Mt Elbrus
- Airport near Russia, Moscow
- Active & Adventure
| from $4,600* per person | 14 Days | June, July |
| Comfort accommodations | Exertion level: 3 | |
| Operator: Aventuras Patagonicas | 12 people max | |
We meet in the fascinating city of Moscow, to begin this expedition. There we will visit the Kremlin, Red Square, and more, as we stroll along the banks of the Moscow River. Then we head to the Caucasus Mountains. Enroute, we will have the chance to appreciate the local culture and countryside.
We have designed this program with several days built in for acclimatization. We believe it is the best way to accomplish, in good style, Elbrus’s long & strenuous summit day. Once we are well acclimatized, after several days, we move to our high camp. An alpine start for the summit, fun, classic snow climbing will take us to Elbrus’s western summit, which is the highest of the two peaks. From the summit plateau of this double-coned volcano, the views are truly amazing.
Elbrus, although a non-technical climb, is a serious high altitude climb. You need to be comfortable climbing 4-8 hours per day. Summit day is a long strenuous day, where we climb approximately 5,000’, which involves about 8 hours for the ascent, and 4-6 hours for the descent. You should ideally be familiar with the use of crampons and ice axe, and have glacier travel experience. High winds and cold temperatures at high altitude are to be expected, as on any big mountain.
After the climb, we return to Moscow, our departure point for the trip home.
Loading map, please wait...
Locations visited/nearby
Russian Federation, Europe
Itinerary
Day 01 - 02Arrive to Moscow. We begin our journey with a tour of Moscow. Amazing city with so much history, we will visit the Kremlin, Red Square, and more, as we stroll along the banks of the Moscow River
Day 03
Flight to Mineral Vody. After breakfast we fly south to Mineral Vody (mineral water), and travel by bus to our hotel in the Baksan Valley. The Baksan is known for its Russian climbing camps. Mountaineers from all over the New Commonwealth of Independent States come here to train in hopes of becoming a guide. It is also a great location for them to develop the technical skills necessary to climb great peaks around the world
Day 04
The acclimatization process begins by hiking in the beautiful Baksan Valley. The trails wind delicately throughout the foothills and offer exquisite views of Mt. Elbrus’ twin peaks. We take the ski tram to 11,000’, and lodge at a very nice hotel
Day 05
Acclimatization hike to local observatory. This is a long day of walking with slight altitude increases. By the end of this day, most climbers are feeling strong and accustomed to the altitude
Day 06
Move gear to “barrels” where we lodge at about 11,000’. We use the tram and ski lift to help move our gear. Here we put on crampons and hike up to the old Pruitt Hut. Sleep in Barrels. (Lodging conditions such as the “barrels” and Pruitt Hut change from year to year depending on maintenance. Our schedule may be adjusted to utilize the best available shelters, we actually often get a Private Barrel, located at about 100 feet higher than regular Barrels)
Day 07
Hike to Pastukov Rocks (15,416 feet) Acclimatization hike on snow and back to the Barrels to sleep.
Day 08
Move to hut, spend afternoon readying ourselves for the summit attempt. Lodge in Hut
Day 09 - 10 - 11
Summit day. Weather permitting. We allow a window for our Summit Day in case of poor weather. Depart camp via Snow-Cat at 3:00am and ride to Pastukov Rocks area. From the rocks we begin our summit ascent. It is a long summit day. Expect a 10-12 hour round trip climb. From the summit, we have excellent views of the Caucuses, including Ushba, the Matterhorn of the region. Descend to lodging
Day 12
Hiking, celebration
Day 13
Return flight from Mineral Vody to Moscow. Dinner, spend the night in Moscow
14
Depart Moscow. Fly back home or continue traveling
More information from Aventuras Patagonicas:
- View trip on provider's website
patagonicas.com/mt-elbrus/… - Company profile, experience, and history
- View all of their trips
- Email this trip page to a friend
-
Comments from Facebook