5 freezing cold places in Russia you never want to go
Russia is a lot like Canada. Plenty of cold, empty, beautiful places no one should ever really go in the name of personal safety.
Fortunately, the Sochi 2014 torch relay is going to many of those places and we get to learn about them, from the comfort of a warm room.
SEE ALSO: How the Olympic torch made it to space
Lake Baikal
This is Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world. Three torchbearers passed a special flare between one another at a depth of 13 metres. The flare was lit by the Olympic flame.
After the underwater trip, the flame was given to Mikhail Chuev who more importantly was wearing a jetpack. A real jetpack. Chuev rocketed at height of 10 metres to shore.
Avachinskiy volcano
The Avachinskiy volcano is an active stratovolcano and sits on the Kamchatka peninsula in the far east of Russia. It last erupted in 2001 according to the Smithsonian Institute. It didn’t erupt on Day 36 of the torch relay. A team of snowboarders, snowmobilers, dog sleds and jeeps carried the Olympic flame to the bottom.
Avachinskaya bay
A day after the volcano adventure, the torch went to massive Avachinskaya bay which is second in size only to Port Jackson in Australia. The total surface area of icy water is 215 square kilometres. Three massive rock eruptions are a local symbol, called the “Three Brothers”. According to local legend, they guard the entrance of the bay.
Yakutsk
Day 33 of the torch relay found its way to the city of Yakutsk, where it rode in a sled pulled by reindeer.
Blagoveshchensk
There’s a lot of water in Russia. We suppose it wouldn’t be a proper tour without someone attempting a polar bear swim. This is Blagoveshchensk, where the torch went for a 100 metre dip. And it got real. The slush resulted in some bloody hands and knees from the floating chunks of ice.
Other torchbearers: human, animal and machine.
Photos: Sochi 2014
