trip to Elbrus

Hi all!

My name is Artem, I am the head of department at L-TECH.

In mid-July 2023, I climbed Elbrus, its western summit (5642 meters). In this article, I want to tell you about this trip in as much detail as possible. Perhaps this will help newcomers like me to make their first ascent, tell you how to better plan a trip, prepare for it, and avoid some mistakes.

I will tell you about my experience of climbing: until now I had none. I had been to the mountains of Altai, the Caucasus, Kamchatka. But these were simple tourist trips without climbing and difficulties. I had been nurturing the idea of ​​climbing Elbrus for a long time, gradually preparing my relatives for this.

An important stage of such a trip, of course, if you are not an experienced traveler and climber, is the choice of the company that will organize the ascent. I contacted the company with which I eventually climbed the mountain on a recommendation. It was given to me by the person from whom I bought a hundred-liter backpack. In the end, I was not mistaken with this company and can also recommend it. I will not advertise here, but I can easily share contacts in a personal message.

So, the choice was made and one fine day, having seen on the company's website an offer with discounts for suitable dates, my friend and I made an advance payment. From that moment, we can consider that preparations for the trip began. This happened about 10 months before the start of the ascent.

After the money was deposited, the organizers added us to a WhatsApp group and sent us many links with useful tips for study. These were equipment lists, tips on physical training, nutrition, a list of pharmacological drugs. I think that the material provided was generally useful. Perhaps, now, for example, in terms of the list of products that you need to take with you to the mountain, I would adjust it a little, but if you have never been to the mountains and have no experience of climbing, then it is better, of course, to follow this list.

About physical training

As all sources write, any healthy person can climb Elbrus along the route I chose from the south. This is probably true. If you regularly and a lot run, then most likely you don’t need to do any additional preparation. However, if there are no such loads, then you need to prepare. And this should be preparation aimed specifically at endurance. Running is such preparation. I never liked running, I didn’t run at all, but I led a fairly active lifestyle, regularly playing hockey. At the time of preparation, I quit hockey to avoid the risk of injury. And to begin with, I went to the pool and swam there all winter. When spring came, I slowly began to run. As a result, I fell in love with this business and continue to run with pleasure at the present time.

I believe that without the preparation carried out it would not have been possible to climb the mountain, so I advise you not to neglect this.

About equipment

Equipment is important and that's a fact :-). And equipment is the biggest part of expenses, especially if you didn't have anything for hiking before. To save money, you can rent things. If you don't plan to do mountaineering anymore, then you can safely rent high-mountain equipment, which is what I actually did.

I bought for myself those things that I planned to use in the future. Of the large ones, these were good trekking boots, a membrane jacket, and membrane self-dumping trousers.
I would like to note the rental service in the company I chose. I received all the remaining things without any problems, everything fit and was in good condition.

Some members of our group arrived without any equipment at all, they only had a suitcase with personal belongings and even they were able to rent everything they needed for the hike.

Go!

Time was flying forward. It was time to buy tickets and book a hotel. They decided to go to the starting point by train Moscow – Kislovodsk.

And on the appointed day and at the appointed hour we boarded the above-mentioned train and began our journey to the assembly point in the city of Lermontov (15 minutes from Pyatigorsk).

The trip was comfortable. We rested, read, enjoyed the views from the window, and went out for walks at the stops.

More photos

We arrived in Pyatigorsk strictly on schedule. We took a taxi at the station and for a reasonable fee we quickly got to our hotel, where we were to spend the night. The hotel was small but quite comfortable, located next to the picturesque Novopyatigorsk Lake and Victory Park.

“Beautiful views around” is not sarcasm. We really liked both the Park and the lake nearby.

After the walk, we walked slowly to the store, where we bought some missing products and returned to the hotel, where we had a delicious dinner. After dinner, we went straight to bed, since we had to get up early in the morning.

Having woken up at 7 a.m., we packed our things and went downstairs with our backpacks to have breakfast. Breakfast was included in the price of our stay. There were some hitches. Since there was a wedding in the hotel restaurant that evening, they didn't have time to clean it up and didn't want to feed us. After some wrangling, we finally managed to have breakfast. Then we called a taxi to the city of Lermontov.

Collection point and transfer

We were practically the last to arrive at the collection point (the office of the organizing company).

After getting acquainted, the friendly crowd moved into the building itself, where a rather long process of paperwork, checking, selecting and trying on equipment began. But in the end, everything ended successfully. We took all our things outside and began to wait for transport. The final composition of our group that went to the mountain: 20 participants and 3 guides.

The transfer itself was easy and interesting. We were able to rest a bit and enjoy the views from the window. The place where we stopped for a snack deserves special attention. The cafe had delicious and relatively inexpensive food.

