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Northern Path snowmobile expedition finishes in Chukotka

The travelers were unable not continue the expedition to Kamchatka, as spring was too warm for driving snowmobiles there

KRASNOYARSK, April 4. /TASS/. Members of the Northern Path 2019 expedition finished the race in Chukotka’s Anadyr. The travelers covered the distance of 13,000 km. They were unable not continue the expedition to Kamchatka, as spring was too warm for driving snowmobiles there, the project’s coordinator Igor Smolin told TASS on Thursday.

The expedition, which started from Murmansk on January 11, crossed Russia’s Arctic regions. The travelers had planned to drive to Kamchatka.

"The group has reached Chukotka’s center - Anadyr, and earlier in the morning the expedition’s leader Alexander Tabakov said they had decided to finish the route there," the coordinator said. "The reason is the spring, which this year is untypically early there - snow is thawing in the warm temperatures, the surface in some areas is clear from snow, and crossing the river would have been dangerous."

"Driving snowmobiles from Chukotka to Kamchatka turned out to be practically unrealistic," he added.

Anyway, the travelers are satisfied with the expedition. Over 83 days they have covered 13,000 km.

"They have completed an Arctic route - from edge to edge, nobody in Russia has ever tried this route by snowmobiles," he continued. "This route could be used for regular snowmobile expeditions across the Russian Arctic, featuring international producers of snow vehicles and other northern equipment and gear."

Three travelers from Magnitogorsk - Alexander Tabakov, the leader, navigator Gennady Chernukha and mechanic Evgeny Berdnikov - planned to cross on snowmobiles the Russian Arctic from Murmansk to Kamchatka within three months. The expedition participants are experienced travelers.