One of the seven summits having the distinction of being the highest point of the European Continent located in the heart of the Caucasus, Mount Elbrus, at 18,510’, is not only a great climb, but also a cultural experience.
We meet in the fascinating city of Moscow, to begin this expedition. There we will visit the Kremlin, Red Square, and more, as we stroll along the banks of the Moscow River. Then we head to the Caucasus Mountains. Enroute, we will have the chance to appreciate the local culture and countryside.
We have designed this program with several days built in for acclimatization. We believe it is the best way to accomplish, in good style, Elbrus’s long & strenuous summit day. Once we are well acclimatized, after several days, we move to our high camp. An alpine start for the summit, fun, classic snow climbing will take us to Elbrus’s western summit, which is the highest of the two peaks. From the summit plateau of this double-coned volcano, the views are truly amazing.
Elbrus, although a non-technical climb, is a serious high altitude climb. You need to be comfortable climbing 4-8 hours per day. Summit day is a long strenuous day, where we climb approximately 5,000’, which involves about 8 hours for the ascent, and 4-6 hours for the descent. You should ideally be familiar with the use of crampons and ice axe, and have glacier travel experience. High winds and cold temperatures at high altitude are to be expected, as on any big mountain.
After the climb, we return to Moscow, our departure point for the trip home.