Terskol, Cheget glade, meeting

I would like to make a small digression and tell you about the food. The food was included in the tour price. There were food packages for each day (breakfast and dinner), from which we cooked our own food. The food was fairly standard for hiking. There were cafes and shops in Terskol. We used them in full.

We had a kick-off meeting planned for the evening. The meeting place was a café on the Cheget glade.

From our hotel to the clearing we had to walk several kilometers through breathtakingly beautiful terrain.

A few more photos

Arriving at the cafe, we ordered dinner and began the meeting.

The group leader asked the participants to tell us what brought each of them to the mountains, how they prepared for the ascent. After getting acquainted, the guides told us how our preparation for the ascent and the ascent itself would go, and discussed the plan. The story about the tour smoothly flowed into a normal conversation. We did not stay long, because the first acclimatization trip was planned for the next day.

First acclimatization exit

On our first outing we had to climb about 1000 meters vertically and reach almost the observatory “Peak Terskol” after first going to the waterfall “Maiden Braids”.

We got up early, had breakfast, packed our backpacks. Backpack contents: tea in a thermos, water, snacks (apple, nuts, chocolate), membrane jacket, raincoat, first aid kit, trekking poles.

I would like to say something about footwear. I was planning to move around there in my trekking boots, but the group leader insisted that everyone go in high-altitude boots, which were selected taking into account warm socks and were a couple of sizes larger. At first, walking in such boots was difficult and uncomfortable, but then my feet got used to them, and I stopped noticing them.

After layering on sunscreen, we went outside, waited for the group to assemble, and began our climb up.

The climb was hard, very hard. Several factors contributed to this: the climb itself, heavy shoes, heat. The altitude started to make my head ache. In addition, the group was moving at a jagged pace, which was sapping my strength. The ten-minute breaks (once an hour) and the surrounding views saved me.

More photos

After a few hours of walking, we completed the first section of the route and came to the “Maiden Braids” waterfall, where we went swimming and had a long rest.

After the break it was time to go further to the observatory and here my body failed – it practically refused to go further. Therefore, part of the route to the meadow near the observatory became very difficult for me.

But I still got there!

More photos

We drank tea in the clearing, had a photo shoot, and lay down for a bit. The rest helped us recover, and the descent was quite easy.

Upon arrival at the hotel, we had dinner, had another meeting with the guides and went to bed, as the next trip was planned for the next day.

I would like to note that, despite the hard day, I did not sleep very soundly. Perhaps because of the unfamiliar bed or because of the height, albeit small. I do not know.

Second acclimatization hike. Mount Cheget

We woke up early again. Had breakfast, packed our backpack. Its contents were exactly the same as the previous day. Despite the fact that the previous day was hard, nothing really hurt. Everything was OK with our feet. Fortunately, there were no blisters.

The goal of the day is to climb Mount Cheget. The trail starts at Cheget Glade.

The main difference between this climb and the previous day for us was that the group leader had defined a strict order of movement on the route. The slowest participants were put in front. We stood in a column and slowly walked up. It was at this pace, at this rate, as the guide said, that we would make the ascent.

I must say that the walk was comfortable, the pace was ideal. We stopped several times along the route to rest and have snacks. As everywhere in the Caucasus, the views were the most picturesque.

More photos

After about 4 hours (I don't remember exactly) we climbed Cheget. We sat there and drank tea. The vertical climb was about 1 km. A view of Elbrus opened up before us in all its glory.

It was time to go down. The group leader suggested using the lift, so as not to burden our knees with descents. We took advantage of this suggestion.

Having gone down, we went into a cafe, drank some tasty beer and went to the room to rest and get ready. The next day we were already leaving and climbing to our camp on the slope of Elbrus.

The whole evening was devoted to shaking out our backpacks. We put aside the things we didn't need on the mountain and left them at the hotel. After dinner, we went to bed.

Base Camp. Shelter of 11

The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast, got ready, went outside and waited for the car to move.

After waiting for the cars, we loaded all our backpacks into them, loaded ourselves in and went to the cable car station, where, having bought tickets, we began to prepare to load our things and ascend.

Lifting things on the cable car is quite an exciting activity. You need to quickly throw backpacks and bags with provisions into the cabins and quickly climb into them. Then, at the next station, quickly jump out, throw out the luggage and wait for the next cabin, where things are also carried. But everything went well, nothing was lost, nothing was broken.

Thus, with two transfers, we climbed up to the Gara-bashi station, at an altitude of ~3850 meters.

We were to live in the Barrels, which are located 50-100 meters lower. Accordingly, the next stage of the adventure is dragging all the things to the Barrels. The altitude began to be felt, my head began to ache.

We (part of a group of 8 people) were assigned to trailer number 5.

