Crossing over frozen Baikal
If You want to feel Baikal, get to know it in winter….
Baikal meetings club gives You a unique opportunity to cross over frozen Lake Baikal in its southern part - from Tanhoy, a railway station, (the east coast) to Bolshie Koty, a settlement (the west coast). The rout length is about 40 km. (25 miles). Depending on your preferences and physical abilities the rout time may be varied from 1-2 to more day and nights. The nights are spent on the Baikal ice in sleeping bags under canvas. In an emergency or physical fatigue the participants may be driven to Bolshie Koty from anywhere at the rout. During the crossing You have a unique opportunity to watch natural living of the most enigmatic Baikal inhabitant ? the Baikal seal (nerpa) as the rout passes some seal-rookery on ice. There You will be able to approach this unusual animal up to 50-30 m. (160-100 feet).
A night spent in the middle of Baikal will stay in Your mind for all Your life. You will be able to record breathing of the Baikal ice ? it?tm)s truly fantastic sounds unique in the whole universe.
The charming star sky over frozen Baikal will change even the most callus person. Standing in the night in the center of this living ice miracle and watching the sky You will feel yourself a small element of Milky Way.
The crossing ends at Bolshie Koty where a real Siberian bath-house waits for everyone for the fir-tree besom massage. Being in a steam-room You will recall again the most exciting events of the unusual travel and You will realize that Your birth makes sense in this wonderfully arranged world…
Some facts of Baikal in winter - it will certainly interest You.
The crossing over frozen Baikal in quite mild and safe conditions is enabled by:
Time of the crossing ? from March 1 till April 5.
Ice thickness - 100-110 ñì (3.3-3.6 feet).
Day temperature - up to + 15 C (59 F).
Night temperature - up to - 15 C (5 F).
Sunny days quota - about 80%.
The ice cover on Baikal
is a sufficiently flat uniform field. In the lake coastal belt there are ice-hummocks (see the photo). The snow cover of the ice depends on some meteorological features of a specific year but, as a rule, it doesn?tm)t exceed 15 cm (1/2 foot). Snow free ice fields suitable for skating are frequent. Generally the snow cover enables easy travelling on Baikal both on foot and with ski. In the second half of March biking on the lake ice is quite comfortable. In this time the Baikal ice strength reaches its maximum making possible to secure the travelers with cars. It?tm)s sunny, as a rule, at Baikal in this time (in windless days You can become sunburnt just staying on the ice) and the night temperature is seldom below -15 C (5 F). Beginning on March 10 the Baikal seal begins coming on the ice that lets interesting watching during crossing the lake and at breaks for the rest.More detailed information about the crossing over frozen Baikal is available on e-mail: peterkb@mail.ru