After my Kilimanjaro trek, I began thinking ever more often about finally testing myself on Elbrus. How could it be otherwise? You have to set new goals and move towards them. At first, however, these were merely distant plans and conversations. Then, last year, everything somehow fell into place. Entirely by chance, I came across tickets to Mineralnye Vody at a very reasonable price and immediately decided that the Elbrus climb was going to happen. We quickly found other people who wanted to reach the summit with us. Two months of preparation followed; without preparation, you have no business in the mountains. We also had to find an experienced guide or a tour company able to provide guiding services. This question, like many other aspects of a climb, naturally has to be approached with complete seriousness. Remember that you are entrusting your life to this person. Ideally, the guide should have specific experience of climbing Elbrus. If you are uncomfortable with any personal qualities of a prospective instructor, that too is a reason to consider whether you should climb with them. The time passed extremely quickly, almost without our noticing, and the day of our flight arrived. On the first day, we flew to Mineralnye Vody. The airport was entirely ordinary, with nothing particularly remarkable about it. Even so, there was a minor adventure. One member had prepared so intensely for the coming climb that he overslept, and we had to drive over and wake him only a couple of hours before our scheduled departure. Fortunately, the flight was delayed by an hour, and everyone made it in the end. One participant was unable to come because of a serious problem at work, so six of us flew to Mineralnye Vody.
The airport itself was small. The city was very warm, which delighted us, especially since we had just arrived from cold St Petersburg. It might have been only a few kilometres farther south and certainly was not the tropics, but the warmth was welcome all the same. There were unpleasant moments as well: for some reason, our baggage had not arrived. Such things are quite normal when changing flights. We spent at least half an hour trying to sort out what had happened and were eventually promised that the baggage would be delivered to our hotel on the next flight. We then looked for transport. In the end, we rejected a taxi and took a minibus. We arrived at the designated place and continued on foot. We had to spend one night in Mineralnye Vody. The following day, we were due to meet the guide near the railway station. We had not been particularly demanding when choosing a hotel and had selected an inexpensive option in advance. Naturally, we booked it because we wanted to avoid problems on arrival. The room was essentially a small one-room flat in a single-storey private house, with six beds. If a seventh sleeping place was needed, a sofa bed in the kitchen was available. Overall, it was a more or less acceptable option at a reasonable price. After checking in, we went to explore the area and were even fortunate enough to find a canteen.
We were also due to meet the guide. We took so long to prepare that we arrived half an hour late. The guide met us near the station and led us to the departure point, where two minibuses and the guide’s assistant were waiting. We loaded everything and set off. The plan included an acclimatisation part of the programme: we had to become accustomed to the altitude and living in tents while seeing the beauty around us. Not everything went as we hoped, however. The gorge was in a border zone, so a special permit was required. An awkward situation then arose with the border authorities. We went back down and waited for a vehicle. For some reason, the organisers had overlooked the fact that one participant was a Ukrainian citizen: at the time of that trip, a participant who was not a Russian citizen needed a special permit to enter the border zone. Such a permit had to be arranged in advance. Attempts were made to resolve the matter on the spot, but they did not succeed.
We were not allowed into Adyr-Su. Although the situation was distinctly unpleasant, it was not hopeless. The itinerary was changed, and we went directly to Cheget for acclimatisation instead. After waiting for several hours, we boarded a bus. Roughly two hours later, we reached Cheget Glade and arrived at a base with the remarkable name “Zapovednaya Skazka”.