Inside the trailer, the conditions are Spartan: two-tiered wooden bunks, a small table, a chair, a heater, and light. But everyone was prepared for these conditions. In the end, they settled in quite comfortably.

Since the best way to acclimatize at altitude is movement, we were not allowed to rest. A walk to Shelter 11 lay ahead.

We quickly changed clothes, packed small backpacks with tea and snacks. Under the guidance of the guides, we put on gaiters and crampons and went up.

The altitude at which Shelter 11 is located is 4050 meters. So we had to gain about 300 meters vertically.

It was hard going. It was warm. The snow had turned into mush. So by the end of the climb I was exhausted.

We sat at the Shelter for quite a long time. We drank tea, rested, took photos. The views were truly crazy.

The descent was normal, without incident. The instructor showed how to quickly descend a snowy slope.

After the descent we changed clothes and moved to the dining room for dinner and a meeting.

A little about our dining room (also a wardroom). The dining room was a barrel with a long table in the middle, benches, and two stoves for cooking.

We cooked food in turns. We brought drinking water with us in plastic bottles. We melted snow to wash dishes and wash ourselves. The toilet, naturally, was outside and looked picturesque. There was no shower, so we had to wipe ourselves with snow and melted water. Wet wipes came in handy.

At the meeting, the group leader told us about future plans, asked everyone about their health and impressions of the climb.

After the conversation we went to our “rooms” and went to bed. I slept badly. My head hurt, but I didn't take any pills yet, I endured it.

Pastukhov Rocks

The next day we were going to Pastukhov Rocks. The height of the rocks is approximately 4700 meters. Thus, we had to overcome approximately 900 meters vertically.

The backpack contents are the same as before: tea, water, snacks.

Right after breakfast, before it got too hot, we got ready and set out. The first half of the journey was fairly easy. I felt good.

However, it became much worse and harder later. It became warm and I undressed too late, obviously overheating. My head started to hurt badly, every step was hard and I had to slow down.

The group split up. The stronger guys went ahead, the weaker ones stayed behind. I was somewhere in the middle.

Closer to the rocks the slope became very steep, even had to go traverse. But everything ends someday. This climb ended too.

Pastukhov Rocks rewarded us with a wonderful view around. We spent about an hour and a half there. As usual, we drank tea, ate tasty things, lay down and rested.

It was time to go down. It is easier to go down than to go up, that is for sure. But it is not as easy as it seems. The loose snow made the descent very difficult. Down at the station it became really hard to walk, as the road there was broken up by snowcats.

In the evening, as per tradition, we gathered in the dining room, had dinner, and discussed the ascent. The group leader asked everyone how they were feeling. We touched on the topic of the snowcat: for those who don’t know, the ascent can be done in two ways: on foot directly to the top or with the help of a snowcat, which takes the climber to about 5000 – 5100 m. The cost of a snowcat is quite significant. As far as I remember, at that time it was 11 thousand rubles. At that time, I had not yet decided which method to choose.

After dinner we went to our rooms to rest and prepare for the next day. I had to take a headache pill, thanks to which I managed to get some sleep.

Day off. Snow and ice activities

The next day we had a day off without going into the mountains. The guides organized snow and ice lessons.

The classes were held in full gear. We put on gaiters, crampons, harness, helmet, took ice axes and went out onto the snow slope.

On the slope, they began to teach us how to use an ice axe and move in groups. Particular attention was paid to staying on the slope when falling, both individually and in a group. It happened like this: the instructor tied a rope to one of us, and the group itself began moving along the slope. At this time, the instructor suddenly pulled the rope hard. The one who fell down shouted the command “Fall!” Everyone fell and tried to hold on with ice axes. It was fun. Looking ahead, I will say that this training helped later when storming the summit.

The rest of the day we rested and walked. We went up to the station. We ate in a cafe.

The assault was planned for the night. However, the weather made its own adjustments. A storm arose, it started snowing (sometimes raining), thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. It is clear that there was no talk of any assault. As a result of the constant waiting, it was not possible to sleep much.

The next day it was also snowing, but at least the storm was over. So the group leader told us to prepare for a night out.

Assault. Summit. Descent.

I wrote above that I couldn't decide whether I would go on a snowcat or go myself. But by the day of the assault the decision had matured. I chose the snowcat.

In the end, 6 participants and two guides from the entire group decided to use it. The rest of the group decided to walk.

At about 12 o'clock at night we woke up and started packing. We packed an assault backpack. In addition to the clothes that we had on the previous outings, we added a down jacket, outerwear (including spare ones for the backpack), a mask, and a flashlight. I also took a can of cola with me. I must say that Coca-Cola is very tasty at altitude, it goes down like a charm. As a result, the 40-liter backpack was filled to the brim.

