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2012 Yakutsk Spring Race Tournament by Mammoth Off-Road Club [photos]

Bolot — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:16:36 +0000

It’s already a good tradition. Annually, Mammoth Yakutsk Off-Road Club arranges the spring race, that officially opens the season for the club’s all-terrain events. It happens in April, when snow is still on the ground. This year was not exception.

Last weekend, the club held the snow race tournament called “Spring Melting.” Participants were devided into different categories depending on a vehicle type and they needed to compete who would come to the finish line first.

Ok. No more words, take a look at my following photographs.

By the way, let me know, what a type of a car you have and whether you participate in any races. If yes, give us a link to check.Similar Posts:

Kihilyakh & the Fire of the 5th Children of Asia International Sports Games [87 photos]

Bolot — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:27:10 +0000

To visit Kihilyakh, sacred stones in Verkhoyansk district in North-East Yakutia, was my long dream. I’ve never been to that area. And, finally, I made it.

Two weeks ago, I received a call. There was Yakutia’s Vice President Dmintry Glushko on the phone. Amazing. He asked, whether I wanted to go to Kihilyakh. “My god! Definitely,” I said. He continued, “There will be the ceremony of lighting of the Fire of the 5th Children of Asia International Sports Games.”

What is Kihilyakh?

Stones on hills in Verkhoyansky district of Yakutia. They look gorgeous and they are considered to be sacred and worshipped highly by Sakha people. This place is more like Mecca. It is believed, when you touch stones, you recharge yourself and get the power of nature.

Photos of Kihilyakh in summer

Legend about Kihilyakh (Stone People)

Elders say that there were People of Sunlight living on Earth in the ancient time. Their thoughts were as clean as spring water, and their deeds like milk brought abundance and prosperity into the Middle World. The world was kept in peace and order, and no wars and fights happened, as People of Sunlight owned the Sacred Fire, that had ability to endow strength and courage, wisdom and longevity. Evil Spirits of the Lower World learned about the fire. They got a strong desire to bring maladies and wars to the people and they decided to steal the magic fire.

To protect the land, People of Sunlight clashed in a battle with Evil Spirits of the Lower World at the top of the mountain at the coldest place on Earth, where nothing lived nor grew. Skies filled with lightnings, grounds trembled under warriors’ feet, and Evil Spirits were defeated for ever and ever. To guard the Sacred Fire, People of Sunlight stayed on the mountain and turned into stones to become eternal sentinels. Even now the fire might be seen in the sky as bright flames of the Northern Lights.

What is The Children of Asia International Sports Games?

Children of Asia is the biggest sports event held by Republic of Sakha-Yakutia once in four years. This summer we’ll have it for the 5th time.

The 5th Children of Asia International Sports Games is supported by Olympic Council of Asia, Russian Olympic Committee, and Nike (as a sponsor), etc. Everything about the Games might be learned on its official website www.gamesasia.ru.

What was the event held on Kihilyakh on March 28th, 2012?

The official fire of the 5th Children of Asia was lit and the torch relay started.

During 100 days, Children of Asia Torch Relay will cover 32256 km and go through 197 settlements across Yakutia.

The first, who took the torch fire, was bronze Olympic winner, boxer Georgy Balakshin. The second was Pavel Pinigin, free-wrestler, Olympic winner.

The event was visited by high guests, namely by Olympic Council of Asia member Gofur-Arslonbek Rakhimov, National Olympic Committee of Russia Secretary General Marat Bariev, representative of sponsoring companies, Nike and Megafon.

In below photographs you can see our fly in AN 24 over the Lena River, Verkhoyansk mountains, the Yana River, welcome ceremony in Batagai Airport, Kihilyakh, torch relay start celebration in the village of Elges, and Batagai Airport.

SEE PHOTOGRAPHS:
*Click thumbnails to enlarge picture in big size.

