The Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia is a 100,000 square mile area that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, bordering the Sea of Okhotsk. A place known for its massive brown bear population, and where reindeer outnumber humans, the peninsula is home to a 200 mile long stretch of active volcanoes, many of which have never been summited. At least not in 1994 when we sent Mike Jacoby and John Egan there to film for "Vertical Reality."

We had our eyes on the active volcano Koryaksky, a nearly 11,500’ peak that had never been climbed, let alone skied. After three weeks of socked in conditions, the clouds cleared enough for Mike and John to board a Russian Army surplus helicopter to make their mark on Kamchatka mountaineering history.

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