We had sixteen days in hand at the time. There were three of us on the team. That was the original plan, at least. We prepared well in advance and gathered as much of the clothing and equipment we needed as we could. We even had our tickets by then. As it turned out, though, we were on Elbrus for one week. And there were only two of us. In the end our trip became a preparation-and-reconnaissance one. And I will say with complete confidence that I do not regret it in the slightest. Or rather, neither of us regrets it. In that one week we managed to walk on Cheget and in the Garabashi gorge. We also saw the Wolf Gates and the Donguzorun valley. We were incredibly lucky to see four magnificent waterfalls. That really was something. And we looked out over a great many ridges and summits. We lived in a cabin and a tent, we saw Priyut 11 and we climbed up to the Pastukhov Rocks. All of it in sunshine and with nobody about. That is the real charm of the shoulder season.
A great deal has been written by now about Elbrus, about acclimatisation and about equipment. So I do not think there is much point in repeating it. All I want is to share my own experience and the particular features of a reconnaissance trip like this one. Who knows, perhaps some of it really will be useful to you.
There are in fact plenty of so-called shortened-programme schedules for the climb. That means seven days, and there are even programmes built around five. It is important to say, though, that shortened programmes like these do nothing for your health; on the contrary, they can damage your acclimatisation and therefore your health. I had to learn that from my own experience, which is why I cannot recommend it to anyone else. So if you have come to the mountains to enjoy the mountain scenery rather than to spend your time swallowing pills, give acclimatisation enough time. Your acclimatisation absolutely has to be done properly. But if record timings matter to you, you can try. Either way, that is your business and nobody can forbid it. We were not afraid of any of this, because we are perfectly ordinary Muscovites. What could save us was a well-chosen schedule for gaining height. One very good book helped us at the time. We still follow its advice today. The point of it is that above two thousand metres each new overnight stop should be no higher than the last one you have already adapted to. And the gain from the place you sleep should be no more than a thousand metres. After that you must lose height again. As far as that is realistically possible, of course. We went back down to the Azau meadow. There should be a rest day before the climb itself. And not just any sort of day, but a proper one. Then you go back up to the height you have adapted to, and then the climb. So, as for our own schedule, it went roughly like this. First we slept at two thousand metres. There was an ascent of Cheget. That is three thousand metres already. Then came the climb up to the Stary Krugozor station. We slept at three thousand two hundred metres. Next on the plan was the climb up to the Garabashi station and a night at three thousand seven hundred metres. And then down to the meadow with the wonderful name of Azau. During the climb there should really be a rest day here, but we went to look at the waterfall and the observatory. Next on the plan was the climb back up to Priyut 11 and preparation for the ascent itself. And then the ascent. We were leaving that same day. And this is without allowing for the changeable weather of these parts. So it is only logical to add another three days or so to a more or less ideal schedule. Or even a whole week; a lot depends on the season. And one more point that matters. A height can be counted as adapted to only if you have covered it under your own steam. That is, with your own legs and lungs. Not, say, going up by cable car or with the help of a snowcat.