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Dates ( Days 10 / Nights 9 )

July 31 - August 09

Trip overview

Moscow - Mineralny Vody - Kislovodsk - Elbrus - Kislovodsk - Mineralny Vody - Moscow

Why go there?

The northern and southern sides of Elbrus differ strikingly. Standing 11km north of the Main Range, the mountain juts out into flat green pastures bounded by dry bare peaks rising to an average height of 3500m. Above the vast grassy Irakhitsyrt plateau (2800-3000m) the silver-grey tongues of the glaciers descend into the fantastic green jungle of pristine moraines adorned with red and black volcanic outcrops of incredible shapes. Cosy alluvial cirques nestle among them and the largest one, called the “air-strip” (2900m), is long and flat enough to take small planes.
To climb Elbrus from the northern side is to follow the tracks of the pioneers, to climb by the route of the first Russian ascent of East Summit of 1829. There are no power transmission lines,
good roads, hotels and cafes here. It is true wilderness.
A big advantage of the route is that, being in the wind shadow of Elbrus, this area has the benefit of better weather.

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival in Mineralny Vody, 30min bus drive to a hotel in the small, cosy town of Kislovodsk. Weather permitting, Elbrus, which is 70km to south will stand on the horizon. Hotel.

Day 2

We leave the town in a 4WD vehicle for a long drive across the high grassy plateaus to the northern foothills of Elbrus. Again, weather permitting, these hours will be not boring, for the landscapes there are superb. Depending on the state of the earth-road, this drive can take from 4 to 6hr. We come to the place called “Emmanuel Meadow” (the camp place of the Russian expedition with a stone, bearing a memorial inscriptions dating back to 1829) and camp there at 2800m. Camp.

Day 3

Acclimatization outing to the assault camp (3800m). We will use it for bringing there some personal things and gear (plastic boots, crampons etc). On the descent we will see exotic lava outcrops and a mountain lake at 3200m. 6-7hr. Camp.

Day 4

We walk to the starting point of the ascent. On the way there we make a detour and visit the local place of interest, called Gryby (“Mushrooms”) – rock outcrops of very weird shapes. Then we come to the assault camp, standing at 3800m on a high moraine bordering the lower snow fields. Now we can look over the multi-colored dry range to north and see the endless pastures stretching to the horizon. Tents. 5-6hr

Day 5

For better acclimatisation we spend this day climbing to the lower end of Lents Rocks, the rock band, which goes straight to East Summit. The ascent on snow is not difficult and steep and in 4-5hr we come to the lowest part of Rocks (4800m). Descent will take a couple of hours. Tents. 5-7hr.

Day 6

Day of rest and preparations. Camp.

Day 7

Ascent of East Summit (5621m). We start very early, and the climb with descent will take 10-14hr. We follow the line of Lents Rocks and the ascent slope is as gentle as on the classic route. From the summit the immense sweep of the green pastures rolling into the blue haze of the horizon to north is the main sight, breathtaking, giddy. Camp.

Day 8

A reserve day to make up for day 7, in case the climb is excluded by bad weather and no serious attempt is made. “A serious attempt” is that one which spends so much of your energy, that you just cannot go up on the next day. In case we have done the climb successfully on Day 7, we descend to our base camp at 2800m. Tents.

Day 9

If we have used the reserve day on Day 8 for climbing Elbrus, we descend to our base camp, board our 4WD and go back to Kislovodsk. Hotel.

Day 10

30min bus drive to Mineralny Vody Airport and flight to Moscow. End of trip.

