Altai
Is Siberia cold? No doubts – yes …. In winter. Winter here is cold, long and snowy. And only strong people can live and work here. But in summer… Would you call Oregon or England cold? Summer is very warm at low altitudes. As a rule you will experience temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius (68 F to 77F). July and August are the best times to travel in the region.
Siberian nature and relief are very diverse due to large plains and high mountains. There is enough room for everything. Large areas of tundra occupy northern Siberia. To the South of the tundra regions are areas of dense forest here called “taiga" which contain about half of the world's boreal forest. Mountains dominate huge areas of Eastern and Southern Siberia.
The Altai are the most popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts from around the world. These mountain regions are an amazing place for climbers, hikers, horse riders, and of course rafters and kayakers. These mountains have great rivers of all types and many of them wait for the first explorers.
The Altai Mountains of are situated in southwestern Siberia near the Mongolian border. The range expands into China and Mongolia, but we will describe them in the context of Siberia and Kazakhstan where their greatest rivers are located. The name Altai is from mongolian word "altan" which means "golden." The Altai are the highest mountain range in Siberia and the tallest group of mountains known as the Katunskiy Khrebet includes the regions highest peak, Mount Belukha, which stands at 4506 meters (14540 feet).
The weather is usually pleasant during the summers, with air temperatures around 25 C (83 F), and water temperatures around 11 to 14 C. Rain is relatively rare here. Most of the water comes from the huge glaciers and because of this, the river levels are highest in the early part of July.
The forest-mountainous zone are the richest in fauna. Here one can find bear, lynx, fox, sables, kolinskies (Asian mink), stoats (weasels), squirrels, marals (the Siberian stag), and a rich array of birds. Further up in the alpine region one may also find mountain goats and snow panthers.
Of course, there are great rivers in these mountains, too. The largest and most interesting for rafting are the Katun', Argut, Bashkaus, Chulyshman, Chuya, Shavla, and Chulcha rivers. Most of them have steep gradients as they bend their way through the mountains. Typically, the water level in these rivers rises rapidly during a rainstorm and returns to normal soon after. One will also discover that the valleys in the higher regions are wide and, thus, the currents are relatively weak here. But in the middle and lower reaches, the valleys are narrow and deeply cut. The rivers are often squeezed by sheer walls, known in Russia as "cheeks." Many of these rivers then run out of the gorges in the form or waterfalls, the largest of which is the Chulchinskiy Waterfall. In the mid 70-s the waterfall on the Chulcha River gained great popularity. This biggest waterfall has the total fall height of 160 m and is a marvelous view.
Gornyy Altai is a sparsely settled region with a population of around 200,000 people, mostly Altais, Kazakhs, and Russians. The main occupation is breeding sheep and cattle, though the area has also attracted significant mining activity, including the extraction of mercury, gold, iron, and various minerals.
Throughout this region there is only one major road, the Chuiskiy Trakt, stretching from the city of Biysk through Gorno-Altaisk to the Mongolian border. Most airlines connect the remote areas of Altai with the cities of Barnaul and Gorno-Altaysk.
Rafting down the Katun' you'll be following one of the most famous rivers in all of Russia and Siberia since the Katun' was the first river explored by foreign whitewater rafting enthusiasts. This is one of the most commonly run rivers in the Altai so there are many stories about this run.
The river runs 688 km from its source on the Mt. Belukha (4506m) glaciers and cuts through mountains, taiga, and meadows of high grass and flowers. The Katun' rafting run is a high water journey similar to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. The lower Katun' has a very high volume, so you will have a special feeling on it. Sometimes it reminds me of the Colorado; both rivers have very strong whirlpools and a pretty violent current. But the standing waves of the Katun' are incredible. Even the Colorado does not have anything like them.
The area of Lake Ak-Kem at the heart of the Altai mountains is one of the most beautiful spots for trekking in the world. The mystical quietude and the local beauty gave rise to numerous legends of the Altai people. The base camp on Ak-Kem and the availability of various complex trekking routes make the area inviting to people of all fitness levels.
