Mountains and pits of the resort of Sheregash

How isolation influenced the Russian tourist business

After February 24, 2022, Russia expected the inevitable rise in the tourist business. Is this so, at the request of the “New tab” and the publication “ Continuation should ”, journalist Sergei Kondratyev found out. He went to the Kuzbass ski resort Sheregesh, which has been positioning for several years as one of the most promising in the country. And those who doubt this are being brought up in criminal cases.

July 21, 202327 July 2023 Sergey Kondratyev

"To trample anyone against the authorities"

“Resort” and “mountains” are, to put it mildly, not the very first associations related to Kuzbass. Kuzbass is actually coal. There is also Novokuznetsk in the region, where metallurgy dominates. And Kemerovo, the capital of Kuzbass, is the city of chemists. Poor ecology, industrial landscapes, gaping pits of coal sections. Sheregesh, on the outskirts of the region, is not a typical territory at all. For the past five years, local authorities have been trying to make him a resort of international level.

In June 2023, a business forum organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Youth Policy of Kuzbass was held in Sheregesh. Its participants talked a lot about the fact that this resort is already very good, but it would be even better.

- The main goal of the forum - “pump” those on whom the service at the resort depends - has been achieved. Sheregesh should become an exemplary resort in terms of service and diverse for vacationers, ” said one of the organizers of the forum Natalya Ivushkina.

It is customary to call such events in Kuzbass only those who proved their loyalty to the governor. Local entrepreneur Vyacheslav Chernov, the owner of the rental of ski equipment, was not invited to the forum. However, Chernov would still not go.

“This is an empty chatter,” the entrepreneur believes. - What is the point of going there?

Such disagreements as Vyacheslav in Kuzbass are invited to completely other events.

In November 2018, Sergei Tsivilev, by that time, only recently held the post of Governor of Kuzbass, called Vyacheslav Chernov and several more local entrepreneurs in a closed conversation at the Olga Shereegeshsky Hotel. Vyacheslav recalls that he went there as a gangster “arrow” and was preparing for the worst. They called one in the office. Just in case, Chernov recorded that conversation on the recorder (the audio recording is at our disposal). Vyacheslav explains that the audio recording did secretly in order to somehow ensure his safety in the future.

He said at the meeting mainly the governor, who, according to Chernov, did not really understand the issue and constantly switched to the most unexpected topics. He recalled the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, said that he, Tsiviv, would be in Kuzbass, like Sobyanin in Moscow, and threatened to "trample anyone against power." In the invented civilian plan of the radical reconstruction of the ski resort, Sheregesh did not have a place for small businesses. At that meeting, Vyacheslav seemed to be convinced by the governor that the small business, thanks to which the Sheregesh ski resort appeared at all, could fit into the governor's program of integrated development.

It was agreed that the entrepreneur and colleagues will present a project for the reconstruction of objects belonging to small businesses. They ordered the project in the architectural bureau recommended by the authorities in Novokuznetsk, spending 300 thousand rubles from their own funds. But further than this, the development plan with the regional administration did not move. The authorities began to simply take objects from the land with the land on which these objects were located from Scherezha. Compensation, of course, was paid, but, according to Chernov, scanty.

- On their part, a proposal was received to pay compensation, proportional revenue for six months. A fair in the entire civilized world is considered compensation, proportionate revenue in five years, ”says Chernov.

Vyacheslav’s colleagues reconciled, and he alone continued the struggle. One of its consequences was an unexpected event: Sobrovets, descending on the rope from the roof, knocked out a window and entered the apartment to the Kuzbass journalist and blogger Thomas Nemorov. This happened on February 20, 2021. A few weeks earlier on the YouTube channel of the site “Obazhur. View from Kuzbass ”, which edited Nemov, appeared fragments of audio recordings made by Chernov at the above meeting with the governor. The security forces, breaking into Neverov’s apartment, threw him on the floor, stepped on their heads, threatened. They opened a criminal case under Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - for “unlawful access to computer information”, although the information was obtained by legal way.

At that moment, Thomas Neverov worked on the film about the Kuzbass opposition.