Price includes

1. All land group transfers

2. Meals: full board in Caucasus from dinner on Day 2 to breakfast on Day 9

3. Registration in OVIR

4. Accommodation in Kislovodsk – 2 nights

5. Tents for camping

6. Ropes for climbing

7. Safety measures: radio, first aid kit, registration with Rescue Service.

8. Cooking equipment and fuel

9. One English speaking guide and extra guide(s) for Elbrus climb (depends on group size, 1 guide to 3-4 clients)

10. Cook

11. Porters for tents, food, fuel, cooking gear and ropes

Price does not include

1. Any changes in the programme demanding additional expenses

2. Single accommodation supplement

3. Personal equipment rentals (only on a special demand made in advance)

4. Personal guides or porters

5. Meals in Kislovodsk

6. Moscow service

7. Return air fare to Mineralny Vody

8. Insurance (medical and other)

Good advice

This climb is an expedition in wilderness, i.e. all nights are spent in tents. It means the space to keep your personal things is rather limited. So, there will be no storage room for “luxury items” (a couple of bottles of whiskey, the thick volume you cannot somehow finish reading for a year etc). A very wise thing would be to keep it all to the unavoidable minimum.

Necessary travel papers (documents)

Passport with a valid Russian visa, voucher and immigration card

By air and by land

From Moscow to Mineralny Vody we fly with a Russian air company. Normally it is either Kavminvodyavia or Aeroflot.
For the city transfers it is comfortable private buses or minivans, for going to Elbrus - a pretty rough 4WD vehicle of Russian make.

Accommodation

3 stars in Kislovodsk (4 or 5 stars - on demand), on a double room basis. No breakfast in Kislovodsk hotel. Tents on Elbrus.

Meals

Full board from dinner on Day 2 to breakfast on Day 9

Staff

English speaking guides (3-4 clients to one guide), cook and porters for food and group equipment (tents, ropes etc)

Health and medical insurance

Health-care on the mountain is limited to the first-aid kit the guide carries. When in Mineralny Vody and Kislovodsk in case of serious health problems the local hospital and your insurance policy are to take over. Your policy must cover climbing to 6000m .

Weather

As on any high mountain a wide range of weather conditions and temperatures should be expected: from freezing-cold nights (down to -5-10ºC), to sizzling hot noons if still and sunny (especially on snow); from a delicious calm under a blue sky to a hurricane slashing your face like a whip. The higher you go, the harsher the conditions. So, your range of clothes and footwear must comply with any of such turns. For details see out gear list.

Extra expenses

In Moscow: prices for meals in good cafes and restaurants are higher than in Western Europe; prices for fast food are much lower; Metro and buses are cheap (less than 1euro for any distance)
In Caucasus everything is considerably cheaper: the cost of dinners and lunches in Kislovodsk can be very reasonable.

Internet, phone

No Internet and cell phone facilities on this trip except Kislovodsk. Satellite phone carried by head-guide is for emergencies only.

Possibility of renting personal equipment

Request must be placed in advance

Personal gear

Heavy-weight fleece / pile jacket
Light/medium-weight, synthetic long underwear shirt (polypropylene/capilene)
Water proof / breathable jacket with hood (Gore Tex is strongly recommended)
Long sleeve, light weight shirt for sun protection (preferably synthetic)
Down or synthetic fill jacket with hood, must fit comfortably over your fleece jacket
Fleece pants (full side zips allow ventilation)
Thermal under wear
Wind- waterproof and breathable pants with full length zips

Liner socks - 2-3 pairs
Wool or poly socks (medium-heavy thickness) - 3 pairs
Light weight trekking boots, or strong shoes
Climbing boots, plastic of leather – must be right for step-in crampons
Gaiters

Liner gloves - 2 pairs
Medium weight fleece gloves
Wool or fleece mittens
Wind-stop shell overmittens

Wool or fleece hat
Balaclava
Glacier glasses with side flaps
Extra pair of your normal glasses, or lenses

Down or synthetic sleeping bag good for -10ºC
Sleeping closed cell foam pad

Rucksack (40-50liters)
Day pack – for the summit attempt. Should hold: 1-
1-1.5liters thermos

Climbing gear
Crampons (with a repair kit), must fit your climbing boots
Climbing harness
Screwgate carabiner -2
Ice-axe, 60-70 cm (optional)
Collapsible ski poles (a must!)

Personal first aid kit
Head torch
Water bottle
Lip balm (spf 25+) and glacier cream (spf 40)
Pocket knife
Favorite snacks

All programme photos

Equipment