Elbrus self-climbing report. The mountain did not let everyone in: climbing Elbrus from the north, report. Trekking poles. BLACK DIAMOND Trail
All things. We need to set new goals. But somehow all this was in very distant plans and conversations. In July 2015, Transaero (of blessed memory) put everything in its place. By chance I came across tickets from St. Petersburg to Mineralnye Vody and back at a price of 5,300 rubles. It was immediately decided that we would take it. We wrote a post on VKontakte - and within a couple of days there were as many as 8 people wanting to climb Elbrus. Then there were 2 months of preparation: searching for a guide and a lower-budget option, correspondence, discussing details, digesting in our heads what we actually fit into and searching for equipment. They flew by unnoticed. September 10 arrived - the day of departure.
First day: departure and Minvody
The most ordinary airport. Nothing special.
The flight was not without incident. One of the expedition members was “preparing for departure” so intensely that he ended up oversleeping and had to be urgently gone and woken up individually. And this is two hours before departure. The telephone receiver was turned off. Fortunately, the flight was eventually postponed by an hour. Everyone made it in time. It is worth noting that due to problems with work, one of the intended participants in the trip was still unable to escape. 6 people were flying from St. Petersburg. And the seventh character (a native of the city of Sochi) joined us already in Minvody. There is nothing to write about the flight. What is the cost of this flight? Killed Boeings, 20-30 years old. They don't fall and it's good. The transfer in Moscow was short as planned - only an hour. Due to the postponement of the St. Petersburg-Msk flight, we barely had time to run to the transfer. The plane was waiting for us specially, but our luggage did not have time for the transfer.
Minvody
Compared to the cloudy, cool September St. Petersburg in Minvody it was just like summer warmth. Still, a couple of thousand kilometers to the south. Not the tropics, of course, but still. As mentioned above, our luggage did not arrive. A common story for connecting flights with short layovers. We spent half an hour on bureaucracy. They promised to deliver our luggage to the hotel, and it was supposed to arrive on the next flight from Moscow around 8 pm. Then we went looking for a way to get there. Traditionally, we refuse a taxi and take a minibus. Having traveled what feels like half the distance to the desired address, we unload and walk the rest of the distance.
Guesthouse "Sofia" and surroundings
We only had to spend 1 night in Minvody. The next day at 12:00 we had an appointment with a guide at the railway station. We didn’t stand on ceremony with the hotel for a long time: a couple of weeks before departure we went to Agoda, chose a cheaper option and booked. The room was essentially a one-room apartment in a one-story private house. There are 6 beds in the room. As the seventh sleeping place there was supposed to be a folding sofa in the kitchen. The whole thing cost about 3500 rubles. for everyone. That is, 500 rubles each. from the nose. There is a shower/bath, everything is in order, there are even towels and a full kitchen. It's quite normal to stay for 1 night. After checking in, we walked down the street looking for a store. We found a dining room. They finished almost everything that was left unsold at the end of the working day. They asked how much vodka cost. 140 rub. In the cafe. Bottle!
Second day: meeting with the guide
We go to meet the guide at the railway station.
Live in the mountains.
Clean, nice, a little Soviet.
As a result of the evening, we were half an hour late for the meeting. But it seems to be allowed. The guide met us at the station and escorted us to the meeting point, where there were 2 minibuses, an assistant guide and the eighth participant in the hike. It turned out to be Pavel from St. Petersburg. As it turned out later, he made the decision to travel after seeing my post on VKontakte. We load up and go to the Adyr Su gorge.
Mountains in the clouds.
There we had to undergo the acclimatization part of the program: getting used to the heights, living in tents, and at the same time admiring the mountain beauty North Caucasus. But something went wrong. The gorge is located in the border zone and special permission is required to visit it.
The scale of the stones is amazing!
The lift only lifts cars. If you don't have a car, walk up the stairs.
But we had to walk down.
It's swill, of course, but it warms you up quite well.
The river flow is quite strong. You shouldn't swim there.
Caucasian "chocolate hills".
Adyr-su is the right tributary of the Baksan River.
Muddy river streams. They are cloudy due to minerals in the river.
After an awkward moment with customs. Let's go downstairs and wait for the car.
The organizers of the hike did not take into account one detail, that one of the participants in our hike was a citizen of Ukraine. According to border guards, her presence in the border zone required special permission, which was obtained in advance. Attempts to resolve the issue on the spot did not lead to anything. We were not allowed into Adyr-Su. The situation was not very pleasant, but nevertheless not hopeless. The hike program was promptly changed and we went straight to Cheget and the Elbrus region for acclimatization. Another couple of hours of waiting and we loaded onto the bus again. Two hours later we arrive at the Cheget clearing at the base with the touching name “Reserve Tale”.
A very small but fast river.
This is our house.
Overlooking the mountains.