-The film was supposed to be called “New Kuzbass” and talk about people who are doing something here and are not afraid to say. After the invasion of my apartment, the heroes, whom I have already shot, asked them to be removed from the film. Nobody wanted special forces to the balcony. That is, the warning of the authorities was successful. As a result, the film turned out about one person - Vyacheslav Chernov. He did not refuse, he does not have such an option at all - to be afraid and refused in case of danger, he has a religious one, as he himself told me in an interview. Therefore, it became even more interested in me to show this person from different angles, ”Neverov explains.

Chernov not only defends his business in Sheregesh, but also fights for honest elections for many years. He was both an observer and a candidate for deputies of the State Duma. How the candidate received legal access to video surveillance cameras installed in polling stations. After the vote, he published videos on Instagram - fragments on which falsifications and stuffing in the Kuzbass Tashtagol are recorded - this is a city 20 kilometers from Sheregesh, where Vyacheslav lives.

The result of Chernov’s civil activity - three criminal cases against him under articles on extremism and slander. The case of the publication of the audio recordings with the threats of Tsivilev against Chernov is still in a limited state. But it is clear that if they are promoted, both unbiases and Chernov can become accused.

In April 2023, the last search was held in the apartment of Vyacheslav Chernov, the reason for which Chernov was not even explained.

The entrepreneur does not exclude that he will be “closed”, but is not going to emigrate.

- I am absolutely not to blame for anything. I do not consider it ethical to escape after the threats expressed by a strange person with criminal thinking (Chernov has in mind the Governor of Tsivilev. - Approx. Ed.) . If you throw everything and run away at the first request of the bandits - who will then stop arbitrariness at all? - Chernov argues.

Vyacheslav remains in Tashtagol. In anticipation of the next ski season, a skiing inventory warehouse and rental points on Green Mountain in Sheregesh are being repaired.

A snowdrift instead of rental

“In Sheregesh, it feels like you are in the industrial zone mixed with the resort,” Foma Nemov announced us. And he was right. We left the photographer from the intercity bus, which brought us to the village of Sheeget. On the left are mountains. On the right is a nipple croach. Around the five-story building, probably built in the 1970s or even earlier. Under the feet of a puddle. It just broke through the water pipe underground, and the worker with a shovel eliminates the consequences.

The city -forming enterprise Sheregesh is a mine. They only get coal there, but iron ore. The central part of the village is a typical Soviet worker. Only the painted walls of some houses make variety-the result of the Street Art Festival passing here “painted”, which took place in 2022 and in 2023, despite the war.

Vyacheslav Chernov is lucky in his rental to the Green Mountain. The season in Sheregesh ends in April. Part of the equipment is already in the warehouse, but several dozen skiing and snowboarding still remained. Vyacheslav explains that in the next room his repair workshop, and he used to rent this room. But by court decision in November 2022, the building, where his rental was previously located, was demolished. I had to seal.

Chernov did not count losses, but he says that they certainly have: customers, not seeing rental in the same place, go to others. The court documents say that the rental was also demolished by a land plot with an area of ​​150 square meters. meters were taken, as it was required for the equipment of the ski route. But where Chernov’s rental was previously located, now the wasteland, covered with gravel.

Chernov says that they demolished objects in the neighborhood belonging to other entrepreneurs who did not conflict. Dozens of his colleagues lost business.

- Naturally, and I lost. When your property is selected, you can’t call it a win. But in order to cope with me, it took them two years, ”Chernov sums up.

He did not agree with the initial assessment of his property, and a second examination increased the amount of payments one and a half times. The entrepreneur does not call specific numbers, referring to the fact that in conditions of stiffly market competition, it is better not to disclose such information.

Vyacheslav says that plans to supplant a small business from a ski resort appeared even under the former governor Aman Tuleyev, but began to implement them only under the current head of the region - Tsivilov. The landed lands were transferred to the entrepreneur Igor Prokudin - the founder of the Cascade company, the loyal governor. “In 2019, the Kuzbass authorities agreed with Prokudin that in 2020–2025 he would invest 2.5 billion rubles in the development of the Sheregesh ski resort. In turn, the Kuzbass government obliged to send 5 billion rubles to infrastructure facilities in Sheregesh, ”Interfax said .

In April 2023, Igor Prokudin and his family members officially left among the founders of the Cascade, Valentina Meleshkova became the sole owner. “Now the owner of several companies under the common name“ Cascade ”is a certain Valentina Meleshkov, who is called the mother -in -law Igor Prokudin, and his brother, Vladimir Prokudin, heads part of these companies,” says the New Shoria website.

