{"id":37331,"date":"2013-10-26T21:38:38","date_gmt":"2013-10-26T18:38:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mountainguides.pro\/?p=37331"},"modified":"2026-09-10T16:10:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:10:06","slug":"first-climb-of-mount-elbrus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mountainguides.pro\/pt\/2013\/10\/26\/first-climb-of-mount-elbrus\/","title":{"rendered":"Climbing Elbrus for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

The grade of a climb of Elbrus, under the official mountaineering classification, is 2A, and even that is less for the technical difficulty than for the altitude. But underestimating your opponent is the same thing as losing. Especially when you are trying to reach that proud summit for the first time.<\/p>\n\n

The choice of route on Elbrus is one of the main points in preparing for the adventure. Without exaggeration, success depends on choosing the right way up. If you are making your climb of Elbrus<\/span><\/a> for the first time, the best thing you can do is turn your attention to the southern side. Climbing Elbrus from the south.<\/span><\/a> This is a whole infrastructure built around the climb, with snowcats, snowmobiles and cable cars, and with the chance of a quick descent to sea-buckthorn tea and Caucasian khychiny. Mountaineers going up Elbrus for the first time can also consider a climb of Elbrus from the north<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climbing Elbrus from the east or the west calls for the basic skills of working with a rope and with standard mountaineering equipment. The eastern route is a little simpler, but enormous crevasses, the absence of a rescue team and of mobile coverage, terrain that is far from straightforward, and steep sections that are sometimes over 45 degrees all complicate a climb that is not easy to begin with. Elbrus from the west is genuinely a technical route, and it cannot be recommended to a beginner.<\/p>\n\n

The most favourable time for climbing Elbrus is the summer months, from June to the middle of August. For the rest of the year the weather on Elbrus is extremely unsettled: low temperatures, strong wind and heavy snowfall. In winter, too, from 4500 metres up to the summit itself at 5642 metres, there are often stretches of bare ice that even the most experienced mountaineers sometimes will not cross without a rope. A long spell of \u201coxygen starvation\u201d does not only drain your strength; it also slows down your thinking. If you do not have the relevant experience, the one right decision is to use experienced guides.<\/p>\n\n

Climbing Elbrus with a guide<\/span><\/a> can be compared with taking out a policy with an insurance company. Your health, and even your life, depend on the guide while you are in the mountains. People die on Elbrus every year, so a climb is not a romantic stroll through scenic country. Climbing Elbrus is a hard struggle with the conditions, with your own technical ability and with your state of mind. A competent, experienced guide on Elbrus becomes your ally, while an unprofessional one becomes the reason the journey to the highest point in Europe goes wrong. When you are choosing a travel company and the staff who will look after the climb \u2014 guide, instructor, porter \u2014 ask about their level of professionalism, the number of successful climbs and so on.<\/p>\n\n

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What to look at next<\/h2>\n

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