I had just one day for a tour, and Konstantin took me to what felt like “another world.” You start in a big city, and within an hour, you’re 3,000 meters up, surrounded by snowy peaks and breathtaking views. It’s a complete escape, and even though the trip was short, we managed to see so much: a herd of mountain goats running across the slopes, massive white vultures circling above a peak, an old Soviet station for studying cosmic rays, and, as I mentioned, the majestic mountains all around us.

As Konstantin said, it’s “lazy mountaineering” because you drive to a place that would normally take days to reach on foot. I’m so glad we had the chance to see all this, especially since the road to this spot isn’t always accessible due to heavy snow.