Delphinapterus leucas Pallas, 1776

Squad: Cetaceans (Сetacea)

Suborder: Toothed whales (Odontoceti)

Family: Narwhals (Monodontidae)

Genus: Beluga whales (Delphinfpterus Laceped.1804)

Other name:

Belukha, Beluga (equivalent, the most common is the first)

Where does he live:

The beluga whale population is subdivided into 29 local herds, of which about 12 are located on the territory of Russia. Distributed circumpolar, between 50° and 80° N, inhabiting all the Arctic, as well as the Bering and Okhotsk seas; in winter, calls are known to the Baltic Sea. In pursuit of fish (spawning salmon), the beluga whale until the middle of the last century entered big rivers(Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur), sometimes rising hundreds of kilometers upstream.

The size:

Beluga whales are characterized by sexual dimorphism: males are usually larger than females of the same age as them. Weight: males reach 850-1500 kg, females 650-1360 kg with a typical body length of 3.6-4.2 m. The largest males reach 6 m in length and 2 tons of weight.

Appearance:

The head of the beluga whale is spherical, "lobed", the lower jaws practically do not protrude forward without a beak. The vertebrae on the neck are not fused together, so the beluga whale, unlike most whales, is able to turn its head. This makes it easier for her to navigate and maneuver in the ice. The pectoral fins are small and oval in shape. The dorsal fin is absent - this allows the beluga whale to move more freely under the ice. Hence the Latin name of the genus Delphinapterus leucas - "white dolphin without dorsal fin".

Skin with a loose layer of epidermis (up to 12 mm thick) resembles an external shock absorber and partly protects belugas from damage when swimming among ice. They are saved from hypothermia by a layer of subcutaneous fat up to 10-12 cm thick, in some places up to 18 cm, which is up to 40% of the body weight of the beluga whale. The color of the skin is uniform. It changes with age: newborns are light brown due to the thick layer of the epidermis, which, as the baby grows, falls off in pieces and the lower parts of the dermis rise to the surface with an abundance of dark pigment - melanin. The general coloration becomes dark blue, growth and molting continue and the young become gray, then bluish-gray; individuals older than 4-7 years are pure white.

Behavior and lifestyle:

Some populations of belugas make regular migrations. They are associated with seasonal movements of schools of fish. Thus, the movement of the beluga whale population from Cook Inlet in Alaska repeats the movement of its main prey - salmon.

In spring, belugas begin to move towards the coast - to desalinated shallow bays, fjords and estuaries of northern rivers. Flying near the coast is due to the presence of food here and the higher temperature of desalinated water. The latter improves the conditions for molting and shedding of the old layer of the epidermis. Often, in order to remove the dead surface layer of the skin, beluga whales rub against the bottom - sand in shallow water. Beluga whales are tied to the same flying places, visiting them year after year. Tracking individual individuals showed that beluga whales remember the place of their birth and the way to it after wintering.

Local herds in summer (reproductive aggregations) play a dual role in the biology of the species. Firstly, they ensure the reproduction of the population and isolation from neighboring local herds, and secondly, they play a crucial role in terms of all types of individual contacts (sexual, play, etc.) between members of the herd, maintaining hierarchical relationships and contributing to education and training young animals. This ensures the preservation of the social structure of the local herd and the individual and group status of its members.

Not all populations migrate. Their need is determined by specific ice conditions and the presence of accumulations of food.

AT winter time beluga whales, as a rule, keep to the edges of the ice fields, but sometimes they penetrate far into the glaciation zone, where winds and currents support cracks, leads and polynyas. When icing large water areas, they make mass migrations from these areas. The polynyas, to which the beluga whales rise to breathe, can be several kilometers away from each other. Beluga whales find them using direction finding and sometimes location. But sometimes they are trapped - in ice captivity, if the distance to clean water exceeds 3-4.5 km. The dorsal part of the body and the upper part of the head consist of thick and durable skin, which allows them to be used to maintain wormwood, breaking with ice up to 4-6 centimeters thick.

