Russian Caucasus - Mt Elbrus (5642m) from North 25 Aug - 4 Sep 2010   All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2010. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

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Contents

Map

Introduction

Itinerary

Pyatigorsk

Mt Elbrus - Base Camp

Mt Elbrus - Camp 1 (3700m)

Mt Elbrus - Summit Day (5642m)

Mt Elbrus - Post Summit Celebrations

Return to Pyatigorsk

Moscow

 

Map of the Russian Caucasus showing the north route to Mt Elbrus

Introduction

Mt Elbrus (5642m) is an extinct volcano in the Caucasus mountains of Russia, near the border with Georgia. It is the highest mountain in Europe, one of the seven summits. Because of this it is a very popular mountain and many groups climb Mt Elbrus every year. The most popular route is from the south, via the Baskan valley. This is a very well developed route with tarmac roads, hotels, cable cars and even a snow cat that can take climbers within one day's climbing of the summit. A more remote and less developed route is the northern approach, and it was this route that I chose to do in the summer of 2010, following immediately on from my climb of Mt Ararat in eastern Turkey. The northern route is much harder to reach, as the base camp is only accessible by four wheel drive vehicle after about 6 hours of driving on incredibly rough roads from Pyatigorsk. The climbing itself is not technically difficult, but the northern side of the mountain is much less developed with no cable cars or other mechanised aids, and climbers must be completely self sufficient for the entire period that they are above base camp on the mountain.

I was part of a very small group organised by the Russian tour company Tari Tour. My contact in Tari Tour organised a special programme to suit my itinerary and needs, and took care of all the arrangements, Russian visa, guide etc. We climbed Mt Elbrus via the north route in late August 2010, and my guide, Irina and I reached the summit on 30 August 2010.

Russia is an amazing country, an eye opening destination. It is a country of vast landscapes, diversity, rich history, amazing people, mountains, abundant resources and lots of vodka! It was the culmination and highlight of my 2010 trip to Europe. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Itinerary

Here is the itinerary of the trip.

Pyatigorsk

Pyatigorsk is a city in the Russian Caucasus and the base from which my excursion to Mt Elbrus was organised. On arrival in this city on 25 August I was met by Serjey a representative of Tari Tour in Pyatigorsk. He assisted me in the arduous process of getting checked into a hotel and the complex bureaucracy of "registration", a requirement of all foreign visitors to register their movements with an authorized tour operator or hotel. Then I was free to wander around Pyatigorsk and get a feel for this Russian town.

	Pyatigorsk wouldn't be a Russian city without a statue of Lenin presiding over the central park!
	A legacy of the communist era in Russia is that a lot has been invested in public space. These gardens and large areas of public space lie in the heart of the city.
	An imposing public building near the centre of town.
	The central square of Pyatigorsk.
	The main street of town with restaurants, cafes and bars.
	The Pyatigorsk markets where an abundance of fruits and nuts are on sale, and everything else besides!
	This is Russia! Where would we be without sausage? Here Ira, Daniil and I front up to the sausage stall and sample some local delicacies.

Mt Elbrus - Base Camp

On 26 August we embarked on the long rough road trip to base camp. This drive took about 5 hours of driving, plus 3 hours of waiting for mechanical repairs to be carried out on the vehicle. Being Russia, this 3 hour delay was pretty much a part of the standard itinerary.

	This yellow combi-van is the Soviet era 4WD vehicle that took us on the long rough road to base camp. Despite numerous mechanical problems withe the vehicle, Oleg assured me that this was the best type of vehicle for the conditions of the road, and I believed him. This photo is of a particularly GOOD section of road. From left to right in this photo: Serjey, Oleg, Tuzova, Natalie, Vlad
	Base camp lies ahead in the valley. This is the last place on the road that has mobile phone coverage so everyone got out here for final mobile phone calls before we lurched on down the road to the base camp in the valley below.
	This is a strange and quintessentially Russian scene. This is a mineral spring with carbon dioxide bubbling out of a hole in the rock face. These Russian people are standing here, breathing in the medicinal properties of the gases coming out of the rock. It is an almost comical scene, everyone standing in silence taking the vapours.
	This is my guide, Irina (Ira for short). After we arrived at base camp we went for a walk for a few hours. This very unstable bridge crosses a very cold and turbulent glacial torrent!
	Here are our tents at Base Camp with Mt Elbrus in the background. The highest of the twin summits is the west summit, which is the one on the right.
	There are no marmots in this area, but instead there are these small ground squirrels. They are much smaller than marmots.
	A rainbow during an afternoon storm at base camp.

Mt Elbrus - Camp 1 (3700m)

On 27 August Ira and I carried some food and equipment from base camp to Camp 1 (3700m) and then we returned to Base Camp. On the following day we made another journey to Camp 1 with our remaining gear and then remained at Camp 1, ready for our summit bid.

