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SKI MOMENTS

07 March 2017 • Travel time: with 22 January 2011 on 25 February 2013
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It's great to remember the days of the most interesting frosty snowy winter, spent in the mountains on SKIING, in a boring hot city summer!

There are such beautiful places on our old planet Earth as ...MOUNTAINS!

The whole earthly expanse is rich in them, they are on all continents. Where they are higher, where they are lower ...Where huge mountain ranges stretch far and wide for many thousands of kilometers, and where there are very few of them, low mountains and hills, on the entire “native” continent ...Our planet is very different. And this is wonderful!

And such a convenient means of transportation in the mountains with permanent or seasonal snow cover, like SKIING, people invented many hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. I don’t know exactly how old they “knocked”. Was not interested. I love digging into history. But here something didn’t become ...Well, yes, it doesn’t matter.

The story will be about the skiing adventures of the author of this story.


He, that is, I, became a great lover of mountain skiing (not a professional, no - I do not dare to claim this title yet) quite recently. Well, just some four or five years ago! This is a joke for chickens! Who are you to weave all sorts of stories here, half of which you probably made up, buddy ? ! Just got up on skis, learned how to ride and already considered himself an expert, and such that you already pee (well, this is in a literary sense, well, you understand, of course, right? ) about them, about us and everything " what about the ski world? ! So, approximately, with a threatening frown, real fans of the ski track (with an experience of at least twenty years) would say, after reading my story.

But, and at least in front of these people I'm always ready to take off my ski hat, sorry, ski helmet (this is now correct, safe and, of course, also fashionable!

) and I fully admit my “greenness” in front of their experience, yet I am inclined to believe that everything that I saw, that I realized, that I remembered, that I admired while skiing, still needs to be told to all those who are not indifferent. That all this, that all these, as I called them, "skiing moments" are worthy of the kind attention that you, I hope, will give to my story, dear readers!

I will write right away that there is no allusion to the well-known novel and film "Seventeen Moments of Spring" here and close. So simple - by the way I had to ...

Also, I can assure you that some of these short "momentary" skiing tales, if any, will be a little more than this preface, then only a little!

So, listen...Sorry - read on!

“INSTANT” ONE: “FALLING SKIER”

Stand up...

Do not allow yourself to fall at the same time ...Pull out the sticks stuck in the snow, which I hold on to at the time when my legs are clumsily trying to stand up in the plow stand ...Now - throw the body back, hands in a half-bent position with sticks should be in front ...And rolled down ! Second...Two...Three...Oops! We've arrived! My first 20 meters are over again ...I stand sideways to the slope and on the edges (sharply honed metal strips along the edges of the skis) I climb to the "start" point, which is located in the lowest, and almost gentle, part of one of the Bukovel ski slopes. Bukovel is a famous ski resort in Ukraine.

I'm getting up on skis. I'm learning to ride a plow. This is the safest stance for a beginner skier, which is the easiest and most necessary for him to master to begin with. Everything else - you need to learn after, when you master this element.

My wife and I arrived this morning. Now, on the calendar, the end of January 2011.


Wonderful weather. Trails too. Nearby is a lift that regularly lifts skiers up the mountain, looking with curiosity at a newcomer puffing with zeal not far away. On me, that is. The voice of the singer Yolka is pouring out of the speakers, singing a hit about her favorite pilot on the plane and Provence. And I stubbornly continue to do what I have been doing for three hours. Well, something, but stubbornness doesn’t bother me ...

My wife is already riding somewhere in the "country of Bukovel" . The first, most heavy, as it turns out later, hour of my teaching-“torment” has passed. And Lida went for a ride. I let her go. She is my fan of skiing and has not skied for a whole year. You understand how impatient the man was! She took my word that without her I would not sit on the lift. This is after lunch. I will keep my word. Not small - I understand that we still lacked my fractures or something worse.

And now I'm learning. I puff. So it is necessary ...And - I'm happy for Lida! I'm happy that she's happy now.

I love her very much...

What's next? When did I finally get on the lift for the first time in my life? Then there were some falls ...Almost everywhere and almost everywhere. And on the gentlest slopes, where, it seems, a cat will not fall off a ski if you ask her to get on this ski, of course ...And from the lift - when you need to jump off the chair in time, which turns down for the next riders waiting below.

Well, what to do...First day on skis. Big snowball.

BUT - the mood is great, despite all this. WHY? But because there was a moment when I finally felt that I could control my skis. It happened on one of the traverses (moving from one ski run to another). I tried to turn left and right on the edges. And it worked! Hooray! A small plus, but how quickly outweighed the bag of minuses!

Well, in addition, there were clean air, beautiful nature around, skiers skillfully rushing down the slopes.

Funny voices, jokes, laughter...Adrenaline in the blood, which always gives sport. Great ski clothing that is so comfortable in winter. Ski equipment, although not new, but one in which everything is thought out to the smallest detail - so as to ensure the safety of the owner and give him maximum comfort on the ski track. In a word - a sea of ​ ​ new wonderful impressions! In a word - I liked it!


I remember all this when late in the evening our bus takes us back to our Lviv, and I understand that I’m starting to love skiing ...Something will be ahead ...For some reason, I believe that everything will be not just fine, but Great!

"INSTANT" SECOND: "BEAUTY IS MY LOVE! »

And now I'll tell you about the place where I won, so to speak, my first "ski victory". The importance of this event now seems to me, and, probably, it will seem to many of you, ridiculous ...But then, when it was obtained - how dear it was to me!

After all, it was a victory in the struggle with oneself, which is considered to be one of the most difficult in this world ...

