Not Scheduled
Mt. Elbrus (18,510’/5,642 m) is the
highest point in Europe and one of the “Seven
Summits.” Located in the spectacularly beautiful central Caucasus Mountains of
Russia, Elbrus offers the opportunity to accomplish a high, non-technical snow
climb in a decidedly civilized
fashion. We will stay in a
mountain lodge and huts, go on acclimatization hikes, soak in hot springs, and
climb the mountain. After the climb, there is an optional six day tour of Moscow
and St. Petersburg. After all, we are already in Russia and we might as well
see the big cities as well!
Prices*:
Elbrus Climb Only- CONTACT
US
*Land
costs - Includes all meals, Lodging; Guides; All necessary permits: OVIR
and reserve territory registration, rescue service registration, local
protection fee; transportation as described in itinerary, including snow cat on
summit day.
Does not include airfare to or from Mineralnye Vody. If you are coming
through Moscow, we can made arrangements for your transfer and flight to
Mineralye Vody.
Climb plus Tour
-
Not Scheduled
1 person - $6,000, 2-3 Persons, - $4,000 each, 4-5 persons - $3,500 each, 6-9
persons - $2,800 each.
*Land costs. Climb - Includes all
climb items per above, air transportation to Moscow, accommodation in
twin/double rooms with private bath/shower at listed or similar 3* hotels,
all transfers by private vehicles with drivers, Train from Moscow to St.
Petersburg, English-speaking guides for all sightseeing and excursions,
breakfast daily, and entrance and admission fees per itinerary.
Does not include airfare to
Mineralnya Vody or from St. Petersburg. If you are coming through Moscow, we can arrange
for your transfer and flight to Mineralnya Vody.
If you want to come on the trip, but not do
the climb, you are more than welcome. Day hikes, touring, shopping, or
whatever can be arranged while the climbers are on the mountain. The price
is the same and you will stay in the lodge.
Limit of nine climbers (plus two OPA guides)
and 10 people on tour.
Use the secure form,
e-mail
us, or call (877) 965-5100 for more details.
Description
Acclimatization
As we do for all our climbs of big mountains, we are going
to be very keen to ensure that everyone is adequately acclimatized when we go
for the summit. Since Elbrus is a major ski area during the winter, and we will
actually start our summit climb from a hut, the standard routine of “climb high
and sleep low” is going to be modified to “ride high, hike some, and sleep
low.” We will ride ski lifts up high, hike and climb up higher, and descend the
lifts back to our lodge/hut.
The Climb
After four days of acclimating, we
leave from the “Barrels Huts” (12,870’/3,900m) about 3 AM. We will probably
take a snow cat up to the Pastukhov Rocks (14,850/4500 m), since we will have
previously climbed up to here and it will save us two hours of walking in the
dark. From the Rocks, it is a slow gradual ascent to the saddle
(17,160’/5,230m) between the east and west summits. From the saddle we head
left up toward the west summit and top out on the small summit dome
(18,510’/5,642m).
There is minimal danger
from crevasses and we will probably not need to rope-up, although we will carry
ropes. We will carry ice axes, crampons, and trekking poles. Besides altitude,
the primary challenge is the possibility of sudden changes in the weather with
resulting severe conditions: cold, wind, and poor visibility. We will wand our
route as necessary, and use our navigational tools to ensure we can find our way
off the mountain. We will also review and practice our self arrest and crampon
skills prior to our climb day.
Support
Experienced lead and assistant
guides from OPA will provide mountaineering and medical support and work with
our local Russian Guides and support crew from Pilgrim Tours.
Itinerary
August 27, 2004 -
Our plan is to meet at the Mineralnya Vody
Airport Friday, .
You can fly into Mineralnya Vody either from
Moscow or Munich, Germany. From the airport, it’s
about a four
hour bus ride to our mountain lodge (twin rooms, with toilet and shower) in the
Baksan Valley at the base of Elbrus. If we arrive early enough, we may have an
opportunity to take a walk before dinner.
All Photos are from the
Pilgrim Tours website
Saturday, August 28
-
After breakfast, we will go to Cheget village and take the ski lift
(6,600’/2,000m) up Cheget Mountain. From the top of the lift (10,500’/3,200m),
we will hike to the summit (11,800’/3600 m). After hanging out on the summit
and enjoying the view, we return to Cheget village for lunch. On the way back we
can “take the waters” in a mineral hot spring. We return to the mountain lodge
for dinner and overnight.
Sunday, August 29
-
After breakfast at the lodge, we ride the two-stage Azau Cable car
from
7,750’/2350m to 11,550’/3,500m and take a chair lift up to the Garabashi lift
station (12,540’/3,800m) just below the Barrels Huts. We typically encounter
snow/ice at this elevation. From here we hike to the former Priut-11 site
(13,860’/4,200m). The Priut-11 Hotel burned down in 1998; an outbuilding called
the Diesel hut is still there. We will plan on doing some self arrest practice
and wearing our crampons if the conditions are appropriate. This is a good
opportunity to check out our gear before we move up from the lodge. Depending
on how we feel and the conditions, we may push up to the beginning of Pastukhov
rocks (14,850’/4,500m).
We’ll descend to the Garabashi station by 4 pm to catch the lifts back for
dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Monday, August 30
- After breakfast we leave the mountain lodge with all our
climbing gear. We can leave the rest of our gear at the mountain lodge. We’ll
ride up to
theBarrels Huts
(12,870’/3900m) and move our gear in. After a short rest and tea, we start for a
hike up to the beginning of the Pastuckhov rocks and probably higher
(14,850’-15,510’/4,500m – 4,700m).
