Our Students Climbed Sofia Mountain

During their field practical training program, students of Astrakhan State University’s Department of Geology & Geography have climbed Sofia Mountain, the second highest peak of the Arkhyz Preserve at the North Caucasus. That was only a part of their practical training program.

A united team of future geographers and cartographers of the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd years of studies has spent a week in the Caucasian Mountains. They went to the Karachay-Cherkess Republic to study the mountainous landscape and its features. It was the first time for most of them to see snowy peaks, glaciers, mountainous rivers, and subalpine meadows with their own eyes.

Near the village of Arkhyz, the students have climbed Sofia – one of the best-known mountains at the Caucasus. The future geographers and cartographers have been to shores of the Sofia lakes and enjoyed the Sofia falls. According to Dr. Alexander Marmilov, an Associate Professor of ASU’s Chair of Geography, Cartography, & GIS Technologies, head of the expedition and supervisor of the practical training program, such travels are very useful for future specialists, as they can learn in practice what they learn only in theory when they attend lectures.

Besides the academic agenda, our students could raft down a swift mountainous river and take several horse tours up and down mountainous landscapes.

Russian original information source: Yuri Garanov (the Press Service of ASU)
Russian original photo source: Alexander Marmilov (the Department of Geology & Geography of ASU)

Translated by E.I. Glinchevskiy (the Center of Translation Studies & Conference Interpreting “ASTLINK” of ASU)