February 27th

Afansiy reports from Moscow: Sunday Feb 27th, a truck has left Gubin Ugol, carrying “Yemelya-3” and “Yemelya-4” vehicles along with six trailers, 36 hundred liter plastic barrels with all our expeditionary gear and food and ten two hundred liter steel drums for the fuel. On March 4th the entire crew (with the exception of myself) has flown to Urengoy, met the transport from Dubna, unloaded the gear and headed off to the planned expedition start point in Novo-Zapolyarniy village of Tazovskiy region, where the ice road named “Vankor-Neft” begins. We were instructed on how to get to the ice road by the experts in Siberian navigation: Igor Smilevec, Vasily Ubozhenko and Oleg Burcev.


Following this road for a thousand kilometers across taiga and the ice of the great Siberian river – Enisey - and in three to four days our Yemelyas will take us to the port city of Dudinka, where we are going to go therough the motions of clearing the customs. After that, our way to the north is wide open, if not unobstructed. From its delta to the port in Dudinka Enisey is navigated by the icebreaker ships. Part of the journey our Yemelyas will travel almost alongside these massive vessels. A great and knowledgeable hunter tracker and historian is expecting us: Vladimir Sergeevich Dozorcev. He is also the head of the Taymirian customs office. Vladimir Sergeevich has mentioned over the phone the museum of the Northern Waterways in Norilsk. We are carrying a photo compilation of our previous MLAE-2009 expedition for the museum as well as our film: “Chronicles of the living ice” about the 2009 auto expedition to the North Pole in “Yemelya-1” and “Yemelya-2” vehicles.

I am hoping to pick up passports of all our crew members in the Canadian consulate in Moscow on March 7th and to catch a flight for Norilsk the same evening to meet the rest of the crew in Dudinka.

Translated from Russian by Ilya Kovalev 

The Crew 2011

VASILY ELAGIN

The organizer and expedition leader of the MLAE-2008, MLAE-2009 and MLAE-2011 expeditions. He is also the engineer, designer and builder of the “Emelya” amphibious vehicles. Geologist, race driver and a participant of Paris-Dakar rally he is a Decorated Master of Sport of the USSR, bears the title of the International Class Master of Sport in alpine climbing, achieved the title of “Snow Leopard”

Traversed Kangchenjunga, ascended Mount Everest, Cho Oyu, Aconcagua, Mount Vinson and has been decorated with the Medal of The Red Labor Flag.

VLADIMIR OBIHOD

Driver-engineer, ice reconnaissance specialist. Holds the title of the International class master of Sport in alpine climbing, has been awarded the title of the “Snow Leopard”, twice. Completed complex vertical wall ascends on Khan Tengri, ascended The Peak of Communism, Annapurna, Lhotse and the Mount Everest. Participated in the MLAE-2008 expedition.

AFANASIY MAKOVNEV

Second in command of the MLAE-2009 and MLAE-2008 expeditions. Photographer and videographer. Mountaineer, speleologist, alpine skier, polar traveler, yachtsman, sea hunter, organizer of ethnographic discovery and adventure journeys in dog sleds and leather built canoes through Chukotka, Kamchatka and Alaska.

ANDREI VAN'KOV

Driver- mechanic. DOB: June 17 1979

ALEKSEY ZAYTCEV

Driver-mechanic. DOB: Nov 10 1983

VLADIMIR YANOCHKINDOB: Oct 30 1951. Alpine Climbing International Level Master of Sport

SERGEY ISAEV

DOB: Apr 03 1957. Alpine Climbing International Level Master of Sport.

2011 Arctic Expeditionary Route Map

View MLAE-2011 Arctic Expedition Route in a larger map