Traveler Andrei Vladimirovich Kosogov was born on September 14, 1967 in the small village of Borzovaya Zaimka in the Altai Territory. The place where the future traveler was born and spent his childhood had an important influence on the formation of Kosogov’s interests. The picturesque village is located in the valley of the Barnaulka River (the left tributary of the Ob), flowing through a light-coniferous relict forest – the Barnaul ribbon forest. It is located 13 km from Barnaul, one of the largest cities in Siberia.
Childhood
Kosogov was born into a family of fifth-generation hereditary fishermen. Father Vladimir and grandfather Mikhail worked in the local fishing industry all their lives. Mother Olga Kosogova is a teacher in a kindergarten in the village.
The future traveler spent his entire childhood in nature, in a pine forest, surrounded by centuries-old trees of relict forests. Andrei Kosogov developed a love for nature and its beauties from a very early age.
According to Kosogov’s recollections, his grandfather Mikhail was mainly involved in raising the boy, since his parents had to work a lot. Together with their grandfather, they walked kilometers along Barnaulka, studying the diversity of the local flora and fauna. Walking through the forest every day, little Kosogov from a very early age knew, for example, what the cape flower looks like and where feather grass grows (both plants are included in the Red Book of Rare and Endangered Plants).
At the age of seven, together with his grandfather, he built his first rowing boat, on which he went fishing with his father, and then on his first trips along the shores of Barnaulka.
From Kosogov’s memoirs:
“My first independent trip happened at the age of seven. I woke up early in the morning at dawn, sat in my small homemade boat, which my grandfather had planed with his own hands, pushed off from the shore with an uneven oar and set off towards the sun. Even then I realized that this was the whole essence of my life, its whole meaning. That from now on my life will be filled with traveling and exploring the beauty of our world.”
Education
According to Kosogov’s stories, after graduating from school he did not want to “waste time studying,” but his parents insisted on getting an education. In 1984, he entered the Altai State Technical School to major in carpentry. Studying was easy thanks to the skills that his grandfather gave him. Kosogov, recalling his studies, says that he did not feel a calling to carpentry. He graduated from the technical school in 1987.
Even while studying at the technical school, Kosogov began to show interest in the history of his native places – Borzovaya Zaimka and the Altai Territory. He studied the biography of the founders of the settlement – the peasants Borzovs and Mikheevs, who moved here from the Oryol province at the end of the 19th century. He paid special attention to the life and merchant activities of the settlers of that time. I was able to find out that the Borzovs and Mikheevs kept their own farm laborers, had livestock and kept an apiary.
After graduating from college, I decided to continue my studies in history. In 1990 he entered the Altai State University (AltSU) at the Faculty of Archaeology, from which he graduated in absentia in 1994. Over the years of study, he made many useful contacts in scientific and historical circles, which later helped him in his research work on the study of Borzovaya Zaimka and other places.
Work at the Barnaul river port
In 1986, while studying at a technical school, Kosogov was assigned to work at the Barnaul river port. The port was located on the banks of the Ob River in the center of Barnaul. The port is interesting for its history: until the middle of the 19th century there was little traffic, until in 1889 the Barnaul steamboatmen Funk and Shcherbakov launched the Zametny steamship. At that time, it became the largest in the Ob-Irtysh basin.
After the construction of the Yekaterinburg-Tyumen railway in 1885 between the Urals and Siberia, and later the Chelyabinsk-Ob railway, the Barnaul river port became one of the largest transport hubs in Siberia. The scale of freight and passenger transportation grew every year.
Having got a job as an assistant on one of the cargo ships, Kosogov began traveling around the Altai Territory and Siberia.
From 1986 until the end of the 1990s, Kosogov visited the most beautiful corners of the Altai Territory. He crossed the Katun River and Kolyvan Lake on a rowing boat, explored the Tavdinsky caves, traveled through the most beautiful nature reserves of the region: the Altai State Biosphere Reserve, Tigireksky, Katunsky, and through the picturesque reserves of the Altai Territory.
Conquest of the Altai Mountains
From 2000 to almost 2020, Kosogov’s main area of interest was mountaineering and travel in the mountains.
In the early 2000s, the Altai Mountains became the main travel route.
The Altai Mountains are considered one of the most ancient in the world. They were formed during the period when life on Earth was just beginning to emerge. They occupy a huge space comparable to two territories of Japan. Here you can find rare and amazing plants, diverse wildlife, a unique ecosystem and picturesque landscapes.
