Camels Winter Range, Altay

Lower Karaghem Valley in Chuyskie Belki Mountains.

We were kind of afraid to ski too close to the camels, with no herders around, so all I got was this cautious shot from a distance.

They even used to supply the tiny general store in the Telengit tribal hamlet near the confluence of Karaghem and Argut by a summer camel caravan, over a nearly 3,000 m pass connecting Karaghem with Taldura Valley, but nowadays a 4WD road reaches Argut Valley further upriver, from the high-elevation grasslands of Ukok Plateau.

February 1985 Chuya-to-Argut ski crossing of Altay Mountains