So - the year is 2011, the month of February. But this is no longer Bukovel. We ride with Lida on Mount Krasiya, which is located in the east of Transcarpathia in Ukraine. Lida had heard about it for a long time and dreamed of "trying" these tracks. And here we are. We are having our ski vacation. Seven days of skiing in a row. Great!

The place is beautiful. The Carpathians in general, everywhere, almost, are beautiful. And we spend every day of the day on the tracks. Although there are only two of them, we love skiing! Already both now.

At first I fall again. What to do ...The first day in Bukovel - it was, as it were, both in the account and not in the account ...Neighbors in the “hut” (a private boarding house where we rent a room) marvel, how can we disappear on the ski slope for the whole "light" day. Because we appear at the “base”, when it is almost completely dark.

They just ride for half a day and go to rest. And we are fans! We can not do otherwise ...As in one famous song.

On Krasia, as I already wrote, there are only two tracks. The lower one is sloping and broad.

The top one is steep and narrower. I'll get to the top one later. And now again every now and then I fall on every descent from the lower track. I continue to study ...I work out the elements of skating. I'm trying to do it right. How? And here's how ...

Beginner skier

For those who are completely unfamiliar with skiing - right away, on the spot, I will explain what, in general terms, is an ordinary mediocre downhill skiing.


You need to go down the mountain along the ski track, constantly making turns along it (or turns, as you like to call it).

This resets the considerable speed that the human body acquires if it is allowed to freely ski down. There are, of course, dashing sportsmen who just go down from the mountains (strictly in a straight line). But this sport is only for super-masters of skiing and it is so specific and extreme that it even seems not to be included in the Olympic program to this day. The usual descent from the mountain is also called "slalom". This word is familiar to anyone who has ever watched a skiing competition. Well, you remember, right?

There are many ways to do this (roll down). There are several types of skiing. The safest and most practical of them is the classic style. Well, it is understandable - it has always been a classic better than any modern there ....

Now let's move on to particulars.

So, when skiing, the legs should almost always be half-bent - alpine skiing does not tolerate straight legs and standing "pillar" on skis! The whole body must work! When entering turns, only the lower part of the body turns - the body with the head and arms in the correct position “looks” strictly down the slope. Before overcoming the hump - sit down! I slipped - you can straighten your legs for a second or two. Skis should go as parallel as possible to one another. Do not cross them under any circumstances! Then - an instant fall! If it so happened that you are falling, try to land on the “fifth point” and to the side. At the same time, you don’t have to try to slow down with sticks at all. You can damage them and injure yourself and hook someone who is not involved. Roll yourself down peacefully and don’t touch anyone or anything, in general. Everyone will only get better. Like this.


But, I ask you, friends, if you have never skied before and suddenly want to try it someday, in no case should you consider those few phrases that you read above as sufficient instructions in order to try skiing for the first time. It is best to start your theoretical acquaintance with skiing by reading the book of the famous skier of the 60s of the twentieth century, Georges Joubert. This is the most practical of practical guides on how to master the art of skiing step by step. Georges Joubert will teach you how to ride the classic style - the oldest and most reliable of all styles. Now other styles of skiing are in fashion - high-speed and therefore unsafe. Go to them after you learn how to ride the classic style. My advice to you!

Well, let's continue the story about the moments, about which, indeed, it is better not to think down...

Finally, the DAY has come! The day when, finally, remembering all of the above (as well as many other things that I don’t need to mention here), I finally “passed” the entire track without a single fall. So-and-so, but went down! The descent began as usual. A rather flat top was replaced by a more “cool” middle part of the track. But I kept my feet! And now I'm down...You can see the lower station of the chair lift...There is a cafe and a ski equipment rental nearby. Colleagues-skiers scurry back and forth ...And me? I'm fighting with myself. Breathe in, breathe out… Hold on! Just don't fall! Reach the finish line! And not just anyhow, but correctly performing all the movements.

And now - hooray! The finish! There is a first success!

What a wonderful sport skiing is when your body begins to obey you and follow your commands correctly! You feel like the master of the world, of all this that is around you, when you rush down the slope!


Speed, the whistle of the wind in your ears...The frosty air tickles your cheeks and, sometimes, even very strongly. But this air is clean! Far from urban, not air, but rather, some kind of “jelly” ...On bends, the sky, the sun, clouds, mountains around you, surrounded by forest, flash in your eyes ...The sound of skis sliding on the snow ...This sound is unique! I will never forget him ...You overtake slowly and carefully moving out newcomers like me. And yet they are doing it wrong! I call their style of riding - "statue". Turn the whole body; the legs are frozen in one position, and remain in it ...Well, who taught you like that ? ! Or do you yourself, how did you get used to riding like that, and do you ride and you don’t need anything else? Well, that's up to you...Oops! And this is what got me ahead. Masterfully rolling man! It’s a pleasure to watch ...Nothing - and we will be like that someday! But, here is the finish...Which is the beginning of a new upsurge. And - you are the ruler of the world again!

This is how one descent from the mountain goes, friends.

I love you, Krasia!

"INSTANT"THIRDE: "HumpS AND TROSTYAN'S DEEPS"

I couldn't take this cup for a minute - to get acquainted with the ski slopes of Mount Trostyan. If you are a skier and have been to the Carpathians, but have not seen Trostyan, have not felt the "taste" of his slopes - you do not know what the Carpathians are! In terms of skiing, of course.

Why is this mountain Trostyan so remarkable, you ask a legitimate question?

I'll tell you this. It is remarkable in that, in addition to its natural beauty and outstanding skiing history (here, in particular, skiers used to regularly train here, who later defended the honor of the USSR at competitions of the highest level - up to the Olympic Games), on its slopes there are tracks of very different levels of complexity of their in terms of overcoming. The tracks are named according to the cardinal points in which they "look".

