See also: Khibiny 9 days ski-tour

Almost 1,300km North of St Petersburg in the centre of the Kolsky peninsula between two of the largest lakes in the area – Imandra and Wmboziro — is sheltered a small mountain-mass called the Khibinsky tundras oк Khibiny mountains .  They are comparatively small mountains (the highest point in Khibiny is the Chasnachorr at 1,191m), although on the strength of its relief, its remoteness from bureaucracy and its rich animal and plant life, it is certainly possible to call this place paradise for all those who love spending their leisure time actively in nature – mountain-climbing, snow-boarding, mountain-skiing, and in the summer – water-sports and fishing. The very form of the Khibiny mountains resembles a horse-shoe.  One of its characteristic features is its flat, high plateau, which is cleaved by a system of deep valleys.  Many valleys end in glacial rings, where the snow settles the whole year round.  Streams and rivers, sided by perpendicular rocky walls, flow at the bottom of the valleys.

The climate in the Khibiny mountains is arctic-moderate.  It is a bit warmer than other northerly polar regions in our country, which is due to the influence of the warm flow of the Gulf-Stream that washes the Kola peninsula from the North.  Summer comes quickly and coincides with polar day.  At the end of June flowers come out and young leaves appear on the trees so putting an end to night-frosts (although sometimes there are cold nights during the summer).  In the mountains, spring and summer tend to linger for some time and, in low-lying areas, all trees remain green and buds swell.  The polar summer lasts two and a half to three months: from mid-June to the end of August.  Snow begins to fall at the end of September, but earlier in the mountains.  However, steady snow cover only settles in the first ten days of November.  The thickness of ice on rivers and lakes is from 70cm to 110cm.  Snow cover is not equal and, ultimately, depends on the hilliness of the area and dominating winds.  November is already a winter month where strong frosts are likely.  In March and April the weather becomes more steady, the snow is covered by a thin crust of ice and the air temperature rises (average temperature in March is -9?C and in April, -2?C. However, the temperature at evenings and nights can drop to -30?C and lower.

The Khibiny range is made up of magmatic rocks — nefelinoviy sienit.  It has the biggest deposit of the apatit mineral.  Apatit is known as “the fertility stone” and it is used to make raw materials that produce phosphorous fertilizers.  The use of aпатит and Kirovsk in this way was discovered by the Fersman Academy, which began studying the Khibiny mountains in the 1930’s.