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Early winter downhill cycling in Yakutsk, Yakutia, Siberia / Russia

Bolot — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:36:48 +0000

Dimitri Kieffer halted Nexus Expedition until 2012! This year he and Gulnara made it from Magadan to Yakutsk by bicycles. By the way, I wrote two posts about his expedition at AskYakutia.com.

On his last day in Yakutsk, he and fellows of Yakutsk Bicycle Club excersized downhill cycling in the city’s suburb. See more winter cycling pictures.

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Snowboarding in the Land of Stalin’s gulags… Oymyakon, Siberia / Russia

Bolot — Tue, 10 May 2011 05:07:05 +0000

If you wonder, what young people do in Ust Nera, the administrative center of Yakutia’s Oymyakon region, especially on a sunny winter day, here is the answer. They take snowboards and snowboarding gears, get to the closest mountain, climb, climb, climb, and enjoy riding on the snow from uphill.

Take a look at pictures taken by Egor Fedorov and his friends this past April. Click thumbnails to see pictures in large sizes.

By the way, I should call the post “Snowboarding in the Siberian land of Stalin’s gulags,” as labour camps are all around that place and Ust Nera is located on the famous Kolyma Highway known mostly as the Road of Bones.

No special snowboarders’ camp at all. Total wildness.

Via Agor and Sibumi.Similar Posts:

Yakutians won at the 2011 “Ice on Whyte” Ice Sculpture Festival in Edmonton, Canada

Bolot — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:30:12 +0000

An artist of Yakutia and the ice sculpture on the famous Whyte Ave. in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Ice sculptors, Fedor Makarov and Alexei Andreev, from the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia. With gold medals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Yesterday on eYakutia.com – English Yakutia facebook page (so, please, follow us on it as well) I have already broken the news about our Yakutian ice sculptors’ victory in the 2011 ice carving competition at “Ice on Whyte” Ice Sculpture Festival in Edmonton, Alberta/Canada. Now I am going to repeat it again:

Woo hoo! Artists of Yakutia, Fedor Makarov and Alexei Andreev, won the ice sculptures competition in Canada! So proud of our fellows!

Legend of the Half Moon

Here is what Canadians said about our guys, the Russians came...the Russians conquered! the carving competititon winners are Ice Art of Sakha, artists Fyodor Markov and Vladimir Ignatjev from the Republic of Sakha, Russia

What is the “Ice on Whyte” Ice Sculpture Festival?

It is an annual event named after the famous Whyte Ave in the area of Old Strathcona, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. If to be more precise, it takes place a couple of blocks behind Whyte Ave, on 85th Avenue and 104th Street. Lasts 10 days.

The festival features the ice carving competition, during which an ice carver must show off his/her talent and create the sculpture out of 15 ice blocks only. When the contest is over, the “Ice on Whyte” Festival continues for one more week so giving Edmonton residents to enjoy icy masterpieces.

This year’s event wasn’t exception. The fest’s official website: IceOnWhyte.ca

Fedor Makarov and Alexei Andreev, who regular participate and win prizes at the Harbin Ice Sculptures Festival in China, crafted and presented the ice art called Legend of the Half Moon (see in the above pic).

With it, they earned the Grand Prix and People’s Choice Award. Their were considered much better than Ice Drifters from Canada and the Harbin #1 team from China.

Currently, guys from Siberia are still in Edmonton. Think they are enjoying other ice carvers’ works and company

In Yakutsk their ice masterpieces might be seen in the Chochur Muran ice tunnel as well as on the territory of the Atlasovs’ ethnographic complex. Both are located on Vilyujsky Trakt.

Back home to the Siberian city of Yakutsk, they might participate in the construction of so-called ice city initiated by the famous Russian promoter, Andrey I.
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Alexander Shadrin, of Yakutia, is Russia’s best ice sculptor

Bolot — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:34:46 +0000

Guess, who Russia’s best ice sculptor is at the moment. Right you are. Alexander Shadrin from Yakutia.