Beluga whales are social animals. A herd of beluga whales consists of clans, and clans are made up of families arranged according to the principle of matriarchy. The family consists of primary family groups: mothers and 1-2 cubs. Males in the herd and clan play the role of guards and scouts for fish aggregations. On large concentrations of fish, several herds of beluga whales sometimes gather, and feeding animals huddle into herds of hundreds and even thousands of animals.

Nutrition:

Beluga whales feed mainly on schooling fish (capelin, cod, polar cod, herring, navaga, flounder, whitefish and salmon species); to a lesser extent - crustaceans and cephalopods. Prey, especially benthic organisms, belugas do not grab, but suck. An adult individual consumes about 15 kg of food per day. But such lucky days are rare.

Reproduction:

In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, beluga whales mate in April - May, in the Gulf of Ob - in July, in the Barents and Kara Seas - from May to August, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence - from February to August, and in the Hudson Bay, fertilization of females occurs from March to September. Thus, the mating period lasts about 6 months, but the bulk of females are fertilized in a relatively short time - late April - early - mid-July. In the rest of the year, in most cases, only individual animals mate.

The period of childbearing is extended, as is the mating period, and childbirth can be from early spring throughout the summer months. Thus, pregnancy in beluga whales lasts 11.5 months, there is an opinion that this period can reach 13-14 months. As a rule, females give birth in the mouths of rivers that bring more warm waters. The female brings one cub 140-160 cm long, very rarely - two. The lactation period lasts about 12 months. The next mating may occur one to two weeks after birth.

Lifespan:

Life expectancy in nature is 32-40 years (the known maximum age of the female is 44 years).

Number:the exact number is not known.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are about 150,000 belugas in the world. Russian populations, according to the International Commission on Whaling, number up to 27,000 individuals. At the same time, the 3 largest groups Sea of ​​Okhotsk there are up to 20,000 belugas.

Natural Enemies:

The killer whale is the enemy of beluga whales.

Threats mind:

The main danger for these whales is toxic waste polluting their habitat, as well as industrial exclusion from their Arctic habitats, especially key breeding and feeding areas. In recent years, noise pollution has increased dramatically - due to the development of shipping and an increase in the flow of wild tourists, which prevents normal reproduction and leads to a decrease in the number of cubs - i.e. reduction in herd size.

Interesting Facts

In winter, the white whale hunts for cod, flounder, goby, pollock, making very deep dives - up to 300-1000 m, and remaining under water for up to 25 minutes. Despite the massiveness, the beluga whale is agile; She is able to swim on her back and even backwards. Usually swims at a speed of 3-9 km / h; frightened, it can make jerks up to 22 km / h.

For the variety of sounds they make, whalers in the 19th century. nicknamed the beluga whale "sea canary" ( sea ​​canary), and the Russians had the expression “beluga roar” - the characteristic roar of a male during the rut.

The researchers counted about 50 sound signals in beluga whales: whistling, screeching, chirping, screaming, grinding, shrill scream, roar, and others. In addition, beluga whales use “body language” (slapping the water with their tail fins) and even facial expressions when communicating.

In addition to screams, beluga whales make clicks in the ultrasonic range. The system of air sacs in the soft tissues of the head takes part in their production, and the radiation is focused by a special fat pad on the forehead - melon (acoustic lens). Reflected from surrounding objects, clicks return to the beluga whale; The “antenna” is the lower jaw, which transmits vibrations to the cavity of the middle ear. Echo analysis allows the animal to get an accurate picture of its surroundings. Beluga has excellent hearing and echolocation. These animals are able to hear in a wide frequency range from 40-75 Hz to 30-100 kHz.

Beluga whales also have well-developed vision, both under water and above its surface. Probably, the vision of the beluga whale is colored, because. her retina contains rods and cones - photoreceptor cells. However, research has not yet confirmed this.

Compiled by: Member of the Board of the Marine Mammal Council,

Head Laboratory of Marine Mammals of the IO RAS, Doctor of Biological Sciences V.M. Belkovich

The water area of ​​the port of Sochi is guarded by trained beluga whales.