We’ll have lunch,
dinner and stay overnight at the Barrels Huts.
Tuesday, August 31-
This is an acclimatization day. We will do a short hike up to 14,200’/4,300m
and hang out at the huts. We can hydrate, eat, rest, and get our gear and
summit packs ready for Wednesday’s climb. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, overnight is
in the Barrels Huts.
Wednesday, September 1
– We get up at 2AM and leave The Barrels after breakfast by 3AM. We plan to
take the snow-cat up to Pastukhov Rocks (14,850/4,500m). From the Rocks it will
likely take us four – five hours to the
saddle
(17,160’/5,230m), and another two hours to the summit (18,510’/5,642m).
From the
summit it’s about three hours to descend back to the Barrels Huts. If we return
to the Huts by 2-3 PM, we can descend to the valley and overnight at the
mountain lodge. Otherwise, we will spend the night at the huts. (The chairlift
shuts down at 4 PM.)
Thursday, September 2
–
If
we made the summit Wednesday, we will descend to the mountain lodge and have a
rest day with short hikes, shopping at the wool market, soaking at the hot
springs. Breakfast at the Barrels, lunch at an Azau cafe, and dinner at the
lodge. If Wednesday was a weather hold day, this is summit day.
Friday, September 3
–If
we made the summit Wednesday, this is an open day. There are several options:
shopping, soaking at the mineral springs, hiking to a side valley, or just
hanging out in the lodge. This is the last day we can try to climb Mt. Elbrus.
If we try to summit, we have to descend to the valley as well, so it could be a
long day.
Saturday, September 4 –
After breakfast at the lodge, we’ll take the bus back to the Mineralnye Vody
airport. Our driver will take us to the departure hall and will help with
registering. Those of you just doing the climb will head home, and the tourist
group will fly to Moscow. Our tour guides will meet us at the airport and take
us to the three star Rossia Hotel.
Sunday, September 5 –
Our tour of Moscow takes us past the magnificent
cathedral of Kazan. We walk in Red Square, where we will see the Kremlin and
St. Basil’s Cathedral, drive along the Moscow River Embankment, and visit Arbat
Street. Time at leisure before our afternoon tour of the Kremlin, which
includes a tour of the Kremlin grounds, a visit to one of the cathedrals and the
Armory. We spend the night at the Rossia Hotel.
Monday, September 6 - This
morning we may choose between one of the following tours:
Moscow Metro
and the Arbat – The Moscow Metro (subway) is justly regarded as one of
the most beautiful architectural monuments in the world. Each station is
unique, with mosaic panels, bronze figures, and magnificent chandeliers and
finished with marble, granite and artistic castings. The Arbat is Moscow’s most
well-known neighborhood. Branching off the main Arbat Street is a maze of side
streets; many old buildings have been renovated, and most now house cafes,
restaurants and shops. The Arbat is a shopper’s paradise, with shops and stalls
displaying every kind of Russian art, handicraft and souvenir.
OR
KGB Museum Tour
– A morning tour to visit the old KGB building, a focus of Russians'
dread for years. There are four rooms showing the history of one of the world's
most famous security organizations. There are displays of their methods, as
revealed by former KGB agents. The Hall was created for professional training
and educating of the State Security services employees. There is an exhibition
covering the events of mass repression during Stalin's period. A separate hall
illustrates the security service’s activity during World War II. There is a
display of Cold War KGB activities which includes photographs of some well-known
spies who were caught and interrogated by the KGB. At leisure until we
transfer to the train station to board the late afternoon train to St.
Petersburg. We arrive in the late evening and transfer to the three star Moskva
Hotel.
Tuesday, September 7 - A city so
European and yet so unlike anything else in Europe, the beauty of St. Petersburg
lies in the blend of Russian and western European architecture. It is in St.
Petersburg where we come face-to-face with the Russian Czars and their opulent
palaces. With its classical architecture and well-designed wide tree-lined
streets, St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our
morning tour of St. Petersburg will introduce us to Nevsky Prospekt, the main
thoroughfare of St. Petersburg. Then we will travel along the embankment of the
Neva River and view the magnificent Hermitage Museum from Vassilievsky Island.
Time at leisure prior to our
visit to the Hermitage Museum. One of the world’s greatest art galleries set in
the magnificent Winter Palace built by Catherine the Great. The museum is vast.
Along with additional buildings, it houses collections of art by such masters as
Rembrandt, Rubens and Picasso, and collections from the Impressionists and
Post-Impressionists. Return to the Moskva Hotel and overnight in St.
Petersburg.
Wednesday, September 8: This
morning we travel outside of the city for a tour of Peterhoff (Petrodvorets).
The imperial summer palace of Peter the Great was built at the beginning of the
18-century. It sits on the Gulf of Finland, 20 miles from St. Petersburg.
Peterhoff is a combination of several palaces, containing furniture, paintings
and art items that belonged to different generations of Russian Czars. In front
of the Big Palace is a beautiful fountain and its many tiers, and ornamental
golden statues offer an amazing sight. Return to St. Petersburg. Afternoon at
leisure. Overnight at the Moskva Hotel.
Thursday, September 9: Hotel
checkout prior to 12 noon and transfer to the airport to fly home.
