Our operations in Russia are suspended for an indefinite period.
Last winter, we became a part of a new skitouring project in the Altay Mountains, East Kazakhstan.
Unlike Russia these days, Kazakhstan is a peaceful,  hospitable and safe country,
with relatively easy logistics and visa-free for most nationalities.
Being part of Siberia geographically, Altay Mountains provide the same guaranteed powder skiing from early November.
We operate on 25 sq. kilometres of exclusive terrain, with the best tree skiing in Central Asia,
and offer guaranteed first-class skitouring, along with authentic and comfortable accommodation.
To find out more, please visit Altay Mountain Lodge & Yurts website.

Khamar-Daban is one of the most interesting mountain regions near Baikal lake. It stretches for more than 350 km, and creates a varied mountainous land spreading South from the lake. Its south-western part has the greatest precipitation in the region and various terrain. In the beginning of winter (up until mid-January), before Baikal is covered with ice, precipitation is abundant. Combined with stable cold temperatures, it brings a huge quantity of low-dense powder snow, even on low altitude.
Our Lodge and helipad are situated in Mangutay village, on the shore of Lake Baikal and close to the mountains. Rich Siberian breakfast, take off and let’s the powder riding begin! Skiing and boarding in Siberian powder, with a mid-day break for delicious lunch. Upon your return to the lodge, traditional Russian appetizers and soups are already on the table, just to fill the stomach. And right after – traditional Siberian Banya (bathhouse) with few different types of steam rooms and outdoor bath, with a mountain view. There is way more pleasant stuff to do – traditional Russian tea ceremony or home-made Siberian vodka tasting. Delicious dinner comes after this relaxing time, where you enjoy local meat or fish dishes and delicate deserts from our chef. Deep sleep and there is another day, and everything repeats…

Reasons to go there for heliskiing:

  • Best skiing terrain reachable within a short approach time.
  • Guaranteed powder skiing (there is no other type of snow in Siberia).
  • Small, exclusive groups with only one group per helicopter.
  • Scenery of Lake Baikal and Siberian mountains.
  • Gastronomical experience of Siberian cuisine.
  • Highest safety standards and most experienced heliski guides.

Itinerary
Saturday: Evening flight from Moscow to Irkutsk city.
Sunday : Arrive in Irkutsk early morning; breakfast in Irkutsk and transfer to the lodge (around 2 hours), afternoon rest.
Monday to Saturday: Heliskiing.
Saturday evening: Transfer to Irkutsk, night in the hotel.
Sunday: Morning flight to Moscow.

Booking
Dates 2021/2022 (dates of arriving to Irkutsk and departing from):

November 21-28
November 28 - December 05
December 05-12
December 12-19
December 19-26
December 26 - January 02
January 02-09
January 09-16


Price: 39 000 € per group (from 1 to 4 persons).

Price includes:

  • Organization of the whole trip from/to Irkutsk.
  • 6 possible days of heliskiing.
  • 7 hours of helicopter flight time per group.
  • Experienced and internationally certified heliski guides.
  • 6 nights’ accommodation in Baikal Pearl Chalets (single occupancy).
  • Full use of Lodge Spa facilities.
  • Hotel in Irkutsk, 1 night on the way back (single occupancy).
  • All meals in Baikal Pearl Chalets (breakfast, mountain lunch, aprés ski soup and snacks, dinner).
  • All ground transportation in 4x4 vehicles.
  • "Down Day" activities.
  • Safety equipment: transceiver, probe, shovel, and avalanche backpack.

Extra expenses:

  • International and domestic airfares.
  • Travel insurance/travel cancellation insurance.
  • Meals in Irkutsk.
  • Wine and spirits.
  • Helicopter transportation to the lodge (by request).
  • Extra flight hours - 2150 Euro per flight hour (divided by the number of guests flying).

Cooperation with the visiting guides
We are glad to cooperate with our colleagues from all over the world. If you are a Mountain or Ski Guide and looking for a trip to Baikal Heliski Lodge with your private group, just contact us and we will be glad to organise your Siberian adventure.

Program Logistics
There are few flights per day from Moscow to Irkutsk (IKT), with different time of arrival. We recommend Aeroflot or S7 flights with arrival time around 8-9 AM. Upon your arrival we will have a breakfast in Irkutsk and take a ride to Mangutay village (around 2.5 hours), where our lodge situated. Then we meet the guides, have safety briefing and afternoon rest with walking along Lake Baikal or having classic Siberian Banya. Basically, we do not heliski on the day of arrival, but depending on weather forecast it  might happen.

We'll spend the next six days skiing and boarding deep powder, enjoying scenery and delicious Siberian cuisine.