And, since the entire ski slope consists of a variety of turns and turns (depending on the skill level of the skier), in the end, this “zest” appears on the mountainside. THIS IS Humps and Hollows between them. That's the beauty of Trostyan! Here, overcoming these obstacles that do not give you a second of relaxation, you can comprehend the “ski science” much faster, earn the respect of more experienced comrades (and your own, of course! ), and also get a sea of ​ ​ adrenaline of the highest quality!

The fact that it is necessary to climb to the top of the mountain on a yoke also contributes to all this. This is a kind of ski lift, older in origin than chair lifts.


On it, you don’t sit down in a chair, helpfully approaching you from the rear, but grab and hold on to a kind of special stick-holder given to you by the on-duty yoke operator (then you need to slip it under the “fifth point”) and you are pulled up on a cable. You go, of course, "with your skis. " This school is also extremely useful for "ski" education! There is also an old Soviet single-seat chairlift on Trostyan, but due to its frequent stops, it turns into a trap. I think you understand that it is not very fun to sit for several hours in a chair in a frosty wind at the height of about a 9-story building ...There are such supports there. No, that hasn't happened to me, thankfully. But some people I know had to...

What else is Trostyan famous for? I will gladly tell you! I, like most of the representatives of the "male sex", have such a weakness, which is called "I like to eat. " And I never forget about this.

This is about people like me, the proverb was invented that “...war is war, and dinner is on schedule! ". So, a sea of ​ ​ blueberries grows on Trostyan in the summer, the local population, together with a very small number of visitors, collects these blueberries and makes them (locals, of course) excellent jam. And then, in winter, local grandmothers bake excellent pies with this jam. How great it is to stop for a rest and drink fragrant natural Carpathian tea from Carpathian herbs with these pies! Bliss, and more!

Oh well. Let's move on from these "gluttonous" delights to something that will be much more interesting for youher.

So, nit came to me kogyes < strong>time to meet Trostyan. My wifey loves this mountain very much - for these humps and hollows. She suggested that I go to this school. She said that without this, I can’t really feel to the end what it is - SKIING!

And I agreed and never regretted it! Honestly!


What was there on the mountain? It was UNFORGETTABLE! It's really great, people! At first, the first couple of hours (for me personally it lasted something like this), you swear to yourself (and maybe someone out loud) with all sorts of “non-any” words, you swear to assure your essence that you will never come here again, sorry, ski! Out of breath, you stop more and more often and only look out ahead - well, where is the end of this track ? ! When can you finally take a breath? But! ! Passes (who has what) "grinding time" to Trostyan and you suddenly realize that you begin to love this mountain with its "ski" humps and depressions, with the complexity and seeming extreme inconvenience of its tracks at first! That you are already waiting, you just want to experience that feeling again when you are thrown up on these notorious humps. And you feel more and more pride in yourself: what you could, what you overcame!

And, of course, comes the feeling that

it's all just great!! ! Do you understand how good you are! In my opinion, this is one of those infrequent moments in our vain existence, when you realize the simple truth that life is still beautiful!

An amazing mountain - Trostyan!

“INSTANT” FOURTH: “BUKOVEL COUNTRY AND ITS “FLYING” SKIERS”

My first day on skis, as you already know, friends, from my “first moment”, also, by the will of fate, turned out to be the day of my first date with the famous Ukrainian ski resort called Bukovel. It is there that my “personal ski track” originates, as I sometimes jokingly call my favorite downhill skiing.

The name Bukovel, I think, will be very interesting for many of you, as it was, in turn, once with me. Someone who has not heard it before will be interested to know what kind of place this is.

And some of you may even be interested in, so to speak, the etymology of the origin of this name. At the beginning of my story, I did not touch on this topic, focusing solely on my first impressions of skiing. Now I will correct this omission and try to properly inform you, my dear readers, about what kind of place this is, since this “moment” is exclusively for Bukovel and will be dedicated.

So, the name "Bukovel" appeared on the map of Ukraine quite recently: literally some 11 years ago, in 2004. This word sounds a little strange to the Slavic ear. It, I don’t know about you, but I immediately caused associations with Courchevel. This is the name of an expensive ski resort in the French Alps, which is very fond of the richest people, oligarchs, as well as nouveaux riches from all over the world, among whom there are many people from the post-Soviet political beau monde. And, I think, I was not mistaken in my "associations".


Bukovel is obviously Courchevel in Ukrainian. Everything proves it. And this is a "Europeanized" name. And the high prices for skiing, because of which this resort has become one of the most expensive ski resorts in Europe: therefore, not every Ukrainian skier can afford the pleasure of skiing there. And the requirement (very reasonable, what to say) to ride all there only in helmets - otherwise they will not be allowed on the lifts. Well, the origin of the first syllables of this name is understandable, I think. There are many beech forests in the Carpathians. And in those places where the "country of Bukovel" is located, there are enough of them ...

“Country of Bukovel”? How so - you might ask? What is such a country? Have you started talking, our boring author? ! No, my friends, I didn't talk. This is how this resort was called not so long ago in one commercial. And there is some truth in these words. This resort is spread widely on the slopes of several mountains.

It consists of more than 20 modern and reliable lifts, as well as even more slopes of various levels of difficulty. Of course, there is a full-fledged service area around all this ski luxury: excellent hotels, ski resorts with a full range of services and excellent comfort, restaurants, cafes, ski eateries at the beginning of the slopes and at their end ...True, all this beauty was somewhat spoiled by the fact that the prices for all this splendor do not just bite, but, one might say, squabble!

This is really a whole country with its own rules, laws and residents (temporary, of course). And about these temporary "ski residents", or rather, about some of them, whom my wife aptly dubbed "flying skiers", what a meeting with them threatens, I want to tell now. As they say: from this place in more detail. I will gladly do it!

