News Release of "BASK – Great Sail Wall" expedition

On the 11th of June company BASK held a press conference devoted to a successful climb of a hardest big wall in Canadian Arctic.

"BASK – Great Sail Wall" was a joint expedition of “Russian way – Big Wall” team (headed by Alexander Odintsov) and ‘Russian Extreme Project’ of Valery Rozov. The expedition lasted since the 26th of April till the 10th of June (year 2002).

For the first time in history Europeans (and they were our Russian athletes!) climbed the forbidding Face of Great Sail Peak, which is situated at the east coast of far off Baffin Island.

Baffin Island is the fifth in size among all islands. Almost the entire surface of it is covered with a panoply of ice. It is one of the most remote and less explored places of the Earth. Ere Russian expedition Great Sail Peak was climbed only once – by famous Alex Lowe (USA) and his team.

Russian team leaded by world-famous master of climbing Alexander Odintsov broke a new offbeat 1500-metres route up to the summit.

Extreme climb continued under the hardest stress of weather. The climbers had spent more than a week living and working on a 850 slope wall. Final bid was made on the 26th of May and it brought success the same night.

On the 28th of May Valery Rosov in his wing suit sky-jumped from the highest point of the peak. His record fly lasted 50 seconds before he drew a parachute.

High-altitude cameramen Ivan Sanoilemko and Lef Dorfman as well as a photo-reporter Dmitry Lifanov had shot wonderful scenes. Their pictures will be used as a base for a future film, devoted to the expedition.

General equipment sponsor and an informational sponsor is company BASK. Company BASK is a foremost Russian producer of extreme and special outdoor clothes and equipment.

Photo and video facilities were provided by company CANON.
"Russian Extreme Project" is sponsored by SALOMON.

11.06.2002