For the Games, this port, built back in the 1950s, was significantly reconstructed - a second deep-water area appeared, which was formed by new powerful concrete breakwaters, carried far into the open sea. In the same place, on the berths of the deep water area, a new maritime station, buildings of customs and various services were erected. The main goal of the reconstruction of the Sochi harbor is to make it possible to park large passenger ships in the port. In the old water area, the depth of which did not exceed 8 meters, modern cruise ships couldn't come in. The renovated port of Sochi was opened a month before the Games, and now four motor ships, each carrying up to 3,000 passengers, are moored at the berths of its deep water area. Fans, volunteers, technical support workers live in these floating hotels. Like all Olympic venues Sochi, the port these days is heavily guarded. This is noticeable: at the berths and at sea - ships and boats of the Russian Navy. Against their background, foreign guests of the Games are happy to take pictures.

And a month before the Olympics, in the old water area of ​​the port of Sochi, an inconspicuous object appeared at one of the berths - a small paddock in which, if you look closely, you could notice three belugas or, as they are also called, polar dolphins. Dolphins - neither polar nor local Black Sea bottlenose dolphins - have ever lived in the port of Sochi. What are they here for? The first assumption is that they will participate in the opening ceremony of the Games. But the port workers told a Trud correspondent that people in naval uniforms take care of the belugas and feed them fish, so even then, a month before the Olympics, it was no secret in the port that to protect both water areas, old and new, from possible penetration of scuba divers with, let's say, bad intentions, will be combat polar whales who have completed a course of special training.

Trud's correspondent failed to get any comments and details from representatives of the Navy. Moreover, the whales from the corral soon disappeared. “Which white whales? - joked people in uniform. "Did you feel…"

But the version that these three dolphins are now guarding the port was confirmed: in the sea, at the entrance to the Sochi harbor, an unusual floating structure was installed, attracting attention with its bright orange color. And inside this structure, divided into three sections, with binoculars you can see periodically emerging snow-white dolphins.

In the public domain on the Internet, there is information that special units of the Navy began to train beluga whales for military purposes back in the days of the USSR. One of the first research centers for the combat use of whales was created on Far East, in Srednyaya Bay near Nakhodka. Then the same center appeared in the Vityaz Bay of the Khasansky district. It is reported that "... scientists and military specialists in counter-sabotage struggle have achieved the required skills from animals - in a combat situation, a special cutting device was put on the beluga whale's nose, with which the animal could kill the scuba diver, pushing him to the surface." In 1998, during the collapse of the Soviet army and navy, when funding was stopped in all respects, the research center of the Navy in the Far East was disbanded, and some belugas were then transported to the Black Sea, to Gelendzhik.

Apparently, experiments on the combat use of dolphins are currently ongoing in the Russian Navy. And, as you can imagine, now belugas are trained not to kill enemy scuba divers, but to notify about the approach of divers or other large underwater objects to a protected vessel or structure. Dolphins, as you know, are endowed with the unique ability of echolocation, and under water they navigate not with the help of vision, but due to the fact that they emit high-frequency sound waves and pick up their reflection from various objects and obstacles. This natural mechanism, in particular, in beluga whales, is so perfect that the whale can recognize and identify even small objects that are at the bottom, for example, coins, with its locator. And to find a scuba diver on the way to the port, and at a considerable distance, is not a problem for them at all.

It was not possible to find out how belugas warn people about the approach of divers. Such developments are strictly classified. One can only assume that the signal is transmitted by special electronic devices: This is indicated by antennas located on the floating structure where the whales live and work, and on the pier of the port.

However, technical details are not so important for the guests of the Olympics. The main thing is that the port of the city, in which 12 thousand people now live on ships, like in hotels, is reliably guarded, including by very cute snow-white polar whales.

The use of combat animals in the US Navy Special Forces.

