Thursday 20.06.02 Andrey Shvyrev, known also under the nick Glebych, gave the interview to the web portal Dombai.Info, where represented his own point of view both on the recent events and the following climbing season in Dombai. P>- Andrey we are waiting news from Krasnaya Poliana, Elbrus region, and ofcourse from Dombai.

- Competitions in Sochi in the begining of June, where took part 21 regional teams of Ministry of Emergency situations (all teams from the South of Russia and the most experienced teams from the other regions), - was quite serious event. Among the general disciplines such as cross- country racing and the complemetary exercises on the horizontal bar, relay-racing should be specialy emphasized. The distance was more then 13 km. The interval between the starting teams was 20 min. Stages: rocky climbing in pairs, complementary vertical transporting of a "victim", sporting orientation. Stages appeared to be very difficult for most of the teams. For example, the teams from Astrahan and Kalmyki refused to start the rocky stage. When the river racing sportsmen were dropping from the rafts like ripe pears from pear-tree, and only helmets and the life jackets safe them. Cherkesk team won, while the team from Stavropol (my native town) came into first dozen because of absence of two their leaders, who went to some more representative competitions. The next competiotions for the regional rescue teams will come to plan on october 2002 at the same place not far from Krasnaya Poliana.

- Could you please tell us about the following climbing competitions in Karachay-Cherkessia.

- On friday afternoon (21.06) I'll come to Dombai. Я в пятницу утром еду в Домбай, после обеда буду там. Friday is the starting day for all the participants. They wiil stai in Dombai while the competitions will take placeon the rocks in the Karachaevsk neighbourhood where organizers will transfer all the sportsmen. Right hand near the way to Dombai not far from Karachaevsk there a is quite safety rocky massive with partly developed routes. It is here that this competitions take place here the third time. Last season there were 46 participants fighting in pair-climbing. This year there'll be pure climbing (without pair interference) with only judge's insurence rope. My due at this competitions is just providing rescue. Judgement is through V. Shipilov.

- Don't you know the details on the recent story of pioneer climbing on Kiukiurtlu?

- I took part in this adventure! The 5 participants - moscovites - are really skilfull and experienced people, but the climbing like this must be executed with the attraction of oficial observers as well as rescue teams, which they didn't attract. There were not only scree coming on them, but the avalanche too. The route starts with the wall of negative angle then coming gradually to vertical one - so there are a lot of screes and "shuting rocks" there.
The weather was not good too - among all the days the only one was simply cloudy, the others were full of snow and rainfalling. And at the departure day 20.06 the very strong rain started, the result of this event is already known to everybody from the TV news.
The wet weather is welknown to stimulate the scree and rockfall, I received the strike to my head from the small stone (he is laughing pointing to the scratch on the forehead). The bad weather and long approach with the heavy rucksacks were too exhausting so the decidion to break the attempt to climb on the Kiukirtlu was very wise.

- Are you going to participate the actions on the Elbrus ?

On July 25 there is going to be the mass climbing to Elbrus from the North. A lot of teams including very small one from all over the Russia. It takes 3 weeks to the action called "Elbrus from the North". As for the Dombai regional rescue team they will provide the secure through Dushman and Vitalik Boublik (official "teamsters"). In case of work wiilll be needed they organize working groups among the participants and then cordinate and mange them. Why the Dombai secure team is so small ? We have some employee in our service leaving for the exams and I must stay at Dombai.
The route to Elbrus is in excelent state: there is snow at 2000 m and higher, so all the screes arec closed. Elbrus is totaly white. This year will become open space to the amateurs of both snowboarding and ski-tour. And this is true not only for the North slope of the Elbrus. The only difference is that while on the South slope with the sun rising the snow is melting transfroming into the porrige, on the North slope the firn is quite strong becoming stronger with the hight.
There are a number of advantages in the situation with a lot of snow on the slope. Some of them are: