What the Ai-Petri plateau will look like after reconstruction (photo). Ay-Petri Mountain Ai-Petri Plateau: winter sports and mountain tourism Ai-Petri mountain range, tourism center

Greetings! Not all drivers decide to climb the Ai-Petri plateau by car; there are also those for whom the trip becomes entertainment. Undoubtedly, the route is memorable and picturesque - the higher you climb, the more you admire the panorama of the southern coast of Crimea.

I receive many questions about the situation on Ai-Petri in the 2020 season. It seems that on Maslenitsa the Crimeans had such a good winter that it left the peninsula far and long and was noted only on a few mountain peaks. I decided to collect all the available information in in social networks and add it to this article. We will talk about entertainment on the plateau, prices and road conditions.

Dear readers! The article was written a long time ago, but is still in demand, so I constantly update it and make changes up-to-date information. (Personal photographs and photos from social networks for 2020 were used). Updated 02/06/2020

Road to Ai-Petri

There are four ways to climb Ai-Petri: on foot, by own car, by cable car or with carriers. Each option has its pros and cons, but you should definitely use at least one. For walking routes There are diagrams on the web.

In January 2019, the Ai-Petri plateau was the most popular place For active rest. Hundreds of tourists posted their pictures on social networks from the snow-covered mountain: some on sleds, some on skis, and some in a kilometer-long traffic jam. IN new year holidays the movement was paralyzed, there were weirdos who got up on summer tires (they had to be pulled out).

photo from the VK group “Weather on Ai-Petri”.

Dear, before traveling to winter time Check the weather conditions online! If you don't care about yourself, think about your children! To some areas rescue services can't get there.

Count on capabilities of your car: 4x4, spikes or chains, full tank. Current information ingroup on VKontakte “Weather on Ai-Petri”.

The mountain serpentine leading to the plateau is the longest and most winding in Crimea. Depending on the weather conditions some sections or the entire road may be closed, as warned by a sign at the beginning of the path or by guards. There are landslides, landslides and avalanches here.

Since 2019, the road to Ai-Petri has been serviced by the Krymavtodor enterprise. For security traffic in winter, the road is cleared of snow and sprinkled with a sand-salt mixture.

Previously, there was an unspoken rule for visiting Ai-Petri: ascent to the plateau along a narrow serpentine road before 12 noon, descent - after 12 noon. Now motorists ignore this rule and create problems for themselves, others and rescue services.

Road T 0117 leads to the Ai-Petri plateau, and then along the northern slope, through Grand Canyon Crimea, in the Bakhchisaray district. The second name is the old Yalta highway. Along the route there are springs, interesting rocks and the most famous waterfalls Crimea: (on southern slope) and Silver Streams (on the northern slope).

On February 4, 2020, the road to Ai-Petri from Bakhchisarai was closed due to the threat of an emergency.

“In order to ensure road safety, from February 4, 2020, until the cause that caused this situation is eliminated, traffic from the 30th to the 46th km highway Bakhchisaray - Yalta - this is the entrance to Ai-Petri from Bakhchisaray - temporarily suspended for all types Vehicle“, - said the Ministry of Transport of the republic.

We can say with all confidence that the road to Ai-Petri is one of the most dangerous roads Crimea, so tired drivers and beginners have nothing to do there!

You can climb Ai-Petri by cable car or by transport that provides transportation.The list of carriers on the Ai-Petri plateau was published in the VKontakte group “Weather on Ai-Petri”.

Since August 2019, MUP "Yaltagortrans" has been providing transportation (during the warm season) from Miskhor and the Yalta bus station to the Ai-Petri plateau using a licensed taxi. The price of a one-way trip is 450 rubles. per person.

“Taxis will be dispatched as they are loaded from the points of sale of subscriptions. In the area of the Ai-Petri plateau, dispatch and boarding of passengers will be carried out. In the future, the directions and types of transportation by licensed taxis will expand.”

For those who don’t know what the serpentine road on Ai-Petri looks like, a route map.

What to do on Ai-Petri in snowy weather

In January 2020, there is significantly less snow, but there are plenty of people willing to get into the winter atmosphere.

From January 20, 2020, the cable car will be closed for annual scheduled maintenance. Last day of work is January 19. It is planned that the cable car will resume operation in the spring.