One day in the first half of the 1960s in sunny Florida, yachtsmen and shipowners suddenly discovered strange objects on their yachts and boats that turned out to be sabotage mines. This was the result of the first exercise conducted by a special CIA team near the island of Key West, using specially trained demolition dolphins. It's good that the mines were training.

But they could be the first...

The leadership of the special division of the CIA believed that the task assigned to the "recruited" dolphins for military service was quite simple and easily feasible for animals with such a high level of brain activity. Take a special sabotage mine from the base, go to the designated area of ​​the operation and attach mines to the bottoms of warships. After that, the dolphins were supposed to return to the base.

()

An exclusive interview with the former head of the object with a completely peaceful name "Oceanarium" ... Although the name of the SUPERIOR organization - "Aquarium" also sounds very peaceful :)
There are many myths and fictions around this topic. There are many reasons for this, first of all, the special secrecy of the programs of the GRU General Staff of the USSR, special forces of the Navy, and other circumstances.
Original taken from moryakukrainy to the Oceanarium and dolphin special forces. Without myths and legends... Sevastopol 1990. Capturing fighting dolphins.

"Military Book" - a small and cozy store, some 25 years ago it was on main street Odessa, Deribasovskaya. There one could leisurely look through all the novelties - memoirs of the participants of the last war, military-political and military-technical literature: domestic and translated. Some of the editions bought here ended up on the shelves of my personal library. Even now I resort to them as reference books. I’ll name what is called offhand: Fuller J.F.S. “The Second World War” 1939-1945, “Strategic and Tactical Review” - M. Foreign Literature (IL), 1956 or Hillsman R. “Strategic Intelligence and Political solutions ”- M. IL, 1957. He named these two books not by chance. It was thanks to the translations made by IL that I got acquainted with collections of military technical articles, including those about the biotechnical system (BTS) with the participation of dolphins, as well as dolphinologists John Lilly and Forrest Glen Wood, who worked in those years for the US Navy.

It took almost three days for the rescuers to reach the Kemerovo tourists who were trapped in the Belukha glaciers in the border zone. The participants of the rescue operation told Sibnet.ru why they had to wait so long for help, how the climbers survived without a tent, how they greeted their rescuers, and why they did not return to civilization in the end.

Last Friday, forecasters issued a storm warning for Gorny Altai and on Saturday the weather deteriorated sharply. On Sunday, August 12, rescuers received an SOS signal from the Ust-Koksinsky district, where Belukha is located.

Four residents of Kemerovo got in touch by satellite phone and said that they were blocked at an altitude of 4.1 thousand meters. The strongest wind tore their tent and carried away the equipment that could help them descend at least to Lake Akkem, where there is a seasonal rescue post.

Rescuers would have had to walk to them from the post for about three days, the situation was complicated by bad weather - it was raining here, turning into snow, a strong wind was blowing. It was decided to send a helicopter for the climbers, which arrived in the Altai Republic from Kemerovo on Monday and waited several days for permission to take off. The aircraft took off from the Gorno-Altaisk airport only at 16:00 on Tuesday, but three hours later the tourists were filmed from Belukha.

The hardest route

The tourists turned out to be no longer young and quite experienced climbers, the youngest of them is 48 years old, the oldest is 53 years old. They overcame one of the most difficult ice and rock routes - category 5A, while category 6B is considered the most difficult. Rescuers are not gods: how to return alive from Altai

The men planned to traverse (the passage of two or more peaks, and the descent from the previous peak should be in the direction of the next one) of three peaks and had to climb the Western, Eastern peaks and the peak of the Crown of Belukha Mountain.

“Four tourists were sitting on the western plateau. There was a lot of cloudiness, the pilots did a great job. First they flew above the clouds, then they dived into the so-called window, and managed to get to those in distress. They flew up in a helicopter, took them away, lowered them to Akkemskoye Lake, to our rescue base, ”said Yury Shvarts, 1st class rescuer of the Altai search and rescue squad.

Welcome - Welcome

According to one of the pilots, the head of the aviation department of the Siberian Regional Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia Sergey Zubov, the operation proceeded normally, but the cloudiness that kept around mountain peaks. But the wind that caused the emergency was normal.

