University climbers conquer a peak to be named after St Petersburg University

In accordance with tradition, upon reaching the summit, climbers build a cairn, a stack of stones, and place a note inside to commemorate their ascent. This note is then retrieved by the next group to provide evidence of their accomplishment.

The expedition, which lasted four days in total, began in the village of Vydrino. According to Sergei Semiletkin, a coach and lecturer at St Petersburg University who led the expedition, the climb to the 1,724-metre peak was technically simple but required good physical fitness and stamina. The trek to the base camp, equipped with bivouac supplies, took three days. At the summit, the staff, students, and alumni placed a commemorative capsule containing a message from St Petersburg University students inside the cairn.

‘Over these three days, we had to cross a mountain river multiple times, navigate through steep sections of the taiga without any established paths, and spend nights in tents. However, the team handled everything exceptionally well, and we were fortunate to have favourable weather conditions,’ shared Sergei Semiletkin. ‘I hope that in the near future, a peak named after St Petersburg University will appear on the map of Russia!’

The University has a very important mission: to educate new generations in the spirit of traditional values. It goes beyond education and creates a unified cultural space that binds our country together. We hope that you will continue to uphold these values for many years to come. Preserve our heritage, uphold traditions, work, develop, create, love, and dream. Let the placement of the commemorative capsule serve as a testament to the continuity of generations, a link between the past and the future, and a tradition that inspires the pursuit of ambitious projects for the benefit of our country.

An initiative group consisting of students and graduates of the University, who are also members of the St Petersburg University mountaineering club ‘Bars’, contacted Vladimir Pavlov, Сhairman of the People’s Khural of the Republic of Buryatia, requesting support for the initiative to name a nameless mountain peak in the Khamar-Daban Ridge as the Peak of St Petersburg University.

From the note of St Petersburg University students.

While returning, the expedition members also visited the Tunka Valley, renowned for its observatories and the valley of volcanoes.