Alcohol in the Elbrus region
Despite the fact that we seemed to be about to conquer a very difficult mountain in terms of altitude, the issue of alcohol was studied in detail. Bottom line: in the Elbrus region, in small shops everywhere you can buy burnt vodka without any problems. By the capital's standards, it costs simply indecently 100-150 rubles. for half a liter.
Light beer after a long journey.
Already at the camp. Let's drink beer =)
The real Zhigulevskoe. Beer brewed locally =)
Beer, on the other hand, is relatively expensive. A bottle of locally produced beer, most of it unpasteurized, costs an average of 70 rubles. In many local cafes and restaurants, alcohol usually costs about the same as in stores. You can also bring alcohol purchased outside the establishment. There are no problems with this.
Why do people go to the mountains? It seems like a simple question, but for some reason you will never hear a definite answer. Maybe because there is no universal, correct answer? Everyone who goes to the mountains has their own goal, their own motive. Achieve something previously impossible for you. Test yourself. Test the friend you are going on a hike with. To prove to someone that you are no worse, that you were able to do it, too. Switch gears, escape from reality. Take a wonderful photo at the edge of the world. We can think of many more reasons. But is it necessary to do this? Probably, not. Still, mountaineering is not about mountains. These are people who go to the mountains together.
For me, mountaineering in general and Elbrus in particular began six months before the ascent. Thinking about how to spend your upcoming vacation. There have already been underwater adventures. Water ones too. What's next? Or higher? Mountains? Why not? I had no experience of mountain hiking, let alone mountaineering. I started by researching the issue on the Internet. What kind of mountains do we even have? What do you need to know and be able to do to go to the mountains? What equipment is needed? How hard is it physically? Even a cursory acquaintance with the materials of Internet sites dedicated to mountains was enough to understand that this is by no means entertainment, but a lot of hard work and struggle. Fight with yourself. Not with the mountain. It cannot be “conquered”, as some say. They stood long before us, and will stand for a very long time when we are no longer here. A person can only climb the mountain for a short time if SHE wants to let him go. Spend some time at the top, for a moment, soaring above the clouds. And go downstairs if SHE decides so and wants to let go of the little man who disturbed her peace.
During all this time, people treated the mountains with respect. The legends of many peoples say that gods live on the tops of the highest mountains. The Greeks believed that Zeus lived on Mount Olympus. And, according to Chechen legend, Pharmat (Prometheus) was chained to Mount Kazbek. According to this legend, Prometheus was a giant who stole fire for people. For this the gods severely punished him. But the hero’s suffering did not end there. Every evening the Hoopoe bird flies and pecks his heart. The Balkars have a legend that during the Flood, Noah’s ark touched the peak of Elbrus sticking out of the water. The impact was so strong that the top of the mountain split in two. Noah, tired of floating at the mercy of the waves, asked the mountain for refuge. Not forgiving the disrespectful attitude, the mountain refused. Then Noah cursed the peak: “And even if there is spring at your feet, and flowers bloom, let the middle always be autumn, and the peaks - eternal winter" And since then, the peak of Elbrus, forked by the ark, has been covered eternal ice and snow.
This mountain, covered in various legends in the epics of many peoples, had to be climbed. A prerequisite for a successful ascent is, among other things, the availability of the equipment necessary for such an event. By the way, it's quite expensive. At that moment I had practically nothing. I had to study on the Internet what people wear to the mountains now. I learned a lot about modern high-tech clothing. For six months I gradually bought the necessary equipment. I tried to take goods only from well-known, proven brands that make equipment for climbers - Sivera, Bask, Marmot, RedFox. When the issue with equipment became more or less clear, I started thinking about physical preparation for the hike. To begin with, as a warm-up, I went on a hiking trip in Crimea in May. To my chagrin, I realized that with such a physical form there was nothing to do in the Caucasus. I had to urgently, because... Time was running out for me to do some physical exercise. A The best way To prepare for climbing mountains is to run. Swimming is also very beneficial. In winter it would be nice to go skiing. But now it was already summer, the time for skiing had passed. What loads should you give when running? For myself, I decided simply - I start with 2 kilometers a day, gradually increasing the distance, and after 3 weeks I reach 10 kilometers. I completed the task, although of course, with 10-kilometer runs, daily training was out of the question - the body did not have time to rest. It was necessary to redesign the training regimen and composition. After consulting with a professional trainer, I settled on three full workouts per week. As practice has shown, this was enough to prepare for the campaign. In 3 months of such training, I lost 10 kilograms of excess weight. This result was encouraging, but of course did not guarantee anything. It was necessary to start classes earlier, at least six months, or better yet, a year, so that before leaving for the mountains, 2-3 weeks before the ascent, the pace of training should be slightly slowed down to restore the body’s strength. After all, with such active training before the trip itself, there is another risk - decreased immunity. Unexpectedly, sores that you didn’t even suspect about may “pop up”. And the course of diseases in the highlands is much more acute than in the plains. On the eve of departure, my temperature rose to 38 degrees. There were no more visible symptoms for me, a non-specialist. There was no time to run to doctors anymore. The question arose - to go or not. After weighing all the pros and cons, I decided to take a risk. In the end, I had several days for treatment on the way to the south with a transfer in Moscow. As it turns out, I made the right decision. After a couple of days I felt fine.
I traveled to Pyatigorsk, where the group’s meeting was scheduled, by train. I was somewhat surprised by the conductor’s question about my documents. It turned out the train was going through Ukraine and we had to cross the border twice. My documents were in order. I did not expect any trick from the customs officers. But in vain. As it turns out, knives with a locking blade cannot be carried on trains. And I had exactly this one. And the young guy from Udmurtia, with whom we were traveling in the same compartment, also had a knife of this type. We crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border normally. Already on the territory of Ukraine, a policeman piles into our compartment. I asked my fellow traveler, Misha, if he had a knife with him. Of course have. Show. I'm sitting next to you, and my knife is on the table. But the policeman doesn't even look at him. In short, after a short conversation in the vestibule, Mikhail’s knife leaves with the policeman.
In Pyatigorsk, the group gathered early in the morning at the station. There were three of us in total: our guide Alexander, Ivan and me. There were several hours before the grocery store opened, and we decided to take a little walk around the city, in its old part. The city is quite clean. Narrow streets. There is a house right on the street where you can drink Narzan for free. Typical seaside town.
our team
Pyatigorsk, Lermontov St.
Having bought provisions, we returned to the station, where a minibus had been waiting for us for a long time. We loaded up and went on a three-hour trip to the Adyl-Su gorge in the Elbrus region. I felt the local flavor on the road when we stopped at a gas station. I haven't seen such old gas stations for a long time. And not one of them worked. But there was a fuel tanker nearby, and those who wanted could refuel directly from it. Great service!
Herds of cows roam freely along the road, feeling like masters. Nobody is looking after them. Where can you get out of the gorge? Especially a lot of cows accumulate on bridges. They are cool there from the river and blown by the wind. The condition of the road surface on the bridge is appropriate - like in a barn. Local horsemen, on their iron horses, carefully ride around the herds, trying not to hurt anyone.
We passed several stationary checkpoints along the road. Soldiers on duty at checkpoints do not like to be photographed. The city of Tyrnyauz, the center of the Elbrus region, was built as a city of miners extracting tungsten and molybdenum. It is located at an altitude of 1300 m above sea level. When in 1938, as a result of geological exploration work, it became clear that tungsten and molybdenum ores were suitable for industrial development, a decision was made to build a tungsten-molybdenum plant. In Soviet times, the plant operated, providing life to the entire city, and was a city-forming enterprise. In the nineties the plant was closed. At present, attempts to revive the plant are leading nowhere, because... The tungsten and molybdenum mined here are very expensive and cannot compete with metals supplied from China.
We stopped at a tent camp in the Adyl-Su gorge. We walked to the border post. Behind it were the alpine camps Shkhelda, Elbrus, and Dzhantugan. But you can’t get into them without a pass to the border zone. And the pass must be ordered 2 months in advance. After taking photos against the backdrop of the mountains and the post, we began to descend back to the camp.
Camping
The next day we had our first acclimatization trip to the mountains with two overnight stays. We left in the morning. We went down the road to the village of Elbrus. We walked through it, stopping briefly at the store to buy more bread. Having gained a couple of hundred meters in height, we came to the Narzan spring. Unusually tasty water flows in a powerful stream from a pipe carefully inserted into the slope of the gorge. Unforgettable and incomparable, refreshing taste. The beauty of the mountains surrounding you. And below, clearly visible, is the village of Elbrus. But it’s too early to relax. It's time to go.
Elbrus village
We walked along the Irik River through the Irik Gorge. On the way we meet climbers to Elbrus from the East. Normal dialogue: Hello! From Elbrus? Have you gone to the Mountain? Sometimes Alexander asked a few more questions, or suggested some points to the travelers. And further and higher. We didn’t go to the Irik glacier, but turned into the Irikchat gorge. Perhaps the most vivid impression about the beauty of the mountains are associated precisely with this gorge. Unfortunately, photography cannot convey all the grandeur and power of the mountains. You have to see it, you have to experience it on the spot.
Irik Gorge
Having risen to a height of 2600 meters, we arranged our first overnight stay. Not far from the tent there was a mountain stream flowing from the glaciers. Ivan went to freshen up in a small font formed by a dam on the stream just downstream. To say that water invigorates is to say nothing. Scorchingly cold, icy. Meanwhile, the sun set behind the mountain. It immediately became very cold. We reached into our backpacks for warm jackets and fleeces. A cloud of fog crept along the gorge. This is cold air descending from high mountains, meeting the sun-warmed earth in the gorge, forming a cloud before our eyes. Ten to fifteen minutes pass and we are in a fog. Visibility is no more than a hundred meters and continues to decrease. It’s time to go to bed, having previously put all your things under the tent canopy, thereby protecting them from getting wet. But I can't sleep. We talk about life in a low voice. About the places where we went with backpacks. About plans for the future. Suddenly the silence of the night is broken by the sharp cry of a bird. We freeze. Silence. Darkness. Wait, where is Ivan? He wanted to read some book on English language before going to bed near the tent under the light of a headlamp. But there is no light visible near the tent. We lean out of it on different sides. We scream into the night. We peer intensely into the darkness, hoping to spot a ray of light. What happened to him? Various thoughts are running through my head. After a few endlessly long seconds of waiting, we saw a light flash about fifty meters away. It relieved my heart. It turned out that he had gone off to take some night photographs of the mountains without warning anyone. A rash act. These are mountains. You have to be careful. And walking alone at night with a flashlight along a scree of stones can lead to very disastrous consequences. Before going to bed, we all measure our pulse. Counted 117 beats per minute. This started the acclimatization process. When you find yourself in the mountains, especially for the first time, you need to listen very carefully to how you feel in order to avoid the negative consequences of exposure to altitude.
First night's place
The next day we went further, under the Russian Officers Pass. Gradually the grass underfoot becomes less and less. Only stones. Bigger and smaller. Islands of snow are becoming increasingly common. We come out to a small flat area at an altitude of 3600 meters. Nearby there are large boulders and snowfields. We leave our backpacks and go to the pass lightly. Along the way, Sasha tells how to walk in the mountains correctly. For example, when going up and down a slope, the minimum possible interval between participants must be maintained. With such a movement, a stone that accidentally falls from under the leader’s foot, without having time to gain speed, will be stopped by the tourist following him. While talking, we gradually climb the pass. This is my first pass. Pass difficulty category 1B. Height 3819. Technically, it is not difficult. But from the emotional side it is a huge step forward. First step. And the first step is the most difficult. And here we are at the top. We open the plastic bottle left on the stone tour at the pass. There is a note from the last group that passed here. Who is going where? When they passed. Someone's note was taken and theirs was included. I ask, will we write? It turns out that it is written only when passing the pass, i.e. going up the pass on one side and going down the other. Our descent follows the path of ascent.
On the descent from the pass, we noticed three mountain goats - aurochs, who were carefully watching us from the mountain steeps. With incredible ease, as if on wings, they galloped along steep walls. I imagined how fast I would travel this path. The comparison is clearly not in my favor. And not in favor of a person at all. After watching us from afar, they descend below. They hope to profit from something tasty. But we have enough provisions ourselves. Feeding three hefty aurochs is not part of our plans. Before departure, all supplies must be securely hidden so that the next day of the hike does not become a “unloading” day in terms of food.
On the way to the camp, trouble happens. Having stepped on a moving, “living” stone, I unsuccessfully fall onto my trekking pole and bend it in the middle. I looked and there seemed to be no cracks. I'll try to fix it if I don't break it. It’s hard to climb Elbrus without it.
In the evening, the pulse was measured. 97 beats per minute. The body gets used to the altitude. The head is a little heavy, but it doesn't hurt. This is good. We spent the night normally. The tours didn't come close. They had nothing to make money from in the camp. They probably felt it.
We got up in the morning. We had breakfast. The tent is all damp from dew. But until the sun rises, it cannot be dried. I had to wait. We managed to take photos, sunbathe, and leisurely pack our backpacks. Illuminated by the sun, the tent quickly dried out. We started our descent. We met many climbers, mostly foreigners - Czechs, Slovaks, Italians.
We drank cold water from the Narzan spring and stocked up for future use. In the village of Elbrus we bought a bottle of homemade Ayran. It is so thick that you have to eat it with a spoon. There is no comparison with what they sell in our stores. Just two different products.
We arrived at Saklya, our guest house. We set up a tent. Today until evening - rest. You can relax a little. We had dinner with two Czechs. One turned out to be the director of a large furniture store. The second is a lieutenant colonel, head of the criminal police. Both understand Russian quite well. Still, they were taught Russian well in Czechoslovakia. They treated us to Czech vodka. We give them local beer. We prepared borscht. We had a great time and relaxed. The next day they were also going to Elbrus. Moreover, they planned to climb the next night. Just monsters.
In the evening another problem with ammunition was discovered. My trekking shoes did not stand the test of the Caucasian trails. The soles of both shoes burst. There was no way to climb in such shoes. We had to rent boots. Buying normal climbing shoes for one use is too expensive.
The next day in the morning a gazelle was supposed to come for us to take us to the foot of Elbrus. We plunged into the gazelle. Along the way, we left things we didn’t need for the climb for storage in one of the hotels. I rented boots, high quality and inexpensive, 250 rubles per day. Subsequently, I was repeatedly convinced of the correctness of this decision. They made the climb so much easier. In addition to the physical component - good shoes on your feet, the psychological component is also important - confidence in your equipment and, as a result, confidence in achieving your goal.