With the greater hope that, perhaps, what is read below will help some of you save, if not life, no (God forbid that it does not come to this! ), but health, which, whatever you say, is most important now in our "sublunar" world. Because the rest, as the saying goes, will follow.


“Flying skiers” are not at all ski jumpers (as they are sometimes called “behind the eyes” by sports commentators), who have chosen the “country of Bukovel” for their training. These brave guys and girls, excellent professionals in their field, have nothing to do with the personalities that I so want to tell you about. "Flying" my wife dubbed reckless skiers who rush like crazy along the slopes of Bukovel. The tracks are there, they are because smooth, perfect ...And there is, obviously, such a class of people who cannot be called anything other than "reckless". They saw such a "laugh" and drive like crazy!

So, at least the head will be protected during falls-collisions. But people still die on the Bukovel turns! Yes, yes, I'm not mistaken! One or two people annually end their life there ...It's just that this is skillfully hushed up so as not to spoil the reputation of the resort. But for us, skiers, this does not make it easier ...

If all these interesting things about alpine skiing arouse such interest in you that make you "stand up" on them and want to get acquainted with the skiing "country of Bukovel", then here is my advice to you, even two, to be more precise: look around more often (if possible, of course), who and how is following you, and if you, like most of the Slavs, love fast driving, then, having mastered more or less riding technique, ride along the edge of the track. Why? Scorchers usually choose the central part of the track for their downhill runs. In no case do not make wide turns across the entire width of the track!

And God forbid you, for example, get up to rest somewhere in the middle of the descent together, at a distance of a meter or more from each other (this position is called - "put the gate")! In Bukovel, and not only there, in principle, there are a lot of idiots ... , sorry, those same unreasonable people on skis who want to “show off”, flying with a scream (or without it), between you, acting as a kind of soccer ball. Then everything will be only in the hands of the Lord ...

You can wander all day along the routes of the "Ukrainian Courchevel", going down here and there ...There is, however, a "bottleneck" on it. This is lift number 5. There are several entrances (ski slopes of different difficulty levels), and there is only one exit - this very “fifth” lift. If a lot of people slide down there, and the lift suddenly “slows down”, for various reasons, then there will be a crush with swearing, poking in the sides and back, etc.


Yes, many "people" are still far from the state when they could be called this proud word ...And they also meet on skis, alas ...

And in all other respects, Bukovel, except for the "sky-high" prices, of course, is quite good, what to argue.

My opinion is that it's worth going there. You can ride there and even very well, no matter what.

Point!

"INSTANT" FIFTH: "COURSE OF SURVIVAL ON ROSTYANE AND SOMETHING MORE ABOUT THIS MOUNTAIN"

In this "moment" I again return to Mount Trostyan. Why might you want to ask some of you? After all, you already wrote about her! Let's lie about something else, better!

Uh no, friends. To tell about Trostyan the little that you have already been able to read above, and limit yourself to this - this is just a uniform disgrace! This mountain is so unique in terms of skiing that experts and loyal admirers would write a lot about it.

If you would, of course, decide on this, as I am doing now.

So let's continue. Now I want to tell you about one "extraordinary" day we spent on Trostyan. There will be everything that I have already advertised as inherent in this mountain. There will be humps with potholes and so on.

So, it was the winter of 2012 already. Some, having read all sorts of Mayan prophecies, saw it as the last year in the history of human civilization. Yeah… If only they knew what year 2014 would be! Then all the turbulent recent events that so suddenly and so terribly unexpectedly fell on our heads in recent months (I am writing this story in the hot summer of 2015) were still ahead ...

Lida and I, with my "classmate" and his wife, are driving in his own car to Trostyan. I don't have a car, never had it, and probably never will.

Well (that's right, it will be surprisingly the vast majority of all males who will read this far) I have no soul for auto driving! And my friend is fine with that. By the way, he is not just some kind of civilian "teapot" like me, but a foreign intelligence officer. How!


So, we are going from Lviv to a mountainous Carpathian urban-type settlement called Slavsk. It is there that the necklace of the Carpathian mountain peaks is located, the main pearl among which is Trostyan. We did well! No need to shake in the train for three and a half hours. Fast, elegant! Pleasant communication, full of memories of student years, of common acquaintances. Well, in general, they arrived. We unloaded in the center of the village, at the camp site of the Dynamo sports society.

They got ready: that means they put on their ski boots, stuffed everything they needed on the mountain into the pockets of their ski uniform, shouldered their skis and the skis of their wives and ...And let's go! Where? On the lift, you think? No, no, friends! You still have to get to the Trostyan lifts. All skiers are brought there from Slavsk in glorious Soviet jeeps of the UAZ brand. I think everyone understands what kind of car we are talking about. Or on another version of this machine, which is popularly called a "loaf". Only these cars with powerful engines (or maybe even powerful jeeps - "foreigners") can climb this mountain. It happens that they still carry people on GAZ-66 army trucks, but this is rare. From the "nose" for transportation they took and take inexpensively - several tens of hryvnias. This is how local men earn extra money in the winter in Slavsk. A whole line of these glorious Slavic carriers is already waiting for us outside the camp site. Go far, as you can see.

We agree with one of the driver, we load, we drive off. The ascent is as easy as ever. And here we are at the yokes of the "center". We take subscription cards for the ascent (or "ski passes" in a modern way), we stand in line for the tow bar. The lines are long today, because the day is a day off (Saturday). And this is where the problems begin. Bugel now and then stop. Stop-go, stop-go. So our turn is coming soon. Finally, the yoke pulls us all up the mountain. The wife of a friend rides weakly. And Trostyan is a difficult mountain in terms of skiing. Well, you already know that! Therefore, with the permission of our "benefactors", my wife and I soon leave friends and rush to the familiar and favorite tracks, agreeing to meet later, at lunchtime. We make a few drops. But there are fewer of them than we would like ...The whole queue is to blame - the people are in darkness! And the yoke, as if on purpose, continue to "slow down". Annoying!

