October 22, 2021

Valhalla on Lake Baikal


Valhalla on Lake Baikal
While the Vikings did interact with Kievan Rus, their ships were too large to navigate the rivers into Siberia, and so this really is the first time a "Viking" has ever set sail on Lake Baikal.  Photo via Pxfuel

For the past three and a half years, Irkutsk resident Vladimir Tomilov has been working on the construction and development of his own Viking longship, which he intends to sail across Lake Baikal next year. Ever since he was young, Tomilov has had a passion for Norse mythology. 

Tomilov did the main woodwork for the ship primarily by himself, with no help other than from the benevolent Norse gods and his long-suffering wife, who dealt with wood shavings in the house for many years to support her husband's dream. For the finishing touches, such as the metalwork and the bright red sail, Tomilov was able to hire extra help eager to be a part of an authentic Viking experience. 

At this point, the ship is being tested for a new rudder, as the previous one was broken on some rocks. When running with a full crew, the ship requires twelve rowers to pull twelve heavy iron oars.

The ship is still looking for more crew members to join them on their expedition across Baikal, so if you are looking for Valhalla and are ready for a challenge, this could be the gig for you. For now, you can also just take the easier route and watch videos of Lake Baikal too.

You Might Also Like

The Road to Irkutsk
  • January 01, 2001

The Road to Irkutsk

In the last article in our six-part series, "East Across Siberia," William Brumfield takes us from the formerly closed city of Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk and the shores of Lake Baikal.
Trekking Baikal
  • January 01, 2011

Trekking Baikal

Winter offers unique travel opportunities to Russia, particularly when it comes to Siberia. For instance, how about a trek across the world’s largest freshwater lake? Or ice skating atop crystal clear waters, then enjoying a searing banya...?
Baikal by Birds Eye
  • May 18, 2021

Baikal by Birds Eye

While manufacturers generally don't recommend you fly your drone at temperatures below freezing, that didn't stop videographer Vadim Sherbakov from shooting this amazing film depicting a frozen Lake Baikal. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955