We took the lift to the Mir station, located at an altitude of 3500 meters. It was already wet, cool and windy. Temperature +5°C. Put on warm clothes. It's good that we had plenty of them. It was a pity to look at those who climbed here just to ride the ski lift and look at the mountains. The sharp rise to altitude, windy weather with drizzling rain and the lack of warm and wind- and moisture-proof clothing made real martyrs out of the excursionists. Many, just leaving the building cable car, took a couple of pictures for memory and, frozen, quickly returned back to warm up. Our path lay even higher. We take the chairlift up to 3870 meters. All. Continue on foot. You can, of course, climb on a snowcat - a special tracked vehicle used for preparing ski slopes, as well as for the transportation of goods and rescue operations. But this is somehow uninteresting, unsportsmanlike. We decided to climb on foot to a height of 4200. This will be our advanced base camp, from which we will go out to storm the summit. Along the way we pass “Bochki” – a camp for climbers, which consists of huge iron barrels containing 4 beds and a small table. They are placed in them if it is necessary to acclimatize on the mountain. You can also launch an assault from the barrels. Although it's a bit far on foot. Just right on a snowcat. But we were already at this height. We need higher. At 4100 meters there are the remains of the highest mountain hotel in the world, Shelter 11, which burned down in 1997.
We stopped on a rocky ridge formed after the passage of a lava flow here. The location is excellent, flat, protected from the wind. Only there was a huge stone that hung right over the tent... I looked at it from one side to the other. It seems to be strong. But it's full of deep cracks. And just below the parking lot I saw a piece that had once broken off from it. The words from Vysotsky’s song “... and the stone that gave you peace does not look like a monument” came to mind. And then I remembered other words: “Stop talking. Forward and upward, and there... After all, these are our mountains, They will help us! We must calmly prepare for the ascent.
I couldn't sleep at night. At altitude it is generally difficult to fall asleep and sleep is superficial. This is the effect of altitude. The higher we rise, the less pressure there is. And therefore, the oxygen content in the inhaled air. First, the body tries to fight its lack by increasing breathing. Heart rate increases. Shortness of breath appears. If we go higher, it won't be enough. There must be deeper changes in the body. Full acclimatization is achieved by staying at altitude for 3 weeks. If you gain altitude too quickly, you may develop altitude sickness. Its manifestations, in increasing order: headache, sleep disturbance, mood swings, loss of appetite; weakness, nausea and vomiting, increased body temperature; development of cerebral or pulmonary edema, coma and death.
The next day it was planned to go to the Pastukhov rocks. This is a stone ridge named after the Russian military topographer, climber, surveyor, glaciologist and explorer of the Caucasus Andrei Vasilyevich Pastukhov. The lower edge of the rocks is at a level of 4600 meters. Upper - 4800. Climbing these rocks is not technically difficult, but it is important in terms of acclimatization before storming the summit. Last check of myself and equipment. Before going out we put on crampons. We learn to walk in them. Tomorrow these skills will be very useful. We reached the rocks quickly. The weather is great. But for how long? She has been favoring climbers for 3 weeks already. Someday this must end. Characteristic clouds appear in the sky - harbingers of bad weather. Tomorrow we should definitely try to walk down the mountain. Most likely, the weather will not provide a second chance.
Three heroes
After taking photos on the rocks, we go down to the tent. The snow is wet. Streams gurgle under the melting snow. We try to carefully avoid them. Even though we are wearing waterproof mountain shoes with a membrane, no one wants to get their feet wet unnecessarily. It will be difficult to dry it.
Alexander went to the camp. Vanya and I decided to go to a nearby rocky ridge, where we had never been before. To get used to the height better, you should not sit, but move. Not quickly, without sudden loads. But constantly.
After walking for another hour, we also went to the tent. We need to have dinner, prepare for tomorrow’s ascent and go to bed early. They go out to storm the peak at about 3 am. Usually the climb takes 8-10 hours. At one o'clock in the afternoon, regardless of whether you have reached the top or not, you must turn back to return to camp before dark. A cold night should not be allowed. This is what we call spending the night without a tent or sleeping bag. We are traveling light and don’t take anything with us to spend a comfortable night on the mountain. Only an ice ax and a thermos with hot tea. Snack – a handful of nuts and dried fruits. Spare gloves and jacket. We went to bed. But I can’t sleep. All sorts of thoughts come into my head. How will the mountain meet us? What will the weather be like? And dozens more questions. Important and not very important. You try to think them through, to let them pass through you. Then it dawns on me - it’s the height that’s playing such a trick on us. One of the symptoms of altitude sickness is poor sleep. We need to calm down and try to fall asleep. Can I take some pills from my first aid kit? No, I'll try to sleep without medication. If I don’t fall asleep in half an hour, then I’ll take it. For now I'll just count the sheep. And not simple ones, but mountain ones. One mountain ram, two mountain rams, three mountain rams. And I quietly fall asleep. At about ten o'clock in the evening, through my sleep, I hear the hysterical roar of snowcats going upstairs. So something happened. It's a little late for walking. After a while they went down. Already with the unlucky climbers on board. It turns out that a couple of tourists, without sufficient acclimatization, went to the Pastukhov rocks. And there they were overcome by mountain sickness - mountain sickness. They could no longer move independently. I had to call a technician to urgently get down. Losing altitude is the best and only cure for altitude sickness. All kinds of medications only alleviate the symptoms without eliminating the cause itself. And behind this lies a big risk. By medicinally suppressing the signals that the body gives - “You can’t rise higher!” - we can reach heights from which we will no longer be able to descend without outside help, thereby driving ourselves into a trap. At the same time, you need to understand that rescuers are, of course, strong, hardy people with excellent acclimatization. But they are People (that’s right, with a capital “H”), but not GODS. There is no need to consciously bring the situation to that critical point when you can no longer cope with it yourself. It is necessary to forecast possible options developments of events. Rescuers, of course, will do everything possible to ensure that the mountain tourist (climber) who has received his portion of adrenaline is brought down alive and, if possible, healthy. And they do this, often risking their own lives. If a person has a desire to test his strength in extreme conditions, then let his own life be at stake. And not the lives of dozens of people trying to save him.
