The idea of reaching the summit of beautiful Elbrus had been in my mind for a long time. Yet it was only that winter that the dream was destined to become reality, thanks to my friend Andrey, who suggested that I try climbing the mountain. My friend was far more determined than I was, and from May onwards we began preparing seriously for the Elbrus ascent. I must admit that I followed all the rules in my own preparation. I read a great deal about the mountain in advance, as well as many trip reports, although I found them somewhat contradictory. Some people insisted that climbing Elbrus was not particularly difficult, while others wrote that an ascent of the mountain was extremely dangerous. My own conclusion after reading everything was that every mountain involves difficulty and danger to some degree. Luck also always plays a part. You may prepare well, yet your body can begin resisting and leave you unable to continue. Nor can any of us control the weather. You cannot know what it will be like on summit day or how your body will respond at altitude. Even so, preparing for the climb is essential. I understood that very well and began training carefully. What did the physical preparation involve? Above all, long-distance running and climbing the stairs to the top floors of high-rise buildings. Mental preparation matters too. You need to understand that an ascent is no ordinary walk on a mountainside, and that it will not be easy. At times you will want to abandon everything and turn back. In those moments, you need to redirect your thoughts towards something positive and let the passing despair subside. It is also important not to head into the mountains alone, but to travel as part of a group — ideally one led by an experienced instructor. I was genuinely fortunate to find a team with experience.
Of course we had plenty of concerns at the time: would we be able to climb the mountain without previous climbing experience, would the weather be good on summit day, and so on? Yet our desire was stronger than our fear, so we decided that, no matter what, we would attempt to reach the summit of Elbrus. A few words about Elbrus itself: it is a volcano with several summits. We wanted to climb the Western Summit. Why? It is the higher one, and the classic route to it is generally regarded as less difficult. The route begins in the village of Terskol, at the foot of the mountain.
So there we were at half past six in the morning, at Nalchik railway station. Curiously, almost half the people arriving were carrying enormous rucksacks. It was not difficult to guess why they had come. Most immediately dispersed among buses they had booked in advance. We, meanwhile, went looking for a minibus to Terskol. We were lucky and did not have to search for long: one was waiting opposite the station. The price gave us pause, but we had neither the desire nor the time to go back to the station and look for something cheaper, so we agreed to take it. As we travelled, the landscape changed constantly along the way. Remarkable hills rose around us, followed by the mountains themselves.