There are a number of opportunities on offer. For those who like it soft there are railway holidays, and for those who like it tough, the options include mountaineering, skiing, river rafting, mountain biking and trekking.

The Russians have also quickly developed some high-tech offerings despite not yet having had time to develop a Disney World or a Universal Studios. It is possible to fly in a MIG-29 aircraft, a fighter capable of more than twice the speed of sound, that was once part of the formidable Soviet Air Force. The flight is with an air-force pilot and should the passenger hold a pilot's licence they get the extra thrill of being allowed hands-on control.

Other military hardware now available as part of the Russian theme park are tanks. A tour operator now offers drives on the bone-crunching terrain of a former Soviet Army tank training course.

Those interested in Russia's achievements in the field of space travel should visit Star City, just outside Moscow, which is a cosmonaut training complexto visitors.

The increase in tour operators offering Russia from Europe now means a wide choice for potential visitors. A bias towards tailor-made holidays has brought added activities and adventures to the traveller's scope. There is a large potential to develop independent adventure tourism, but it will probably be a 2-decade venture, as adventure in Russia is currently a group market.

Specialist tour operators offer a range of options. Russia adventure is most affordable in groups of about 8-16. It is not yet a holiday for the individual. While, technically, people can go anywhere in Russia, the adventure market is concentrated in three mains areas - southern Siberia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. The opportunities are huge but will take some time to develop. We get people come to us with dreams of traversing the Urals by bicycle but we have to tell them how difficult these things are to arrange.

Russia's severe winters, the sort that helped defeat Napoleon and Hitler, do not put off tourists. And with cities like Moscow having 164 days of snow a year on average, visitors get plenty of opportunity to join locals in the popular art of skating.

The major cities offer some sport, but their attractions are their historic buildings and a rich cultural heritage. The real sporting challenges are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles from Russia's main population centres. In a country that spans 11 time zones it is an endless playground for groups to tackle hard adventure in regions where accommodation is basic but good.

The softest adventure is by the Bolshoi Express train - the Orient Express of the north. This shows how former Communist Party officials of the 1950s enjoyed their luxury.

Downhill skiing enjoys a shorter season in Russia and generally lasts from January to March in areas like Dombai and Elbrus. Skiing in Russia calls for much fitness and skill, more than the average skier takes with them each year to Zermatt, Igls or Courchavel, and facilities in general will take some years to equal those of Europe's luxury alpine resorts.

However, heli-skiing is now available in the Caucasus where, it is claimed, the powder snow rivals that of Colorado and there is a guarantee of snow throughout the short season. Amid the wilds of Karelia, north of St Petersburg, cross-country skiing is routed through the taiga forest and over a terrain of frozen rivers and lakes including Onega and Ladoga. Winter camping, in tents with heating, is also an option for the hardy. Cross-country skiing is widely available, but downhill skiing has no infrastructure, so the way to do it is heli-skiing. But that means Russia is mostlyto very good skiers.

Treks go up to 3200m (10,499ft) in altitude and on the way the landscape changes from alpine meadows of red poppies to snow-capped peaks and scenic plateaux. As Russia gives up its secrets, tour operators continue to investigate new opportunities in new areas for backpackers and adventure seekers. Until recently, previously unexploited areas of the Fan Mountains, known as Matcha, had never been trodden by Western feet. Specialist Steppes East is pioneering trekking/camping itineraries.

Perm in the Middle Ural Mountains is home to some of the more rare birds of prey. The Baseguy National Reserve has been created on the Kama River Basin and ornithologists can get glimpses of eagle owls, great grey owls, Ural owls and golden eagles.

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The Caucasus Mountains, which stretch from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, separate Russia from Georgia and Armenia. Dominating the range is Mount Elbrus, at 5642m (18,510ft) the highest peak in Europe. And it is hardly surprising that it should attract the attention of adventure fans. The jagged peaks overlook a vast vegetation range from palm trees to deciduous forest and flower-carpeted valleys. For the sport enthusiast Elbrus has skiing, and also offers a strenuous, though non-technical, climb to its summit. Trekking, again strenuous, is in the beautiful scenery of the peak and it neighbours. Available are 10-day Elbrus trekking circuits and summit climbs in the Adyl-Su Valley including the Elbrus peak.

Siberia used to be associated with salt mines and permafrost. Now all can be revealed; the Altai region of southern Siberia rivals Switzerland for rolling hills, snowy peaks, flowers and pine forests. Undiscovered areas of Siberia, on the borders of Kazakhstan and Mongolia where summer temperatures hit 22°C, are heady with the scents of its flowers, herbs and trees. Mount Belukha rises to 4506m (14,784ft) over a few scattered villages in an area where the bear population outnumbers the human species.

Not unsurprisingly, among tours offered are botany itineraries through June and July with safari camp accommodation. There are also horseriding holidays, with routes through the Alpine meadows and coniferous forests of the Sayano Altai Mountains, which also include opportunities for botany, birdwatching and river rafting.

Central Asia's Lake Baikal - dubbed the Blue Eye of Siberia - offers canoeing and camping holidays for groups. It is reputed to be the oldest lake in the world and is, by far, the deepest at 1637m (5371ft).

The Kamchatka River in Russia's Far East has some stiff river-raft tests as well as canoeing. Wilderness treks are also available in a remote area which is of great geological interest because of its range of extinct volcanoes.

Getting around the Pacific peninsula, reminiscent of Alaska just across the Bering Sea, can be done by flying, on all-terrain vehicles or on two sturdily-shod feet.

Those who seek adventure in the Russian Federation are the 20th-century pioneers with the spirit and wherewithal toup a country that would take centuries to explore fully.