Where can I combine nordic skiing with Russian language immersion - outside Russia?

November 20, 2012 1:55 AM

Outside Russia, where can I combine cross country skiing with Russian language immersion?

I'm a reasonably good nordic skier, and speak low-intermediate Russian. Now I want to spend around a month somewhere improving both. The sort of place I'm after would enable me to spend half of each day in lessons / immersing myself in Russian language (ideally a decent sized town at least) and the other half training on a decent and varied network of well-maintained cross country skiing trails. Ruling out Russia and Belarus to avoid the need for visas lands me in the area of the Baltic states or Ukraine I guess - but does anyone have any specific ideas or experience? Thanks!

posted by nihotaniwha to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

I can say that everyone I know who's been to Tbilisi loves it. Mountainous, though. Also Lviv is lovely but maybe too hilly? Both are easy to get to without transiting Russia or Belarus.
posted by mdonley at 2:05 AM on November 20, 2012

Tbilisi is a good option, though I have never been skiing there. Yerevan is a possibility too.
posted by chaiminda at 3:38 AM on November 20, 2012

How about spending some time in Kirkenes, in Arctic Norway? Its right on the border ( the only border crossing ) into Russia. And the surrounding area is cross-country heaven. I enjoyed visiting there last year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkenes
posted by seawallrunner at 4:38 AM on November 20, 2012

Georgia for sure.
posted by k8t at 5:04 AM on November 20, 2012

Oh, for real. Georgia is freaking amazing. Word of advice: go hungry. The food is amazing, and they will offer it to you generously and constantly as a foreigner.
posted by monkey!knife!fight! at 9:00 AM on November 20, 2012 [1 favorite]