 they operate in cold conditions. I went to Canada in 1999 for 10 days to learn about the procedures and equipment they use. That was a very good learning opportunity.
Are there places you can’t land in winter?
All temporary airstrips that get covered with snow become unusable during the winter months unless there are people and equipment to keep the airstrips clean.
What are the roads like? Are there lots of road accidents – is safer to fly or drive?
Mongolians don’t generally like moving around in winter months because it is both difficult and dangerous. Mongolian countryside is very sparsely populated. Any vehicle breakdown or road blocked by snow means imminent danger. Every winter there are people travelling who freeze to death when unable to cope with all kinds of problems on the road. Flying is definitely the safer option.
Are there any memorable winter flights that spring to mind?
One memorable experience happened back in the year 2000, when I travelled with my Mongolian language instructor to Ulaangom with MIAT airline, on an old AN-24 airplane.
After surveying old airstrips for eight days around the countryside in a Russian Jeep, it was time to fly back to Ulaanbaatar. I had a return ticket, but they unexpectedly closed the airport and there was no flight for the next three weeks.
We took a 1500 km ride back to Ulaanbaatar in a Russian Jeep. It was May but still we got stuck in a severe snowstorm when crossing the mountains near Tosontsengel. All the vehicles got stuck on a narrow track. In a short period of time we were deluged by about 40 cm of snow forcing us to abandon the vehicle and seek shelter in a nearby ger (yurt).
There were a lot of people packed in and we were all sleeping on the floor, thankful to have found a shelter. A resident offered us a cup of hot milky tea. After a few hours, early in the morning when still dark, we managed to continue the journey and drove straight to Ulaanbaatar.
The whole driving excursion took 36 hours non-stop with two drivers. That experience taught me to respect Mongolian weather and resourcefulness of Mongolian people!