The skier is already a representative of the extreme sports community. But if you delve deeper into the topic, you can find even more risky ones among them - fans of freeride, back-country, heli-skiing. The best among Russian riders here was Kirill Anisimov.
Risk Level - Cheget
Mount Cheget in Kabardino-Balkaria near Elbrus is a place of pilgrimage for off-piste skiing enthusiasts. Even equipped tracks here are by world standards considered one of the most difficult. And freeride - a free choice of route along the pristine mountain snow - the path to unknown. This is what attracts skiers who are bored with well-groomed corduroy strips, even of a black level.
For those who like to cut their own lines on the snowy slopes, Cheget is a place where dreams come true: height - 3700 m, vertical drop - 1140 m, steepness - from 20 to 45 degrees, snow lies for six months. It is very avalanche-hazardous, rocks and cliffs, the level of complexity surpasses and attracts. It was in Elbrus region that the future freeride champion of the country was born.
The beginning of the way
A small mountain village 10 km from the foot of Elbrus and 40 to the district center, which grew up to the village of Terskol with a population of just over one thousand people, became the permanent residence of Yuri Anisimov, coach of the MSU alpine skiing team. He installed the first lifts, developed infrastructure, created the main ski resort in Russia. Here on November 11, 1969, in house No. 1, his son was born.
The main entertainment in Terskol was, of course, skiing. Cyril stood on them at the age of two at his own request, easily and enthusiastically comprehended the basics of cutting arcs and braking. The kid in red overalls mobilized those frightened and admired the rest with the skills of downhill. The first and main instructor was his father.
An accident in the biography was the Higher Military School. The guy quickly realized that military service would not be a vocation, but he graduated from college and served in the army. Yes, these were not the most pleasant years of life, but a useful school. More Terskol Kirill Anisimov did not leave for a long time.
Virgin snow
At 22, an athlete-skier came to work in the Cheget rescue service. Sometimes he worked part-time as an instructor: he trained experienced riders in more advanced descent techniques. With the advent of snowboards in the native open spaces, an experienced skier mastered the technique of riding on a board.
In the 90s of the last century, a freeride boom began in the country. Fans, looking for difficulties and adrenaline, mastered the unpaved slopes, virgin lands, and tormented new routes. In this direction, Anisimov was among the leaders. He participated in competitions, programs, starred in films (including "Freerider Day"), worked as a guide. A guide is not a nanny: every time there are new routes, serious difficulty levels. Individual responsibility, charisma, extensive experience and knowledge of the area - all this was with a young local guy.
The downhill runs are very different from driving along prepared, smoothed tracks. There, in addition to a decent skiing technique, you need to know the terrain, weather, snow quality, to predict the danger of avalanches. The guide deals with all of this: the complexity of the route sets the trajectory of movement, teaches you to choose your own path along the slope, and evaluate the situation along the way. It didn’t just help many, it saved their lives.
Heritage
Victims of unjustified risk, when a boarder or skier, seeing someone’s footprint, believe that they can also pass there, prompted the first Terskol guide-instructors to create the program “Freeride with guides”. They taught the wards rescue work with avalanche equipment, conducted classes on the types of dangers, snow features. Hundreds of fans have learned to understand the language of the mountains, feel the snow thanks to this program.
For the off-season, together with Komarov, they created unique programs under the general slogan “Winter winter” - back-country hiking, trekking, climbing, followed by skiing or just like climbers. Wintering programs are very popular to this day. Developing the domestic freeride, Kirill Anisimov with groups more than twenty times climbed Elbrus, returning to the foot on skis or snowboard.
Lenin Peak and Kazbek obeyed him, where he cut his extreme lines from top to bottom. He took the gold of the European Cup and two Russian Cups. Anisimov - twice champion, twice silver medalist of Russia. He left his mark in the mountains of Dombay, Kamchatka, Norway, Kyrgyzstan, Siberia, Italy, Argentina, India, Austria, France, Chile. He participated in European, Russian, and South American projects.
Everything was not in vain
Continuing the work of his father, Kirill Anisimov powerfully promoted the development of freeride in the country. He was not attracted by records and awards, he was simply devoted to the mountains, the virgin snow, devoted his whole life to this. Dozens of times he walked away from avalanches. Twice it was covered in a serious way: they barely managed to dig out in Kamchatka - he was already unconscious. The professional told everyone that he was afraid of avalanches: he had to be afraid in order to be ready for the struggle for life. He was reliable, like a rock, did not suffer from star disease, did not put himself above the mountains. Was ...
In 2017, an incurable disease (oncology) fell upon this strong-minded person. January 13, 2018 he was gone. At 48, one of the best guides, a lifeguard, an instructor of VAGI, left. But his lessons of surviving and conquering virgin snow remained, they will save many more desperate riders.