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, I’d recommend reading it to anyone thinking about going to Sochi, especially for a winter trip.

In spite of author’s disappointment with Russia, he does recognize and praise unique nature’s gift of Krasnaya Polyana. The article is rather long, so I’ll quote only some paragraphs about KP here.

on Krasnaya Polyana
…we hiked and rode all day. For large parts of it, I was out of my comfort zone – particularly as it was only my second day riding of the season. But it turned into one of the most memorable days riding I’ve ever had. Krasnaya’s incredible terrain helps to explain why so many people make the trip to this tiny, out of the way Russian resort. It is a serious mountain with serious dangers, but the rewards and scope for exploration for those with enough experience to handle it are limitless.

on living in Sochi (from Englishman living there)
How is it living here?
It’s great. In the winter I ski and ski, and in the summer it’s walking and mountain biking. It’s great here. There are actually more people here in the summer than in the winter. And there’s a yacht club 40 minutes away. So in the summer it’s fantastic, sometimes you can ski in the spring, and then in the afternoon you can take a yacht. It’s a great time.

on doing business (from the same Englishman)
So difficult is that to get off the ground? Is there a lot of red tape?
As soon as you speak the language, everything here becomes very transparent and open. You understand what’s going on. Without the language it’s pretty difficult. But I think our pub will be ready by the end of 2007.

… and conclusion
One thing is for sure: the secret is out about Krasnaya. How it develops from here is impossible to say, but it’s going to be interesting.

You can read the complete article here: From Russia with Love