And we leave for the central highway of Trostyan. This descent, the last one of the day, was something! In fact, there is such a “common skiing truth” that on your skiing day, the first descent and the last are especially important. Understandable - why? In the morning you haven’t got used to the track yet, you haven’t entered the rhythm, and in the evening you are tired and if you lose your vigilance, you will make a mistake - anything can happen ...And now we are going down the track, which is hard to drive even during the day. Visibility is poor - it is rapidly getting dark. Even this snow blinds the eyes. We took off the glasses - in them you are generally like a blind man. But we're going down and down. Persistently. I clenched my teeth. Not complaining. Ahead and behind us are several figures of the same "outcasts". And finally, the finish line! Everything! They were able to jump above their "ski" head. It was only the 10th descent that day. But he alone cost 50 descents in "foppish" Bukovel.


In general, we are great! Hooray!

"INSTANT" SIXTH: "ALPINE" DRAGOBRAT"

Until 2012, I associated the name Dragobrat, well, perhaps, with the brand name of a local, Western Ukrainian kefir (by the way, quite good! ). And only only. Being a “non-skiing” person, I didn’t even suspect that this is the name of one wonderful place in all respects in the Ukrainian Carpathians, which I will love with all my heart and where I am now drawn to every winter ...

Dragobrat is a kind of "necklace" of several rather high (1.5 km and above), mountains, which are located in such a way that in winter clouds full of snow always linger here and stay forever.

And since the slopes of these mountains are mostly free of forests, once you get there and see these sparkling white peaks, you almost feel like in the Alps! There is always and everywhere a lot of snow, which is the most important thing for a skier.

During the first days of December, when fans of Slavsk and Playa usually look sadly at webcams on the Internet, showing them the slopes of their adored mountains bare of snow, and the most impatient lovers of easy driving in Bukovel are already suffering there on a hard artificial The snow that the “snow guns” threw for them at the behest of their equally impatient, greedy owners is already knee-deep snow in Dragobrat! And the most excellent quality!

The lifts are a bit old, but they work well. In general, this, as they say, is “a thing to come” ...There will also be sometime “doppelmeiers” (modern ski lifts of excellent German quality) buzz!

Tjust like the well-known comrade Saakhov from the film comedy "Prisoner of the Caucasus", who convinced the simpleton student Shurik that the Caucasus is not only a health resort, but also a forge< /strong>, and a granary, so I will tell you, friends, that Dragobrat is both incomparable beauty, and a school of life, and a great place to improve all kinds of health!


We have already been there twice. It's so negligible! I want to enjoy this beauty again and again…

What else is remarkable about Dragobrat for me is uhit's because of its location away from the habitable places! It is located 15 km from the village of Yasynya Zakandrpatskaya region. the only road that leads there in winter can only be overcome by a car with powerful cross-country ability. Here, the very same UAZs working on Trostyan in Slavsk turn out to be very convenient. They deliver all the guests of Dragobrat to the foot of the Stog.

Stog is the main mountain of the Dragobrat necklace. All prepared ski slopes are located on its slopes. I will talk about the unprepared a little lower and a little later.

The road to Dragobrat passes through the reserve. So the luckiest might even see deer peering through the trees curiously at some grumbling four-wheeled monster making its way up the mountain road...

And when the forest is passed, those peaks, sparkling with whiteness, appear on the horizon. If the day is sunny - an unforgettable sight! And then the “ski” village itself appears ...

And what does the newcomer ski lover see who wants to taste Dragobrat's bounty? And he sees such an interesting village for himself from the cutest small mini-hotels (for 20-50 people no more).

They are all built of wood. As for comfort, "amenities" there are all sorts - do not worry!

All this is there - you will be surrounded by excellent comfort. And the most pleasant people work in these hospitable houses, who during your stay will surround you with all possible care and will always be helpful and polite.

These small, and extremely comfortable, small hotels form streets winding along the slope of Mount Stog. There are pines and spruces everywhere...There are narrow bridges across mountain streams. Some of them are thrown over rather deep ravines. Quiet, calm, the trees rustle in the wind ...Grace and nothing more!


No, don't worry: if you can't live a day without TV or if you like, as they say, to "break away" - they will provide you with all this! In the room you will certainly have a TV with satellite TV, and about "break away" - in two or three especially "fancy" hotels (or "huts" in the local way) there are daily mini-discos.

The only significant minus of Dragobrat is that there is no pharmacy there. And if suddenly something - the doctor will have to wait a long time ...So take care of yourself!

Now about the main objects on Dragobrat - from the point of view of a skier.

Ski slopes on the "Drag" - for every taste and level. From those for complete "dummies" to very, very steep ones, where only a professional skier can drive cool. “Unclassy” (obliquely, crookedly, and sometimes sideways, as in one stupid modern song) even an amateur (like me, for example) can - if he is not afraid, of course, to get there.

All tracks, as I already wrote, are located only on the slopes of Stog. Of the 9 lifts (and large and smallenkix) this mountain - 2 chairlifts and 7 rope tows. Although they are very "older", but nothing - they work, they creak!

The rest of the mountains of Dragobrat in winter are pristine white peaks, where you can do such a thing as freeride in winter.

Here I will make a brief and undoubtedly necessary explanation, because this beautiful word will obviously be unfamiliar to beginners in skiing. Freeride is riding on "virgin" snow, on which no one has passed before you. This is one of the so-called extreme sports. It is not easy, difficult and very dangerous for an inexperienced skier. It doesn't feel like riding on hard-packed trails at all. Heaven and earth! But how much pleasure then you get from the realization of the fact that you were able to do it! I will tell you in detail about what it is on the Dredge in one of the next "moments".