At the same time, the guys who decided to go up on foot were leaving. We saw them off.

At about 2 a.m. we approached the snowcat parking lot and loaded into them. As I wrote above, the snow was still falling.

Riding a snowcat is not a pleasure. It is not comfortable, to put it mildly. On the way in the dark we saw the headlights of our group.

About an hour later we arrived at an altitude of 5100 meters. The snowcat does not go higher.

By this time the weather had improved, it was comfortable to walk. The beauty around was unreal.

It would seem that the weather would be even better and we would climb to the top without any problems. But there is always a BUT. This BUT was in her, in the cloud that appeared to the right of us.

As soon as we turned off the ledge and started to go out to the saddle, a strong wind rose, hard snow began to fall. Visibility dropped to several dozen meters, and considering that the mask was darkened, it became impossible to see anything at all.

We stopped at the saddle and somehow managed to open the thermoses and drink some tea. We held a meeting with the guide, where we decided to try to go further and see if the groups that had gone ahead would return. We decided that if we saw that the groups were descending, we would also descend, but if not, we would try to go to the summit.

By this time there were 5 of us left (plus the guide). One of the girls decided to go down.

I can't call the further ascent anything other than snow hell. It was very hard to go, we kept falling, but thanks to the training we were ready for it. We fixed ourselves on the slope, climbed up and went on. As you know, the last meters of the ascent after the railings on Elbrus are called the Zombie Plateau. This name justifies itself 100 percent. I really was like a zombie. But still, on moral and willpower, I overcame it and went to the western summit of Elbrus!

The wind had gotten stronger by that time. I wanted to take a photo with the company flag, but I couldn't get it out of my backpack. I witnessed a situation where one of the climbers tried to get the flag, but it was immediately blown away by the wind. The wind was so strong that it blew some people off their feet.

After standing at the top for a while, we started the descent. It is impossible to describe how difficult it was. The mask, which was clogged with snow, added additional difficulty. We had to take it off. The hard snow cut our eyes, we had to squint, but it did not help much. We also fell several times.

At some point, an emergency occurred. One of our group members twisted his leg. Our guide stayed with him, and we, having fastened ourselves to the railings, went on.

Having reached the end of the railings, we stopped because we didn’t know what to do. The rope had ended, we didn’t know the next path, and the signal flags were not visible. Now, when almost a year has passed since the ascent, the emotions have calmed down and it seems that there was nothing to worry about and we would have successfully descended in any case. But at that moment, we were scared. Out of desperation, we called 102. We managed to get through (there is a cell phone tower on the mountain). The operator transferred us to the rescue service, but no one picked up the phone. It should be said that we weren’t the only ones calling the Ministry of Emergency Situations that day.

The guide and our comrade with the sore leg were nowhere to be seen. The situation seemed desperate.

Having sat at the end of the railings for about half an hour or an hour, we saw two people coming down from the top. We asked them to help us get down. The guys didn't refuse us, they threw us the end of the rope, told us to fasten ourselves to it and advised us not to come too close to them and to scream if we fell down. But while we were fastening ourselves, another small group of people approached. After some discussion, we fastened ourselves to them and continued our descent safely.

Having descended to the saddle, we saw more groups there. Also, an employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and our guides were climbing up from below.

Then, in a close company, we continued our descent. The weather had not improved, it was getting dark. It was difficult to go down. But we went down. At 5100, a snowcat was already waiting for us, and we all loaded into it. Going down in the back of an overcrowded snowcat is a special pleasure. But it is better than staying at a height in such weather. An hour later, we were already in the camp at 3800. The guys from our group met us, took our things, and led us to the trailer.

It must be said that our group, which decided to climb on its own, without a snowcat, did not reach the summit. They were turned back at the saddle.

In the trailer we changed, unpacked our things and then went to the dining room. After a delicious dinner and some chacha we went to bed. We slept badly, our eyes hurt a lot.

End of the journey

The next morning we packed all our things, cleaned the trailer, the kitchen and began the descent.

A car was waiting for us downstairs. We loaded our things in there, stopped at our hotel to pick up the things we had left behind, and drove to Lermontov.

On the way I stopped at a pharmacy where I bought some eye drops.

We had a small emergency when approaching Lermontov. Something happened to our trailer with the towing device. We had to stop. But literally 40 minutes later another car arrived. We loaded everything there and continued on our way.

Arriving at the travel agency office, we handed over the rented things to its employees, received badges and certificates for climbing the mountain. At this point, our trip, one might say, officially ended!

After that we bought some souvenirs and went to the airport. From there we flew home safely.

Thank you for reading to the end. If you have any questions, write, I will answer as best I can.

All Peace and Travels!