Mountains have always attracted people with their inaccessibility, grandeur and beauty. Professional climbers conquer high peaks, overcoming dangerous obstacles. Ordinary people enjoy relaxing in the mountains, enjoying the clear healing air and silence. But there is a separate category of citizens who love majestic massifs with all their heart and devote all their free time to them. These are mountain tourists.
Mountain tourism is a hobby for strong people
Mountain tourism is an extreme form of recreation for strong people. Without thorough preparation, going to the mountains is extremely frivolous. The harsh nature of the slopes does not forgive mistakes. However, there are a lot of fans of this type of recreation. Each person going to the top has his own goals.
Some travelers are looking for peace and solitude from urban madness, others crave unity with pristine nature, others need to understand themselves and overcome their own fear or get strong emotions. Mountains are loved by people of all ages,professions and social status. They unite in interest clubs, where they find friends, professional training, and organize joint trips along interesting routes. In Moscow, such a popular mountain tourism club is Vestra.
Vestra travel club in Moscow: a brief historical background
The Vestra Club has been leading its history since 1979. In those days, four main directions had equal strong positions: mountain, water, foot, ski. Members of the tourist association were among the strongest teams in Moscow in the technique of water and mountain tourism. Unfortunately, after perestroika, the development of this industry practically stopped, like many things in the country then. The club movement rested solely on enthusiasts who remained true to their passion. There was no premises, no funding. The club has changed many addresses. I had to huddle in schools and random rooms.
But the “Wind of Wanderings” (as the short name “Vestra” stands for) survived. True, the main direction remained only one: mountain tourism. Today's address of the tourist club "Vestra": Studeny proyezd, 7. A stormy life is in full swing in the modern renovated club. Every year more than twenty mountain hikes of varying difficulty take place, creative gatherings and seminars are organized, great importance is given to training beginners and attracting young people. The Moscow tourist club "Vestra" employs real professionals and fans of mountain tourism.
Features of mountain tourism
Tourism is a joint travel of people who want to escape from the familiar environment, get new experiences, see new places. This is a romantic and very useful activity for modern urbanized people. But mountain tourism has its own characteristics, which are associated primarily with the dangers that the peaks hide. Without professional training, knowledge of the laws of the mountains, a person can easily find himself in a difficult situation, sometimes life-threatening.
The relief of the slopes, the height of the mountain peaks, rarefaction of the air, rockfalls, temperature changes: everything matters. Mountain tourism is not a pleasure walk, but a physically and emotionally difficult hike. Therefore, in the tourist club "Vestra" the main attention is paid to long-term and high-quality training of human behavior in the mountains.
Compulsory education
Mountain tourism comes to people with different backgrounds and experiences. In the tourist club "Vestra" training is organized for both beginners and more experienced tourists. During the year, the club hosts theoretical classes, lectures and mandatory practical training. Usually, the theoretical part is studied by novice tourists in autumn and winter. In the summer, the first training trips begin. They take place mainly in the Moscow region. At the end of the training, qualifying exams are required.
An interesting test stage for the students of the club is a cross-hike, the stages of which simulate various difficult situations in conditions as close as possible to real mountainous terrain. Tourist inin a safe environment develops the skills necessary in critical and non-standard situations. Professionals of the Vestra Tourist Club put safety first.
Club events
Professionals of the Vestra tourist club regularly participate in Russian and Moscow mountain tourism competitions, winning prizes. Every year, under the guidance of experienced instructors, the club organizes more than a dozen of the most interesting mountain routes. Members of Vestra visited the Tien Shan, the Caucasus, Altai, the Carpathians and the Pamirs.
In addition to traditional routes, new tourist trails are constantly explored and developed. But not only mountain trips unite people in the Vestra club. It is also rallies, joint holidays, creativity dedicated to the mountains. Club members also enjoy kayaking, skiing and cycling. But the main love remains the mountains. The Wind of Travel Club unites active, inspired and strong people.
Reviews of tourists
In reviews of the tourist club "Vestra" people say that when they come to the club, they find here, first of all, true friends. Mountain tourism is not only overcoming difficult passes and conquering peaks. These are also songs with a guitar, friendly conversations by the fire, warm friendship and a feeling of a friend's shoulder. And, of course, the opportunity to touch the eternal beauty of nature and learn to talk with it.
The main advantage of Vestra isassociation of like-minded, congenial people.
