There were five of us in the team back then. As it turned out, we all became genuinely good friends, which was of course a fine thing and gave us hope of a successful climb. I remember that it took us a little over three hours to reach the Emmanuel meadow, where everything actually begins. That is where we pitched our tent. There is a so-called hotel on the meadow (in the form of tents) and a small caf\u00e9, and not far away there is a silver spring, from which many people draw drinking water and in which some even bathe. Some believe the spring has healing properties. The water there is only a couple of degrees above freezing. It was on this meadow that I first saw Elbrus in all its glory.<\/p>\n
As soon as we had all registered with the emergency service, we went straight to bed. The next day we had a scheduled walk up towards the assault camp on Elbrus. So the fifth of August 2013 can be counted as the first day of our Elbrus climb. Early in the morning we decided to walk from the Emmanuel meadow itself up to the upper camp. The assault camp stood at 3800 metres. Our aim was to carry part of the equipment and the food up there. The way up went through what is known as the „German airfield“, then up onto the ridge, and after that onto the moraine. It took us about three hours. The assault camp gave us less than a warm welcome – it was drizzling and everything was wrapped in thick fog. That was the moment I was lucky enough to see a rare phenomenon for the first time: a rainbow on the edge of a cloud.<\/p>\n
We left one tent there together with the equipment and the food, and then set off back to base camp. The way back proved anything but simple and took no less effort than the climb. We spent another night at base camp on the Emmanuel meadow. The weather was surprisingly good: there was not a single cloud either in the morning or at night, which gave us hope of a successful climb. The next morning we all packed our things and set off for the assault camp again. The climb took about four hours. The hardest part, and the most disagreeable, was crossing the moraine. Just below the upper camp we had to cross a stretch of scree and literally jump from rock to rock. The climbers we met were coming down, and most of them had very tired but contented faces. It was clear that all their difficulties were behind them. Ahead of us lay trials we knew nothing about – plenty of difficulties and possible failures. In the mountains, though, it is important to stay positive. Then again, optimism is useful everywhere, not only in the mountains.<\/p>\n
The following day we planned an acclimatisation walk to the Lenz Rocks. For that we needed a rope, because the trail crossed crevasses that had begun to open up by the start of August. Sections like that are safest crossed roped up. We were lucky enough to find two good ropes at the assault camp, but they did not come cheap. Since we had originally planned to spend a night at the Lenz Rocks, we decided to take a rope for a longer period.<\/p>\n
In the evening I developed a headache, which was hardly surprising – our group was at 3800 metres. The next day we set off for the Lenz Rocks, planning to choose a place to spend the night. The original idea was to sleep there and then continue the climb. The weather was kind to us – it was magnificent, and in high spirits we set off. But as soon as the group reached the first rock outcrop, the weather turned sharply. The climb itself took us two and a half hours, whereas it normally takes three and a half. So we were moving fairly fast.<\/p>\n
When we reached the second rock outcrop at 4550 metres, a blizzard blew up and we decided to go down. After the acclimatisation we gave up the idea of a night at the Lenz Rocks and decided to attempt the summit from the upper camp, as most climbers on the northern side of Elbrus do.<\/p>\n
The next day was free, which gave us an excellent chance to rest and take photographs around the camp. There were not many tents standing there at the time. From the assault camp itself there was a superb view of both summits of Elbrus, whenever the weather allowed – and in the mountains it often changes by the hour. Towards evening we began getting ready for bed, since we were due to get up at one in the morning. That night we were going to attempt the summit. Many people said the weather was expected to be excellent. In that optimistic mood we went to sleep.<\/p>\n
I woke a little before one in the morning. The weather was grim, it was dark all around, and head torches were glowing in all the tents. We decided to go back to sleep, hoping the weather would improve, but soon the guide woke us and said it was time to get up. We got ready, had breakfast and walked out onto the glacier, having put on crampons and roped up. At three in the morning we began our climb of Elbrus.<\/p>\n
I shall never forget the moment when we were crossing the crevasses and I saw a shooting star. It was an unexpected sight, and I was so stunned that I had no time to make a wish. The star fell so close and so fast that it seemed to me you could only see such a thing in the mountains. We set off among the last, but overtook several groups along the way. A little over two hours later we reached the first rock outcrop of the Lenz Rocks, but the weather turned again – a fierce blizzard blew up and moving on became dangerous, especially without ice axes, which not everyone had. About fifteen people were standing near the rock waiting for conditions to improve, but many decided to go back to camp.<\/p>\n
We decided to wait another half hour in case our luck changed. The sky cleared a little, but the wind stayed strong, and we decided to descend. We still had three spare days, so we planned to make another attempt the following night. But as soon as we started down, one of our companions unexpectedly bolted upwards. So we followed him, slowly as we were. After a while the weather improved – the sky cleared, though the wind remained strong. The trail was practically invisible and we walked more or less on luck. We were genuinely fortunate, because the snow was firm and our feet did not sink into it.<\/p>\n
About an hour and a half later we saw a group of Americans who had stopped by some rocks, and we decided to join them. By half past eight we had reached 5000 metres and found shelter behind a large rock, where we were able to warm up with hot tea. Then we caught the Americans up at the Lenz Rocks, at 5200 metres. Here there was a choice: to head for the saddle or for the eastern summit. The weather worsened again, visibility dropped sharply and the wind strengthened. We could see one rock and nothing else. The guide pointed to where the summit ought to be, and we had to decide whether to go on or abandon the climb. In bad weather even experienced mountaineers sometimes fail, and I was ready to give up. It was galling, because only 400 metres remained to the summit, but having decided that the GPS would help us find our way back, we carried on up.<\/p>\n
When one of our party fell ill, he was escorted down while the rest of us moved on. We walked in almost zero visibility, climbing at the steepest angle our strength allowed. Alexey, out in front, broke trail through the snow, which was especially hard with a rucksack on his back. We stopped often, but I did not feel badly tired, though there was not enough air. Our speed was slow and we gained height slowly. Climbing in fog with no visibility turned out to be the hardest thing of all for me.<\/p>\n
After a while we reached a rocky ridge. There was no trail to be seen, so we headed for the highest point of the ridge. A few more steps and the eastern summit of Elbrus opened up in front of us. We had reached it at last! We spent about half an hour on the summit and then set off back down.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Related:<\/strong> all Elbrus routes and programmes<\/a> – climbing from the north<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There were five of us in the team back then. As it turned out, we all became genuinely good friends, which was of course a fine thing and gave us hope of a successful climb. I remember that it took us a little over three hours to reach the Emmanuel meadow, where everything actually begins. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14084,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n