Tired of the standard New Year celebration — the mountains of Olivier salad and sprat sandwiches, the television galas, the addresses from the country’s leaders? If your answer is yes, then go ahead and book a New Year tour to Elbrus, and set off for new adventures that stay with you.
Ski tours to Elbrus with accommodation and equipment hire
Readers of the “New Year on Elbrus” section can choose from three piste programmes run by Mountain Guide. Every departure ends on a Sunday, accommodation is in Terskol, and a basic set of skis or a snowboard is included.
- 2-day tour — Saturday and Sunday
- 3-day tour — Friday–Sunday
- 7-day tour — Monday–Sunday
Lift passes, travel and instruction are paid for separately. An extra night, transfers, meals, single occupancy and lessons can be requested subject to availability.
Climbing Elbrus over the 2014 New Year holidays is an excellent option for energetic, determined people who prefer an active holiday and dream of reaching the highest and least accessible summits. The mountains are particularly beautiful and beguiling at this time of year — snowflakes drifting through the air, snow creaking underfoot, a feeling of lightness and ease hanging about the place. On New Year’s Eve the sky above Elbrus sparkles with fireworks until morning, and the skiers do nothing but come down the pistes with burning torches in their hands.
Most experienced, seasoned skiers and mountaineers have a tradition of seeing in the winter holidays in the mountains. If you cannot yet count yourself among their number, do not let that put you off. Elbrus today is open to absolutely everyone, and seeing in the holidays above 3500 metres under an open sky has in recent years become rather fashionable and prestigious as well. Climbing Elbrus from the south at New Year – is the most manageable option in that case. First, ‘clambering’ up the mountain from the south is far easier, because the slopes on this side are gentler and there are plenty of cable cars and lifts. Second, the infrastructure here is well developed, and an amateur traveller genuinely has plenty to fill the days with. Travellers find a great many high-class hotels and private guest houses, restaurants and cafés serving traditional Caucasian food, viewpoints and other sights. You will almost certainly fall in love with Elbrus in winter and want to come back more than once.
Important! As a rule, in winter the slopes of Elbrus above the Pastukhov Rocks are one continuous sheet of ice of considerable size (500-1000 metres in extent). Moving across them therefore calls for specific mountaineering training. A reasonable option is a guided ascent of Elbrus, with someone who can look after your safety. Beyond that, an essential requirement is basic trekking and mountaineering skills: being able to move on ice in crampons, and knowing how ice screws and a climbing rope are used.