FAQ

Yes, you can arrive earlier if you wish. Please let us know when booking a tour, that you are planning to arrive earlier, and we will help you find accommodation and plan your stay.

In the combined group, we can never guarantee a certain level of skiing. We base our judgement on the answers provided by our guests to the following questions: How long have you been skiing? How often? Where do you ski? How can you define your level of skiing? But the answers are always subjective and everyone can interpret the questions differently.

Participants on snowmobile tours gather at the place agreed on the day before. Means of transport: snowmobile (snowmobile passenger seat or snowmobile passenger sled).

We are for the safe observation of wild animals. Human presence near marine mammals (and any wild animals) in their natural environment can lead to a deterioration in their lives and even to the threat of extinction.

Keep in mind that the marine mammals that we may encounter on a boat trip/kayak, such as whales, orcas and sea lions, are very large and can become dangerous if they feel threatened. They can attack and damage kayaks and injure people.

Also, many species of marine mammals are protected by law, and approaching them in kayaks or on ships is prohibited and can lead to unpleasant consequences.

We do not require an insurance policy for summer programs, but we recommend that you protect yourself from unexpected expenses.

There are portals that include several proven companies and offers for any of the extreme activities.

For self-registration of the policy on the website www.saveprolife.ru:

1. Select the country of travel — Russia;

2. Designate the period of the trip;

3. The age of the tourist, if you have a group, then click «Add» and enter the age. For a one-time registration for a group, you can issue a policy for 5 people at once;

4. Press sports extreme — Select a sport — trekking up to 3500 m / yachting / jeeping;

5. Click «Find».

In the second step, you will drop insurance programs.

Select program Alpha Classic C, coverage — 40000 $/€. To get a 5% discount, use the promo code «spl».

This is our recommendation, you can take out insurance with similar conditions from any company.

Our catamaran is characterized by increased comfort: the organization of the living space allows you to create privacy and freedom of movement. With a length of 15 meters and a width of 7 meters, there are five cabins with beds, lighting, sockets and storage space. The cabins are spacious enough and comfortable to stay on board for a long time.

In the conditions of a sea voyage, especially a long one, the little things come to the fore, so familiar in everyday life and especially valuable if they stay together for a long time away from the coast. Therefore, two independent and spacious latrines (toilets) with showers and one more shower at the stern can no doubt be attributed to the indisputable advantages of a catamaran.

The stable construction of the catamaran allows it to feel quite confident on the water. In this case, we get a safer and more enjoyable swimming experience. People who suffer from seasickness for the most part feel good. Rolling, compared to a conventional yacht, is less noticeable. The galley (kitchen) has everything you might need for cooking, including serving utensils. There is a large dining table and soft seats.

When buying airplane tickets, it is important to consider the time difference between the point of departure and Kamchatka. For example, if your tour starts on 01 April, it means that you need to be in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on 01 April. And it means that you need to depart from Moscow, Novosibirsk or Irkutsk on 31 March. From Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Sakhalin or Blagoveshchensk, you can depart on the same date, provided there is a convenient flight. You can arrive at any hour of the day or night of your tour start date, or earlier. Next-day (after the start date) arrival is not permitted, irrespective of the tour programme. Depending on the weather, the tour schedule may change and you risk missing the start of the tour, which is not refundable. The last date of the tour is the return flight date. You may fly back on this date or any time after. If returning to Moscow, you will land on the same date you departed from Kamchatka. The same applies to other cities in Russia, with a difference of one hour.

The insurance must be valid throughout the entire duration of the tour and cover the following: «freeride / off-piste skiing or snowboarding / skiing or snowboarding in non-marked areas». Merely stating «Mountain skiing» will not suffice! Medical insurance is mandatory for all tour participants.

With Moscow +9 hours (if it is 12:00 in Moscow, it is 21:00 in Kamchatka).

Yes, you can arrive earlier if you wish. Please let us know when booking a tour, that you are planning to arrive earlier, and we will help you find accommodation and plan your stay.

No special training is required, but you need to be in a minimally good physical shape.

Your additional expenses may be alcohol, lunch on a free day, caviar, fish you may buy on the market for yourself or as a souvenir. You will also most likely want to buy presents for yourself and family and friends.

Skiing season in Kamchatka starts to the fullest in mid-February and ends in May, but it is possible to start skiing already in December — January. This is why we organise our tours during this period. The weather has lately become unpredictable, with no specific pattern and while one year the most suitable snow and weather conditions can be in April, the following year it is in February and then again in March. Known as the snowiest month with the most abundant snowfall, March has not been justifying this title lately. Yet, we have also cases when tourists could not ski in March at all due to heavy snowfall. In other words, is hard to predict the weather with a 100% certainty. Checking the forecast one week ahead, even the first 1 or 2 days cannot give a certain indication of what it will be line on the tour. So, trust your destiny and karma and choose the most optimal tour dates. And remember that we have already done our best to choose the best possible dates.

The particularity of Kamchatka is that the most interesting and beautiful sites and areas are remote can only be accessed on off-road vehicles. Not every experienced driver on a well-equipped vehicle can always cover the 80 km on the map. The road itself is just one part of the job, the rest requires precise understanding of the direction, confident use of the vehicle’s capabilities, knowledge of the smallest nuances and changes on the day: a snowfield over a river can thaw, for example, in one day. An experienced driver guide will pay attention to the tiniest new crack in the snowfield, while a newbie on this road will not and will risk falling through into the snowfield. And bear in mind that along the way, you need to drive over snowfields, sharp ascents and descents, dry river beds and fords or along dirt road tracks. Even vehicles prepared for such obstacles often need additional assistance — a winch, a shovel and control of the situation help out. This is why a simple city car is good for driving around the city or to the Khalaktyrsky beach in the summer, provided the road has been graded, while all 4×4 tours require well-prepared vehicles and an experienced driver.

