Terrain

There are several different types of terrain we ski in Kamchatka.

First and most famous, is volcanoes. All the time it is alpine terrain, but varies from place to place. Each volcano has a unique shape and terrain, and has different features. Most classic – wide and endless snowfields, with a steepness from 25 to 40 degrees (on some volcanoes you can find pitches with consistent 47-48 degrees slopes!). You also can meet glaciers with a snow “steps”, narrow couloirs or even canyons with lava walls. Usually volcanoes have not much terrain micro features, but still there are some.

Another type of alpine terrain – slopes of Ganalsky and Sredinny ranges. Mostly sharp peaks, with not very long (usually 500-700 vertical meters) but steep slopes. It also has lot of terrain features and provides interesting skiing.

Very special part of this type is couloirs of Ganalsky range. Very steep, vertical, gnarly lines which allow only experts to climb and ski them. There is a lot of variations, just take a look on the pictures to see several examples of them.

And now we come to treeline. Big part of the peninsula is covered with hills rising up to 1000 meters above sea level, and they are mostly covered with trees. There are lots of different type of trees in Kamchatka but most common and famous is a birch, and to be more precise – Erman's birch. It is an extremely variable species and also can be found in Japan, Korea, and some parts of Russian Far East (Kuril islands and Sakhalin island). On the first look these hills look exactly like classic Japan-style tree skiing. But it would not be true, cause it is Kamchatka-style tree skiing! Actually, this type of terrain is the same in Kamchatka and Hokkaido, so we simply called it #kamkkaido. And it’s just perfect if you like tree-skiing, whenever it’s powder or corn snow.