"A wonderful summer day in Russia's ski... " a Krasnaya Polyana Travel Page by Pavlik_NL

Krasnaya Polyana is situated about 40 kilometers from the Black Sea coast at a height of 400 meters in the river Mzymta valley. Surrounded with mountain tops that go over 2.000 meters, it's a beautiful place in the Caucasus mountain. Only recently (last decade) this town starts to blossom as the number one skiresort of Russia (also favourit by president Vladimir Putin himself). It has been a tourist attraction already longer, but without facilities, ski circumstances were rather extreme. Now more and more lifts are being built besides the already opened traject to the summit of the ....... mountain at almost 2.300 metres.

The way to Krasnaya Polyana is of both beauty as well as terror. To this last this year will bring an end, when tunnels will be ready and the difficult mountain pass will be only for tourists and dare devils. Until recently a very narrow road went straight through the Mzymta canyon and consisted of a road that was cut out of the mountainside and on many places barely wide enough to fit one car (and this road was then used in both direction similtanously!). Last year trafficlight regulated the upgoing and downgoing traffic, which still ment a dazzling drive over a curvy road, but ... with spectacular views into the canyon.

Krasnaya Polyana means "Red or Beautiful Ground" (ground in the sense of property). It is actually a village shaped in long stretches along the place where the rivers Malinki (small) and Bolshaye (large) Mzymta join. In summertime this place is of almost un-Russian beauty in sense of clean air and envirnoment. With a chairlift that concists of four sections, you can go from the valley (400 meters) to the top of the ..... mountain in about 45 minutes. Along the way you enjoy spectacular views and lovely silence.