And now I want to finally end this long, "moment", simply and briefly.

Dragobrat is the pearl of the Carpathians! You won't find a better place to ski there.

Other mountains of the Dragobrat "necklace" - Bliznitsa and Gendarme will be higher than Haystack. But, about them and about freeride, which you can do on their sparkling virgin white slopes - the story, as promised, will be below.


And the "armchair" (2-seater, by the way), although far from being young, every year in winter regularly fulfills its duty. Raises to the top of the mountain those who dared to try the steepest and most dangerous slope of Dragobrat - "Circus" (about him in the next "instant"). The ascent takes a long time - about 17-18 minutes. During this time, you can admire the mountains, forests, meadows, the sky and skiers skiing under you. In one place, moving chairs pass so low over the slope that skiers passing under the seated ones could well grab the “riders” by the skis - the height is less than 2 meters. But, of course, no one does. No matter how much I go skiing, I have never met hooligans among my “hobby colleagues”.

On the contrary, the common thing on the mountain slopes is mutual assistance. There, indeed, people are brothers and sisters to each other. It seems that human egoism and other bad feelings inherent in people remain somewhere out there, in the lowlands - in cities and villages ...

And when you find yourself on the top of the mountain, you see the very sign next to you about the record "chair" height. And under you you often see clouds that completely hid the village from your eyes! And you drive in, plunge into this "milk". And…

And here you have to be extremely careful, because the "Circus" begins!

What is it - read on.

“INSTANT” EIGHTH: “CIRCUS” ON DRAGOBRAT AND HIS “FLYING” SKIERS”

I ended the previous "moment" with perhaps rather cryptic words for you, dear readers. A skier rolling down from a Haystack suddenly finds himself in some kind of "circus". What is this circus? Where is he from in the mountains?

I'm answering these questions in order to quickly resolve any irritation you may have. No, guys, no circus performers, for some reason, suddenly climbed under the clouds and impatiently waiting for you with their incomparable numbers and tricks, of course, you will not meet there. "Circus" is the name of the most dangerous steep slope of Dragobrat, which only a professional skier can overcome well. Well, or anyhow - such a "half-lover" like me, for example. I'm not kidding - it's really dangerous

The Circus was named because it is somewhat similar to the spectator part of that public cultural and entertainment institution where almost all of us were taken by our mothers, fathers, grandparents in childhood. I do not think that the reason for the emergence of this name is elsewhere. Namely - in those very "flying" skiers, whom I mentioned in the title of this "moment".


Unlike the “flying” skiers of Bukovel, I call those poor fellows who are unfamiliar with Dragobrat, who, as they say, not knowing the ford and climbing into the water, go to this “cool”. After that, the fate of almost all of them is the same - to roll head over heels down, losing along the way skis, sticks, gloves, hats ...Laughing at this is a real mockery! And, moreover, to call the slope "circus" for this reason, expecting such a "circus number". I don't think any skier is capable of that. We, skiers, are kind, sympathetic people. Sports people are rarely evil at all. This is the life observation of my wife, who put me on skis. I think she's absolutely right. Rather, in such cases, you feel fear for an inexperienced fellow who flew upside down.

As it happened to me when, during my next descent from the Stog through the "circus" in February 2013, an elderly man, whom I had just seen accompanied by two equally elderly ladies on top, at the top chair stations. To this day I remember the eyes of his companions, round with fear, frozen in place and not knowing what to do next. I then, having picked up and launched "under my own power" their unfortunate companion down, scattered along the slope of his skis (he sticks "atin >ёз" with him), drove up to them and advised carefully, quietly, eat< /strong>szhgo left down the slope. There, next to the Christmas trees, the descent is more gentle and they should have gone down there.

The aunts somehow got down. It's true, then from their trinity no one stuck their nose into the "circus".

So, if you are on Dragobrat and decide to climb the chairlift "Top of the Carpathians" - be careful, friends!

Dragobratsky "Circus" does not forgive carelessness!

"INSTANT" NINE: "SUN, WIND, SNOW, MISTS OF DRAGOBRAT"

This "moment" will be very short!

Here I want to write a few more important and necessary words about Dragobrat.

About what? Yes, about such a "non-last" thing as the weather! After all, this is also very important for humanity in general, and for skiers in particular. Is not it?

So, everything is fine with the snow on Dragobrat. I have already had the honor to inform you about this earlier. As for everything else…

Yes, and with this, friends, everything is quite good! Most of the days we spent there were sunny. Visibility was excellent - and for skiing to enjoy the views. There were also cloudy days with clouds hanging very high and covering the whole sky.


Ratrak is such a powerful ski all-terrain vehicle that resembles a tractor with wide tracks. Its original purpose was to prepare tracks for skiers during the "non-ski" time of the day. But he can also carry passengers. Than on Dragobrat, local businessmen from the ski business took advantage. After all, there are ideal conditions for “free skiing”. And now, during the ski season, these dodgers regularly take groups of extreme sports enthusiasts to Bliznitsa and Gendarme. From where then, under the guidance of experienced guides, a sort of "ski rangers", daredevils descend to the foot of the mountains. The descent is difficult and unsafe. Guides show the way, give advice. Their commands must be obeyed unquestioningly! In a word - extreme!

And this is what the first "freeride" in my life was like ...

… The snowcat engine roars powerfully. We sit on benches in the back of the cab.

In the cab, along with the driver, are instructors Victor and his partner, whose name I do not remember. From under the caterpillars behind, snow flies straight into the face. So often and thickly that you have to wear glasses. Every now and then we catch the curious glances of lovers of prepared tracks, which flicker either to the left or to the right of the snowcat. The car takes us to the top of the Stog. From there, along the spurs connecting it with the Gendarme and Bliznitsa, we will move to the starting point.