It is possible to travel around Altai on foot and on ski, on horseback or on camelback, by helicopter or hand glider and paraglider, by light sporting boats on rapid mountain rivers and by comfortable motor ships on Lake Teletskoye which is also called Altyn Kyol (Golden Lake), on mountain skis upon steep slopes or by cars and bicycles across mountain passes searching for "the heart of Asia"…Legend speak "In the days gone by, there was hunger all over Altai. A rich man had a very large golden ingot, but having gone all around Altai, he couldn't buy a single slice of bread for it. The vexed man flung his ingot of gold into the lake and perished himself in the waters of the lake. That's why the Teletskoye Lake is called "Altyn Kyol" or the Golden Lake in the Oirot-Altaian language."
With the special alpinist equipment on icefalls and sheer rocks to transcendental tops of the highest Siberian mountains or in fathomless pits of the deepest caves, with aqualungs along the bottoms of transparent mountain lakes, with guns in taiga pursuing an expensive hunting trophy - it is really difficult to imagine any kind of tourism impossible in Altai.
European travellers, who happened to be here last century, found striking resemblance between Altai and the Switzerland Alps.
That's why no wonder that such names as Siberian Switzerland, North-Tchuya Alps, the Katun Alps appeared. The Swisses, who recently visited Altai, prove this resemblance and say with unconcealed envy, that only here one may imagine the Alps as they were before tourist inroad. Today not large hotels and roads to them are being built in Altai. The majority of geographical discoveries in Altai were made last century. However, nowadays lots of new is found here.The majority of geographical discoveries in Altai were made last century.
Archeological finds of recent years attract attention of specialists all over the world: a site of a man in Denissov cave on the Anuya River is almost the oldest one in Asia. People living in these mountains, their way of life and history are a real fount for travellers, for Altai is a point of contiguity and inter-penetration of different religions: Christianity, Mohammedanism, Lamaism and Buddhism, and some Altaian tribes still preserve their pagan faith and live watched by a kind god Ulgen and malicious Erlic.
Ukok Princess- Pazyryk culture are still considered a world sensation!!!
In 1990-1995, South Altai troop of the North Asia complex expedition of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted research at the Alpine plateau Ukok, situated near the Chinese, Mongolian and Kazakh borders. In the course of excavations of one of the mounds of Ak-Alakh sepulchre, a unique burial of a woman was discovered.
Her remains were found lying in a wooden framework (3,3m х 2,3 m) made of larch and rough-hewed smoothly from inside. The framework was set at the bottom of the sepulchral pit. The whole space of the sepulchral cell - right from the ceiling made of eleven closely fitted logs down to the very bottom - was filled with ice. A linen - several strips of black felt sewed together - was spread instead of a floor right over the previously laid out pebbles. There was a massive trough in the southern corner of the sepulchre. Its lid was hammered in by copper nails with round heads. Leather ornaments presented as figures of deer were found in the trough as the ice inside of it melted. There were dishes with food near the trough. Two flat-bottomed ceramic jugs, destroyed by ice, lied on the floor. Pieces of meat remained lying on the dishes. There was even an iron knife stuck into a piece of meat, the handle of the knife representing symmetrically arranged effigies of the upper part of a wolf's snout with Capricorn's horns. Thus, wolf's sharp-toothed jaws appeared to be the center of the composition adorning the handle.
Six horses were laid in the northern part of the sepulchral pit just like in all other Pazyryk burials. Horses' hair, plaited tails, wooden harness ornaments, components and felt covers of saddles were preserved.
The woman was lying on her right side in a sleeping pose with her legs bent slightly in her knees and hands crossed on her belly; she was lying over double-folded thick strip of felt, her head on a felt pillow-bolster. She was covered with a fur counterpane with appliques representing vegetable ornament, made of golden foil.