We woke up around one in the morning. The backpacks had already been packed since the evening. Sasha was the first to get out of the tent. He examined the sky critically. Clouds. No stars are visible. This is bad. The weather begins to deteriorate. Last nights were starry. We make (or rather, they tell us) the decision that we should attempt the ascent that night. Because there may not be another opportunity in the coming days. But you must be prepared that in bad weather you will have to retreat before reaching the top. Well, let's take a risk. We put on the crampons, backpacks on our backs, and off we go.
We go out from the rocky ridge into the snow. Along the route you can already see garlands of lanterns, which climbers use to illuminate their path. Moreover, the lights are visible both above and below us. Let's start moving. One step, another step. Let's go zigzag. We place our legs wide apart, as wide as our feet, as we were taught, so as not to get hit in the leg by sharp crampons, fall on the slope, or injure the leg. A snowcat is catching up with us, coming from somewhere below. Probably from Shelter 11. It has about 20 climbers on board. Let's go get to the top, damn it. No, we don’t need that kind of mountaineering. We'll get there on our own two feet.
We approach a resting place, from which about a dozen climbers have departed. There is a one and a half liter plastic water flask on the ground. We call out to the departed group - who forgot the flask? In response they shout: “You don’t need it, take it if you need it!” Indeed, its contents froze in the cold, crystallized and moved inside the jar like thick sour cream. Drinking like this is of little use. And the rise has only just begun. Someone was left without a drink. Although the group is large. They will share. There won't be any problems. I should have taken a thermos for the climb. Preferably with red tea. At altitude it goes better than black or green. Or you can use special energy drinks for athletes. And in general, taste sensations change at altitude. I want to eat more spicy seasonings. Ordinary food may not go well at all, seem bland and tasteless.
We approach the Pastukhov rocks. I adjust the flashlight on my head. And suddenly it dawns on me - I didn’t take my sunglasses. Yes, that's the number. I tell Alexander about this. He puts his hand up to his head - he also forgot to take his glasses. And without them there is no way on the mountain. Situation. I swore. What to do? If we turn back, we won’t have time to climb again that day. I'm starting to look for options. I have a windproof mask. The mask has a breathing mesh at lip level. If you pull it higher, to eye level, then the road will be visible in bright light. I'll try to do that. Sasha has a spare set of glasses in his backpack. Let's break through!
