TheUral Mining University was visited by a unique person — a legendary romanticist,a traveler, and a priest Fyodor Konyukhov. He held an open meeting with thestudents and the teaching staff of the Ural State Mining University, told themabout his life, showed pictures and photos, answered their questions.

Formore than 20 years Fyodor Philippovich has been testing ultimate capabilitiesof a person. For this period of time, he has made more than 40 unique expeditionsand climbs, participated in the expeditions to the North and South Poles. He hasmanaged single-handedly to reach the North Pole, to make fourcircumnavigations, to cross the Atlantic fifteen times.

FyodorKonyukhov is a member of the Union of Artists and the Union of Writers of theRussian Federation, Honored Master of Sports; he graduated from the Academy ofFine Arts in France, the Nautical College in Belorussia: he also has atechnical background. He is the author of more than three thousand paintings,several books, and in 2012 he was ordained a subdeacon.

«Since my childhood I haveknown that I will a traveler and a priest, — said FatherFyodor. — In my family there are fiveNew Martyrs canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, they all were shot in1916. My grandfather took part in the expedition to the North Pole togetherwith Georgiy Sedov ».

FyodorKonyukhov has spent more than a thousand days alone in the ocean, sailed morethan 380,000 miles on the yacht, and visited more than 100 countries of theworld. He was in Yekaterinburg in 2002 when a rowing boat «URALAZ»was built for him.  He notes that for thelast 10 years the city has become «European» — clean and comfortablefor the people. Here he met his old friend — Yevgeny Vinogradsky, the mosttitled mountain climber of the Urals, with whom he made the first climb ofRussian sportsmen to Mt. Everest in 1992.

«I have been to many places ofour wonderful planet, I have seen the face of the Earth, — said Fyodor Philippovich. — I cansay that all countries and people are beautiful; there are no bad ones, simplypeople behave differently in a certain political and military situation. Forexample, the Somali pirates, with whom I had to face, are like Robin Hood fortheir people, because they take away money to build houses and roads; but forother people they are criminals.»

FyodorKonyukhov never rests on its laurels: This year, on November 10, he opens Travelers’School in Miass, and on April 1, 2013 he sets off for a ski expedition. Accordingto him, by 2020, the Arctic Ocean may melt completely, so there is not muchtime left to ski over its snow crust.

«I have romance, patriotism,and sporting vanity, — modestly noted a great traveler. — I amassisted by a prayer and a strong desire to achieve the set goals andobjectives. „

Information Department