My attempt on the summit of Elbrus took place several years ago. I chose the route on the northern side, which starts right at the foot of the mountain at two and a half thousand metres. From there everything is done on foot, without cable cars or snowcats. Infrastructure on the north side is far less developed. Here and there you come across huts run by commercial companies \u2013 at the well-known Sirkh meadow, at the North Shelter and, of course, the rescue posts. As a result the north is nowhere near as crowded as, say, the south.<\/p>\n
An ascent of Elbrus from the north usually begins at the North Shelter at three thousand seven hundred metres. First comes a climb up a small glacier towards the Lenz Rocks. Much depends on conditions: the glacier can be bare or covered in snow. In spring and winter some sections turn to “bottle” ice, which is hard and awkward to move over. In our case the ice was dense and wind-scoured, with only small patches of bare ice. From three thousand nine hundred metres up to the Lenz Rocks there is a crevassed zone where you have to move roped up. The Lenz Rocks themselves are low parallel ribs that run up to five thousand two hundred metres, with individual outcrops as high as ten metres. From the lower rocks you climb to the right towards the middle rocks. There you find a broad platform known as the helicopter site, where a helicopter once crashed. The wreckage was later removed, but a frozen rotor blade is still visible. You can pitch a tent on the platform itself or slightly below it. It is worth noting that gusts at the Lenz Rocks can be very strong indeed. The climb to the eastern summit continues between the two rock ribs towards the upper Lenz Rocks and a kind of gateway. From the upper rocks climbers can traverse across to the saddle. This way takes longer, but from the saddle it allows an ascent of either the eastern or the western summit. Since the traverse crosses a crevassed section, you have to move roped up. The saddle of Elbrus is a rocky col with a hut on it that is meant strictly for emergencies. In other words, do not plan to sleep there; use it only if something goes wrong. From the col the climb to the eastern summit begins, while the path to the western summit starts a little further south.<\/p>\n
At last the long-awaited, nerve-racking day of our summit attempt arrived. We set off at night, at about half past two. The air temperature was minus seven and the wind was not too strong. Half an hour later the moon came out and we could walk without head torches. We moved slowly but without stopping, because standing still was cold. Near the first ice rise we sat down briefly on a boulder. Dawn broke soon after, as we approached the Lenz Rocks. In the hollow below the lower Lenz Rocks we decided to stop for a short rest and take some good photographs. We untied and stowed the rope in one rucksack, since we would not need it any more \u2013 there would be no further crevasses. The sun began to warm us and we carried on up alongside the Lenz Rocks. When we reached the helicopter platform we started weighing up which way to continue. In the end we decided to follow another party’s tracks, and the climb turned out to be fairly gentle and long. Gradually we began to skirt the eastern summit, and the saddle was still out of sight. Then the rocky col ahead came into view \u2013 the saddle of Elbrus. A little higher on the flank of the eastern summit we could see the hut, the refurbished shelter. From the saddle itself there was still the eastern summit to climb, mostly over snow, with scree in the upper part. On the opposite side we could see the way to the western summit, along what people call the “people’s path”. Even in May there was a queue on it. What it is like in fine weather in summer is hard to imagine. Finally we saw the summit of Elbrus, which is unlike the western one: a dome with a barely marked crater. There is one rise below the saddle, but the summit itself with its memorial plaques is on the opposite side. To the north you can clearly see a rock where, according to one version, the highest point lies.<\/p>\n
We came back down the familiar way across the saddle, unhurried and feeling very tired. At the Lenz Rocks we were given delicious tea by the kind members of one of the parties, who were planning to cross to Azau over the saddle. There were plenty of people at the North Shelter, and groups were starting to arrive from below. Only eight people reached the summit that day. Of those camped at the shelter, another four stayed at the Lenz Rocks.<\/p>\n
In the morning we set off unhurriedly down the familiar path. The snow had softened over the past few days, and various parties were coming up towards us. We got down in good time; the earliest of them arrived at nine in the morning. They had failed to reach the summit the day before and had spent the night at the moon meadow.<\/p>\n
On the whole I am happy with the trip. I came away with a huge number of impressions and emotions. What I lived through is hard to compare with anything else. If you feel you have the strength to climb the mountain, do not hesitate and do not think about it for too long \u2013 start preparing for the ascent in earnest. Remember that climbing a mountain, even a modest one, is a serious undertaking and not something to treat lightly. And do not forget that the mountains favour only the bold and the strong, so you will manage it if you truly want to.<\/p>\n
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Related:<\/strong> all Elbrus routes and programmes<\/a> – the ascent from the north<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My attempt on the summit of Elbrus took place several y […]<\/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-37380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n