In winter and spring there is still snow in the Valley of Geysers and all the natural beauty of the place remains hidden. That is why there are no group tours until the beginning of summer. Individual flights are possible on small helicopters and the price is provided on request.

Snowmobile tours are suitable for both adults and children with slight age restrictions:

• Children under 4 years of age are not allowed to join our tours;

• Children between 4 to 6 years of age — upon prior agreement;

• Children between 6 to 12 years of age — ₽4,000/person;

• Children over 12 years of age — full adult price.

On open sea tours, our team is doing its best to make sure our guests can enjoy marine animal watching, as per the tour programme. It is alas not possible to have an agreement with wild animals and we cannot give a 100% guarantee that you will see orcas on a specific tour. We only know that the more days you spend at sea, the higher the chance of seeing them.

Yes, we always require a medical insurance for all our tours. A complete travel insurance with extreme sports coverage — for hiking up to 2,500 m, yachting, kayaking / surfing.

Different insurance companies have different policy options and you may be required to pay for an additional winter / extreme sports add-on. Further conditions may be the minimum number of people on a tour.

Please remember in Kamchatka in case of emergency an ordinary ambulance may not be able to reach the mountains or the ocean and special assistance may be required. Please ensure that your insurance covers all the scenarios.

Do explain to your insurance provider the nature or your trip and should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The main cost of a heli-ski tour is the helicopter flight time, bearing in mind that Mi-8 helicopters fly in mountainous terrain and pilots must have a specific flying licence. The more there is flight time on a tour, the more expensive the tour is.

On sailing tours, guests sleep in the cabins, not on the shore. For the night, the vessel is anchored in a quiet locked-in bay, so at night it gently sways on the waves — exactly what you need for a good sleep.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is a relatively small city. You can walk around its historical centre on your own or take a three-hour tour. This can be done right on the day of arrival (tours must be arranged in advance). On the Mishennaya sopka you can watch the sunset or the sunrise — a beautiful view opens from up there. You can reach it either on foot, taking a bus at «5 km» bus stop or by taxi. Tour programme usually (but not always) takes this into account. There is no need to set an extra day aside.

Groups up to 4 people — 1 guide; 5–9 people — 2 guides; 10–15 people — 3 guides; 16–19 people — 4 guides.

Usually a day of freeride with snowmobile drop-offs includes 6-8 descents. Each subsequent descent is paid for additionally.

A typical heli-ski day (not a short tour) envisages 6 to 10 descents, depending on the level of skiing of the group, snow conditions, wind strength and remoteness of the skiing area.

We custom-design tours for guests who do not ski or snowboard in accordance with their interests so that they still spend a lot of time with those who do: in the evenings or on certain trips. Many our guests have availed of this option!

Everything you need for the trip is prepared by the guide. You can take photo and video equipment and portable chargers for gadgets.

With Moscow +4 hours. If in Moscow it is 12 am, then in Sheregesh it is 4 pm.

Transfer from Novokuznetsk airport to Sheregesh will be organized by a comfortable minibus and will take about 3 hours. Please contact us additionally if a transfer through Novosibirsk is important for you, however, keep in mind that in this case the road to Sheregesh by car will take about 7 hours and may be significantly longer due to weather conditions on the highway. If you arrive in Novokuznetsk, when buying tickets, it is important to take into account the flight time and the time difference between the place of departure and the Novokuznetsk airport (+4 hours from Moscow). For example, if your program starts on November 19, this means that you need to be in Novokuznetsk on November 19, but most flights will depart from Russian cities a day earlier, on November 18. You can't fly the next day, regardless of what is indicated in your program — due to the weather, changes in the procedure for the program can be made, and then you can miss the departure, for which no refund is provided under such conditions. The last day of the program is the day of departure.

Additional costs may be: alcohol, lunch on the last day of the program, bars, restaurants and clubs of Sheregesh.

2 professional guides of Kamchatka Freeride Community will work with the group. Also on some days there will be a photo and video operator with the group.

The number of runs depends on the level of the group, the chosen spots for skiing and the format of the day according to the program. On average, you can count on 10 descents per day when riding from a snowcat or snowmobile, as well as off-piste when using a lift. On the day of the ski tour we make 1-2 descents.

It all depends on how bad the weather actually is. Sometimes you can take an additional tour with activities that do not include skiing or replace heli-ski with snowmobile drop-offs. If skiing is not possible, then there are tours by snowmobile or by car. For those who are ready for a completely unforgettable experience, we can offer surfing or a city tour and a visit to the unique interactive volcano museum «Vulcanarium». If you remain indoors, you can join cooking master classes to prepare Kamchatka delicacies, or interesting meetings about Kamchatka travels, history, etc.

We have a variety of additional seasonal activities not included in your main tour. Please contact us for more details.

Payment is made after your application has been confirmed by our manager. Tour cancellation / refund policy:

• If a tour has been cancelled due to weather conditions or technical reasons — 100% refund;

• If a tour has been cancelled at the customer’s request 3 days or less before the tour start date — 40% refund;

• If a tour has been cancelled by the customer less than 1 day before the tour start date — no refund.