Travel blog
Climbing Klyuchevskaya Sopka
I’ll say right away that climbing Klyuchevskaya Sopka is a very difficult event from a physical point of view and very dangerous. The main difficulty is not even self-climbing (although it is, to put it mildly, not easy), but reaching the ascent and returning back alive and almost healthy.
There are two main routes: from the village of Klyuchi and from the village of Kozyrevsk. The second, in my opinion, is curvature and a little simpler, so I recommend it, although if you have remarkable strength and imagination, you can come up with more interesting (but also more difficult) routes, for example, as we walked in 2021 - from Dead forests through Plosky Tolbachik, the Campus of Mars site and further through the Bogdanovich glacier. But first things first.
So, the easiest (in my opinion) approach. It reaches the village of Kozyrevsk. You can get there by bus from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (departs at 8 am from the 10th kilometer bus station, the fare is 2500 rubles per person (as of 2022, but prices are indicated every year), pay an additional fee to an individual driver, the cost depends depending on his mood, but usually does not cost 300 rubles for one seat) or order a minibus/bus that will transport only your group (the cost starts from 40,000 rubles one way). In Kozyrevsk, you change to a shift car that will take you to the “Kopyto” parking lot (which in recent years for some reason began to be called “Table”). The cost of a shift in 2022 is 37,000 rubles. one way (pick-up only or drop-off only), regardless of the number of people and prices are also indicated every year (for example, in 2021 it was 35,000 rubles). You need to agree with the shift worker in advance; phone numbers can be found on the Internet. An alternative to dropping off is to hike from Kozyrevsk to the Kopyto parking lot - 35 km. in the forest with an uphill climb, this will require an additional 2 days one way and... wild patience - in the forest you will happily meet a couple of trillion mosquitoes, and your path even in mosquito nets will be a difficult test for the psyche and willpower))
At the Kopyto parking lot there is a house (where you can spend the night if it is not occupied by other documents) and a canopy under which you can comfortably cook and eat food, you can even make a fire. But there is no water in this parking lot. Therefore, it is recommended to bring it with you in 5-liter bottles or immediately upon arrival go on a route to the lake (3 km) or the Edelweiss Glade parking lot (9 km), where there is always a stable supply of water.
By the way, about the water on the route. As a rule, there is a lot of it, but most of it is not suitable for drinking and cooking - streams and rivers flowing from the slopes of Klyuchevskaya and Kamen volcano, most often representing a concentrated solution of mud. There were times when, setting up camp near a stream, we had to get water from snowfields (which, by the way, are also very polluted with ash) or introduce double the norm for the day in attempts to find a source of clean water. There will be no water immediately when you arrive at Klyuchevskaya, take 1.5 liters per brother with you or there will be snow if there is still some.
Actually, from the Kopyto parking lot the path begins to the place of ascent to Klyuchevskaya - the volcanologists’ pass to an altitude of 3300 meters. This journey takes 4 days. If you work hard enough, you can get back in 3 days, but it’s better not to count on it - there are many surprises along the way and each of them can add hours or even days to the hike.
What surprises? The fact is that the relief in this area is very bright and constantly changing, no matter how many times I went to Klyuchevskaya, I never know what awaits you. But there may be deep snow or heavily melted old snowfields that have fallen waist-deep at literally every step, and it is not always possible to get around such snowfields. You can wait for turbulent streams, instead of streams, through which there is no way to cross. There is also the Studenaya River - completely unpredictable. Sometimes there is no water in it at all, sometimes it is a pathetic stream, and sometimes it is a strong, unbridled flow of a stream at 10-15 meters and with such a shape that you don’t even have to think about a ford. As, for example, it happened in 2021, when we had to cut the Icy on the snowfield above the canyon. Under the snowfield there was 30 meters of emptiness, and below there was a wild stream. Therefore, we crossed one at a time, tied ourselves to a rope, and the rest of the group belayed. By the way, a climbing rope is almost an obligatory attribute of this hike - you won’t be in danger of pandemics when tied together, but it will never come in handy for insurance.
Another surprise awaits you is the Bogdanovich glacier, which in appearance is no longer a glacier, but a moraine - it is completely covered with stones, sand and ash, but in some places there are very impressive gapes cracks, rivers flow under the snowfields, washing away the edges and creating the risk of falling through and being dragged into the underworld by the current.
Bogdanovich Glacier, general plan
Bogdanovich Glacier, details
There is often low clouds and fog in this area, when even a person who knows the route well has to follow the navigator, and this is not always good, because there are no direct roads here and there will not be It may be that just going in the direction can lead to the fact that you will run into gullies that you won’t be able to overcome and will have to go back, far and long. It is better to have visual contact with the relief, then you can choose a more or less normal direction of movement.
