Mountaineering: Volcanoes of Kamchatka

Gorely (1806 m)

Turqouise acid lake. (September 2004)

Gorely is a rather flat volcano with three craters. One of the craters is filled with an acid lake, while the other crater has a small glacier and a normal water lake. The third crater is empty.

Normal lake with glacier in the fog. (August 2008)

Gorely is also very easy to climb - depending on condition it takes about two hours. An altitude difference of about 800 m has to be covered from base camp at 1000 m. The path is visible and in good condition.

Rim of the crater with the acid lake.

View from Gorely summit to the other volcanoes: Koryaksky, Avachinksky und Viluchinsky.

Mutnovsky (2322 m)

Mutnovsky is among the most active volcanoes of Kamchatka. Ath the same time it is a mountain that is easy to reach and that offers spectacular views of fumaroles and glaciers. The actual summit of Mutnovsky is a bit behind the large crater rim.

The glacier of Mutnovsky is the source of a large river, the River Mutnaya. This river has eroded a deep canyon throught the different layers of pumice and ash around Mutnovsky. A spectacular Waterfall is at the upper end of the canyon.

Mutnovsky fumaroles.

Glacier in the largest crater.
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'Colorful' ice due to ash deposits.

Glacier and lake in second crater.

Viluchinsky (2173 m)

Viluchinsky from Petropavlovsk with a Russian submarine.

Viluchinsky is an almost perfectly pyramidal volcano. It stands alone and rises 1500 m above the surrounding terrain.
Viluchinsky is a very steep mountain. Good confidence on snow and rock is required, and there are grade III climbing passages. From base camp at 550 m the summit can be reached in about five hours.