Chernov believes that Prokudin still remains the real owner. Be that as it may, these permutations did not improve the life of Vyacheslav and other small entrepreneurs of Sheregesh.

- The conflict began with the fact that I own land plots in the historical center of the resort. This is disgusted with them at the physiological level: he has nothing to do with power, is not friends with us, does not praise us, does not kiss us heels and at the same time owns the earth there? They believe that all the best is for them. And for us - remnants, scraps, periphery and ghetto, ”says Vyacheslav.

According to him, according to the grief of the green "small business, they drive a broom." Entrepreneurs are forced to transfer their objects every now and then. This is not always noticeable to tourists, but in Sheregesh the owners of many cafes and pizzerias, having worked for several years, burn out and close. Other enthusiasts come in their place, who also do not delay.

- Whatever segment we look at - hotels, guest houses, ceremonial roads - there is no high level of service anywhere, as tourists also note. In Sheregesh, it is almost impossible to earn money that can be regarded as capital. This is a disease of the country's underdevelopment. Lack of payment of the sagging population. In Europe, 150 million people with very good income actively move and provide a tourist industry. An insignificant number of tourists come to Sheregesh. The numbers that appear in the reports of officials are puffed.

The report of the Vesti-Kuzbass television company, dedicated to the closing of the season, said that in the season 2022/2023, Sheregesh visited more than 2.3 million tourists-almost 100 thousand more than in the season 2021/2022. According to Chernov, this figure needs to be divided by at least three.

-So that everything here reaches a more or less serious level, there should be ten times more tourists. And the money that a few tourists now bring is enough for entrepreneurs to maintain pants, pay salaries, payment of electricity and current bills - that’s all! - Vyacheslav argues.

According to Chernov, on average, horn instructors and rental staff in the season earn 40-50 thousand rubles a month with an official average salary in the region 74 thousand rubles.

Governor Tsivilov promises to build an airport next to the resort, is going to make a resort year-round and plans to assign the status of a resort city. Chernov welcomes the construction of the airport, but I am sure that building it in a mountainous area is difficult and expensive. Only for the development of the project, according to Vyacheslav, should it go for three years. According to his forecasts, the airport, if it appears, is not earlier than 2030.

The entrepreneur also relates to two other ideas of the governor. In the summer, according to Chernov, tourists have nothing to do in Sheregesh. The village itself is still not adapted for promenade. There are few people who want to sit in a hotel and miss. In his opinion, if SHERGESH calls the “resort city”, this will not only give nothing to the development of the tourist business, but will also make the unustred of the village even more noticeable.

Galkin - no, his - yes!

Kuzbass is one of the most "zet" regions of Russia. The governor, for example, deprived the famous artist Maxim Galkin Kuzbass awards, and Kuzbass ordered to write through “Z” - on banners, posters and in official documents. In April 2023, Putin appointed Anna Tsivileva, the wife of the Kuzbass governor, chairman of the State Fund for support for participants in a special military operation.

But in Sheregesh, the Z-ritoric is not in use. We saw the last letter of the Latin alphabet only on some housing and communal services machines. There was a promotion on the eve of May 9, 2023, arranged by Z-patriots: an inscription from the torches “Victory will be behind us” appeared on the Green Mountain. At the Hellet festival, which ends the ski season, Z-volunteers put a campaign tent in support of their own. Almost everything is on this.

Vyacheslav Chernov says that the coffins with those who died during his Sheregesh and Tashtagol come, but the war at the ski resort almost did not affect the small business. Among the familiar entrepreneurs of Vyacheslav - and he has been in this business for twenty years - there are no mobilized and volunteers. After February 24, 2022, those who wanted to ride in Sheregesh on mountain skis, according to Vyacheslav’s observations, did not become less. Unless their mood is no longer as joyful as before the war.

Nevertheless, Vyacheslav believes that the war will affect the tourism business of Russia and, in particular, on Sheregesh:

- Undoubtedly, the money of Russian tourists who have not gone abroad will go to the Russian tourist business. But will it be fruitful for him? In a closed environment, an impulse for development is lost. An unplanned profit made without effort, by coincidence, will not benefit. Most likely, such a profit will be unreasonable. In conditions when we are closed inside ourselves and do not compete with the service at the world level, the quality of services is either decreasing or not increasing. The expectations of tourists become lowered because they do not see what the real service, real improvement, and quality service means. Neither tourists nor entrepreneurs will benefit from this situation.

