- Details
| Last week I posted information on the Imandra Project. Sergey Lavrentieve, the event's organizer, sent additional information..here it is: |
IMANDRA project founded at season 2000/2001 by Valentin Smirnov. He think what nearest to Monchegorsk ice area is magnificent place for winter windy sports. This place is a Imandra lake. It have 820 square kilometers of mirror surface and more than 200 km at length. Lake freezes in November and ice hold to middle of May. Imandra consist of three parts: Bolshyaya or Khybinskaya Imandra, Ekostrovskaya and Babinskaya. Monchegorsk city placed on shore of bay of Bolshyaya Imandra and chosen as venue for first 100 km race.
100 km race it's a improbable challenge. At that time still anybody did not overcome similar distances! It seemed impossible but In first event at April 2001 take part 13 competitors. Only two racers of 13 started successfully pass the distance inside time limit an cross the finish line. Now, after six years successfully pass full size distance 26 peoples from 150 participants.
Most fast man on Imandra - Ivo Bryner. Competitor from Switzerland, leader of ISKA competitions series. Ivo Has passed a 100km distance for 3hr26min! He plan visit event again together with friends. On a regular basis the strongest Russian sportsmen take part. The multiple winner of world and the Europe snowkite cups and championships (WISSA, ISKA) Alexey Razhev and other serious applicants for a victory from Russia.
Rules allow to take part in race to any competitor applying traction kite, sail or any windy equipment. For example. Graham Steel from UK, the British Parakart Super Cup legend. He made special snowcharged kitebuggy and to try cover the 100 km but have fail on half way by technical reasons. Graham plan to take part in event again. A first man who passed the race with traction kite on telemark skis is a Antony Baird also from UK. His result is a 6 hours and 18th place in general rating sheet. You can see full results at URL: http://imandra.monchegorsk.ru/?uc=results
But IMANDRAproject event not only for advanced racers. Any snowkiter wishing to check up itself on durability can take part and say after crossing finish line - "Wow! I have passed 100 km!!!" and to become a member of "100km club". At the moment while nobody on snowboard with traction kite yet did not cross the finish line. May be it's you? Vacancy of "strongest snowkiteboarder racer of the world" while is free...
Weather conditions at April can be various. Last two years we have at race day wind speed 15-25 knots, but wind speed may be not up of 4-6 knots in closed bays and in narrow passages. Wind speed variations on the way is a additional difficult conditions for competitors. Air temperature at April from -10c at night to +5 at day. Ice on lake such thick that is capable to sustain weight of the car.
Safety always top-level. Besides the obligatory insurance, we are helped by division of the Ministry of Emergency Measures and guides from adventure company "Solitary Wanderer". The affinity of lake coast allows to be navigated successfully and an infrastructure around of lake (railways and highways) simplifies rescue operations.
Besides 100 km supermarathon since 2003 event programm include snowkite freestyle and at 2003/2004 year Valentin Smirnov has moved for ever to Krasnoyarsk and i became the next organizer of event. Since 2005 i organise IMANDRAproject and promote it worldwide, but first foreign participants visit event at 2002 year. Is a a two french snowkiteboarders, Jerom and his girlfriend. At moment, IMANDRAproject are unique snowkite event in Russia.
Any another russian snowkite event not have international set of participants. But we plan to invite more international snowkite freestylers for to compare world skill with russian "young guns", Anton Yzhegov, Sergey Belmesov, Nikolay Rakhmatov and other talented riders. I thik but russian snowkite freestyle level does not concede of international, but till now there is no exact answer to this assumption. I hope what in nearest future we possible to find answer to question - "who the best".
Besides freestyle and super race we constantly search for new ways of expression of riders skill. In IMANDRAproject 2007 we plan to lead successfully "uphill" (snowkite freeride). Is a new discipline, analogue "freeride" competitions in alpine sports. Rules are similar on rules by IFSA. Meaning of uphill fast and prefect snowkite ride there where it is difficult to go even on foot or to go on skis. Not even rider can do this - is very hard but gives ideal conditions to riders for full freedom of skill expression.
We hope that Imandra can be show to all world what is real Russia and real russian peoples. By the way with the British participants it was possible to find common language very quickly. We very similar people irrespective of what policy spend our governments. We love wind and snow. We snowkiters!