Climbing routes are organized for lovers of hiking routes. For example, a 5 km route starts on the Koreiz trail (44.440463, 34.08323), past the Baba-Ali-Tekne spring (44.455722, 34.070383) with a transition to the Miskhor trail and ends at the top station cable car. Along the picturesque trail you will go from autumn to winter and be impressed by the picturesque landscapes.

For extreme sports enthusiasts, the Ai-Petri tour company organizes individual jeep tours with a visit to the Forelevo trout farm (look for the official website on the Internet), where there is a Russian wood-fired bathhouse, there is the opportunity to fish and taste delicious dishes from freshly caught Crimean trout .

Map ski slopes on Ai-Petri.

Prices for ski lifts for 26 km in January 2020:

for a small one - 500 rubles.
for a large one - 1000 rubles.

set of skis - from 500 rub.
board - from 500 rub.
large cheesecake (snow tube) - 600 rub.
standard cheesecake - 500 rub.

They ask for a document as collateral. The lift starts operating at 10 am.

Important! Message from the State Public Institution of the Republic of Kazakhstan “CRIMEA-SPAS”:

DESPITE RESCUE WARNINGS, TOURISTS CONTINUE TO NEGLECT SAFETY RULES WHEN SNOW TUBING

The Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Shakhov, informed that tourists, contrary to the warnings of rescuers, continue to ignore safety rules when snowtube riding, receiving various injuries. Over the weekend, rescuers on patrol on the Ai-Petri plateau provided assistance to 4 tourists injured while snow tubing.

To the side of the ski lift, local chefs prepare pilaf, kebabs and shurpa for sale. You can bring your own food and have a picnic by renting a gazebo with barbecue. Rental cost - 1500 rubles. for a day.

Snow lies longest on the northern slopes of the plateau; it usually remains until March-April.

View from the meteorological station. Silence and tranquility... The teeth of Ai-Petri are clearly visible in the distance; this is where the upper station of the cable car, the highest point of 1234 m and the Three-Eyes Cave are located.

From the observation deck a clear expanse opened up - a turquoise sky with glimpses of azure, immersed in the sea surface of the Black Sea. Evergreen shrubs and trees frame Alupka and Koreiz with their thickets.

There is neglect and chaos all around. Private houses, barns, cafes, shalmans, construction sites. After just 15 minutes you forget what kind of devil you came up here for.

The “highlanders” do not want to improve the territory because of unresolved land issues. Environmentalists are sounding the alarm and calling for an end to economic activity on the territory of Ai-Petri, limit the capacity for the development of eco-tourism. But we realized it too late: many entrepreneurs have been working here for decades. The circle has closed and now all hope lies in the new government, which will make a rational decision so that “the wolves are fed and the sheep are safe”...

Due to the peculiarity of the relief, Ai-Petri is called yayla - summer pasture. Since ancient times, settlements have been built on the plateau, but the biggest “contribution” was made by homo sapiens.

Perhaps the only object that is in its place is the monument to the Crimean partisans of the Great Patriotic War who died in battle in December 1941.

The road to Ai-Petri was important during the Second World War. It was along this route that the Nazis transferred troops and equipment towards Sevastopol. The partisans managed to blow up a section of the road and prevent the enemy’s plans from being realized, but they all died in an unequal battle.
At the cost of incredible efforts, the soldiers were able to protect their land; their memory should be passed on from generation to generation, and not disappear under scaffolding...

Approximately 35 km from the top of Ai-Petri, there is a parking lot and hiking trail in the Grand Canyon of Crimea. I have already talked about this route in my report.

What's happening on Ai-Petri in January 2020.

There is competition between the “highlanders” and the owners of the cable car for their client. Time will tell how events will develop. The article will be updated.
Thank you for attention!

You can appreciate the beauty of the Ai-Petri plateau only once you get there. Rarely is nature so close to man. Having felt one with the environment, it is unlikely that anyone will not set a firm goal to return here again.

In addition to all its other advantages, the Ai-Petri plateau can boast of relative accessibility to tourists. Firstly, in numerous settlements the western part of the yayla can be reached both by personal and public transport, and from there you can start your walking routes, secondly, the plateau reveals its riches to the tourist through passes of varying degrees of difficulty, some of which are relatively easy to cross, and some of which will make you sweat.

How to climb the Ai-Petri plateau

As for the first way to see the beauty of the Ai-Petri plateau, the easiest seems to be arriving at the cable car station to Ai-Petri from Yalta by minibus or private cab. In less than an hour you will already inhale the incomparable aromas of yayla. In addition, paths and roads run away from the station in all directions. In the same way you can leave the Ai-Petri plateau. Actually, the cable car itself from Miskhor will take you here.

You can use the Baydarsky Pass, arriving from the direction of Sevastopol or Foros. The fact is that the Baydar Gate pass is a natural border between the Ai-Petrinskaya and Baydarskaya yayla.


Baydar Gate - car route on the Ai-Petri plateau

There is an opportunity to get into the very heart of the Ai-Petri plateau by arriving in Rodnikovskoye by regular bus, which you should take on the Yalta-Sevastopol highway near the turn to Tylovoe.

If you see the goal of tourism in overcoming the hardships of the journey solely with your own feet, then well-trodden and popular passes are at your service. The same cable car station can be reached along the Koreiz trail, which, as the name suggests, leaves from Koreiz.

The climb will allow you to get into the rhythm of the hike and enjoy the beautiful pine forest, through which the path runs.

However, one of the most famous passes not only on the Ai-Petri plateau, but throughout the entire Crimean mountains is the Shaitan-Merdven pass. He owes his wide popularity to his rich history, since the ancient Roman legionnaires chose it to cross Crimean mountains, the road from Chersonesos to the fortress of Kharaks (today's Gaspra) ran through it.

Since then, trade routes went through the Devil's Staircase, which is how the name of the pass can be translated from Crimean Tatar. After the earthquake of 1927, it changed significantly, but it is still not difficult to overcome even for an unprepared tourist.

Tourist sites and routes of Ai-Petrinskaya Yayla:

Borders of the Ai-Petri plateau

How can you determine the boundaries of the Ai-Petri plateau? This is quite easy to do. The southern border took the form of a mountain peak.

Defining the northern limit of the plateau is more difficult, but having slightly expanded the boundaries allowed by the definition of the term “yayla” itself, we can assume that it will become a strip along the mountains a kilometer or two deep on the segment Baydarsky Pass - Mount Balchik-Kaya and then an ever-expanding area up to five kilometers in the Besh-Tekne - Bedene-Kyr area, where the Ai-Petrinskaya yayla merges with the Yalta.

Geological features of the Ai-Petri plateau

By the way, understanding that there are yayla will help us clarify the boundaries of the Ai-Petri plateau more thoroughly. Yayla is waterless. Limestones, forming numerous karst formations, allow water to pass through, preventing it from flowing down the surface in the form of rivers. Therefore, the available moisture is barely enough to support native vegetation. The yayls were used as pasture, so this treatment of the landscape gave it lifeless features, where only copses and lonely trees decorate the rocky soil covered with grass. The entire Ai-Petri yayla is strewn with large and small stones, so even on the paths you need not to yawn and look at your feet.

After grazing on Crimean yaylas was banned by the seventies, soil erosion slowed down, and forests are slowly encroaching on open spaces. In other words, yayla is a waterless and treeless area.

The ridge of the Ai-Petrinsky Mountains is a visual cuesta, that is, an alternation of gentle and steep slopes. The steep ones face the sea and are subject to constant erosion; they represent an uplift of rock that often crumbles, causing landslides. The gentle slopes end in small beams, behind which a smaller ridge grows again. If you move along the Ai-Petri plateau from the south and not north in areas, for example, of the Spira or Dome mountains, you will get the impression of sailing on waves, where ascents alternate with descents. It’s not the same feeling, however, when driving along the line of mountains, when finding a flat road is not at all difficult.

The basis of the Ai-Petri plateau is composed of Upper Jurassic limestones, which affects the nature of the yayla to this day. While walking along its routes, pay attention to the shape of the stones protruding from the ground. They are often rounded at the edges and have oval holes. Limestones became the cause of total karst formation, when water over the course of many centuries literally ate its way deep into the rock, depriving the soil of life-giving moisture. Therefore, the interest of scientists in the Besh-Tekne basin, which is located not far from Mount At-Bash, is understandable.

