{"id":37398,"date":"2016-03-31T12:32:38","date_gmt":"2016-03-31T09:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mountainguides.pro\/?p=37398"},"modified":"2026-09-10T16:11:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:11:06","slug":"climbing-elbrus-unguided-part-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mountainguides.pro\/ja\/2016\/03\/31\/climbing-elbrus-unguided-part-four\/","title":{"rendered":"Trying to Climb Elbrus Unguided. Part Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

Climbing Elbrus<\/a> with our guides<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The water is a little cool, but not icy. Beyond that the track runs past the observatory buildings, and very soon, at three thousand one hundred and fifty metres, one of the finest views of Elbrus on the whole road opens up. There is also a chance to stop there and rest for a while on the grass. After that a rather dismal stretch of rocky scree leads towards the ice base. The track is barely visible and there are plenty of rockfalls. Elbrus appears from behind a rib that the path gradually climbs. On the rib itself, though, streams of genuinely delicious water appear here and there. That really is very convenient for collecting water and for resting. It is worth noting that the base buildings in front of the glacier are in ruins and there is no way to spend the night there. The more or less comfortable places to step onto the glacier itself are marked with a post and lie before you reach the base buildings. There is an abandoned building just in front of the ice base, and parties coming up this same road from below often stop there for the night. The hut has three rooms with bunks. You can sleep and cook there, and there is a stream of water running nearby. The climb from Terskol to the ice base took me three \u2013 almost five \u2013 hours. I did not feel tired. My highest point was three thousand seven hundred metres. That is not a great height, and at that level your head may still leave you in peace. On the way down I missed a fairly steep and not very obvious left turn in the path. I decided not to go back, though, and found another, more direct path instead. It turned out to be a dreary one, better suited to descents than to ascents, in my view. But there is one plus: the path passes a rather pretty lake. On the flat meadow there you have the chance to stop and rest. After that I decided to move as fast as I could, since it was clear that rain was brewing. I managed to cut a couple of hairpins with short paths, though I disliked walking on them intensely. My legs tired very quickly without poles, and they tire especially on steep descents. On top of that the path itself is very dusty, whereas walking on the road is genuinely comfortable.
\nThe descent took me three hours and twenty minutes. And at six in the evening, just as it began to drizzle, I was already home. I recommend this remarkable walk towards the ice base to everyone: the track is a pleasant one and the views are superb. Over the day I covered about twenty-five kilometres on my own with a light pack, in eight and a half hours, gaining height from two thousand one hundred and thirty to three thousand seven hundred metres.
\nAnd so it was our seventh day in the mountains. It is hard to believe we had been here so long. So much had been seen and got through. Of our planned outings, only the climb of Cheget was left. From Terskol towards the Cheget meadow you can walk a kilometre and a half straight along the tarmac, or take the prettier road that runs along the right bank of the Baksan through a wonderful pine forest. It is worth noting that the Cheget meadow is deservedly considered the most upmarket part of the whole Elbrus region. There are a good many hotels there offering a higher level of comfort, and new ones are still going up. Before you reach the Cheget turning there is a splendid little equipment shop, and the centre that organises various excursions is there too. The road to the summit of Cheget runs very quickly into the boundary of the border zone, while the path continues along the riverbank. The main road, for its part, turns sharply right. It really is an extraordinary thing to watch the nearby glacier with its constantly calving slabs. Again and again they let out cracks like thunder in a storm. There are climbers who come here specially to enjoy that remarkable spectacle.
\nIt is also worth noting that in August there is no water at all on Cheget, because the mountain is too low. Anyone who decides to spend the night up there melts the snow that lingers on the shaded slopes above three thousand metres. As for the second stage of the cable car, it ends at three thousand and sixty metres. From there you get a superb view of Elbrus itself, and of the river valley, a tributary of the Baksan, and a mountain lake. The border zone starts right by the station, and the whole road to the summit of Cheget runs through it. Clearly the authorities take an indulgent view of walkers on this path in summer: nobody was stopped, since the path is a dead end and leads straight to the summit. The summit stands at three thousand four hundred and seventy metres. There is a small platform there where you can rest and enjoy the surrounding views. There are plenty of foreign visitors here. Most of them ride up on the cable car and walk the remaining four hundred metres. As for me, the seven kilometres of ascent with one thousand four hundred metres of height gain took four hours. The descent took two hours and twenty minutes. It is genuinely an easy outing. But at least one of the two summits can be counted as climbed.
\nI can draw a few conclusions from my ascent. First of all, I do not think climbing Elbrus can be counted as anything other than an extreme undertaking. It is a serious test for any body \u2013 closer to a shock, in fact. And even if your cardiovascular system is trained, that may not be enough. Blood pressure matters too, and for me it became the obstacle on the way to my goal.
\nAs for staying in a cottage in Terskol, for anyone used to living in tents it really is a wonderful chance to rest in comfort
\nAnd I cannot help mentioning how many remarkable places lie on the right bank of the Baksan itself, inside the border zone. So it is worth spending the time to obtain a permit if climbing Elbrus is not your only goal.<\/p>\n\n\n