Since this is a blog, not a collection or articles, it is sometimes fun to discuss not-so-serious things about the Eastern neighbourhood. The Eastern neighbourhood is not just about wars and gas crises. There are quite a number of fun things to do there, such as skiing…
Once elected – the young, modern and (supposedly more) liberal president Medvedev thought it appropriate to launch a video-blog – a modern way of conveying his message. My favourite video-blog is Medvedev skiing in Krasnaya Polyana (in the Caucasus mountains), where the Sochi 2014 Olympics will take place. Probably the weirdest thing about this blog was that it appeared in the middle of the January 2009 Russian-Ukrainian gas crisis, and Medvedev was talking about the necessity of investing in sport. It looked like Putin was in charge of the gas crisis, while Medvedev was in charge of education and sports. (For those who want a fresher video – here is Medvedev’s most recent video-blog.)
More on winter sports in the Caucasus. Another favourite video blog is on heliboarding (helicopter+snowboarding) in Abkhazia by Rip Curl. I guess no one ever skied in Abkhazia before. If you see the video, pay attention to the fact that the snowboardists hired an Abkhaz military helicopter.
The Georgian government protested against the video: the Rip Curl team entered Abkhazia without Georgian permission (that’s against Georgian legislation) and failed to even mention that Abkhazia is a conflict zone and contested territory. For a balanced and comprehensive picture of the skiing opportunities in the Caucasus – also see the Georgian ski-resort in Gudauri.
I guess I will need to post something about trekking in the Caucasus as well. But closer to summer.
#1 by Andrew on March 16, 2009 - 2:06 pm
do you think they hosted the rip curl men as a propaganda stunt? maybe gplus has started freelancing for abkhazia. i love this because it shows there’s so much more to europe than men in suits (or men with guns). i wonder if lukashenko is enjoying his holiday in armenia, or how cheesed off ferrero-waldner is that he stood her up in minsk.
#2 by Nicu Popescu on March 17, 2009 - 3:26 pm
I don’t think it was a PR stunt. the idea on its own merrits sounds quite interestng – get into a de facto state that does not exist on a map, and ski where no one else skied before… though is was really wierd they did not explain any of the context at all (what if some naive teenage snowboardist really tries to get there on his own?)
so what did lukashenko do in the end? what’s the rumour? did he go ski? where?
#3 by Payday Loan on April 29, 2009 - 9:49 am
Such an exciting activity! Quite dangerous for the beginners but it’s really fun especially this summer. Anyway, ever since they went to Congress to request emergency funding, a lot of people have feared a GM shutdown. A GM shutdown is now more of a certainty than a possibility, as General Motors is coming short on a $1 billion debt payment, and they are forecasting a shutdown of all activity for at least 9 weeks. This is obviously a case beyond the scope of payday loans, as the auto maker is close to $30 billion in debt. The idea is to shut down production in order to reduce the backlog of vehicles left on lots, and the government has guaranteed warranties on all GM vehicles. Installment loans may not be able to stave off a GM shutdown.