There are few truly unexplored places left on Earth. Some of the most extraordinary ones are in Russia

Mikhail caught the travel bug at age four and never looked back. Avalanche blaster, solo pilot, heli-guide, circumnavigator, international interpreter, sailing expedition captain with over 30 years at sea — he is the driving force behind our cruises and a true authority on the Russian Far East. Mikhail loves sharing hidden gems with guests; his personal favourites are Yankicha Island in the Kurils and Eyre’s Cottage on Franz Josef Land. His philosophy: keep participants safe and never suffocate them with unnecessary restrictions. The professional calibre of the Professor Khromov team is very much his doing. He oversees all shore landings and on-board programmes.

Kirill handles Zodiac operations and shore landings. He has taken part in numerous expeditions, including voyages along the Northern Sea Route aboard traditional Pomor vessels. Travel has long since stopped being work and started being a vocation; the rest of his time he tries to spend at home. He’s quick to say he’s lucky with his team — spending four months a year at sea is only possible among like-minded people. His sharpest memories come from the Kuril Islands and the Kola Peninsula. His dream: to work at the Putoran Plateau, home to the Neralakh park hotel.

Vladimir spent years as a rescue operative with the Southern Regional Search and Rescue Division of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, and in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana. He has seen some of Russia’s most spectacular landscapes and summited Kazbek, Elbrus, and Ushba. He knows how to build an interesting route and guide a group to the most beautiful spots. His most memorable gastronomic experience: a barbecue on Yankicha Island, where the location matters far more than what’s on the skewer. He dreams of working in the Arctic and Antarctic — even someone from the sunny south can love the fierce beauty of cold places.

Vladimir grew up on skis and snowboards and has never stopped moving — hiking, mountaineering, rock climbing, cycling, windsurfing, wakeboarding. He has competed in freeride snowboarding for over 20 years. He spent 12 years as a rescue specialist and now develops routes and designs expedition programmes. Calm under pressure, excellent in the field. His favourite places: the otherworldly island of Chirpoi with its lava flows, sandy-beached Urup, Yankicha with its seabird colonies, and Crater Bay with its Arctic foxes. He dreams of watching bowhead whales at the Shantar Islands and making friends with polar bears on Chukotka.

Filipp loves expeditions and new territories. He has extensive experience as a vessel navigator and is an enthusiastic motorcyclist and skier off-season. He knows the Kuril chain intimately — has taken part in every landing and trekking route, and helped pioneer new ones. His personal highlights: Uturup for its sheer size, wilderness, and spectacular Pacific coastline; and Atlasov Island for its severity and the Alaid volcano, the tallest in the Kurils.

Ivan has spent years hiking and riding mountain bikes — experience that sharpens quick decision-making and composure in unexpected situations, both invaluable on expedition. He works to make every voyage educational, fun, and safe. His most extraordinary place: Green Cape on the Kamchatka coast, where scientists study orcas. His most vivid memory: swimming among a colony of Steller sea lions near Kekurny. He dreams of visiting Antarctica and seeing penguins. Ivan once helped reunite researchers with a tagged seal whose tag had fallen off — identifying it from photos and video, ending eleven years of scientific uncertainty.