bit scared to spend the night on the ice of Lake Baikal, pressing his ear to his liking, and hearing how loud his digestive processes occur - as if the abyss swallowed someone and slowly chewed ...
    
About the place. What can I say? The route originally laid not only on the open ice, but also because of the beautiful places that we could see. Place very much. Was in most parts of the coast in the summer - it was interesting to compare summer and winter. In winter there is a big plus: it is much more accessible are many places to which the summer you can only get on the water! Even hard to identify something: like the coast after Buguldeika in Sandy Bay area, near Cape Kadil 'nyi and after the Big Cats. In some places you could see ice on coastal rocks. Of course, after seeing on Hoboe and Uzury (on the island of Olkhon) the picture is more faded, but still beautiful, just a smaller scale ... The banks mostly pine. You can not find parking anywhere (about half of the coastline shore breaks rocks into the lake), but it is always possible.And beautiful and with good wood! The most important thing in winter - there is no one around!
   
About people. Seen several times (three times during the journey and 10 times in the B.Kotov-Listvyanka) machine. Basically, the "loaf", "Niva" and jeeps. But there are "nine"  Yet met a cyclist from the Ukraine. Traveling from Kultuk in Severobaikalsk. Just when we wind was blowing in the face ("vmordu-wind"). Him in the back, then - lucky! Fishermen have also seen (a couple of people) across the Big Goloustnoye, well, at Sandy Bay - an employee of Victor Arsenievich weather station, in whose house was one night.
    
Of beasts.A beast not seen any. Traces on the shore too. True, we are far from the coast did not go for a walk, and even snow on the shore there is little - no place to print off paws and hoofs. Traces were mainly horse, in the form of excrement. Birds flew: crows, sparrows, and about the same size other birds. Those who want to watch (and looked, but not everyone) seals in Listvyanka (in nerpinarii - is something like a circus, or at the Limnological Museum, the aquarium).
Pro skates. In the campaign we all bought skates Zandstra Easy Glyder http://speedise.com/catalog/blades/Zand ... Glider.jpg In Moscow, just other skates for hiking long distances do not sell, and order through the Internet would be more expensive. Initially, it was clear that the skates are not reliable: flimsy short straps. As for trekking / mountaineering boots, these belts for some reason does not close (missing length), then before leaving home pokorpet all had to invent the bicycle. As a result, the most reliable options were mounting options made by Victor and I and Dima (based on both options are snowboard strap), with other variants of the same problems arose, and at the end of the campaign Leon even managed to tear a whole strap from the platform together with a screw fixing It should be noted that the Baikal Leonid had a destructive force, so much equipment in his hands radiated last gasp  Summary: buy skates presented above is possible, but we need to refine the mind, and then they can serve (hopefully) more than one trip.
   
Of other equipment.Of special outfit I want to note the following:
- Sticks (or ski trekking, their main feature - must be sharpened tip, and without sticks bad and sad);
- Secured (nice to have at least a knee, but better and elbow pads, especially those who are skating uncertain; helmet in general, would also not hurt, but he was too lazy to drag);
- Ski mask and Balaclava (save for a very strong wind that Baikal is not uncommon);
- Concentration (very helpful to us when the band is stretched, though, of course, be without them);
- We also took with them ice screws, which were going to put (and put) a tent on the ice (as it turned out, may be useful for very windy conditions to sustain themselves on the ice, if far from the shore);
- Booties (in cold or windy weather is still better to go to shoe covers, but, of course, individually).
About that visit, "except". As already reported, in Listvyanka have Limnological Museum (Museum of Lake Baikal), including the aquarium seals (7 years ago, the aquarium was not!) is nerpinary submissions, there are plenty of hotels and eaten, the fish market. In nerpinary not gone, but the museum Girls Gone (and we have not had time to time - had to go to Baikalsk). In Baikalsk can enjoy glyzhah / snowboarding (Resort Mount Sable »: http://www.baikalski.com/). Trails do so itself (although special ride from Moscow to skate there should not be), the lift chair is good, and the most awesome in the resort - a species from the mountains to Lake Baikal! It can be seen, if not half of the lake, the third exactly (in good weather)! Housing is very cheap, skating is not very cheap. In the area of Slyudyanka and Kultuk is cross-country ski trails along the lake and on it. Local rides set. Rode in the train - so just a few cars of skiers sat in those places!
     
About the cost of the trip. Tickets Moscow-Irkutsk-Moscow (a / k Siberia) worth 6,800 rubles. Skates cost about 2000 rubles. (All bought at different times, price varies). Budget camping (ridge) side (transport, food, etc.) amounted to 1,300 rubles per person. (At 5.5 days). Budget katatelnoy part in Baikalsk (room: 300 euro / pers. In a rented apartment, on a weekday ski pass - 850 rub., Ski pass for half the day off - 750 rubles per person.) Amounted to 3,500 rubles per person. (2 days). Hotel in Irkutsk, 500 rubles per person. (Two 6-bed room). Taxi from hotel to airport 140 rubles. (Four of them climbed up with a bunch of things). Total overall budget travel with tickets, skates, hotels, food, skating and other things was not more than 16 000 rubles per person. For those who do not skate (Liza, Sasha) - even less.For those who took the ski / board at box office (Victor, Leon) - a little more.
Summary. Baikal in winter is very good! Deserves a full ride. The ice of Lake Baikal - the perfect ice rink! Baikal itself - a source of inspiration and positive emotions. All failed! Everyone who helped, worried, took part - thanks!
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Technical details:
• Flight 778 a / the "Sibir": from the Msc in 21-15 (Moscow time) in Irkutsk, 7-45 (Irkutsk time).
• Bus Irkutsk - Buguldeika (350 rub. Rub.krupnogabaritny ticket + 100 bags): walks in the winter from the bus 1 day a week, on Saturdays (seemingly), departure at 10-30. The journey takes around 3.5 hours
• Bus trips Listvyanka - Irkutsk are frequent (about 6 buses a day, taxis often) takes about 1 hour. Cost 94 rubles.
• Electric Irkutsk - Baikal: direct train only one (18-49 rapid departure from Irkutsk-Passenger, on the way to Baikal-passenger about 3 h), as only one direct train, which has a stop in Baikalsk (Irkutsk - Naushki). Back traveled on two trains (not the Express, so long): Up to Slyudyanka (about 50 min) and from Slyudyanka to Irkutsk (about 3 hours with all the stops). And the Express, and chaise trains are 83 rubles. And between the Baikal and Irkutsk there a bus connection. Minibuses go on an unknown schedule, but can take right from home. Stand - about 150 rubles per person.
• Flight 777 a / the "Sibir": from Irkutsk to 10-25 (Irkutsk time), in the Msc in 11-15 (Moscow time).
• There are many private cabbies on the ice of Lake Baikal and on other fronts.
Author: Gauloises
Reviews and comments: http://forum.awd.ru/viewtopic.php?f=616&t=93416&start=0
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