{"id":37362,"date":"2016-01-24T09:09:31","date_gmt":"2016-01-24T06:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mountainguides.pro\/?p=37362"},"modified":"2026-09-10T16:10:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:10:30","slug":"an-elbrus-climbing-experience-not-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mountainguides.pro\/ar\/2016\/01\/24\/an-elbrus-climbing-experience-not-for-everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"My Climb Will Not Suit Everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me start by saying that my climb up Elbrus may not suit everyone. So this account should not be treated as a guide to follow. The fact is that mine was rather an express version, given how it ought to be done. Even so, I will start at the beginning. Somehow, without my noticing, the idea of climbing to the summit of Elbrus took hold. And so on the ninth I rode the cable car up to the station with the unusual name of Garabashi, which stands at three thousand eight hundred and fifty metres. Then I carried on under my own steam towards Priyut 11, at four thousand and fifty metres. When I got to the hut I decided not to stop but to keep going. At that point I had no clear plan. I walked with a very heavy rucksack, gaining height steadily. When I came out onto a gentler stretch before the start of the climb to the Pastukhov Rocks, I stopped for a break and looked around. In the upper part of the rocks I noticed several tents, and one lower down. There were no more pitches to be seen below, and I had no wish to go higher. Having studied the ground carefully, I found a more or less suitable spot not far from the lower part of the Pastukhov Rocks and decided to stop there. My camp was at four thousand five hundred and two metres, or at least that is what my GPS unit showed. I have to say that the place really is far from ideal. If a strong wind had got up, it could all have ended badly. In my case, though, there were no such problems, which was a relief. I really was lucky with the weather. I did not take photographs that evening but decided to shoot some video instead, using a compact camera from time to time.<\/p>\n\n

My original plan was to walk up to the Pastukhov Rocks after the first night, and perhaps a little higher. Then to set off on the climb on the second night. In the end I decided that if I woke in the night and the weather was good, I would not put the climb off. I woke at around two. What woke me were the snowmobiles, ferrying people up to five thousand one hundred metres one load after another. While I was warming up my tea the snowcats started coming up. Before setting off I spent a little more time trying to get good shots of Elbrus, doing my best to keep the snowcats, the snowmobiles and everything else out of frame. I can say that in the end I managed it.<\/p>\n\n

I set off on the climb just after four in the morning. My first stop was at five thousand one hundred metres. That place is for people who do not want to, or cannot, go up on foot. As I was approaching it I witnessed a horrible incident: a snowmobile turned over with one passenger on board. The machine slid down and then went on rolling with nobody on it. Luckily it caught on the marker wands, and the people managed to jump clear. In the end everything turned out well, but I had a feeling it could all have ended badly. I stayed on that patch of ground for thirty or even forty minutes, trying to catch the morning light. As soon as I had shot everything I wanted, I carried on. Suddenly a strong wind got up, and it grew stronger with every step. On the saddle itself I put on my down jacket and did not feel too warm. After the saddle comes the decisive climb to the western summit. People move slowly on this stretch. At one moment it seemed to me that they had frozen in place, and yet they carried on, slowly but surely, towards their goal.<\/p>\n\n

As for the upper part of the climb, it really was steep. Most likely that is how it has to be, because it genuinely is steep up there. After that section the path comes out onto flatter ground. A few hundred metres more and I was on the summit. With short stops and photography the climb took me four hours and forty minutes. I was not alone at the top, I should say. There was a whole crowd of people, and everyone was busy with something. The descent took me no more than two hours. I had something to eat, packed quickly and set off for the cable car. While I was packing I managed to reach my friends, and it turned out that two of my companions were meant to be walking up to the hut, not to climb but simply to stroll and photograph the country around. We came down together, and we were in Terskol at five in the evening. So the whole climb, from Terskol to Terskol, took me a little more than twenty-four hours.<\/p>\n\n

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What to read next<\/h2>\n

See the programme:<\/strong> Climbing Elbrus from the south, 9 days<\/a><\/p>\n