Just above the Pastukhov rocks we caught up with the first large group of climbers. These are snowcats that overtook us along the way. And now we are overtaking them, despite a big head start. Okay let's go. The path slowly turns left. I understand that we are entering an oblique shelf. It's getting lighter. You can already walk without flashlights. Step. Step. Step. Many, many more steps up the hill. The sun appears above the mountain, illuminating the mountains of the main Caucasian range with its light. I recognize Donguz-Orun with its Semerka glacier. Indeed, this glacier in the middle of the mountain makes a 90-degree turn, forming a profile reminiscent of the number seven. We saw him at the exit to the Irik gorge. Opposite us stands Cheget. And many more peaks and glaciers with unusual, but beautiful and sonorous names. So we met the sunrise at the top of Europe. Time to put on my makeshift goggle mask. Its front part is made of windproof material - windblock. You can only breathe through a special mesh. I pull the mask over my head and try to inhale, but that’s not the case. The windblock blocked the access of oxygen in the already highly rarefied atmosphere. I take a couple of shuddering breaths. From lack of oxygen the vision immediately becomes cloudy and blurry. You feel like a fish thrown ashore. It was not enough for you to be “led” and fall on a steep slope. Trekking poles in hands. The ice ax is fastened to the backpack, it will not be possible to hack yourself with it. You can drive many tens of meters until you manage to stop. I pull the bottom of the mask off my face, exposing my mouth and nose and leaving only my eyes covered. I take a few deep breaths. It gets easier. So I'll move on. Forward. Gradually the slope becomes flatter and flatter. We reach the saddle. This is a huge flat field between the two peaks of Elbrus, East and West. It seems huge. 800 meters long. The sun is already shining quite brightly. It's getting hot. We had a small snack at the saddle. We ate a handful of dried fruits and took a sip of tea. The food doesn't make any impression. He just automatically threw the food into his mouth and chewed it a little. Swallowed it. No taste sensations. This is also one of the manifestations of altitude - loss of appetite and changes in the taste of familiar foods. It’s good that they don’t ask for the food back. It lies quietly at the bottom of the stomach and, slowly, is digested. But we drank tea with great pleasure. When driving in the mountains you lose a lot of water, up to 5-6 liters per day versus 2-3 liters under normal conditions on the plain. This happens mainly through sweat and through pulmonary breathing, since the air at altitude is very dry. After 5 minutes we moved on. We pass by fumaroles. In our case, these are holes located on the slope of the volcano and are a source of hot gases. The gases that come out of them may be unsuitable for breathing. But these fumaroles are quite harmless. On the contrary, you can wait out bad weather in them, since the air inside them is warm, not poisonous, and the entrance to the fumarole is narrow, but a person can easily pass through it.. The fumarole itself resembles a cave, which can accommodate up to 20 people. About 50 meters away you can see the remains of a hut destroyed by the winds. It was installed a couple of years ago so that tourists caught in bad weather on the mountain would have a chance to wait out the bad weather in a hut, in relative comfort and coziness. However, the wooden structure could not withstand the hurricane winds blowing on the saddle. Maybe a more secure shelter will be built later. But so far they haven’t come up with anything better for salvation than hiding in the fumaroles.
Beyond the saddle there is a steep climb to the western peak. We carefully pass it and reach the plateau. The top is already visible from here. This is a small elevation, 15 meters high. We overcome it in one breath, one more push, and that’s it. YAY!!! We've arrived!
What do you feel when you stand on top of a mountain? Of course, the joy of reaching the top. They have risen. Reached. No matter where you turn your head, you look down at the mountains. The clouds are also somewhere below. You're on top. And you realize that from this point the road only goes down. It's hard to breathe. The height presses and makes itself felt. We drop our backpacks. We take out cameras. You need to take the obligatory photo at the top of the tour. On the western peak of Elbrus it is a meter-high stone. Near it lie many flags that climbers left here. Several panoramic photos. We are at the top for 10-15 minutes. Then we need to go down. The weather is getting worse.
Vertex. 5642 meters.
We quickly reach the saddle. On the oblique shelf I feel that the movements become somehow smooth, as if in slow motion. Covered. Slowly, but I'm going. You have to drop about a kilometer of altitude to let go. We drank a sip of tea. Feels like being born again. Strength appeared from somewhere. It was not for nothing that I took a large thermos, 1.5 liters, instead of the recommended liter ones. Without these tea breaks it would have been much more difficult.
In the middle of the slanting shelf, our neighbors catch up with us. Our tents are nearby. It turned out they had a spare set of glasses, which came in handy for me. You can finally take off your mask and put on your glasses. Although the lack of side curtains on the glasses played a cruel joke on me - in just a couple of hours I managed to burn my left eye in the sun. It’s as if he picked up some “bunnies” while welding. I walked the last kilometer of descent, looking broadly at the world with my right eye, while squinting my left. We have already passed the oblique. Now straight down to the Pastukhov rocks. The height is still making itself felt, but the condition is improving.
I turn around and take a farewell look at the peaks. Clouds have already formed above them. Those who are now at the top will not only not be able to take good pictures. If it were not for the markers that stand every 30 meters, you could get lost at the top, go to the dump, or fall.
The sun melts the snow that holds individual stones. One of them, the size of a large watermelon, breaks loose 15 meters from me and begins to slowly roll down. I shout “Stone!” The speed is low. Maybe it will stop on its own, braking on the firn? No. After rolling a few meters and not encountering an obstacle, he accelerates down a steep slope. It hits another, larger stone and jumps up a couple of meters. It flies about fifteen meters in the air and hits a hard firn, creating a fountain of snow spray, and continues, bouncing like a ball, to fly down. A guy is walking about two hundred meters below. The stone flies straight at him. I've never seen anyone run so fast with a backpack. I managed to run away. The stone passed about three meters from him. The sun melts the snow that holds the individual stones. One of them, the size of a large watermelon, breaks loose 15 meters from me and begins to slowly roll down. I shout “Stone!” The speed is low. Maybe it will stop on its own, braking on the firn? No. After rolling a few meters and not encountering an obstacle, he accelerates down a steep slope. It hits another, larger stone and jumps up a couple of meters. It flies about fifteen meters in the air and hits a hard firn, creating a fountain of snow spray, and continues, bouncing like a ball, to fly down. A guy is walking about two hundred meters below. The stone flies straight at him. I've never seen anyone run so fast with a backpack. I managed to run away. The stone passed about three meters from him.
