Up The Rocks

With Jan Pala, we had planned this trip around a year ago. Those times in his dreams the ski-alpinism and heliskiing in Armenia looked like amazing powder slopes and good weather.. . But let’s see what it turned out.

On Feb 2 early in the morning I met Alena Denshchik from Kamchatka and our heroes from Czech and Slovak Republics at the airport: Jan Pala (the director), Michal Sventek, Matúš Kuchyňa, Jan Hájek and Boris Biba.
Hence I started to notice the Czech and Slovakian languages sound a lot like Russian, I caught an expression of perspicacity Matúš: “...Arménská muži zasmušilý, jejich oči byly jako Kalašnikov” like Armenian men are sullen, they have a look of Kalashnikov. ))))))) And after some short time I guessed that I was the inženýr..!!!

After we put the luggage at "Envoy Hostel", Jan, Alena, Matush and me set off to my place to mount the bindings on the new “Movement” freeride skis of Alena and mine which Jan had purchased with very good prices. Others felt in a deep sleep in the hostel. Afternoon we set off to our first destination - Tsaghkadzor ski resort. As we got to the ski resort at around 5pm the most part of the way to summit was skin climbed as the lift stopped working.
Then it got dark and we had kind of noční lyžování. All the next day we were skiing there. Sure we did some freeriding but the basic impression about the ski-runs of the resort was poor: ''even the steepest (black) ones were too easy'' – as Alena described it in her website after www.kamch.ucoz.ru.
Then we set off to the resort city Jermuk at night. The result of drinking a lot of beer in the van was that we had to stop the car very often to measure the temperature of freezing night..)))

at Tsaghkadzor ski-run at Tsaghkadzor ski-run

the guys got on the top of Mt Teghenis the guys got on the top of Mt Teghenis

off-piste in Tsaghkadzor off-piste in Tsaghkadzor

Matus's freeride in Jermuk Matus's freeride in Jermuk

me, Jermuk me, Jermuk

Alena Alena

The next two days we had some fun freeriding in the powder of Jermuk - in the wood next to the ski runs and from the small summit near. But unfortunately for us and our skis we met a lot of stones and stumps. Many tumbles and deep scars on the ski basements, and some rest kindly offered to our director by a tree trunk...
And next few days we were desperately seeking any good snow on the southern Armenia mountain slopes. It has snowed a lot there till the end of January, but the intense strong winds of the last days have swept all the snow away from the mountain slopes.. :(

Jan Hajek, Jermuk Jan Hajek, Jermuk

thats me, the inzenyr thats me, the inzenyr

the "director"the "director"

Jan Pala Jan Pala

Jan Hajek Jan Hajek

Matus Kuchyna Matus Kuchyna

The Ski-alpinism program in Armenia was to traverse three summits in the south: Mt. Khoustoup 3201m, Mt. Tarkatar 3277m and Mt. Aramazd 3400m then skiing from the summit of Mt. Ishkhanasar 3550m.
During the first attempt, on Mt Khoustoup, we had to face the reality. Wind had swept the slopes and a lot of rocks pined in the shallow snow. We had predicted something like that and went by day packs to ski down from the opposite slopes after the summit. We started climbing quite late at 11:15am so when we got the summit comb it was past 5pm. It was less than an hour to walk to the summit, but already late and the conditions didn't inspire us to find good snow on the opposite slopes, so we turned back.

me me

Boris Boris

me, the city Jermuk on backgroundme, the city Jermuk on background

in the small restaraunt on the top of the resort mount in the small restaraunt on the top of the resort mount

freeriding in the wood near ski-runs freeriding in the wood near ski-runs

sightseeing at Jermuk's canyonsightseeing at Jermuk's canyon

The night in the hotel-restaurant in the city of Kapan was extraordinary. After some bottles of vodka Boris made a big theatrical performance for us. We were very close to having some serious troubles but for me the most challenging was to make my self not to crack up and keep my look as strict as “Kalashnikov's” was. I hoped that it would work to make Boris calm down.
Another funny story we had at the camp on the Mt Ishkhanasar. As in Yerevan we could find specified cans for mountaineering 3 times more expensive than anywhere else (8 euros per 230g can), we picked up the ones, not specified for mountaineering, by 2 euros. Here we had used those successfully in winter camps before, keeping them warm rolled in the clothes in the bag pack or in the sleeping bags. But these guys were careless about it when I warned them.
And in the next morning they were praying about two hours in the tent, to boil a liter of water from the snow (for me it took about 15min). After I heard that the half of one of inner tents was burnt. According to one of the hypothesis, Boris had released some gas around the stove and it caused a big blaze in the tent… And that hypothesis turned out to be very applicable for Boris. It bore the idea to set up a new brand "BorGas" and produce very cheap cans to be exported to Armenia.

russian military "GAZ" drove us to Mt. Khoustoup slopes russian military "GAZ" drove us to Mt. Khoustoup slopes

pass below the Khoustoup summit pass below the Khoustoup summit

our camp on the slope of Mt. Ishkhanasar our camp on the slope of Mt. Ishkhanasar

Well, then we returned back to Yerevan to go for heli skiing on Mt. Aragats 4090m. Another two days were spent on the Cosmic Rises Laboratory based on the slopes of the mount at 3200m. When we went to the South peak to check the snow conditions before calling the helicopter, all we found were the same wind swept slopes with moguls and rocks. We had nothing to do but to cancel the Heliskiing program and go back to Yerevan.

The next day, on February 13, the group set off to Georgia to try its fortune there. As I heard after, the snow conditions were not the best there as well. Somewhere, on the mountains around Gudauri, they got finally some powder and also 4 avalanches were triggered where Jan Hájek lost his ski in the avalanche debris.

Well guys, I wish you always to have the best powder snow and weather on your next trips! ;)

Hajek had found this amazing spot, were we had some ski-boot fun bouldering Hajek had found this amazing spot, were we had some ski-boot fun bouldering

our camp on Mt. Ishkhanasar our camp on Mt. Ishkhanasar

Michal Sventek and Jan Hajek got the south summit of Aragats Michal Sventek and Jan Hajek got the south summit of Aragats

south summit of Mt. Aragats, the west one on the background south summit of Mt. Aragats, the west one on the background

view from the south peak of Mt. Aragatsview from the south peak of Mt. Aragats