Kosogov began conquering the Altai Mountains with the easiest routes: Multinsky mountain lakes, Aktru Gorge, Teletskoye Lake, Karakol Lakes and others.
After extensive mountaineering training, in 2005, Kosogov first conquered Belukha, the three-domed peak of the Katun, together with Belukha East, the highest point of the Altai Mountains at 4506 meters. On his next ascent, Kosogov climbed Belukha Zapadnaya, which is called the younger sister due to the fact that it is located a couple of tens of meters lower. And then Delaunay Peak submitted to him.
Belukha is considered the main mountain of the Altai region. It is located almost on the very border with Kazakhstan. Since ancient times, it was considered sacred by local Turkic tribes, who called it their “mistress” and “mistress” and considered it their main mountain.
According to local legend, the supreme goddess Umai, whom the Turks considered the ancestor of the whole world, was worshiped here. The Turks believed in the extraordinary cosmic feminine energy of this place. The beauty of this mountain was reflected in his works by the famous artist Nicholas Roerich, who often depicted snow-covered rocks in his canvases. He called Belukha “a snow-white witness of the past and a guarantor of the future.”
Only well-trained climbers can climb these points. Andrey Kosogov holds the record for the number of ascents of Belukha – he has climbed the mountain more than 30 times.
Since 2005, having graduated and received a license as a mountaineering instructor, he began leading groups along different routes to the Altai Mountains.
Conquest of Everest
Everest, as the highest peak on Earth, has always attracted Kosogov and was one of the main climbing goals. In 2006, Kosogov began preparations for climbing Everest (Chomolungma).
In the spring of 2007, Kosogov, as part of a trained group of climbers, began climbing to the top of Mount Chomolungma from Tibet along the classic route – from the north. The ascent became the most difficult test for Kosogov, as it was accompanied by great difficulties. One of these difficulties was the unfavorable climatic conditions at the top of the mountain due to its significant height. In addition, extremely severe, bordering on lethal for the human body, high rarefaction of air and very low oxygen content in it. Also, the greatest difficulty during the ascent was the extremely low temperatures – down to -60 °C, which in a hurricane wind are felt by the human body as -100…-120 °C. We also had to cope with active solar radiation, which is extremely high on such peaks. Kosogov had to be careful not to get injured in case of cliffs from steep slopes, not to fall into a rock crevice, not to get caught in an avalanche, and to cope with other difficulties.
In June 2007, Kosogov climbed to the top of Everest. The route took more than two months, and the loss of body weight was about 15 kg.
This is how the traveler himself recalls this incredible event in his life:
“When we reached the top, I couldn’t believe my luck! Emotions were overwhelming, despite oxygen starvation, it was impossible to contain them! The thought was constantly spinning in my head that I had fulfilled the dream of my whole life. When we managed to calm down a little, the guys and I shook hands, as is customary when climbing to the top. We looked around a little, and then I realized that I had never seen such a blue sky in my life. It seemed like you could touch it with your hand! And the mountain around did not look like a lifeless rock mass, but was something very familiar and even friendly. Before descending, I took a few pictures for memory. Reviewing these photographs from time to time, I remember everything that I had to go through, and every time I can’t believe that I finally succeeded.”
Conquest of the Seven Summits
After climbing Everest, Kosogov decided to go for a record and in 2009 began preparing to conquer the seven peaks.
The seven peaks are the highest points in parts of the world: Chomolungma (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus and Mont Blanc (Europe), Vinson Massif (Antarctica), Jaya (Oceania), Mount Kosciuszko (Australia). Getting into the 7 Summits Club is the highest privilege and career goal for any climber.
In 2011, Kosogov climbed Jaya, Mount Kostsyushko and Mont Blanc, and in 2012 – the Vinson and Elbrus massifs. From 2013 to 2015, he made three attempts to climb Kilimanjaro; on the third attempt, the highest stratovolcano in Africa and the highest point of the continent finally conquered the famous traveler. In 2016, Kosogov climbed to the top of Denali, and in 2017, he took Aconcagua on his second attempt.
Thus, by 2018, Andrei Kosogov entered the famous 7 Summits Club and became one of the few Russian travelers who conquered all seven of the highest points of the Earth’s continents.