… We are at the start. The leader of the group, Victor (judging by the tricks - a very cunning guy) gives us a few minutes to take photos. We take pictures and take pictures and we can't stop. The views are amazing! We are at the top of Bliznitsa (1883 m above sea level). From its white-white top we see the whole Dragobrat under us. On the horizon, the main peaks of the Carpathians are Hoverla and Petros. Enjoy!

But - it's time to get down to business.

Victor waves his hand - well, that's it, guys, that's enough already.

Let's go down! My friend will go down first - he will show you where to go down and you will follow his footsteps to the same place. I will go to the rear and I will insure you ": our" senior "commands. The slope is steep, but the snow does not seem to be loose, because Victor's partner moves out without burrowing into the snow. Stops a few hundred meters below. And we go down one by one. Everyone went down! Only one guy hesitated a little - he makes excuses that, they say, he was not used to such snow. Well, yes, we are all here for the first time. In our group, there are skiers and bordists (skiing sideways on one big ski). Eight guys and two girls (one of them is my wife).


We stood, rested and drove on. The further descent consisted of segments several kilometers long. There was almost no time to look around. The snow was not compacted, and our skis were not “freeride”.

All the time I had to ride in the rear rack (so that the "fronts" of the skis would lift up - otherwise the skis would "burrow" in the snow and fall). First we go down the treeless slopes. Then, slowly, from right to left, trees and even some huts begin to flicker (these are the "huts" of the forestry, as we find out already below, at the finish line - we rode in the reserve, violated the law, like that! ).

" Stop! Break 10 minutes! » : Viktor is in command. Everyone falls into the snow, breathing noisily. And Victor and his friend laugh, make fun of us. And they are not tired at all - strong guys! Everything, have a rest: we go further. We had only four such halts.

Finally, we enter the forest. Oh oh! There's an eye for an eye! The slope is still decent, and driving along the path between the trees is one more extreme! There is no way to slow down - there is simply no place for turns! You have to get into a saving stance called "plow" and go down like that.

« Down - slow down, up - accelerate! » : Viktor is in command again. This we overcome a small, overgrown with forest, gully. “Down the path, up the path…” That's another obstacle… How to overcome it! But, nothing - we all go down, without loss to the next stop. And here you have to jump over the stream in flight! Or go skiing if you don't want to risk it. I decide to jump, and Lida, who cares about her skis, crosses this obstacle with them in her hands. In general, she is a good guy! At first, she kept behind me. And then she overtook me. And now I am dragging somewhere in the tail of the peloton. At the head of the detachment, oddly enough, board guys are racing.

So let's jump! Oh - I jumped bad! I flew over an obstacle, but on the other side - where am I, and where are the skis! I had to get up, dust myself off and go collect my belongings.

Okay, let's move on. We are all tired. But, nothing - let's go!

Oops!


100 meters ahead we see a barrier and a UAZ-ik standing near it. It turns out that everything is already finished! We've arrived!

Stopping, trying to catch my breath. The guy who drove up behind me falls into the snow and happily says: “Well, you can’t do without it! ". In a sense, so as not to fall from joy.

We had a great ride!

Freeride is not the same thing as "fooling" on hard-packed tracks. Not even the Circus can compare with him.

In general - well done we all! Hooray!

“INSTANT” ELEVENTH: “THIS WAS ON PILIPTS (THIS DID NOT HAPPEN TO US) OR A STORY ABOUT A REAL MAN…”

And in this “moment” (also rather short, because even if I wanted to write a lot, it would not work; I only know the essence) I want to tell about one real person. His name is Evgeny Chizmar. He is now somewhere around 60 years old. He is a ski patrol worker on Mount Pylypets in the Carpathians.

In 2013, in February, this is what happened on Pylypets.

Two young "reckless" board skiers decided to ride on the wild slopes. They decided to go down the opposite slope to the one where there are lifts and where everyone rides. That "wild" slope is overgrown with forest and it is dangerous there because of the frequent avalanches in winter. And so it happened. The guys with their movement caused an avalanche, which covered them. One of them, as it turned out later, died immediately - a wave of snow picked him up and hit a tree with terrible force. From his injuries, he died almost immediately ...

An avalanche twisted the second guy with a screw (it became clear later from the fractures - his legs were simply twisted one around the other) and, fortunately, threw him to his edge and he was not buried under many meters of snow.

I'll take this opportunity to repeat here one piece of advice for those who, God forbid, get caught like these two poor fellows.


If you are overtaken by a shaft of snow disturbed by you inappropriately and it is impossible to get away from it, turn around to face it and at the moment it rolls over you, jump up as much as possible. Then there is a chance that you will find yourself in the surface layer of snow and be able to dig yourself out of the snow.

What happened next?

The friends of the two unfortunate extreme sports enthusiasts, when it began to get dark, missed them and let the ski patrol know. Every more or less solid ski run has this rescue service. It was then commanded by the same Yevgeny Chizmar. By his order, in complete darkness, the lift was launched and the rescuers climbed to the top. They, according to the inconsistent explanations of the people who turned to them, decided that their friends had disappeared on the main slope of Pylypets. But no one was found there. Then they realized that they had moved down a wild slope. Looking for them there at night was suicide. We had to postpone the search until the morning.

