For a start, I want to turn back to the ear 1976. I was being taken up to the Tcheget by rope-way with my father, who was the alpinist of Leningrad sport section and advanced alpine skier. He looked in the direction of the Donguz-Orun, and told me: “Look, Pim, you see the glacier “Semerka”, don’t you? Wouldn't it be great if I could roll down there…”

Although the idea was fantastically unreal at that moment, it has impressed me a lot and many years later I shared it with my good friend – Yury Drahlin, who in the beginning of the years 1980-s, gave up the institute, job and a flat in Leningrad and went to live in Terskol. He established himself as electrician of the tourist centre and began to ski for the good of his soul. I graduated from the Lesgaft’s institute and at the same time finished the carrier of skier, was called up, demobilized in spring 1987 and right away went to the alpinist center “Elbrus”. In Terskol I met Yury Drahlin. There he said me that he “had done” “Semerka” in June 1986. He himself took photos of his descents. A week later our meeting he rolled downhill from the top of the Peak Schurovsky through the Ushba’s icefall. But he honestly owned to the fact that in one strip he was belayed but alpinists. In 1989 Yury went to the base camp at the bottom of the Khan-Tengri and was killed in an avalanche, having cut a plate on the descent from the summit opposite the Khan-Tengri. Instructors in the camp categorically advised him not to go there, but it was impossible to withhold him… So dolefully everything has finished.

Recently, having one another time came across the article in the Internet about courageous “first” riders, descended from “Semerka”, I got a desire to right. By some easy searches I managed to find Yuri’s mother, his father, unfortunately, has already dead. I took Yuri’s slides and a table of stainless steel in commemoration of Yury that nobody had placed in Prielbrusje. I am going to do it myself as I want to go to the Elbrus this year.

By the way, that time, in the 80-s, there was no word “rider”! Yury skied on the skis “Mladost”. I don’t understand how it is possible to roll along unprepared slope on them… Don’t destine for the quality of photos – the slides of the 80-s were made by the photo-camera “Smena 8M”.