On the last day of the programme (Saturday), after heliskiing, we pack our luggage and drive to Irkutsk. In Irkutsk you accommodate in the nice hotel in the city centre, and can make an evening walk to the most interesting historical places and good restaurants. The city was founded in the mid-17th century to serve as winter quarters for traders and collectors. The insurgents against tsar Nicholas I, exiled to Siberia, made Irkutsk their cultural capital. Nowadays, it is a relatively large city with more than half a million people, with a university and number of churches and historic museums.

Daily schedule
Morning: Reach breakfast, preparation and start heliskiing around 9AM. We'll be skiing and boarding as long as possible, according to the wishes of the group, safety concerns and daylight.
On our return to the Lodge there is aprés-ski soup and snacks, then Banya (traditional Siberian bathhouse).
Evening: Dinner and free time.

Accommodation
Our Lodge and helipad are situated in Mangutay village, right on the shore of the Lake Baikal.

Baikal Pearl Chalets property consists of 7 cabins, restaurant and few traditional Russian Banyas.
Chalets built in 2017 of Siberian cedar trees and decorated in traditional Siberian way with a bit of modern accent. Each cabin has a big king size bed, shower and bathroom and ideally suites for single guests or couples. Each cabin has a separate entrance from the outside.

After the day of powder skiing and snowboarding, visit of Siberian Spa is worth to do! There are few types of Banya’s (traditional Russian bathhouse), with steam rooms made from different types of Siberian wood. But that's not all! Enjoy outdoor wooden hot tub with a mountain view, massage room and traditional Russian tea ceremony.

And yes, WiFi is available. But very probably you won’t use it a lot during the week, life in Siberian mountains is too busy with pleasant things. Social media can wait.

The Banya (traditional Russian and Siberian bathhouse) is the best way to warm up and relax after a long skiing day. The banya is in a separate building, where a large amount of hot steam is created with the help of water and hot air. Inside the banya, there are wide wooden benches along the walls, built up one above the other like steps.. You can sit or lay on the benches - the higher up the bench, the hotter the air is. Having warmed up enough, you leave the steam room for a break. You can pour cold water over yourself from a tub, or follow the Siberian method and jump straight into the snow. Overall, the banya is not just a place to warm up and wash; it is a real Siberian experience and will become a great memory!

Hotel in Irkutsk
On a way back, you spend one night in Irkutsk city. Our hotel is a 4-star "Courtyard by Marriott Irkutsk". It is situated in the centre of the city, has a restaurant as well as some restaurants and bars in walking distance.

Meals
We do our best to make the food, as well as the skiing, a remarkable part of your trip. This includes traditional Siberian and Russian dishes with premium local ingredients, but also modern cuisine. There will be a special evening during the week, a Pelmeni master-class, where we make meat dumplings and cook it right after! There are three hot meals a day. Here are some examples of the menu:

- Breakfast: omelette or fried eggs; bliny (Russian pancakes); cereals, milk, yoghurt, fruit salad. Tea, coffee, juice.
- Lunch: Soups and hot snacks such as home-made pies with meat and vegetables.
- Dinner: Salads; dishes with local meat or fish, traditional Russian and Siberian desserts.
- Snacks during the heliskiing day: dried fruits/nuts, chocolate bars, sandwiches, tea/coffee, fruits.

In the lodge's bar you will have a choice of beer, wine, champagne, spirits and liqueurs.

Our chef can accommodate special dietary requirements and food allergies. Our guests are asked to complete a registration form, and mention any dietary needs so we can be fully prepared for your arrival.

Guiding &Group Size
In this programme, one helicopter is shared with only one group of 4 persons. There are two guides per group.

Helicopter flight time
Some operators charge per vertical feet or meters skied. We base our helicopter use on actual flight time. It allows us not to stick to closest runs even if the snow conditions are not the best there and be able to fly a bit further out where we might find better snow or scenery. Our philosophy is to provide best experience, and be sure, few additional flight minutes will worth it! Still, if skiing is good right around the corner from the lodge, we will go straight there, save the flight time and provide best possible skiing and snowboarding.

Flight time is calculated from when the helicopter leaves the ground and until it touches down again. If the helicopter is on ground and idling the time is not ticking but if we are doing a technical tow in landing on a steep ridge for example where the pilot is basically still flying the helicopter as we get out, the time is ticking.

If we exceed all flight hours, we can continue to heliski at the price of 2150 Euro per flight hour. Cost of extra flight time  will be divided by the number of guests riding. If we don't use included flight hours due to bad weather or technical problems, we refund you unused time, based on following calculation: 1100 Euro per flight hour. The difference between cost of extra flight time and refund for unused hours is explained by the fact of complexity and high pre-expenses involved on having a full time helicopter for the season.