According to Chernov, to call Shereges an international resort is an exaggeration. Until February 24, foreigners who came here could be counted on the fingers, and after the start of the war there were even fewer.

Pukhlyak, Rublevka and three pits

We spent the night in the hostel, in the guest house next to which the Rublevka pointer hung. Actually, the street is called differently. Хозяин Валерий Иванович сказал, что табличку повесил он.

— В Москве есть Рублёвка, пусть и у нас будет!

Обстановка типичная для недорогих хостелов. Двухъярусные кровати, большой стол, телевизор на стене. Койко-место летом стоит 800 рублей, хозяин говорит, что зимой — столько же.

В конце июня 2023 года хостел заполнен только наполовину. Почти все живущие — строители, которые возводят на участке Валерия Ивановича второй гостевой домик.

Хозяин рассказывает, что земельный участок получил бесплатно как ветеран чеченской кампании. Сам из Новокузнецка. В Шерегеше шесть лет. Пока прибыли хватает, чтобы платить строителям и оплачивать электричество, но надеется подняться. Очень рассчитывает на аэропорт, который, по его словам, построят к 2026 году. (В феврале 2023 года кузбасские власти обещали , что это произойдёт в 2027–2028 годах.)

О конфликте властей с Вячеславом Черновым Валерий Иванович слышал, но «в детали не вникал». Говорит, земли нужны Прокудину, чтобы создать современную инфраструктуру по единому плану. Уверен, что его, Валерия Ивановича, объекты, власти и крупный бизнес не отберут. С гордостью сообщает, что его постояльцы-лыжники ругают Сочи и хвалят местный курорт, где цены доступные и, главное, нет искусственного оснежения, только пухляк — идеальные условия для фрирайда (катания вне трасс).

Утром мы снова отправились с фотографом на гору. Подвозивший к подъёмнику таксист рассказал, что зимой в его компании на линию ежедневно выходят 50 машин. Даже шахтёры из соседних городов приезжают таксовать. Но, по словам водителя, Шерегеш развивается медленно, летом посещаемость резко падает, и сейчас на линии только десять автомобилей.

У подъёмника немноголюдно. Когда поднимались в гору, свесив ноги в бездну, казалось, что на канатной дороге кроме нас вообще никого нет.

На горе несколько человек устраивают экскурсии на квадроциклах, которые они называют болотоходами. Один из них, Андрей, согласился побеседовать, но попросил не называть фамилию. Говорил он будто заученными, немного школьными фразами:

— В Шерегеше летом много интересных развлечений. Прогулки на квадроциклах, конные прогулки, пешие туры, велосипедные маршруты. Мы с нетерпением ждём, когда Шерегеш окончательно станет круглогодичным курортом. Губернатор отчитывался перед президентом. Обещал сделать Шерегеш жемчужиной туризма Горной Шории и построить аэропорт.

На горе работают — постоянно или сезонно — процентов двадцать жителей Шерегеша. Андрей тоже родился в Шерегеше. Работал геофизиком в Нижневартовске, но зарплаты упали — и он вернулся на родину. Шесть лет назад начал с экскурсий на снегоходах, летом строил гостевой дом. Летние экскурсии на квадроциклах проводит третий год. До Поклонного креста (местная достопримечательность, установленная на горе Курган) — 3,5 тысячи рублей с человека.

Прокудину и Цивилёву доверяет. Тоже говорит об отсутствии искусственного оснежения как о преимуществе Шерегеша. Сетует только, что бензин и запчасти для квадроциклов сильно подорожали, но не упоминает, что это последствия СВО. В остальном же, по его словам, всё хорошо. Конфликт губернатора с Вячеславом Черновым предпочитает не комментировать.

Рядом со старой смотровой площадкой прогуливается семейная пара с грудным ребёнком. Живут в Новокузнецке. В Шерегеш приезжают несколько раз в год.