On the Russian Christmas Eve, the Yakut artist was recognized and declared the winner of the Russian ice sculpture tournament consisted of three stages held in Murmansk, St. Petersburg and Moscow. Mr. Shadrin earned the Grand Prix and the right to design and make ice sculptures for 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Alexander Shadrin participated in all three stages of the tournament in Murmansk, St. Petersburg and Moscow. At each place, Yakutian artist created very stunning complicated ice sculptures.

An ice sculpture by Alexander Shadrin in Murmansk. Photo credit: Alena-alena from LiveInternet.ru. Click the photo to enlarge.

In Murmansk he was inspired by the shamanism theme. He showed the composition of a man, a horse and a tambourine. Local bloggers say his creature should win in their city. As they describe, all people couldn’t stop admiring his piece of ice arts.

In St Petersburg he won the competition by displaying the sculpture on the hunt theme. His reindeer and harlequins stunned the jury with their finesse and baffling complexity.

In the Moscow final he crafted the figure of the Russian icon painter, Dionysus, who was the successor of Andrey Rublev’s work.

Yakutsk Vechernyj‘s with Alexander Shadrin:

“It is not the first year of my competing in such tournaments. I tend to participate with my whole family, wife and three sons. All of them do work with ice. This time I was alone from Yakutia and the only representative of Russia’s Far East. I felt a huge responsibility on myself. The contest was unusual. Ten ice sculptors were allowed and obliged to attend three tournament stages held in three Russian cities. Was really pleased that I made it to the 10 top out of two thousands applicants from the country and abroad,” Mr. Shadrin said.

Creating the ice figure of Dionysus in Moscow, Russia. Click on the photo to enlarge.

One of top ten ice artists and from Yakutia…

Where is the kingdom of permafrost? Certainly, in Yakutia. That’s why an invitation was sent to our far away region as well and here the republic’s ministry of culture suggested me as a candidate and sent out samples of my previous ice sculptures.

In Moscow, you have won the right to design and create the ice sculptures of the Olympic Sochi 2014…

Yes, that was my final purpose and motivation! In Moscow, according to the initial program, the competition should be held on Red Square, but then it was moved to the territory of St. Basil’s Cathedral. If the first theme was Sports, then it has been devoted to the 450th anniversary of the St. Basil’s Cathedral construction. I worked all night on sketches. Stopped my choice on the iconography of the 16th century. It was Dionysus. I keep that drawing in my studio now. Dionysus holds a paintbrush in one hand and an icon in the other.

Were you allowed to use any color in sculptures?

No. Lights only.

You had worked with ice in different parts of the Earth …

Yes, I understand your hint. Ice around the world is different. Here in Siberia’s Yakutia it is strong, but turns out to be brittle. In Europe and West Russia it is much softer. That’s why it is possible to create whatever you want, any ice sculpture.
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A Yakutian pensioner completed jogging from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok

Bolot — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:00:17 +0000

Pyotr Naumov, 61, spent 7 months on running Russian roads from Kalinigrad to Vladivostok

Last week all Yakutsk-published newspapers went out with news about 61-year-old Yakutian pensioner Pyotr Naumov, who finished his 7-month across-the-country jogging. Russian news agencies, including Voice of Russia, featured Petr Naumov’s brave expedition as well.

Voice of Russia wrote:

A visually impaired pensioner of Yakutsk has traversed Russia from west to east, jogging 12,000 km from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok in 8 months.

Pyotr Naumov, 61, defied his age and poor eyesight when he set out on a long-distance run from Russia’s westernmost city in late March, pulling a two-wheel cart with his unsophisticated luggage behind him.

For a man who can only see the world around him through thick lenses, reading numerous road sings was certainly not easy. He jogged 50 km a day and slept in a tent, bracing cold, rain and scorching heat. At the end of his journey, tired but happy, he expressed warm gratitude to all those who helped his dream come true.

It was a very difficult run both in terms of organizing and financing. My relatives and friends helped me. And the people I met along my way also helped me a lot – people in Yakutia and in all other regions, and even foreigners.