Here springs gush and fill small lakes. The reason is the presence of clay lining the bottom of the basin and retaining water. It is no wonder that two trails through the passes lead to this oasis - Evreiskaya and Eski-Bogaz. But as soon as you move a little to the north, you find yourself in the kingdom of karst formations, which is almost completely devoid of water lingering on the surface.

Peaks of the Ai-Petri plateau

As befits any yayla, Ai-Petrinskaya does not have clearly defined peaks. The most accurate definition that begs to be spoken is plateau. Therefore, when looking at the map, you should not imagine that Mount Kilse-Burun is a pointed peak. A small hill above the surrounding plane will be its top.

By the way, Kilse-Burun, as well as Mshatka-Kaya and the Forossky edge located to the west, are loved by climbers. But even for a hiker, the views from their peaks will bring a lot of impressions. If you move from west to east along the mountain peak, then the named mountains are the first in a series of the most popular peaks on the Ai-Petri plateau among lovers of the Crimean mountains.

The highest of them is Kilse-Burun, which has a height of 712 meters. From the west the ascent to it is gentle, but from the eastern part it is quite steep. In all respects this is a very beautiful place.

The next significant peak is Merdven Kaya (688 meters), also easily accessible from the west. And this mountain was not abandoned by climbers.

The next peak in our movement to the east is Merdven-Kayasy (856 meters). Between it and the previous mountain lies the Shaitan-Merdven pass. Merdven-Kayasy is very beautiful mountain. In honor of the legend of Soviet mountaineering, its flat southern surface is called Mikhail Khergiani’s rock. Several climbing routes line its exposed chest. The northern slopes of the mountain are covered with dense beech forest; they cannot be called yayla. But having descended from this mountain to the east, we again find ourselves on the plateau.


Ai-Petri plateau in the area Merdven-Kayasy mountains

Even further east, the road will lead us to Mount Balchik-Kaya (945 meters), on which passive signal reflector structures stand and rust.

Next is Mount Kastropolskaya, 955 meters high, under which the village of Parkovoe is located. This mountain is also held in high esteem by rock climbers. If you look down from its top, you can see a pile of large stones that fell at one time.

Morcheka is one of the most famous peaks of Crimea. This is an important attraction for both climbers and tourists. A cross is installed on one of the rocks of Morcheka.

From the western edge of the mountain the Kerezla trail descends. Grand panorama It opens from its top to the southeast, where small lakes sparkle among the rocks in the greenery of the forests. And in the area of this mountain and to the east, the scale of rock falls is amazing. Between the mountains of Morcheka and Spirada, below, closer to the village of Opolznevoe, there is a whole scattering of huge boulders and fragments of rocks, which is usually called the Kuchuk-Koi stone chaos.

Between the same mountains of Morchek and Spirada, but on the plateau, you can see a site that is classic for any yayla. A rocky path, a carpet of sparse but intoxicating vegetation.


Trail to Mount Spirada along the Ai-Petri plateau	Ai-Petri plateau in the area Spira Mountains

The Ai-Petri plateau begins to slowly rise. Mount Spirada is already 1028 meters high. The mountain is a domed white peak, clearly visible from Ponizovka and Katsiveli located below. Such peaks are found everywhere along the Ai-Petrinskaya Yaila.

The next notable peak in our movement in westward there will be Mount At-Bash (1196 meters). Views from highest point This mountain, whose name translates as “Horse Head”, requires you to spend time on a short climb.

Ai-Petri plateau, Mount At-Bash:

To the north is the previously mentioned Besh-Tekne basin.

Weather on the Ai-Petri plateau

In winter and spring, Ai-Petri can make you feel your bad character. It’s quite cold here, the whole area is constantly covered in fog, strong winds awaken in the spring, so even in mid-May you can bundle up against the cold.

Tourists who prefer winter hiking, they know that between Ai-Petri and Dome there is fog and rain more often than in the Morcheki area. And the entire Ai-Petri plateau, compared to the rest of its Crimean counterparts, is the coldest. Winter can overtake the traveler in early October. While not a single snowflake will fall on the coast all year and the temperature will always remain above zero, on the Ai-Petri plateau frosts and snowdrifts are a common occurrence.

