Sochi, Russia

English, everyone must learn

Erik — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:00:12 +0000

I’m sorry, this picture is probably a little aggressive. But that’s what jumped into my head when I read new Sochi mayor’s initiative: all waiters and cab drivers will have to learn English or loose their jobs. I recognize that it’s extremely important for services to be available in English by the time Olympics hits the [...]

Bronze for Voevoda in Vancouver!

Erik — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:54:09 +0000

Sochi native Alexey Voevoda (Алексей Воевода), and his teammate Alexandr Zubkov won Olympic bronze medal yesterday in two-man bobsleigh event in Vancouver! This is Alexey’s second Olympic medal – he won silver in the four-man bobsleigh event at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin. Congratulation Alexey! Alexey Voevoda

$16 bln US invested so far

Erik — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:33:41 +0000

Vladimir Putin, working as a prime minister of Russia these days, said today during live video call with Vancouver, where the Olympic Games will take off in a couple of days, that preparations for the next Olympic Games (to be hosted in Sochi, Russia) have already attracted 500 billion rubles ($16.5 billion US). He also [...]

Ski resorts in Krasnaya Polyana: Laura (Gazprom)

Erik — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:00:21 +0000

“Laura” (Gazprom) ski resort Горно-туристический комплекс “Лаура” (Газпром) About: “Laura” (name came from the name of the local river) ski resort was built by Gazprom company, and is second most popular ski park in Krasnaya Polyana. Today they have 16 trails, and more (higher up the mountain) are under construction. Pros: new resort – modern lifts and infrastructure. Cons: during [...]

Beaches and parks declared no smoking zones

Erik — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:41:05 +0000

Sochi administartion introduced ban on smoking in public areas – all educational, healthcare, and cultural establishments are declared smoke-free zones. Smoking is no longer allowed in parks and beaches as well. Smiking is allowed in open-air cafés, though. There already are similar federal laws in effect in Russia limiting smoking in some areas. But they are seldom [...]

Please rate my posts

Erik — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:11:13 +0000

I’ve installed ratings plug-in on this site, which adds 5-star rating widget to the end of each article. It available when you open an article. Please rate my posts, this will help me understand what I should write about and how. Thanks!

Nissan Russian Adventure opens

Erik — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:49:49 +0000

The Nissan Russian Adventure 2010 got underway with the opening ceremony yesterday in Sochi. You can follow the event – blog, videos, photos and results are available – on the official website.

Ski resorts in Krasnaya Polyana: Alpika Service

Erik — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:43:00 +0000

“Alpika Service” ski resort ККД «Альпика-Сервис» About: “Alpika” ski lifts were first in Krasnaya Polyana. Today they have four queues of ski lifts servicing 1698 meters drop (from 540 до 2238 meters above sea level). First lift queue was built in 1992, and fourth in 2004. Pros: great slopes, an location for skiing. Cons: old and slow lifts. Also, many [...]

Ski resorts in Krasnaya Polyana

Erik — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:25:46 +0000

Since there’s still some time left in current skiing this season, I’ll post details on all ski resorts of Krasnaya Polyana the next few articles.

Whitelines Snowboarding Magazine: From Russia with Love

Erik — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:37:40 +0000

I recently stumbled on a Whitelines Snowboarding Magazine article about a snowboarding trip to Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana published back in 2006. The authors’ feedback in this article about Russia, Russians, and Sochi is very negative. Nonetheless, it’s a view of a person who actually went to Sochi, and it has a right to exist. So, [...]