Anyone Want to go to Russia?

[fredmcain]

Group,

I found this online: http://tinyurl.com/bxz5rxu or this: http://preview.tinyurl.com/bxz5rxu if you can stand the rather objectionable pop-ups and advertisements.

Looks pretty bone-chilling to me!

Another site on the subject of Russian mines mentions that, "This isn't my idea of a vacation,but places like this abandoned Soviet mine in the Kyshtym region (whichunlike other Soviet mines, at least it's not radioactive) seems to be veryexciting to urban explorers."

Actually, in my case this would be *EXACTLY* my idea of a vacation! I would want to dress warm, though the way that looks!

Regards,
Fred M. Cain>>

[Kiel]

I know some of us are friends on facebook with a polish/russian mine exploring group. Very cool stuff, scary too

[Stuart]

I've seen these before on Facebook. Very cool, and yes very cold. In the coldest mines here in the U.S. I've seen some crazy ice formations, but I've never seen bats covered in dew like that.

[ExpUt]

Russia has an amazing amount of mining and thus an amazing amount of abandoned mines too. I was able to tour an old mine in the remote town of TomTor, it is literally the coldest continually inhabited city in world. It's temperature can dip as low as -96*F, yes... cold. Anyways, they have a few mines right on the outskirts of town that have been abandoned though they are now used as 'cold storage' for ice sculptures. There is a ~100 foot section of the mine that breaks through the permafrost layer and is constantly freezing, the moisture in the air freezes as crystals and they have to chop a channel through the crystals to get through. It was surreal. Pics:

[Jeff]

Very cool!