Winter fogs on the Ai-Petri plateau:

Clouds move from the sea onto a mountain peak Ai-Petri plateau	View from the Ai-Petri plateau to the village of Pokrovskoye

Given the terrain, you need to be very careful off the beaten path. In winter, ravines and depressions are covered with snow; sharp stones are not visible from under the snowdrifts. But this primarily applies to places remote from the canopy. In summer, it is not as hot on the yayla as below, but you can hide from the scorching sun only by stopping under a tree; a constantly moving tourist will be constantly exposed to the sun's rays. Rain in summer is rare on the plateau.

Hiking trails along the Ai-Petri plateau

Now it’s worth talking about the trails of this plateau. The simplest route, which gives the greatest number of impressions and photographs, is the one that runs along the mountain peak. Moving along the Ai-Petri plateau from the Baydar Gate through the Foros Church, we will ride the eighth tourist route. To be fair, it should be said that it starts from the Laspi tourist camp, but this is already the Baydar Yayla. The eighth route will take us along the edge of the ridge through the previously mentioned mountains Kilse-Burun and Merdven-Kaya.

If the narrow path is not to your liking, just below there is a wide road that can be passed by a car. The road will lead you to the Shaitan-Merdven pass, from which a new one begins - through a beech forest to the top of Merdven-Kayasy.

The road to Mount At-Bash itself has no name, which does not prevent it from being universally loved by tourists. The same can be said about the path leading from At-Bash to Ai-Petri. The mountain peak in these places is an alternation of bulges and depressions, the latter sometimes looking like amphitheaters. The depressions, as a rule, are covered with a small thicket and tenacious bushes, through which a path usually runs, as well as bypassing the thicket.

Another way to get from At-Bash to Ai-Petri is to go deep into the yayla along the Besh-Tekne basin and through the Vorontsovka cordon to the Bedene-Kyr mountain, where the radar station(read about this route). Probably, it is this route that gives the greatest understanding of what the Ai-Petri plateau is. Here the yayla is the widest, waterless and significantly different from its western part. On both sides of the road there are two tracts - Sary-Kol and Vorontsovsky forest. The Beshan-Kosh tract, which replaces the Besh-Tekne basin, is also very beautiful. This tract is an open plain of amazing beauty with small areas of coniferous thickets, located at the foot of Mount Bedene-Kyr, from which, however, the surrounding views are beautiful in any direction.

From the Vorontsovka cordon on the Ai-Petri plateau, two trails go north in the direction of the tourist camps “Bukovaya” and “Danila”, which are already outside the boundaries of this plateau, and from there even further north. More precisely, these popular routes begin from the Yalta-Bakhchisarai highway, but just northwest of the Vorontsovka cordon they diverge in different directions.

From Mount Spirada, a route starts to the northwest to the Skelskaya Cave, popular among tourists. The road runs along the Tarpanbair ridge stretching in the same direction, the peaks of which are the Tarpan-Bair (1094 meters) and Chuvash-Koy (1051 meters) mountains. The further you go to the northwest, the more clearly forests begin to predominate, and in front of the Skelskaya Cave itself there is a real juniper grove. Along the way you will meet the Chuvash-Gol spring.

It is also worth mentioning the 45th route starting from the Besh-Tekne tourist site, cutting through the entire Ai-Petri plateau in the north-west direction. Final destination route - tourist stop "Tea House" outside the yayla. Route 45 has many branches both to the east to the Vorontsovka cordon and to the southwest to Mount Spirady.

From the Shaitan-Merdven pass there are two popular tourist routes- Kalendskaya and Kapurkayskaya trails, however, they almost immediately leave the yayla and go deeper into the dark beech forest.

SIMFEROPOL, March 30 – RIA Novosti (Crimea). In Crimea, several projects for the reconstruction of the Ai-Petri plateau are in development: it is planned to create the world’s longest zip line, a small eco-town and a rock garden, said Anri Kanunov, a freelance adviser to the head of the Yalta administration.

Earlier, the head of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, promised by May to restore order on the plateau of Mount Ai-Petri, which is chaotically built up with hotels, cafes and retail outlets. One of the reconstruction projects was developed on behalf of the city mayor Andrey Rostenko.

