Mountain tundra never entirely get rid of snow. In the ravines the snow lies even at the Middle of August and does not melt till the first September snowfall.
The dark green thick carpets are the brushwood of elfin cedar. Continuous thickets of the cedar are absolutely impassable. The cedar's branches always go down along the slope - towards a climbing traveler. Their cones ripening in September make happy all those who are keen on cedar nuts: a man, a bear or a nut-cracker. Some Kamchatkan bears never eat salmon; all of them eat pine nuts.
How hard are the life conditions in the tundra could be seen at the vegetation. Many of the plant species are well known from Europe, e.g. blueberries. But comparing to Europe they are surprising small. The plants rise only few centimeters over the ground and the berries are almost microscopic tiny.