Bogdanovich Glacier
This is all to ensure that you do not expect to cover a distance of 45 km. from the Kopyto parking lot to the Vulcanologists Pass in a couple of days)) In 2022, the last 5 km. We walked the whole day and this could happen on any part of the path.
From the Bogdanovich glacier you get to the Little Antarctica glacier, which also doesn’t look much like a glacier, because it’s black with ash, but there are still a lot of ice hummocks, especially on the right - closer to the foot Kamen volcano, which is why it is categorically not recommended to go to the right, although from a distance this path seems much shorter, straighter and more logical. Logic breaks down in the impenetrable ice jungle and the path in a large circle turns out to be easier and faster than breaking straight through.
View of Klyuchevskaya hill from the Little Antarctica glacier, on the right - Vulcanologists Pass
Vulcanologists Pass
At the Vulcanologists Pass, on top of the ice sheet, lies an almost eternal snowfield, which can be in three states: icy (you can’t climb without crampons), normal crust (the most comfortable option is you can walk almost like on asphalt - not sliding, but not falling through) and melted crust. It was this latter option that we experienced ourselves in 2022, when we walked 5 km. all day. We fell through almost every step, sometimes knee-deep, more often waist-deep, and in this case it is almost impossible to get out of the snow captivity with a heavy backpack on our back - we have to take off the backpack, get out, put it on again, so that in a couple of seconds everything will repeat itself... Having climbed the Vulcanologists pass, you look for the Vulcanologists’ house with your eyes. For several years it was covered inside with snow (apparently, the door was not closed for the winter and it was completely swept under the very roof), but in 2022 we dug it out! We took turns working with one shovel for about six hours, but we made the house suitable for spending the night, don’t thank me!
The same house on the Vulcanologists Pass and a view of Klyuchevskaya Sopka
Near the house there are many equipped places for tents, but it so happened that when we arrived, there was almost a hurricane wind at the pass - putting up tents was very problematic, if not impossible, so we had to dig out a house)) In fact, strong winds often happen here and the house serves as an excellent shelter from them. But the house is small, there were six of us in it; if we really wanted to, it could accommodate another 2-3 people for the night, but 9 people, I think, is the limit for it.
So, you have reached the Volcanologists' house. This is where the route to climb Klyuchevskaya without backpacks begins. It’s not worth breaking in a straight line - it’s too steep and too rocky, it’s better to go to the right and climb the stone ridge there - not along the couloirs! - stones fly over them anywhere. The elevation gain is 1500 meters, so climbing right away is only possible for very steep, experienced climbers; the rest require acclimatization. We walked up to an altitude of 4100 meters, although it was too much, the weather was pleasant - it was warm and excellent visibility, the views were breathtaking and our legs went up on their own. There was even an idea to immediately try to reach the summit, but when one of the participants at 4 thousand began to barely drag his feet, it was quickly abandoned, because we left late, and there was still half of the climb ahead. We returned, rested, got up at 3 am and went...
And here the “interesting” part begins. The slopes of Klyuchevskaya are very steep. If you compare it with the steepest sections on Elbrus, it’s steeper, and the higher, the steeper. But what is under your feet plays a very important role here. Or maybe the following:
1. There is no snow at all, there is loose lava underfoot. On a steep slope it is very nasty and dangerous, there is a chance to fall off and fly along it for several tens (hundreds) of meters, tearing and skinning everything possible. And for this reason alone, a helmet is required!
2. In some places there are snowfields. They can be soft or hard. Walking on snowfields (and especially descending) is much easier than on loose snow and safer. If the snowfields are hard, there is also a risk of falling off and flying down a decent distance, even to the point of death, but using crampons is difficult, since snowfields are only in places and you will have to constantly put on and take off the crampons, or walk with crampons on both snow and rocks, guaranteed to kill them for this one ascent.
3. Snow covers almost the entire surface. An excellent option - you can go with crampons or without them (if the snow is loose) and fall through, but this is safer and more pleasant than powder snow. Just believe it!
When we last went to Klyuchevskaya, we walked on soft, freshly fallen snow for acclimatization and it was relatively simple and comfortable. But literally within 24 hours the snow melted and most of the ascent was in powder - pray that when you go there will be as little as possible!