"IN this moment this project is also being approved by the ministries of the Republic of Crimea and will subsequently be presented to the head of the Republic of Crimea Sergei Aksenov,” the press service of the mayor’s office quotes Kanunov as saying. According to him, several ideas are currently being considered to create a small eco-city on Ai-Petri , intended for recreation and entertainment. At the same time, no permanent buildings are planned on the plateau. Among the projects to be implemented, the most interesting, according to Kanunov, is a glass rock garden. observation decks and a stone labyrinth made of gabions (volume products of various shapes made of twisted wire mesh with hexagonal cells).

The world's longest zip line with a length of 2.6 kilometers may also appear here (currently the longest such structure is located in the Copper Canyon of Mexico - 2545 meters). Zip-line is a descent along a steel rope with a lift off the ground through the air.

In addition, in the area of the cable car on the plateau, it is planned to make a special area for relaxation and walking, where a dry fountain will be located. The issue of holding international competitions is being considered balloons, construction of the chapel. The plateau will also have bike paths and tracks for downhill snowmobiles, parking for cars and excursion buses, Helipad. "But there are numerous establishments Catering and there will be no souvenir tents on the plateau. There will only be one stationary cafe, located at the upper station of the cable car and the adjacent souvenir rows,” Kanunov assured.

Ai-Petri plateau reconstruction project

The Ai-Petri plateau is located above Yalta at an altitude of approximately 1200 meters above sea level, where a high-altitude cable car is laid from the coast. Part of the plateau territory is included in the Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve. During the Ukrainian period, illegal trade facilities were unauthorizedly built on Ai-Petri, which Crimeans call “shalmans”. The cafe offers tourists food and draft alcohol, which is often not certified. Attempts to ban illegal activities on the plateau have previously met resistance from traders.

At the moment, several projects for the reconstruction of the Ai-Petri plateau are being developed in Crimea. All of them are under consideration by the relevant departments and ministries of the Republic of Crimea. One of these projects was developed on behalf of the head of the Yalta administration Andrey Rostenko.

At the moment, this project is also being approved by the ministries of the Republic of Crimea and will be presented to the Head of the Republic of Crimea in the future Sergei Aksenov, said a freelance adviser to the head of the Yalta city administration Anri Kanunov.

This week in select media mass media, including on Internet portals, another project for the reconstruction of the Ai-Petri plateau was published, provided by the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Yalta City Administration, which is now also under consideration in the capital of Crimea.

We don’t yet know which of these projects will be approved and with what amendments, so it’s premature to talk about what will be located on the plateau,” Anri Kanunov emphasized.

At the same time, he said that there are several ideas for creating a small eco-city on Ai-Petri, designed for recreation and entertainment, where they will concentrate interesting objects, as harmless to nature as possible and attractive to tourists. At the same time, no permanent buildings are planned on the plateau.

Among the projects expected to be implemented on the plateau, the most interesting, according to Anri Kanunov, will be a rock garden, glass observation platforms and a stone labyrinth made of gabions (volumetric products of various shapes made of twisted wire mesh with hexagonal cells). The world's longest zip line, 2.6 km long, may also appear here (currently the longest Zip Line - 2545 m is located in the Copper Canyon in Mexico).

In addition, in the area of the cable car on the plateau it is planned to make a special area for relaxation and walking, where there will be a dry fountain (a fountain equipped with a special grate from under which jets of water shoot out, and the niche of the pool with water itself is hidden under the grate). Thanks to this design, people can come close to the dry fountain, walk along its grating - in a word, be in the very center of events.

The issue of holding international hot air balloon competitions and a number of other interesting entertainment events that reflect the general environmental concept for the development of this territory, without causing irreparable harm to nature, are also being considered.

In addition to the above, on the plateau there will be an opportunity to ride bicycles in the summer and snow scooters in the winter. For these purposes, special bicycle paths and downhill paths will be organized here. At the same time, there will still be the opportunity to ride animals, but all this will be in a modern, civilized form.

And for cars and excursion buses it is planned to make two parking lots on the plateau. It is expected that there will also be a helipad here, which will be intended, among other things, for search and rescue operations, which is especially important in winter, when getting to the plateau by road is quite problematic.

All over the world, in such inaccessible mountainous areas, there are specially equipped helipads, which are primarily intended for emergencies,” Anri Kanunov emphasized.

