When a country is described by Winston Churchill as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." who wouldn't feel compelled to experience Russia for themselves? Well, after a colleague of mine told me that he was interested in climbing Mt. Elbrus, the highest mountain in continental Europe, it seemed like a great excuse to check Russia off the list of my recently visited countries.
To be completely honest, I really had no idea what to expect. I had not done a lot of research on Mt. Elbrus apart from knowing that it is one of the 7 summits as the highest summit in Europe (5642m). It wasn't until the day before leaving that I read of the dangers of underestimating this mountain. Although listed as a trekking summit (ie, not requiring technical climbing experience) it does boast some of highest annual fatality statistics amongst the big mountains. Unfortunately, the cause is more often than not, ill preparedness and under estimation of how demanding this climb can be, particularly if the weather turns nasty. I also didn't really appreciate how close it was to the Georgian border, (approximately 5 kilometres) in a region that is still highly militarized after the brief conflict a few years ago over Ossetia. All of this created a complex backdrop for the incredible experience that was to be.
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| A panoramic view of Elbrus on the left and the Caucasus mountains on the right from Base Camp |
Elbrus is a relatively easy mountain to access. A quick flight to Moscow, then to Mineralnye Vody, followed by a 3 hour drive into the mountains and we were already at Cheget, a small ski village in the Caucasus mountains. The town itself was limited in its offering focusing primarily on a few restaurants/bars and a local tourist market. This would be our base in the valley before heading up to "the barrel huts" or our effective base camp on Mt. Elbrus.
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| The weather was tremendous for our first acclimatization hike on Mt. Cheget. This gave us our first glimpse of the Caucasus mountains |
The itinerary consisted of an acclimatization hike up Mt Cheget which was unfortunately cut short by a newly erected military outpost preventing access to the border region. However, from here, we got our first glimpses of Mt. Elbrus which stands alone on the opposite side of the valley.
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| Once we got some elevation from town we were able to see Mt. Elbrus for the first time. Unfortunately, some clouds on the top prevented an uninterrupted view but these did eventually come |
Our second acclimatization hike was two days later after we had already settled into the barrel huts. These simple accommodations provided protection from the elements (and that's about it!) while preparing for our summit attempt.
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| The barrel huts, our home away from home, with both summits of Mt. Elbrus in the background. The summit on the left is the highest of the two by approximately 40 metres |
We couldn't have been luckier with the weather on our first day on the mountain. We were treated to a cloudless sky, warm sun and absolutely no wind. Not only did this offer uninterrupted views of the summit but also of the rows of jagged peaks stretching deep into Georgia. Now, I've been fortunate to see the stars from many different parts of the world but I will never forget the display of shooting stars that I witnessed that first night on Elbrus.
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| As the sun set on our first day at Base camp we were treated by a cloud inversion beautiful reflections off of the surrounding mountains. |
Unfortunately, it seem like this is where our luck was going to end for the weather then turned quite nasty on the mountain. As the clouds rolled in, so did the lightening, thunder, wind and snow. As a consequence, our first summit attempt was aborted after we had already woken at 2:30 am for our alpine start. The outlook for the second attempt was almost as grim with quite heavy cloud still at the barrels. However, the group decided to push on and see whether we could at least get to the saddle, resigned to the fact that a summit attempt was unlikely.
Depending on whether you stay at the barrel huts or camp out a higher elevation, the standard route up Elbrus is pretty much the same. It's a straight push up from base camp to the top of the rocks, another tough uphill to the traverse, a long slog across the traverse to the saddle, then another straight shot up from the saddle to the summit. On Elbrus, the accent can be supported by a snow cat ride up to the top of the rocks (approx 4700m) which adds an interesting element to the trip. There is nothing quite like boarding a snow cat in the pitch darkness and traveling up into the unknown with wind and snow blustering around. The anxiety and anticipation of not knowing where you are going and what you have gotten yourself into was really quite intoxicating.
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| I was super envious of the people who were able to camp out at higher elevations. Not only did they get spectacular views but they also were able to avoid the snow cat ride because their summit ascent was more manageable |
For the next 6 hours we pushed our way up. My only regret about the trip was that we missed the sunrise on the mountain because of thick cloud and swirling snow. To our amazement, just as we were approaching the saddle and feeling like all would be for not, the clouds dropped and the sun came out. It's incredible how sunlight can raise the spirit and drive optimism. The trip became so much easier with the promise of actually having a view from the summit. The only real exposure on the trip is towards the top of the ascent from the summit. Here a fall would be certainly fatal. The guides have installed a fixed rope to support climbers whose legs are now quite exhausted from the steep push up from the saddle. Fortunately, our group passed through here without incident.
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| The route is well marked along the way acknowledging the navigational difficulties in poor conditions. At this point, (toward the end of the traverse) the clouds had dropped but hadn't yet broken up. Fortunately, by the time we had arrived at the summit some of the surrounding peaks were visible |
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| Members of our group pushing up from the saddle. The clouds below are what remained of the storm we climbed through |
The view from the summit is spectacular! People often ask why I chose to spend my vacation time suffering through difficult conditions, exhaustion and danger and I can only explain by saying "trust me, the feeling that you get when standing on top of a summit is so rewarding, it makes it all worth while". The truth is, this exhilaration, this emotional high, can't be gotten in any other way.
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| Our group at the summit. Representing many different nationalities and backgrounds all members of our team successfully made the summit of Mt. Elbrus at around 11:00 am |
I have to say, the trip to the summit of Mt. Elbrus was rewarding in so many ways; the Russian culture, the military interceptions, the people, the food, the weather, the summit, the vodka. This is a part of the world that i would love to visit again. Have I unravelled the enigma which is Russia?...Not at all! Do I know now why Russia is referred to as an enigma?....absolutely!
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| August 17th, 2013. Jamie Slater on the Summit of Mt. Elbrus - 5642m |