	On our first hike to Camp 1, Ira led me via a route called "The Mushrooms", named after these mushroom shaped rocks on top of a broad ridge on the mountain.
	Not far from Camp 1 you can look down upon this huge glacier coming off the northern side of the mountain. This photo is taken from an altitude of approximately 3650m on our way back down to Base Camp.
	On our way back to Base Camp. Ira always goes a different way each time!
	On 28 August we advanced to Camp 1 and stayed there. Natalie and Vlad were there too, acclimatising. From left to right in this photo: Irina (Ira), Vlad, Natalie, Natalie and Vlad's guide, Ashley
	Evening views of the Caucasus Mountains from Camp 1.
	Evening views of the Caucasus Mountains from Camp 1.
	View of Mt Elbrus from Camp 1. The west summit is the peak on the right. The route to the summit goes up the ridge to the rocks of the eastern summit, then across into the saddle, and then directly up onto the west summit.
	Camp 1 (3700m) at sunset.
	On 29 Aug 2010 we did an acclimatisation hike up the glacier.

Mt Elbrus - Summit Day (5642m)

Our alarms went off at midnight on 30 August. It was a perfectly still, calm night, there was not a breath of wind. By 1:15am, Ira and I had set off, cramponing up the northern slopes of Mt Elbrus. It was at least 4 hours of steady climbing before at last it began to get light, and then at last the sun ushered forth the new day soon after 6am. There is nothing more exhilarating than a mountain sunrise on summit day. At about 7am the entire majesty of the Caucasus mountain range unfolded before my eyes. At around 8:10am we reached the broad saddle between the two summits at an altitude of about 5300m. From there it was a slow and steady plod to the summit plateau and finally to the summit itself by around 9:30am. The summit was bathed in perfect sunshine and there were 360 degree views and not much wind. From here it was a long descent back to Camp 1, which we reached at about 2:30pm.

	6am on 30 August. Altitude approx 5000m. We have been climbing for more than 4 hours. The sun is about to rise.
	6:10am. Altitude 5000m. Sun is about to rise ...
	6:20am. 5000m. For me, nothing is more exhilarating than a mountain sunrise.
	6:30am.
	6:30am. Ira ahead climbing.
	6:35am.
	6:35am. At last, the wonderous sight of the Caucasus mountain range unfolds.
	7:05am. Layer upon layer of mountains. The highest of these peaks are well over 5000m. The skyline is the border between Russia and Georgia.
	09:35am. 5642m. The summit flags.
	9:35am. Views from the summit.
	Views from the summit.
	Ira and I on the summit.

Mt Elbrus - Post Summit Celebrations

The Russians like any excuse to stay up late and drink shot after shot of vodka. This is a good thing, and a welcome contrast to eastern Turkey where alcohol is not easy to obtain. The excuse for celebration in this case was Ira's and my successful summit attempt the day before. So on 31 August we descended (via a really strange steep route that Ira chose) back to base camp, and while the sun was still out, headed to the nearby mineral springs for a bracing dip in the freezing cold mineral water. Then we spent the afternoon resting. That night, only limited supplies of food and vodka remained at our base camp, but the Russians are very innovative people, as you will see ....

	This photo (which came out reddish because of the colour of the tent) documents the path to desperation when the supplies of vodka run out at a Russian base camp. Things started off well enough, with the bottle of Tuborg beer to start with followed by the bottle of cognac next to it. When that ran out, Daniil simply walked over to a nearby army camp and begged them for vodka, and was rewarded with the bottle on the left. Once that had been consumed, things got worse. The only remaining tent at base camp with any possibility of an alcohol supply was the medical tent. There the resident doctor had a supply of pure ethanol, used for sterilization and treatment of wounds. This was procured and mixed 50/50 with water in the plastic bottle on the right, and brought back. The squeezing of a little lemon juice to this mixture was the only non-retrograde step of the evening.
	The next night was a happier story because Oleg had returned from Pyatigorsk with a fresh supply of vodka, bread, salami and raw fish. A great night was had!
	And Oleg presented me this certificate.

Return to Pyatigorsk

	Before returning to Pyatigorsk we had one more day in the Elbrus region. On 1st August, Ira, Daniil and I did a long walk around the south side of Mt Elbrus, right around to the eastern side. This is the furthest point we reached, a spectacular location with a huge expanse of glacier all around. Peaks and glaciers were everywhere.
	On 2nd September we packed up our camp and began the long drive back to Pyatigorsk. We stopped by this remote farmhouse where this couple gave us cups of delicious yoghurt. Oleg also bought a tiny puppy dog here, and this little dog came back to Pyatigorsk with us.

Moscow

After spending 3 September in Pyatigorsk I flew back to Moscow. I had all day on 4 September to explore the sights of Moscow. My contact in Moscow very generously provided me with the services of a guide and a car for the whole day, so I was very lucky to be able to see all the major sights of this famous city all in the one day. Here are just a few photos.

	The famous St Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow.
	The Tsar's cannon, inside the Kremlin palace grounds.
	One of the cathedrals in the Kremlin.
	The Novodevichy Convent, Moscow.
	The Moscow city skyline.
	The Moscow metro is amazing. Spotlessly clean and beautifully decorated, this is Stalin's palaces for the people. In the Soviet era, little was spent on private accommodation but public spaces became some of the best in the world.

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All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2010. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. Page created 13 Oct 2010, last updated 19 Oct 2010.

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