4. Most of us don’t know much about the Caucasus mountains. Could you briefly describe its orography and meteorology for us? Roughly, what are the main differences between the Greater and the Lesser Caucasus

The Caucasus mountain range stretches over 1150km from the northwest to the southeast between the Black and Caspian seas. It is similar to the Alps, but it’s not as developed and it’s more complicated to travel through the borders of the Russian Federation with Georgia (Abkhazia, South Ossetia) and Azerbaijan.

Most interesting for skiing are the Western Caucasus (from the Black Sea to the foothills of Mount Elbrus) and the Central Caucasus (from Elbrus to Kazbek). There are a few big ski resorts.

To the west, there is the Winter Olympic resort of Krasnaya Polyana (Sochi). Participants of FWT call it “Little Alaska” because of its solid coastal snowpack and the steep terrain at the top section of Aibga ridge. A wide variety of terrain, the “Magic forest” and more than 1 km of vertical drop from top to bottom make Krasnaya Polyana one of my favorite places.

But freeriding becomes more popular every year and it’s more difficult to make first tracks during the day, but if you have a splitboard you can always find places to leave your signature.

In the springtime, from mid-March to April, the snow is better more towards the east of the Caucasus Range, in the high mountains of the Elbrus area. It is my second favorite ski area, with 2 ski resorts: one on Mount Elbrus and the second on Mount Cheget, with a huge terrain for backcountry splitboarding.

“Now I ride splitboard most of the season, even in ski resorts. With good equipment I don’t really feel the difference between spit and a solid board.”

5. How did you discover splitboarding? How has it influenced your daily routine on the mountain?

I did many years of freeriding and backcountry before I discovered splitboarding. We always hiked up from the lifts with friends to go off-piste, but I had never thought about riding far from the ski resort until 2005, when some German friends invited me to an expedition in the Bezenghi Valley. It’s the highest part of the Caucasus mountain range, called “Russian Himalayas”. We used snowshoes at that time, but this trip changed my concept of freeriding and I started to dream about new lines and first descents. Not heliskiing superstar Jeremy Jones, but Marco Siffredi and Craig Kelly became my heroes. But it was quite difficult to find company, so I start to learn about mountaineering and to practice working as a tail guide in Elbrus.

In 2011 the first professional Association of Mountain Guides was created in Russia and I was one of the people invited to the mountain guide course by the standard of IFMGA / UIAGM, under the guidance of Canadian teachers. Snowboarders were invited with one proviso – they had to be on splitboards and ski-tour together with the skiers. That was a trigger to buy new equipment and to start using it for backcountry intensely.

Now I ride a splitboard most of the season, even at ski resorts. With a good equipment I don’t really feel the difference between a split and a solid board. I can ride, jump and ski-tour with skiers, I have no stress in the flat parts and I easily find fresh powder, no matter how many days after the last snowfall.

Splitboarding helps me to look at the mountains from a different perspective, opening new horizons and making it more accessible. Traveling with a light backpack, without sinking into the snow up to your waist is much nicer!