on the way to ski across Ray-Iz Massif in the Arctic Ural, Russia. October 1986. Photo by EC.

There isn't a single Ural Mountains photograph on SP at this moment (and the nearest picture of any kind is in Norway, 1200 miles away!), but the point of this particular picture is different of course. It is simply to demonstrate the prevailing fashion in ski expedition backpack design in the former Soviet Union.

Black beard gone, I am still using one 20 years later in this shot :)