“The clouds were all around the mountain, including at the landing site. It also hindered the excess - a height of four thousand one hundred meters. It was a field covered with fresh snow. When landing, a cloud formed, we had to very clearly maintain the place, but we managed to land very close to the tourists, ”said the pilot, the only pilot in the Krasnoyarsk Aviation Rescue Center who has a permit to fly to high altitudes.

The pilot explained that altitudes over three thousand meters are considered difficult, the machine becomes inert, uncontrollable, and, as a rule, there is no place to land. And this time it was not possible to fully land the car for loading people. It snowed in the mountains for two days, more than a meter of it poured, it was slippery. In touch mode, the crew held the helicopter while the tourists loaded their belongings and boarded themselves. The help of rescuers was practically not required, the Siberian regional center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry clarifies.

According to Zubov, the preparation for the operation was not long - it was a long wait for permission to take off: “We waited a long time for the weather, Belukha Mountain was covered with clouds for two days, today a window appeared, and we managed to do everything in 3.5 hours.”

Having flown up to the mountain, the rescuers searched for the climbers for no more than 15 minutes. Because of the cloudiness, we had to fly around the peak in a circle; tourists were noticed on one of the sides. Since Sunday, the men have been in contact with the rescue post every three hours, and therefore they already knew that they were flying after them. By the arrival of the board, they trampled on the snow with their feet the inscription Welcome - Welcome.

Shelter in the snow and gas burner

All this time, tourists were at an altitude of 4.1 thousand meters above sea level. They had warm clothes with them, a supply of food and gas-burner where they melted the snow.

“Since their tent was torn apart, they dug into the snow, made a cave with the help of its remains, and lived in this place. They had food, but they were running out of gas - only half a cylinder remained. If today we could not take them off, they would have to do without hot food,” said rescuer Schwartz.

He added that the tourists were physically weakened, they had to spend their energy on heating their shelter, and they also ran out of food. The temperature at this height was from zero to five degrees below zero, dropping to minus 12 at night. However, according to the rescuer, the men were not in danger of frostbite. As a result, none of them needed medical attention.

Often tourists go to difficult routes, not calculating their strength, often make some mistakes that can cost a person life. However, here, according to Schwartz, a combination of circumstances played a big role.

“Everyone can get into bad weather, regardless of whether he is a trained tourist or a beginner. Of course, they had a hard time. It's good that everything ended well, ”concluded the interlocutor.

Violators?

The rescue ship returned to Gorno-Altaisk without the tourists rescued from the trap, they remained at a seasonal rescue post near Lake Akkem. The fact is that the border between Russia and Kazakhstan passes through the Belukha massif. According to a representative of the power structures of the region, the tourists entered the border zone without special passes. And at the seasonal rescue post at the foot of Belukha, border guards were already waiting for them.

"At the entrance to Ust-Koksinsky district at the border control post, they told the border guards that they were going to the Tomsk camps, but they themselves went much higher, where the five-kilometer border zone is located. They should not mislead the employees of the customs post, but simply issue passes,” the interlocutor said.

Now climbers face administrative proceedings and a fine. However, they got into trouble and survived, and this is already great luck. Just a week ago, while descending from the top of Aktru on the North-Chuysky ridge, two climbers from Novosibirsk fell off and Kemerovo region, a resident of Kuzbass failed to survive.

And three years ago, in August 2015, four experienced climbers from Tomsk died while climbing the Maly Aktru glacier on a route of medium difficulty. They ignored a warning about worsening weather and froze to death on a slope after it started to rain and it got very cold. Help could not arrive in time due to bad weather and darkness.

Photo: © Ministry of Emergency Situations in RA

Located in Altai, on the border with Kazakhstan, Mount Belukha (4509 m) is one of the most famous peaks in Russia. Akkem gorge, from which most climbing routes start, is popular with tourists due to unique nature, wonderful views, and legends associated with this place.

