Tour of the failure Ruskeala

• on Ruskeala failure Tour

Mountain Park "Ruskeala" has already become one of the symbols of the Northern Ladoga region, and the whole of Karelia. Thousands of tourists come here every year to enjoy the relaxing views of the marble quarry. However, inspired by the beauty of the opening of the canyon scenery, few know, and reach the other, no less interest.

So, having visited here for the first time a few years ago, I did not even know about the presence of such a wonderful place nearby as Ruskeala failure. For many years this place was quarried marble, and the land is all riddled with tunnels weaving. In the 60s of the last century in the explosions at the nearby quarry at one point arch collapsed, creating a huge hole in the ground and exposing tunnels flooded with water.

The dimensions of the hole - about 20 to 30 meters, the depth to the water level - 12 meters. The entire perimeter exposed to small fence.

The failure is supported by a unique temperature control, thanks to which the ice in some remote corners are not even in the summer melt. In summer, you can come down here in the presence of equipment and an inflatable boat. In winter, the downhill is accessible to everyone. Enterprising young people from St. Petersburg organized a descent into failure on the ropes. It is a pleasure 1,000 rubles per person. How to assure the organizers, they work with the permission of the park management, and part of the profit goes to its development.

However, if you have climbing gear down you can own, which we did.

Downstairs, we find ourselves at the center of production - a subterranean zone round shape perimeter of about 500 meters with several branches in the form of dry tunnels, ending the rubble.

Ice whole striated traces of skates - yes, many people come here to skate, and if we knew about it in advance, perhaps, too, would take them with him.

From time to time at galleries resounds loud hollow sound "Boo-oo-oo", causing involuntary shudder - it cracked ice. There is no danger in this, but the noise gets a little uncomfortable.

The ice is very thick and clean, and in some places you can see the stone walls, uhodyazhie deep down. And also sometimes found in ice cool air bubbles.

The failure There are several entrances to the branching off from the center of development of the gallery. All of them are very fast or impassable dead end (as we thought) the rubble. But as it turned out, something we still lost, but more on that later. The branches of a very warm compared to the central hall. The camera lens will cloud up instantly, and the entrance to the tunnel settles condensate and immediately crystallizes, creating intricate patterns.

Immediately evident that failure is always under supervision. Here, quite clean, and a variety of ice sculptures created for the entertainment of visitors, all of whom willingly make a souvenir photo.

But much more interesting man-made sculptures are those that are created by nature, and they are present in large numbers.

Illuminated Burning Candle ice stalactites and stalagmites create an atmosphere of mystery and imagination and give scope for a photo.

We have with him were also taken candle - tried to portray scout lily. Looks like?

As it turned out, in Ruskeala failure there and the locals. Here is a fly mouse was found in one of the tunnels. Is not she mimimi?

After a few hours spent in the failure itself Ruskeala Marble Canyon has seemed not so interesting. Attention attracted only here the inscription on the bottom of the quarry.

As explained Dmitry, one of the organizers of the descent into failure, usually in the winter on the ice pit is allowed, but this year GIMS Sortavala this thing banned. However, one man, has repeatedly been here before and are well aware of all the tunnels, climbed through a blockage in one of the branches of the failure and crawled out on the ice of the main quarry of underground passages system and trampled in the snow name known in the speleological site circles, for which has already received lyuley from someone should. To my surprise, because of the failure is still possible to get out in the gallery, Dmitry said he was not worth it as somewhere to crawl will have on the water, not knowing all the moves, one awkward movement - and you can get stuck there forever.