Outdoor adventures from the Thaw to Perestroika

Soviet adventure tourists scored many impressive achievements during the post-Stalinist period, some of which were unique. Soviet climbers summited Mount Everest in 1982 along a new, most difficult route, and then achieved a no less stunning victory at Kanchenjunga in 1989. Skiers routinely crossed Arctic regions, and several expeditions reached the North Pole along much longer routes than those chosen by the Westerners who arrived at the Pole from Canada. Boaters, using designs unknown in the West, rafted down challenging rivers Westerners could only dream about. Ice windsurfs crossed large frozen lakes, while “snow boats” rolled over the tundra. Spelunkers reached the bottom of the deepest cave in the world. Soviet adventure tourism retained its global supremacy until the disintegration of the USSR.