But the most “interesting” thing is the rockfalls! In cold weather there are not very many of them. But in 2022 we found ourselves in a heatwave - it was warm + excellent visibility - the dream of any climber to Klyuchevskaya, because cold, low clouds and fog are the norm here. But good visibility had to be paid with double risk. I have never seen in my life and, God willing, I will never see, so many stones flying at me (at us)! Individual stones also flew in the lower part, but at an altitude of 4500 meters it turned into a real game with death. The sound is like an explosion and a hail of stones is flying at you, including some from which no protection can help. They hid behind large boulders, sticking their heads in, but they got hit on their arms and legs. The scariest moment was when I saw a stone the size of my head flying directly at one of the participants with a whistle and great speed. You see it like in a slow motion movie and realize that there is nothing you can do. She managed to dodge at the last moment, but due to the sudden movement she lost her balance and fell 200 meters down, tumbling over rocks, tearing her clothes and losing her trekking pole. After which she got up and went up, then she joked that she got, like in biathlon, a “penalty loop” - an extra 200 meters up on the last part of the climb, where every meter is already very difficult.
Well, at the top... waiting for you... nothing special)) Klyuchevskaya has two fairly large craters, separated by a bridge; corrosive gases come out on the sides, but there is nothing impressive. At the same Avachinsky volcano, which is ten times easier to climb, everything in the crater is much more spectacular and beautiful, Klyuchevskaya cannot boast of the beauty of the craters. People go to it not for the sake of beauty, but for the sake of overcoming themselves, as a symbolic point, like any other Peak.
One of two craters of the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano
Second crater Klyuchevskoy Sopka
By the way, analogies can be drawn here. There is Everest - a place of attraction for thousands and thousands of climbers from all over the world, and there is Mount K2 - it is lower, but, unlike Everest, it is much more difficult and prestigious to climb. It is more prestigious among those who know and understand – among mountaineering professionals. To climb Everest you need money, but to climb K2 money is not enough - you need the best preparation, you need real professionalism.
By this analogy, Elbrus and Klyuchevskaya can be compared. Thousands go to Elbrus every year and it is accessible to almost any healthy person. A maximum of 20-30 people a year visit Klyuchevskaya, and to get there you need to travel a long way and work hard, you need fortitude and a very great desire, without this you shouldn’t even try - you’ll just break down on the way there.
This was a lyrical digression, I’ll continue about the ascent.
Climbing Klyuchevskaya Sopka with a view of the Kamen volcano
So, on my last ascent, the ascent to the top took 9 hours, the descent – 7 hours. Going down the lava powder, as I already said, is extremely difficult and dangerous. The sides and elbows are knocked off from constant falls, the shoes are falling apart before our eyes from the extremely aggressive environment, stones are flying from above (on the descent this is even more dangerous than on the ascent, since not all of them can be heard and you have to constantly look back, controlling the situation), but nothing It’s not finished yet – there are four days of trekking in the opposite direction ahead! And “ambushes” in this direction are visible to the naked eye: the heat intensively drowns snowfields and glaciers, yesterday’s streams turn into formidable mountain streams, and there are not a dozen of them on the way...
But with God's help and someone's mother on our lips, we overcome the return journey in three days - alive! This is the most important thing and makes me happy this time much more than the fact of climbing. Despite the fact that it was a matter of honor to go this year, since last year the ascent attempt ended on the fifth day with an emergency evacuation, not from Klyuchevskaya, but from the “Marsovo Field” parking lot, from where to the house at the Vulcanologists Pass there were two more days of travel. It’s just that at the end of June 2021, at this very parking lot, we found ourselves in a snowstorm with hurricane-force winds that did not stop for almost a day. Having begun in the evening of the fourth day of the hike (from the Dead Forest through Plosky Tolbachik) as just a strong wind, at night it turned into a hurricane. We did not sleep all night - we held the tent poles and patched up the holes that appeared, but by the morning these efforts were nullified - out of 6 tents, 5 were broken and torn, even an expensive MSR tent could not stand, there was no way to cook food or to eat, nor to properly pack our things, the next night threatened to be the last in our lives, so at two o’clock in the afternoon it was decided to finish the route and evacuate to the nearest parking lot - the same Kopyto parking lot, where you can call a car and where there is a house where you can spend the night , but to which 23 kilometers from the Campus Martius is not the easiest way. We were lucky that the wind was at our back and, having abandoned the broken tents and some of our things, somehow crawling and collecting the most valuable things in our backpacks, we walked for 12 hours in almost zero visibility, knee-deep in snow, at times falling into holes, since there was no choice of road possibilities - the arrow on the navigator, showing the direction, served as a guide. We got there, survived, but the ascent did not take place and it’s very disappointing when you flew all over the country on a plane for it, prepared, spent a lot of money...
