Kamchatka freeride community — Hotel in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Just back from Enjoy Kamchatka program (heliski+snowmobile ski) 8-15 mar 20 with tour operator Kamchatka Freeride Community (allaboutkamchatka.ru)

Overall Skiing in Kamchatka is a good experience but we cannot reccomend this tour operator and give more than 2 star cause we had problems on how they manage customers services in light of the fact that all the business s focused on one think: make profits from guests .

Their focus is not on giving you a great and amazing experience of travel and skiing (and then making a profit) but on making as much money as possible from you or at least on not giving you back any of the money you paid in case of bad weather and unused services. Pls note all of my comments have been shared and discussed with other guests in our group cause i wanted to do an objective review

PROS: -Guides are very kind and prepared (3 guides for a 12 people group) Accomodation is really good: Idealcude/Laguna in the Parakunta region and Bayhouse in Petropavlosky are really really good.

NEUTRAL: -Food is ok, but during our week we have always eaten the same things no variation: only fish, no chicken no meat or else... you do not feel good when after 3/4 days you are annoyed by the food and feel the need to eat something different. On friday(day5), 8 out of 12 guests decided to go eat something different in town at lunch.

CONS: -PROFIT FOCUS: all the company is managed with one focus make profit and not to give you back any money for unused services! a) cost of the program: is fixed in rubles but if rouble is weak they ask you to pay in euros at their exchange rates (you could imagine), if rubles is strong they ask you to pay in Rubles; Rubles or euros????? b) program/activities: our program included 2 days of snowmobile skiing and 4 hours of heliski. We have done only 1 day of snowmobile (horrible experience see below) and cause of bad weather to finish the 4 hours (and avoiding giving us back money for unused heliski) they brought us to heliski the same morning of flight departure !!! and we skied snow nobody will never pay to ski (see below for more). SNOWMOBILE SKIING: they sell a program that is undoable! Avoid it! in march temperature in Petropavlosky are normally above zero (confirmed by the guides) and they try to bring you to sky at 300/500 mt max height. So even if you are lucky ad you get fresh snow during the night (we ahd it) at this temperature the snow becomes heavy in 2 hours and crust in 4 hrs ... so what is the sense to offer a freeride experience like this??? i really do not understand why they offer this program... add to this that you will spend hours (2 hours at leat before the first descent) on unconfortable snowmobile simply to do 5/6 very bad descent! CUSTOMER SERVICES AND CARE: cause there is a profit focus they are not very open with customer and very clear! Customer care does not exist! We have never had any information about how many hour of heliski we have used in the first or the second day, what was the refund for the unused 1 day of snowmobile, if the other activities offered (like skitouring, dog sledging, city tour, ski-resort) had some costs or not, if they were included or not. If you do not ask they will not say you nothing. They simply zeroed any credit to you. Imagine that to finish the 4 hour of heliski included they proposed and bought us to ski the same morning (at 8) of flight departure (at 13.30), and it was the worst skiing experience i ever had in my life: we skied on ice and crust up to the ocean. It was so dangerous and we were so hungry that I personally said to them that they are irresponsible to bring custumer to sky there and on my demand even the guides confirmed that they would have never payd to ski this type of snow!!!

I Love freeride and i try to do one freeride/heliski trip every year and even if Kamchatka is good and landscapes are wonderful i will not return back with the same tour operator.

So my final reccomendation is to avoid it and go with some other...

I can't thank Kamchatka Freeride Community enough for organizing this incredible trip! Thanks to them, I had the chance to explore this breathtaking region, experience world-class skiing (snowmobile drops, heli-skiing), and create unforgettable memories.

Everything was organized at the highest level: amazing excursions, comfortable accommodation, and a daily gastronomic delight. The guides and instructors are top-tier professionals, and the team's hospitality and warmth are truly outstanding. I met incredible people and visited places I had only dreamed of before.

A special thanks for their assistance with document processing!

A few words about obtaining a visa for EU citizens: I applied online through the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website and received my visa within a couple of days without any issues. I traveled via Turkey, and passing through border control took just a couple of minutes—no questions, no difficulties.

If you dream of experiencing Kamchatka’s volcanoes, skiing in breathtaking locations, and immersing yourself in the region’s magic – Kamchatka Freeride Community is the...

A small hostel with a really relaxed feeling and a fantastic view of the bay, quickly felt like a second home. Otherwise very fresh, great breakfast, helpful and polite staff that all speak good English. Beds are somewhat hard but...