The classic route to the summit is classified as 3A. The routes of this category require some technical skills, which, with a strong desire, can really be mastered in 1-2 days of classes. On the Russian side, the slopes of Belukha have a northern exposure - therefore, here you need to have good physical fitness and be prepared for the fact that even in summer you will have to work at temperatures down to -15. In this, Belukha is very different from the four-thousanders in the Caucasus and Asia - the climate here is much more severe.

When choosing equipment for climbing Belukha, you need to remember that the roads to it end 50 kilometers before base camp. It turns out that the equipment should be suitable both for long transitions in the rain (in Altai, heavy rains for several days are not at all uncommon), and for hurricane winds and hard frosts in winter. And in the backpack you will have to fit food, special and bivouac equipment. To be honest, it's not an easy task.

The peculiarity of climbing Belukha is that the whole event looks more like camping trip than for ordinary climbing camps. Here you will not return from short exits to a stationary camp. Almost every day begins with preparations, packing all the equipment in a backpack. This point should also be taken into account when choosing equipment.

They go to Belukha in winter and summer. And this is a completely different mountain. The equipment doesn't make much of a difference. The list below is for summer climbing. In winter, you need a warmer sleeping bag, a winter puff, double climbing boots, and, of course, you won’t reach in sneakers. If you are going to Belukha in the winter, the list of special equipment below needs some adjustments. We specifically noted those items of equipment that differ from the summer set.

Clothing, footwear, protective equipment

	It is advisable to take two sets: Thin thermal underwear made of Polartec power dry fabric for the approach. In case of hot weather, you can also have a T-shirt. Thick thermal underwear made of material like Polartec Power Stretch - for climbing and, possibly, for approaching in very bad weather
Breeches or trousers made of lightweight fabric	needed for the approach. Another option is to wear shorts over thin thermal underwear.
Pants and jacket made of thin fleece	Fleece acts as base layer
Membrane jacket and pants	As mentioned above, rains in those parts are not uncommon. Clothing based on Gore-Tex pro is the most wear-resistant and impenetrable.
Lightweight puff or jacket with synthetic insulation	If you already have a good puff, you can do without it, and not buy an analogue on synthetic insulation. However, keep in mind that the puff can get wet in a few days of approach. To prevent this from happening, the puff should be stored in a high-quality hermetic bag and not put on in bad weather without a membrane jacket until reaching the glacier.
Socks	Two or three pairs (sets) of socks. Choose specialized models for trekking above the boot top.
Buff (Buff)	In case of strong wind or sunburn. You can also use a balaclava, but it will be too hot for most of the climb.
A cap
Sunscreen	With a high protection factor
	The road to the foot of Belukha passes along a forest path with a very difficult terrain. If you refuse to have a full-fledged spare shoe, you can very easily lose your chance to climb. Firstly, in case of bad weather, climbing boots can get wet, and it will be very cold to be on the glacier in them. Secondly, even in good weather, mountain boots always rub blisters, even in the conditions of ordinary climbing camps. Here, as soon as you get off the bus, you will have to make many hours of transitions every day. Both of these problems can be solved with lightweight trekking boots or running shoes. The main requirement for such shoes is the presence of a hard sole, with a tread suitable for moving under a backpack, over difficult terrain. Trekking shoes are usually lighter and more comfortable, but if you have ankle problems, it is better to use light or even medium trekking boots.
Climbing boots	For the glacier on Belukha, classic climbing double-sided boots are suitable. For example, Scarpa Ortles GTX, Zamberlan 2090 Mountain Pro GTX, Asolo Aconcagua GV. If the shoes are not new, they must be impregnated before leaving, giving water-repellent properties.
(with margin)	When climbing Belukha, you have to work in very different weather conditions. Modern multilayer gloves with membranes can stay dry after a day on the glacier. However, even slightly worn gloves sharply lose their moisture-proof properties; they are hot and uncomfortable to work at positive temperatures. In addition, the possibility of losing a glove cannot be ruled out - in such a situation, the importance of a spare pair can hardly be overestimated. For climbing Belukha, it seems appropriate to have one pair of multilayer gloves with a membrane (Arcteryx Zenta AR or Rab Guide) and a pair of lightweight gloves made of windproof material, such as Marmot Evolution. Also, on approach days, it's a good idea to have a pair of protective gloves, like the Camp Axion Light, BD Crag Glove, or the more comfortable Phenix Trekking 2 BK.
	They are flashlights.