Her clothes were well preserved. All seams of her ample silk yellowish shirt with long sleeves covering her fingers were trimmed with thin red cord, while its hem, neck, the edges of the sleeves and the center of the shirt were decorated with a red ribbon; her lengthy two-colored (red and white) woolen skirt had a thick red belt wound of woolen thread; on her legs she had long white felt stockings decorated with patterns of felt appliques in the upper part.
The dead woman had her personal things in the sepulchre. A mirror in the form of a square piece of bronze plate framed by a round wooden setting with a handle and with a deer effigy cut on its back side, laid over the skirt near the woman's left hip. The polished surface of the bronze plate was rubbed with mercury, which not only made the surface shine, but also imparted the plate with the properties of a real mirror. The amulets - beads, bronze pendants - were threaded and tied together. There was also a "vanity case" - horse hair brush; some spread out blue and green powder-like substance - vivianite - a mineral used in manufacturing of blue paint; components of a peculiar pencil - a rod made of iron rings where vivianite served as a slate. Such pencil could be used for ritual face painting. There was also a stone saucer with coriander seeds.
It is obvious, that this is a sepulcher of an outstanding woman. The spacious sepulchral cell, body embalming and the body's laying over a decorated trough, the six horses with extremely beautiful and recherche harness - all these speak for the fact that this was a wealthy woman of a special society position.
The woman's shirt may be considered the real evidence of her wealth and high social status - a real value for the Pazyryks: it could be come across only in "tsar" mounds. It is noteworthy, that it was the first time when Pazyryk clothing made of silk was discovered. According to ethnographic sources, the difference in clothing between the rich and the poor among Pazyryk cattle-breeders was very often reflected in the materials used.
The Ukok young woman had tattoos on her arms - from shoulders down to her wrists. There are also tattoos on some phalanxes of her hands. The blue-color "pictures" can be quite distinctly seen on her white skin, but they preserved only on her left hand, while there are only fragments of tattoos on her right wrist and thumb.
Her right shoulder bears an effigy of a fantastic animal - a deer with gryphon's beak, and horns of a deer and a Capricorn. The horns are decorated with gryphons' heads, the latter can also be seen at the back of the animal, whose body is depicted "twisted". Below there is an effigy of a ram in the same pose with his head thrown back; closed jaws of a spotted ounce with long and twisted tail are depicted at the ram's hoofs.
There are some signs indicating that the dead woman, buried by her fellow-tribesmen with such profound respect, was remarkable for a certain gift that she possessed. This does not obligatory imply that she was a shaman or a priestess. The young woman could be a healer, a story-teller, a fortune-teller. In the ritual practice of Sayan Altai, there are known over 30 titles for various specialists - those possessing certain secret knowledge - who always existed behind shamans serving an obligatory background for them.
The image of the young woman, who had died 2,5 thousand years ago, astounded imagination of many people. "I write to tell you that the spirit of Pazyryk woman turned out my life. When I saved money, I made a tattoo in the form of a she-deer on my left wrist… I made a tattoo of a male deer on my shoulder for my 39th birthday… I am a 1/8 Lenan - this is a North American Indian people, who once lived down the Delaware River… once they lived southward of Lake Baikal (it's about 1000 km from the place, where the Lady is buried), and then moved to the North America through the Bering Straits…" - these are lines from Rosa Donnam's letter (California, USA). And Elizabeth Johnson (California, USA) sent a slide to Novosibirsk depicting a quilt decorated with the figure of fabulous animal from the Altaian Lady's tattoo.
A Spaniard, Migel Anhel Gordilio Urkuia, is going to fly above those places where the Pazyryks were buried, and he decorated the tail of his airplane with depiction of a deer-gryphon. An ancient symbol of extinct people starts a new life…
Altai is a wonderful example of how much t people's life depends on nature, is determined by land where they live. The same as many years ago people pasture cattle here, hunt for wild animals, weave homemade carpets. A great area of these mountains were not industrially developed, that's why food production gained mostly by means of old grandfather's methods is environmentally safe. Many products of natural origin possess unique medical properties, e.g. maral horns obtained in maral-breeding farms, honey and propolis from mountain apiaries, golden root.
| 