And the frost intensified ...I had to rely on the will of Providence. In the morning, the rescue team went to search. The first missing person was found quickly. He was dead. The second was found a few hours later. But not everyone got to it. One of the rescuers, exhausted on the hardest path, remained to wait for the return of the group. The second bordist made it through the night saving hot tea to keep him warm from time to time. A stretcher was made for him from skis and sticks and carried him. But we had to go through loose snow in ski boots. It is not very easy to walk in them and on level ground. But the guys, led by Eugene, carried the victim and did not complain. And they reported, picking up their weaker comrade along the way. It would seem that everything was over and it was possible to relax after an almost 20-kilometer "raid". And then…

The authorities of the Pylypets ski resort ordered to return immediately and bring the body of the deceased down!

And Evgeny Chizmar went up the mountain again and did it. This is such a simple story about a real person.

In March of the same 2013, we were on Pylypets - we rode, rested there for 2 days.

I really wanted to meet him and ask him to shake his hand.

Bad luck.

Sorry!


"INSTANT" TWELVE: "FALLS AND COLLISIONS - FROM FUNNY TO SAD ONE STEP...AND BACK UP! »

And, finally, I want to talk about specific phenomena that inevitably arise in the "ski" life of a "ski" person. I mean falls, collisions and other accidents on the ski slopes that happen to EVERYONE who has ever decided to get on skis and ride them down the mountain.

Firstly, I will repeat that sensible thought, uttered by one of the aces of skiing, the essence of which is that everyone can fall and fall on the ski slope - even experienced skiers and there is nothing shameful in this. Well, they fell - so what ? !

Lie down, rest, get up, and if you're healthy and nothing hurts, dust yourself off and move on. Only when falling, if it is inevitable, as I wrote above, one should try to fall on the saving "fifth point" and to one side. In no case, I repeat, do not try to rest with sticks - you will only bend the sticks or injure yourself, or even knock someone down with them, who, unfortunately, will be nearby. When riding, in no case do not put on the straps of sticks on your hands! If you fall, do not hold them, they will fly away from you, get up, then go and pick them up.

And if they are “attached” to you in this way, then you can again injure either someone or yourself if you are head over heels, for example, rolling down the slope ...

As for my personal failures, I will describe a few of them. Maybe someone will come in handy.

I have fallen many times and everywhere. I didn't miss a single track in this regard.

He braked with sticks, bending one of them into an arc. Because of which, later it was somewhat inconvenient in front of the owner of the equipment rental: I carefully straightened it with a hammer as best I could, but you can’t do it perfectly until the end ...

I've fallen out of my chair more than once.


Advice “on topic”: if it so happened that the safety arch has already been raised and you, instead of getting on your skis and elegantly taxiing to the start, instead flopped when leaving the chair, when approaching it to the receiving station, try to bend down immediately head and crawl away in the opposite direction to where your neighbors will move out. Otherwise, the chair in which you sat so comfortably can hit you on the head sensitively. In general, this is my advice - in order not to linger "at the reception", not to disturb anyone and not to irritate the duty officer, when leaving the chair, simply push off from him with your free hand (the other is holding sticks) and move out to "your" side. If you are still inexperienced, always sit in a chair from the outside (opposite to the one at the top, the chair will turn) - this will make it easier for you and your neighbors.

The most dangerous situations on the ski slopes involve collisions.

That is, either when you shoot down, or you are knocked down. I've been knocked down many times, but I - never! Well, or almost ...

I have already told you how it can be in Bukovel. Now I'll tell you, how I was somehow shot down on Trostyan, in Slavsk. So, withI'm going down the western slope of the mountain, jumping on those notorious humps. I don't touch anyone. And then, out of nowhere, someone appears to my left. Some uncle, about fifty years old, who obviously first came to this mountain and completely crazy from these humps and pits, swoops down on me, you know, and knocks me down! And how! He waved his arms at the same time and toak dvinno me with the handle of the stick on the bottom jaws! Almost knocked out half of my teeth! Knocked me down...What happened next? I ended up in a completely white world! In the collision, he and I sent up a whole cloud of snow dust into the air, which completely closed my eyes.

When this cloud settled, I saw that I was left with only one ski! "The hero of the occasion" stood below the slope, about fifty meters, and looked stunned in my direction. In some unimaginable way, he dragged my sticks with him. And my second ski lay 20 meters below me. I had to dust myself off and go on foot for my property. The unfortunate skier did not wait for my approach and somehow left, leaving my sticks stuck in the snow.

AndI still remember a rather curious incident in Bukovel: how a bordist was chasing me all over the track, yelling at my back, “Get out of the way, they say! ", and still knocked down! And the track is 100 meters wide! And he doesn't have enough room! That's funny - ha ha!

The boy turned out to be from Belarus. I apologized very much ...

Yeah, a lot of things happened to me on the ski track...

Such cases there are.


Maybe you will laugh at me, friends ...Noh, I just decided I to step over my pride and tell you all this so that this does not happen to you. Ski happily! I wish you success!

A LITTLE AFTERWORD

Well, that's it for now guys!

I finished writing to this point and was a little horrified...Why? !

Yes, I wanted to write "moments", but it turned out to be a sort of "ski chronicles"!

Well, I haven't been able to write briefly and beautifully about what I want to talk about...I can only dream about talent: brevity is its sister.

But come on! I hope that even so there will be some benefit from my story; that those who did not know this yet will understand, rereading my "chronicles", what a wonderful sport it is - alpine skiing!

And maybe later, as they say, he will be able to write about them much better than me, after he sees not only the places where I have been, but also many, many other beautiful skiing places in the world ...

I'll be happy if that happens!

In general, get on skis, don't be afraid, learn, ride, have fun, and most importantly - rejoice, rejoice, enjoy life, people!

And be sure to share it with others afterwards!

Go ahead!

Respectfully, your author.

Alexander Kotlov (author of the text),

Lydia Gerasimenko (photographer)

g. Lviv

andSeptember 2015

Translated automatically from Russian. View original
To add or remove photos in a story, go to album of this story
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