Red Corner: Baikal Winter Games

As if I didn’t provide enough reasons in yesterday’s post to visit Siberian Lake Baikal in the wintertime, here’s another: Winteriada.

Winteriada, the International Baikal Nordic Games Festival now in its fourth consecutive year, attracts 3,000 athletes to the frozen shores of Lake Baikal to compete in over 30 sports. This year it kicked off on Thursday, February 23rd with a soccer and volleyball tournament. Keep in mind that daytime temperatures average about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and games are played outside on the snow, or atop the ice-covered lake.

Athletes compete in such traditional winter events as skiing, dog sledding, ice fishing, ice climbing, ice skating, and a 4-wheel drive race. Not-so-traditional events for the middle of the Siberian winter include golfing, lake swimming, diving, ice-cart racing, and mountain biking atop the frozen lake. Apparently, there is no lick-the-flag-pole competition this year.

Perhaps the most unexpected event is a full length marathon, also on top of the ice. Last year’s leader, renowned German runner Udo Meller, lost his way and was eventually chased down and eaten by wolves. Well, not exactly eaten, but he did wander far enough off course to lose the race to local Irkutsk scientist Arkadi Kalikhman, a 57 year-old doctor of Physics and Mathematics who completed the course in just under three hours and nine minutes. Having crossed the finish line with all ten toes, he is a double-winner in my book.