Personal special equipment

	Minimum 60 liters. Before choosing a backpack, it is worth clarifying the conditions for dropping off. Some firms offer to throw most of the cargo to Lake Akkem (2-3 days walk) on horseback. In this case, it would be best to have a trunk for 70-100 liters, and a regular assault backpack for 40-50 liters. A backpack will be needed to carry the things necessary for spending the night during the launch and, of course, during the ascent. If you plan to cast without horses, then you can recommend a universal backpack, which will be used for both casting and climbing. It must have a volume of at least 65 liters, with a small dead weight. Very handy here will be a well-thought-out suspension system. This volume allows you to significantly speed up the daily gathering of the camp. In addition, practice shows that with a height of 180 cm, this backpack can be used even on technical ascents. Although, of course, a smaller backpack is better for storming the summit.
Lanyard mustache
descender	If you work with your own ropes, the “basket” is better (BD ATC-Guide). To work with old hard ropes that guides can hang, it is better to have the usual "eight".
Cats with anti-slips *	The presence of anti-skids on the long summer snow and ice route is MANDATORY! For climbing Belukha, lightweight aluminum crampons like Grivel Air Tech, or more wear-resistant Grivel G10 will be enough. *For winter, you should choose a more technical model - for example, Petzl Vasak.
Ice ax *	It is optimal to take a light ice ax, such as Camp Corsa. *On the winter ice lightweight ice axes can be a real curse. With them, even cutting ice for cooking can take many times longer. Therefore, it is worth having something more weighty - classic ice ax models will be just right. (Grivel Nepal SA).
Helmet	Preferably a lightweight model, such as the Petzl Meteor helmet.
strapping	It also makes sense to take a lightweight harness. Lightweight yet fully adjustable Petzl Aquila.
Carabiners	The optimal set of carbines for climbing Belukha: Camp HMS compact. HMS carbine - specially designed to work with descenders. Kong Ergo Screw-Lock . You need 2 pieces. Excellent carabiner for lanyard mustaches - light but with a large latch travel, provides good opening of the carabiner. Kong Heavy Duty Screw Lock . In order to be able to fasten into the bundle directly, without the use of special techniques, it makes sense to use a strong carabiner that can withstand a load of at least 10 Kn. in any circumstances. Black Diamond Ice Clipper. Auxiliary carabiner for hanging ice equipment. For Beluga, one piece will be enough. The leader can have two.

Personal equipment for bivouac and trekking

Rug tourist	Keep in mind that there will be overnight stays in the snow. A self-inflating mat is smaller than foam and provides better thermal insulation, but it must be transported inside a backpack and protected from punctures.
Sleeping bag	Extreme -20. For climbing Belukha it is best to have sleeping bag made of high quality synthetic material. The climate there is quite humid, and every day you need to pack a sleeping bag in a backpack and it does not have time to dry. And whether the leaders of the event will take a rest day before going to the glacier and climbing is a big question. For this reason, a down sleeping bag here is a very risky option.
Tent	Carry it for a long time, so it is better to choose the lightest four-season tent.
Thermos	The optimal volume is 0.7-1 l.
Head Torch	The group should have at least one powerful flashlight for night orientation, for example, Petzl XP, BD Storm or even better BD Icon. The rest of the participants can get by with simpler flashlights (Petzl Tikka+ or BD Cosmo)
Trekking poles	You need a fairly strong model with a small weight. Compactness in assembled form is not so relevant. Well proven model Black Diamond trail. It is highly desirable to have enlarged rings with you so that the sticks do not fall into the snow - otherwise they can break very quickly.

