Ojos Del Salado - climbing
the highest volcano on the planet
Location
South America, Chile
Result
The movie was released on Transformator Travel's YouTube channel
Decision
Preparations for the conquest of mountain peaks began long before the scheduled departure date. Our brave cameramen had a difficult task: not just to climb to the top, but to repeatedly ascend and descend the slopes, capturing on film every step of the main group, every exciting moment of this dangerous ascent. In terms of the total distance traveled along the overall route, the cameraman's group made almost double the ascent - a truly heroic feat
The 27-member expedition traveled to Chile, to one of the driest places on Earth, the Atacama Desert, to test themselves and try to climb the planet's highest volcano, Ojos del Salado, 6893 meters.
Task
Make a movie about climbing the volcano Ojos del Salado, 6,893m
movie trailer
client
Transformator Travel
Producer
Alexei Nikiforov
Expedition organizers
Boris Pustovoitov
Dmitry Kozlov
Dmitry Kozlov
Guideline
Vladimir Kotlyar
DOP
Nikolay Cherniavsky
Photographers
Alexander Ramonenko
Alexander Mestny
Alexander Mestny
Editor
Nikita Tsarikov
Screenwriter
Masha Kuznetsova
Climbing Ojos del Salado is an unforgettable journey into the world of mountain peaks and amazing landscapes of Chile. Ojos del Salado, or the Voice of the Sun, is the highest volcano in the world, reaching a height of 6,893 meters. Located in the Atacama Desert, this majestic volcano is one of the most isolated and inaccessible peaks on Earth.
Preparation for the ascent begins long before the trip itself. You will need to undergo acclimatization and physical training to prepare your body for the altitude conditions. An important part of your preparation will be choosing the right gear and clothing to ensure your comfort and safety throughout the climb.
The journey begins with a flight to Santiago, the capital of Chile, from where you will travel to the south of the country. The journey then takes you through the Atacama Desert to the foot of the Ojos del Salado volcano. Here you can enjoy the amazing desert scenery and feel its unique atmosphere.
The ascent starts at an altitude of 5300 meters, where the base camp is located. From here, there are about 1,500 meters more to climb to the summit of Ojos del Salado.
Nikolai Chernyavsky about the expedition:
When the call went out announcing an upcoming trip to Chile and climbing the world's highest volcano, Ojos del Salado at 6893 meters, I was amazed to the core. After the tickets were purchased, I realized that this was really going to happen. I had to overcome myself and my fears, because I had conquered peaks before, but never before had I had to face such heights and challenges.
Instead of grueling training, I chose an intuitive and individual approach that allowed me to prepare for the climb in the best possible way. Every day was filled with a variety of workouts: jogging, strength training, and breathing practice.
One day, deciding to check my health, I took a vitamin test and was pleasantly surprised: my body was biologically 20 years younger! However, one problem was discovered - a serious vitamin B12 deficiency, which I was able to make up for thanks to vitamins from the Provincia Cafe.
My year started with an amazing trip to the land of dreams, where I could not only conquer snowy peaks on a snowboard, but also climb the highest volcano in the world.
If you look at my Instagram or even just recognize me now, it might seem like a dream life for some. Everything seems so easy and effortless: a lot of traveling, filming, bright impressions. But behind it all there is a long journey, and I can safely say that for many years I wasn't sure of my path. I didn't understand what I wanted to shoot, where I wanted to go. I lived from project to project, and most importantly, I was shooting a lot of my own ideas and constantly looking for new ones.
Now I can choose my projects or pitch my ideas to companies. Growth is always going on, and it's safe to say that not knowing something these days is a conduit between people. If you immerse yourself in a topic, you will always get the knowledge you need. So, the path became the goal, and I have many goals. Climbing Ojos del Salado was a great start to the year and set the vector for my future endeavors. Now I am in Nepal with my friends and the Kotlyar Adventure Clan team. We have an exciting adventure ahead of us, and to go through it together with Vladimir Kotlyar is a special pleasure. That's the beauty of life: to be in constant motion, to learn new things, to discover new horizons.
That's how the path
That's how the path became the goal
Experiencing the Atacama Desert is one of the most vivid experiences of my life. It was the first desert landscape in my life, if you don't count the winter desert where I spent my childhood.
Our group meeting began with a briefing where we checked all our gear, supplementing it with what needed additional equipment. We then loaded into a dozen pickup trucks and headed into the heart of Chile. Our route took us through endless desert surrounding mountains devoid of signs of life, as it seemed at first glance.
Our goal was the first base camp of Laguna Santa Rosa, located at an altitude of 3700 meters. To our surprise, as we were approaching the camp, it started to rain. This is an amazing natural phenomenon for this area, where in some areas it has not rained for over 100 years.
Once at 3700 meters, I felt for the first time how altitude affects my body. After running with my luggage from the car to my tent, I couldn't catch my breath for a long time and felt my heart beating. It was at that moment that I realized that my body had gone into "slow motion" mode.
Atacama Desert