— Мы не горнолыжники. И летом не пользуемся квадроциклами. Просто ходим, дышим. Поездка обходится на троих в 5–8 тыс. рублей. Everything suits. Общепит, магазины рядом. Только цены на аренду жилья этим летом выросли и сравнялись с зимними, — рассказывают супруги.

В этом секторе немноголюдно. Закрытое кафе. Старая смотровая площадка с прогнившими досками и деревянной скульптурой снежного человека для фотосессий. Это напоминание о предыдущем губернаторе Тулееве, который в надежде привлечь туристов в Шерегеш обещал премию в миллион рублей тому, кто увидит йети. Цивилёв ничего такого не обещал, но две скульптуры йети мы видели и в посёлке. Они держат в лапах сноуборды.

У другой смотровой площадки гораздо оживлённее, и кафе работает. Проходят группы туристов с рюкзаками. Ездят велосипедисты, гоняют мотоциклисты на кроссовых мотоциклах.

Вниз спускаемся по другой канатной дороге — в закрытых кабинках. С высоты всё вокруг зелёное. Теперь понятно, почему гору так назвали. Кабинка прибывает на выкат сектора «Е». Здесь самая модернизированная часть курорта. Открытый бассейн. Пруд, где ловят специально разведённую рыбу. Магазин, где продаются сувениры и одежда с шерегешскими брендами. Лето в России 2023 года, гуляющие счастливы и безмятежны.

После экскурсии на гору я попросил Вячеслава Чернова объяснить, почему другим предпринимателям перспективы развития Шерегеша видятся иначе.

— Вы же не опрашивали всех предпринимателей, чтобы делать вывод, что все они довольны, — отвечает он. — Например, квадроциклист — он, естественно, доволен. Ему, в нарушение всех правил, норм и законов, разрешают портить гору Зелёную. Ни в одной цивилизованной стране он такого разрешения не получил бы, а здесь может зарабатывать деньги, просто уничтожая природу. Присказку о чудесном шерегешском пухляке бездумно повторяют из года в год. Это всё равно как если бы автомобилист сказал, что ему больше нравится ездить по бездорожью, чем по асфальту. Это глупость полнейшая. Во всём мире на горнолыжных курортах укладывают искусственный снег. Это позволяет продлить сезон, дольше сохранять трассы в хорошем состоянии. А что туристы приезжают в Шерегеш за пухляком — безусловно, они за ним приезжают, потому что на шерегешских горнолыжных трассах нормально кататься невозможно.

Чернов объясняет, что на всех цивилизованных горнолыжных курортах есть искусственный снег и есть зоны, где можно кататься по пухляку, — это стандартное сочетание. Отсутствие искусственного оснежения вообще не позволяет горнолыжке считаться полноценным курортом.

— Много лет назад была попытка искусственно оснежать склон на секторе «Е». Она сошла на нет, потому что были допущены технические ошибки, — рассказывает Вячеслав. — С тех пор прячутся за отговорку: «Зачем в Шерегеше искусственный снег, если много естественного?» Прокудин не хочет в это инвестировать, а никто другой реализовывать искусственное оснежение на трассах, где полным хозяином является Прокудин, не будет. Так вот дела обстоят.

Вячеслав показал нам ещё одну шерегешскую достопримечательность, которой нет на туристических картах: огромную яму-провал на окраине посёлка. Ещё несколько месяцев назад здесь были частные дома и автобусная остановка. Теперь — обрыв с ветхим домиком на краю. Яма образовалась прямо на автодороге из-за работы шахты — обрушилась земля над выработкой. Жители теперь ездят по технологической дороге. Вячеслав рассказывает, что к этим провалам техногенного происхождения власти относятся почти как к чему-то запланированному. Виновных даже не ищут. Где обвалится в следующий раз, неизвестно.

Таких провалов в Шерегеше три. Тот, что мы видели, — как раз на дороге, которая должна соединять город с аэропортом, обещанным губернатором Цивилёвым.

Специалисты фиксируют рост суицидальных настроений у трансгендерных россиян из-за закона о запрете «смены пола»

Сами врачи, специализирующиеся на помощи квир-людям, рискуют оказаться вне закона или остаться без работы

«Дело это доходное»

Почему на Алтае краснокнижный золотой корень продолжают выкапывать тоннами

"Shut your eyes - and like life continues"

What happens to the Insta business in Russia after the ban on the social network