From Vladivostok, Naumov took a plane to his native Yakutia where he was given a hearty welcome. The republic’s Vice President Dmitry Glushko presented him with the Medal of Civil Valor.

The pensioner dedicated his action to the 65th anniversary of Russia’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Fyodor Kolesov of the Yakutia Public Expertise organization that sponsored the run described it an act of unprecedented bravery:

A visually impaired man has proven that anyone, even the disabled, can cope with any difficulties. We thank him for his deed and we thank all other disabled persons who commit such deeds. They prove that that the fortitude of human spirit is boundless.

The disabled often need that fortitude to battle their everyday problems. Russia has 13 million of physically impaired people. To make their lives more comfortable, the government has a special “friendly environment” program designed to create conditions that would enable the handicapped to move around freely, work, practice sports, visit theaters and museums, and do lots of other things, living a normal, full-fledged life and not feeling social outcasts. As the Yakut pensioner has just proven, they have the willpower and all they need is just a little bit of help.

When I’ll have more free time, I’ll try to translate the local newspaper’s interview with Pyotr Naumov.Similar Posts:

Just another weekend off-roading near Yakutsk, Yakutia/Siberia

Bolot — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:14:09 +0000

I do really admire these pals. I mean Artyom and Katerina (see the above pic), the co-founders of the Adv.Yktv.ru Siberian adventure blog, and guys of the Yakutsk off-roading club “Mammoth” (http://off-road.ykt.ru/) with its chief Dima Khvatov. If to alter the text of the World Cup Coca-Cola commercial song, they might be always singing, “Give us a reason to off-road higher!” Right. They are easy-going. They are always striving for impassible terrains to go through.

Yakutsk off-roading fans are really lucky. They don’t need to ride on their 4wds, ATVs and motor bikes far away. They just need to get out of the city and make a turn from a road, and here we are. The famous Siberian taiga with lots of challenges is always near!

This time they had two reasons. First, that’s the weekend. Second, a strong wish to get dirty and have sauna inside a special tent with a heating furnace. The latter opportunity was provided by the Yakutsk-based company “Mobilnaya Banya” (A mobile sauna in English). Its director is in a red t-shirt in one of below-listed photographs.

You could see this commando-like guy in my previous post dedicated to 2010 Yakutia Open Off-Roading Championship. That event promised to be annual was also hosted by The Mammoth Yakutsk Off-Roading Club.

So… if you like these guys and their activity, please, do me a favor, spread a word about them around the world. They reall deserve such honour!Similar Posts:

The World Cup Poll: Yakutsk loves Brazil, likes Germany, England & even Honduras

Bolot — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:05:21 +0000

Poll results: the World Cup favorite teams in Yakutsk, Siberia

The Yakutsk-based news portal Ykt.ru is conducting the poll asking Internet users which one of football teams they support at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Russia didn’t make it to the final, so it is not in the list.

So… Poll results show that Yakutsk definitely loves Brazil. This national team is like a must to admire. By the way, I am among Brazil fans. In my case, I like their way of playing. They are artists, indeed. The town dwellers also support England and Germany… England? Because of Rooney, Beckham (though he is not in the team), Manchester United, Chealsea, Premier League… Germany? Well, easy to say “Just because”… But it won’t be true. Germans have guts!

If by any chance you would arrive in Yakutsk, start talking about football, but with guys, certainly. Ladies prefer Sex & the City instead When discussing the current team standings, please, make stress on Brazil, Germany and England, and recall Honduras and South Korea as well.Similar Posts:

Siberia Challenge: 2010 Yakutia Open Off-Roading Championship

Bolot — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:55:41 +0000

Location: Yakutsk, Siberia/Russia.
Dates: Jun. 11-13, 2010.
Off-roading contests: sprint, GPS-orienteering, trophy.
Participants competed on 4x4s, ATVs, motorcycles, bicycles, trekkers.

More texts are coming. Meanwhile, see 64 photos of the real Siberian challenge.

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