In August of that year, with another group (we were hiking around Tolbachik), I came to the Field of Mars parking lot and found some of our things carefully put away in a metal box under a canopy, but The tents were apparently disposed of as beyond repair, so we had to buy new ones. By the way, then, at the beginning of August, at the Edelweiss Glade parking lot, we were again caught in snowfall and a blizzard, we went out to the car waiting for us, knee-deep in the snow, and near the lake we saw a creature crawling out of a snowdrift, which we mistook for a bear. But it turned out to be a man crawling out of his tent, which was not even visible under a layer of snow. He and his foreign friend were going to Klyuchevskaya, but already on the first day of the journey they were caught in snowfall and were waiting for the weather at a low altitude; there was no chance of reaching a high altitude in such weather. I think they didn’t go to Klyuchevskaya then - the bad weather cleared up for a week, no less, and people usually reserve 2-3 days, maximum 4.
Parking lot Glade of Edelweiss, early August, 2021
What else? Climbing route from the village of Klyuchi. The obvious disadvantage of this route is that the village is closed to foreign citizens, and if there is at least one foreigner in your group (including citizens of Belarus and Kazakhstan), they need to obtain special passes from the FSB. This is a long process, it takes at least two months, and they may refuse at the last moment. I almost always have foreigners in my groups, so I avoid routes from Klyuchi; if there are no foreigners among you, you can drop in from there. Just like from Kozyrevsk, the car will take you through a 30-kilometer forest zone to the Podkova parking lot from the east or the Apakhonchich parking lot from the north. In the latter case, you will also need to climb to the Vulcanologists Pass, only on the other hand, the climb there is much steeper than from the Little Antarctica glacier. Podkova has its own climbing route; I’ve never walked it, so I can’t say anything about it, but I suspect that it is no easier and just as steep, they say it’s even steeper.
A common option for hiking and climbing, so as not to return along the same route, but to see more different things, is to enter through Kozyrevsk from the Kopyto parking lot and exit to the village of Klyuchi or vice versa. The terrain is almost equally difficult everywhere, the only advantage of this route is variety, but returning where you have already gone is always easier, so if you are not looking for additional extreme in an already extreme event, I would advise you to return the same way as came. In any case, there will be so many adventures that it won’t seem like enough, believe me! ))
There are different opinions regarding the best time to climb Klyuchevskaya. The most common is August. In my opinion, this is July, and its first half. In August there is almost never snow on Klyuchevskaya. But, as I already wrote, it is much easier and safer to walk along it. Yes, you will get any boots wet, even the best ones, but believe me, wet feet are nothing compared to all the other difficulties and dangers of Klyuchevskaya. I would say this is the least and simplest inconvenience that can be sacrificed for the sake of the convenience and safety of climbing. And safety here is the most important condition that must be observed, since the environment is extremely hostile to humans and an entire group can die on Klyuchevskaya, which is confirmed by the tragedy of September 2022, when 9 out of 12 people in the group died. Yes, for some reason the guides put inexperienced people in a bunch, but they were not insured, yes, they are to blame, but you can die on Klyuchevskaya even if you observe all safety measures, being an experienced climber. Minimizing this risk is task number one!
By the way, climbing on snow is also supported by the fact that with snow, rockfalls are quickly extinguished and the risk of being killed or injured by rocks is reduced. In the snow, stones lose speed much faster, get stuck and stop; they fly across the lava powder for many hundreds of meters, if not kilometers, moreover, unexpectedly and sharply changing their flight path from hitting other stones, which is doubly dangerous.
Well, bad weather or, conversely, hot weather that carries the danger of massive rockfalls can happen here at any time in the summer - there are no rules. But I would categorically not recommend September or May - at this time you can end up in winter - a real one, with sub-zero temperatures and very strong cold winds. The nature around Klyuchevskaya is very harsh and summer here lasts from about mid-June to the first days of September, the rest of the time is winter. Altitude and northern latitudes play a role.
SUMMARY. Climbing Klyuchevskaya Sopka is not just climbing another mountain, this is not Elbrus or Kazbek, even with Belukha it is difficult to compare the risks and difficulties . This is a separate, very difficult and dangerous journey, which will appeal only to notorious extreme sports enthusiasts like me)) And think about it before planning this climb - do you need it???
By the way, in July 2025 we have planned another, but perhaps the last in my career Ascent of Klyuchevskaya Sopka. Join us, if anything.
Travel bonus: observing the cute animals of Kamchatka ))