World legends mention mythical countries where sorcerers and gods live, where there is a source of eternal youth and untold wealth. Mankind has run off its feet in search of their traces. Scientists believe that some are worth looking for in Russia.

Shveta dvipa

"In the Sea of ​​Milk, north of Meru, lies big Island shwepa-dvipa, white island, or the island of Light. There is a country where bliss is tasted. Its inhabitants are brave men, removed from all evil, indifferent to honor and dishonor, marvelous in appearance, full of life force. A cruel, insensitive, lawless person does not live here ... ".

Where did they look for this paradise from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. Some Indianists, such as Colonel Wilford, identified Shweta Dvipa with Great Britain. Why not? An island beyond the sea, in the north (for the authors of the Mahabharata). Blavatsky Elena Petrovna, who was a well-known representative of the mystical order of theosophists, in her "Secret Doctrine" placed Shweta-dvipa in the region of the modern Gobi Desert. Some researchers, on the contrary, see Arctida under the White Island - a hypothetical northern polar continent that once existed in the Arctic, but as a result of cataclysms that allegedly occurred from 18 to 100 thousand years ago, went under water (the hypothesis of the German zoographer Eger).

Supporters of Arctida often associate the legend of Shveta-dvipa with Hyperborea, which, according to ancient authors, was also located somewhere far to the north. But north is a loose concept. Some linguists have found similarities between Uralic place names and Indian names. Thus, based on the studies of A.G. Vinogradov and S.V. Zharnikova, the legendary Shveta-dvipa ended up in the Urals, the White Sea, the basins of the Northern Dvina and Pechora rivers, the Volga-Oka interfluve.

Hara Berezaita

There are so-called nomadic toponyms in history, which various sources associated with different places. These include mountain range Haru Berezaiti from the Zoroastrian texts of the Avesta, with Mount Hukayrya. This is the archetypal World Mountain, from behind which the solar chariot of the deity Mithra rises in the morning. Above it sparkle the seven stars of the Big Dipper and the North Star, placed in the center of the universe. From here, from the golden peaks, all the earth's rivers originate, and the greatest of them is the pure Ardvi River, which falls with noise into the white foamy sea of ​​Vourukash. Over the mountains of High Khara the Swift Sun circles eternally, and here the day lasts half a year, and the night lasts half a year. Only the brave and strong in spirit can pass these mountains and get into the happy country of the blessed, washed by the waters of the white foam ocean. Some researchers compare it with the already mentioned legendary Mount Meru, which is located next to Shveto Dvipa in the Urals. But, according to the Italian researcher Giraldo Gnoli, Pamir and the Hindu Kush were initially perceived as Khara Berezaiti, and then these beliefs were transferred to “more serious mountains”, or rather to Elbrus. The ocean in this analogy is obviously the Black Sea. By the way, this does not contradict the ideas of the mythological country in the north, among ancient authors. Many Roman authors gave the same description of the Black Sea that we can give the North Sea today - severe cold, everything is covered with ice, people are dressed in thick skins.

Altai Shambhala

Shambhala is a mythical country from Hinduism and Buddhism. The fairyland promises fabulous conditions - to give eternal youth, to discover all the knowledge of the world. “If you know the teachings of Shambhala, you know the future,” said Nicholas Roerich about the magical land. Traditionally, the entrance to Shambhala is placed in the region of mountainous Tibet, somewhere near the sacred Mount Kailash. But, according to the teachings of Roerich, there should be three gates of Shambhala. One of them is located in Altai, in the area of ​​Mount Belukha, a sacred peak among the local Altai peoples. According to their beliefs, there is a land of spirits. One of the Altai shamans, Anton Yudanov, in his interview said that even the clergy do not dare to approach the mountain closer than 10 km, and an attempt to conquer Belukha, which many people make every year, is a real sacrilege followed by punishment. No wonder, according to him, Belukha is called the "killer mountain", where recent times most tourists died: "The sacred mountain will throw off everyone who seeks to approach its secret."