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Old Road of Bones in Winter Old Road of Bones in Winter
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Photo by Igor Djokovic, camping above San Juan river, Arizona USA

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Igor Djokovic,
camping above San Juan river,
Arizona USA



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  #1  
Old 2 Feb 2013
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Old Road of Bones in Winter
Hi,

we'll drive Yakutsk - Magadan end of February in a relatively weak 4x4 (old ML 320). According to some of the very good information on the HUBB, the new Northern Route of the Kolyma Highway M56 shouldn't be a major problem.

However, I understand the "real" or "old" Road of Bones (Southern Route) is now unkept/abandoned. Of course we would love to visit the Pole of Cold at Tomtor / Oymyakon there.

Question: Is the "old" Road of Bones completely unused in winter? Could we hook up with locals (trucks) to make it through the old road to Magadan in a convoy? Or can we only go in-and-out to Oymyakon, but not straight through?

Roadtrip Russia (1) Murmansk - Machackala - Magadan - Gentleman Adventurer
  #2  
Old 2 Feb 2013
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I would doubt if you would find local traffic on the old road after Tomtor. Locals don't choose the more difficult way, when there is the new road, which is getting better and better.
Here you find what can happen on the old road in winter.
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  #3  
Old 3 Feb 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chri8 View Post
I would doubt if you would find local traffic on the old road after Tomtor. Locals don't choose the more difficult way, when there is the new road, which is getting better and better.
Here you find what can happen on the old road in winter.
Thank you Chri8, the story of the rescued Norwegians is interesting, also because they made it 150km eastwards of Tomtor in a normal car (!), which means they were almost back again on the "new road" at Kadykchan ... which would mean that the "old road" is doable even in winter. They only got stuck for lack of fuel.

P.S.: Great trip report of yours, Road of Bones by (push-) bike !
  #4  
Old 3 Feb 2013
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I think you should reread Bolot's post, especially the part where he says:

"Even experienced local drivers know that driving from Tomtor directly to Magadan that way is impossible, because it is impassable, it is covered with thick snow.
*********
This part on the old route of the Kolyma Highway after Tomtor is impassable in winter. It is not used at all by locals. It is burried under the thick snow cover.
********
Guys, please, do not repeat after these Norwegians. Act responsibly."
*********

You should check with Bolot about the "150km from Tomtor" statement in his post--I expect it is a typo, but you should check with him, his e-mail address is on his site, and he is very helpful with answering questions, etc. Moreover, he sees alot of adventure travellers passing through Yakutsk so I think has some idea about what is and is not possible. There is also a 4x4 club in Yakutsk which might be able to provide additional info.

I am about 99% sure that proceeding beyond Tomtor will be impossible, and given the extremely low temperatures, rather dangerous.
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Old 3 Feb 2013
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Originally Posted by motoreiter View Post
I am about 99% sure that proceeding beyond Tomtor will be impossible, and given the extremely low temperatures, rather dangerous.
I agree with your general assumption. However, with a Kamaz truck in front of our car it would certainly be possible. This would mean only 250 km until the junction at the "new road", instead of 900 km (!).

A lot can happen on the recommended 650 km detour (almost certainly without a second vehicle) ... snowstorm, accident, breakdown, ... and temperatures are the same - 50° C. Just trying to make my own risk calculation.

BTW: the "naivity" of the Norwegians sounds exaggerated. They had a Satphone and just to get there, they were tough and brave. My guess is they suffered from a closed fuel station (maybe in Tomtor) or other misinformation (fuel in Oymyakon), then they thought they would make it to Susuman with their 1 or 2 jerry cans. According to the article, it definitely wasn't a miscalculation of road conditions.
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Old 3 Feb 2013
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Originally Posted by Travelbug View Post
However, with a Kamaz truck in front of our car it would certainly be possible. This would mean only 250 km until the junction at the "new road", instead of 900 km (!)...According to the article, it definitely wasn't a miscalculation of road conditions.
You are reading the post (not article) very selectively, and seem to be ignoring the parts where Bolot says that the road is impassable. You understand that the road is not maintained and that it snows ALOT in Siberia, right? I don't think a Kamaz or any other wheeled vehicle could get through.

As to the Norwegians running out of gas, did it occur to you that maybe they got stuck in the snow first, and then ran out of gas when they ran their engine continuously to avoid freezing to death while they waited for rescue?

And if you think that bringing a sat phone constitutes adequate preparation for something like this, you are kidding yourself. And running out of gas under such extreme weather conditions, for any reason, is proof enough of serious poor planning.

Do yourself a favor: rather than relying on Bolot's quick post--in which he urges people not to try this--contact him and some of the 4x4 guys in Yakutsk for a better idea of the conditions.
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