Dreams are meant to come true. What else are they for? I dreamed about Elbrus rather cautiously, picturing my climb somewhere at the back of my mind, and the surge of feeling that was waiting for me. The word \u201cmountains\u201d meant something special to me, exciting and very much wanted. Being a maximalist and an idealist by nature, I decided at once on the highest summit in Europe. It also appealed to me because it is considered technically straightforward to climb. That means it is a place where not only experienced mountaineers can test themselves, but people who have never been in the mountains before, or who have little experience. I understood, of course, that even a straightforward climb requires careful preparation, physical and mental alike.<\/p>\n\n
It is important to understand that climbing Elbrus<\/a> is not only about beauty and new sensations but about a certain challenge to yourself. You have to recognise that the mountains will not be easy, and that at times they will be so hard that you may want to turn back. Whatever happens, though, you have to keep going towards your goal and towards making the dream real. How do you prepare yourself mentally for a climb if you have never been to the mountains? One way is to read accounts by people who have already been to the summit, and better still to watch video reports.<\/p>\n\n A guide can help you somehow with your state of mind, but as for the physical side, what you arrive with is what you will have. So the first thing to give attention to is physical preparation and training. Better to start training early than to leave everything to the last few weeks. Begin with running in the mornings, or at any time of day that suits you. A mountaineer of long standing told me that once, and I naturally took their advice and started running. I admit that sometimes I did not want to, and found reasons not to, but then I would pull myself together and make myself go. In time that training became a habit and it got easier; I no longer had to force myself or do anything against the grain. I understood by then that running would not be enough, and I was going to the gym alongside it. My main task at that point was to be as ready for the climb as I could be. If I were not physically ready, better to put the plans off, otherwise it would be risky. Regular training cheered me on and gave me more confidence in myself. On top of that I kept watching video reports and listening to climbers’ accounts, and my wish to go up Elbrus grew stronger still.<\/p>\n\n At that time I had one more question to settle: on my own, or with a group? On the one hand a solo climb means the freedom to do as I like; on the other it is very risky for a beginner, and more so for someone who is in the mountains for the first time. It did not take me long to choose a climb as part of a group.<\/p>\n\n Having made the final choice, I felt calmer, because I knew I would not be on my own, which meant it would all work out.<\/p>\n\n The climb was planned by the simplest route to the Western summit. Our group was to stay in a hotel for several days. Then one day a bus would collect everyone and take them to Azau. After that the plan was to go up to the Barrels. Once we arrived with our rucksacks, all the members of the group would climb towards the Pastukhov Rocks. The altitude there is already considerable: 4700 metres. A few days later came the night departure for the summit.<\/p>\n\n I should say that doubts kept surfacing and thoughts crept slyly into my head: \u201cMaybe it would be better to find something else, maybe there is no need to rush at Elbrus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n But this mountain had been my dream for years, and I did not want to give in or be unfaithful to it. That would be dishonest towards myself, above all. So the decision was final and not open to revision.<\/p>\n\n As it turned out, our group had no chance of catching the chairlift, so there was nothing for it but to walk. We were genuinely lucky; fortune was on our side. A vehicle picked us up on the way and took us to the Barrels. It was hard going because of the frost, but the wish to reach my goal was many times stronger than the tiredness.<\/p>\n\n We moved into the hut, ate, and by then it was nearly midnight. Everything was only beginning, and that took my breath away; at times it felt as though all this were happening to someone else, and for a while I could not believe I was in the mountains or take in what lay ahead. At the same time my confidence grew stronger with every minute. On the night of the climb the sensible decision was to set out for the mountain at two in the morning. We knew we would have almost no time to sleep.<\/p>\n\n So at two in the morning many people left, but we wanted to wait and set off some four hours later. The problem was that a lot of them were suffering from altitude sickness by then. In that respect I was lucky, and I even managed to sleep a little. Many of us were short of oxygen, and the temperature at the time was minus fifteen. A storm-force wind and the sickness of my companions kept sleep away. There was a kind of tension in the air. Fortunately I had neither nausea nor raised blood pressure. The one thing that bothered me slightly was a little dizziness. On the whole I felt excellent. More than that, I even had a good appetite. Because of the state some of the group were in, getting ready took us far longer than it should have.<\/p>\n\n Since the others were feeling bad, they fell a long way behind. Breathing was very hard indeed in the strong, icy wind. At the same time my feet and hands were getting very cold, and that despite several pairs of socks and mittens. And when I was already on the very summit, I realised that it really had \u201cgot me\u201d. The symptoms of that treacherous altitude sickness began to show in me as they had in the others. There was dizziness and weakness. Even though my pace had changed, I kept going. At one point my strength seemed to run out completely; I simply sat down in the snow and almost fell asleep. That is something you must never allow. After the saddle itself there was a fairly steep climb. Many people were dropping into the snow from sheer exhaustion. Each new step came hard even to experienced climbers. I have to say I could not see why everyone was putting themselves through so much. At that point no more than thirty metres were left to the summit I had been longing for. I personally stood on the top of Elbrus before noon. The clock, if I am not mistaken, showed eleven. It was very cold at the time, so I could barely enjoy my victory, small as it was.<\/p>\n\n I was back at the Pastukhov Rocks within a couple of hours, and at the hut itself later on. I can say now that the climb was not easy for me, but I am happy that I did get up. It really is a piece of good fortune that the mountain let me through.<\/p>\n\n Climbing Elbrus: tours, prices, reviews<\/a><\/p>\n\n See the programme:<\/strong> Climbing Elbrus from the south, 9 days<\/a><\/p>\n Dreams are meant to come true. What else are they for? I dreamed about Elbrus rather cautiously, picturing my climb somewhere at the back of my mind, and the surge of feeling that was waiting for me. The word \u201cmountains\u201d meant something special to me, exciting and very much wanted. Being a maximalist and an […]<\/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-37423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to look at next<\/h2>\n