But there will be no numerous catering establishments and souvenir stalls on the plateau. There will only be one stationary cafe, located at the upper station of the cable car and the adjacent souvenir rows.

A lot of controversy and disagreement on social networks was caused by information about the appearance of a church on the plateau. I would like to clarify that this will be a small chapel, which will be located on the side of the highway on the plateau, near the Alpine Ski Club, - explained Anri Kanunov and added that the Yalta administration is ready to accept for consideration any proposals to increase the attractiveness of this cluster with the condition of strict control over the safety of the existing plateau ecosystem.

Photos of the renovated section of the plateau near the upper cable car station, where the ugly town of Tatar cafes and shops were demolished in May of this year, were posted on Facebook by Crimean resident Irina Pavlenko.

Over the past couple of months, little has changed there: the same geometric paths with soil for lawns between them, a wrought-iron fence along the cliff, the remains of cafe foundations filled with concrete and rather dull dark gray paving slabs. It still doesn’t look much like a presentation of a plateau reconstruction project with glass barriers and balconies hanging over the cliffs, and whether it will be similar at all is unknown.

Something relatively new: on the plateau, not far from the upper station of the cable car, a helipad with the sign H - Helicopter appeared.

It’s not entirely clear what spoiled helicopter passengers should do here. Perhaps they can make a stop here on the way from Simferopol airport to expensive villages and hotels South Bank to ride along the yayla in jeeps or hunt, saving time on the ascent along the serpentine from Yalta or Bakhchisarai. Because it’s not tempting to just walk here yet, and it’s not just the inclement weather in which these pictures were taken: there’s emptiness all around.

However, next to the cable car station there are frames for renting bicycles. Judging by the logos, this business will be handled by the Freeright organization created under the ex-mayor of Yalta Andrei Rostenko, which has become a business monopolist on the Yalta embankment.

The same organization monopolized, according to local entrepreneurs, paid access to the Ai-Petri teeth. To get there on foot through the woods, you need to pay the occupant of this booth. At least in the warm season.

Whether it’s an accident or a pattern, there is a characteristic sloppiness observed on the approaches to the object of the traditional “single business” for these places.

The oasis of market chaos that reigned here on several hectares for more than 15 years has also been preserved after reconstruction. It is now concentrated near the building of the upper station of the cable car, which once became the property of Nadezhda Olefir, the former wife of Yalta deputy and businessman Leri Svanidze. The only cafe area with the simple name “Verkhnee” is located here. Andrei Rostenko now publicly allowed only her to feed and supply tourists on the plateau.

Bicycles for rent will appear here only next summer. But if the asphalt road leading to the cable car from the side of the descent to Yalta is not cured of giant holes, riding on them will be problematic: the dirt roads on Ai-Petri are completely rocky. And no one is in a hurry to invest in high-quality repairs of the roadway - the remains of asphalt have so far been simply leveled with a grader and covered with crushed stone.

However, the sprouts of spontaneous trade are also sprouting through the tiles laid by the developer Evgeniy Kabanov. This man, even on a cold and dank day, in the whistling wind, sells wine by the glass. Most likely, it is fake - some kind of tinted compote with alcohol, God forbid it is ethyl. Just six months ago there was a lot of such goodness here in almost every Tatar cafe.

These roadblocks also remain from “Tatar” times. Dark-skinned guys from companies sponsored by the ex-head of the Bakhchisaray Mejlis, Akhtem Chygoz (convicted of involvement in organizing clashes under the walls of the Supreme Council of Crimea on February 26, 2014), charged those who wanted to park 100 rubles. Now these fences protect the pedestrian zone. It is not yet clear whether they will charge money for travel inside in the summer.

To the right, where the paths paved with paving slabs are visible, there was an array of demolished cafes. On the left - the outline of the cable car station is visible in the fog. Let's hope that the empty earthen beds between the paths will be planted with grass and ornamental shrubs, as envisaged by the project.

View of the same place from the other side. The photo was taken at the beginning of the summer of this year, immediately after the voluntary-forced demolition of the shalmans. Here you can see what the space, now paved with tiles, looked like.

And this photo was taken several years ago. Just for comparison. To judge more objectively, make allowances for sunny weather.

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