After about 30 minutes I reached the tent. Sasha poured an energy drink. Every sip literally gave me strength. Congratulations on your ascent. Congratulations on the mountain are given below, upon arrival at the base camp. By the way, most emergency situations happen not on the ascent, but on the descent. Fatigue, melted snow, increasing avalanche danger and the likelihood of rockfalls. Changeable weather in the afternoon. The onset of dusk and many other factors can lead to an accident in the mountains.
The ascent took us 6 hours. Usually it takes 8-10 hours. So we walked at a pretty good, sporty pace. The descent took me 3 hours 40 minutes.
I don’t feel like eating after such physical activity. I would like to lie down with my legs stretched out for at least a couple of hours. But there is no time. We need to have time to go down to the camp today. I throw several pieces of food into my mouth. I'm chewing. I swallow. There is no taste. I simply replenish lost calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
The tent is assembled. The mountain is already completely covered with a continuous cloud. You begin to feel humidity, which turns into drizzling rain as you lose altitude. On the way to Garabashi station we walk through slushy snow. We try to avoid puddles in the snow whenever possible. True, not all of them are visible. A couple of times I fall into the snow, under which there is water. If it weren’t for good-quality shoes, all my feet would definitely get wet through and through. But these are okay, they endure, they resist water. We approach the cable car. There are about 50 people in line. Mostly tourists. Lightly dressed, not for the weather. Everyone is rushing down. It's our turn. We sit down in the wet chairs of the cable car. It's already raining quite heavily. The wind dangles you in the air on a small seat. Lightning strikes are visible nearby. Smells like ozone. The water running down your feet fills your boots with water. Still got my feet wet. Not from below, but from above. The gaiters would have saved me from this, but I had already taken them off.
We went down to Azau, the car was already waiting for us. On the way to Saklya, I rent out rental shoes, which helped me out so much. We stock up on branded beer “5642”. We have the right to go down the mountain! We celebrated our ascent in a cafe. Balkar khychins, lagman, beer.
That's how we went to highest point Europe, the most high mountain Russia - Elbrus, Western peak, 5642 meters, difficulty category 2A. What's next? There are still many interesting and most beautiful places where I haven't been. And where you should definitely visit. Maybe even together with you, dear reader? So to be continued...
Valery Smetanin
This time the Mountain gave us a thorough test. Winds up to 50 km/h—it’s not often possible to climb the summit in such conditions.
The first acclimatization trip was made not to Cheget, as usual, but to the observatory on Terskol peak, and we did not regret it. This is an excellent scenic route, perfect for acclimatization or just for trekking.
One of the main attractions of the route is a picturesque waterfall.
All the way we are “haunted” by a powerful panorama of the Main Caucasian Ridge and beloved Sever Cheget.
The observatory also adds unusualness to the landscapes.
And, of course, the eye is drawn to the peak, which is getting closer and more tempting...
The ascent from 2000m to 3300m is a quality program for the first day.
The weather was fine, but the forecast predicted worsening. Therefore, on the second day it was decided to speed up. We took the old cable car up to the upper station of Garabashi (3700m). From there, thanks to a fairly vigorous state of health, we were able to make an exit under the Pastukhov rocks, at 4600m.
On the third day, we checked into a shelter at 4100m and were ready to go out for an assault at night, but that night a cyclone came and the weather completely deteriorated. It was snowing and raining, a strong wind was blowing, and later thunderstorms began.
The weather turned bad for several days and there was no point in staying at the shelter. Therefore, we temporarily went down, but all our thoughts were about the top...
While we were waiting for the weather, we took another beautiful radial route: from the village of Elbrus along the valley of the Irik River we climbed almost to the glacier. The length turned out to be about 25 km with a climb of about 600 m. A pleasant bonus is the source of delicious Narzan on the route.
In the village we enjoy the local color. We notice how modern technologies are coming into the life of Kabardino-Balkaria.
The forecast promised us the last chance on this trip to storm the summit on the day before our return flight. Having moved upstairs again, now into the barrels, we admired the sunset, thinking about the upcoming assault night.
Less than a month after, it was nice to look at Ushba again, now from the other side.
At night there was a decent wind blowing in the area of the shelters. The concern was that closer to the top it would be much stronger, but there was no time to postpone the assault.
It is much more difficult to walk in such conditions. You have to fight not only with the height, but also with the wind. Strength drains quickly.
We initially planned to walk on our own, but in this situation, going part of the way by snowcat was the right decision.
We left around 2 am and drove to about 5000m. And they found themselves at the mercy of the elements...
Having raised my leg, it was not always possible to place it in the planned place due to a gust of wind, which deprived me of my balance. At such moments we had to stop and wait in order to go up again...
Frost around -5 degrees plus wind up to 50 km/h gives, it feels like -20. The “effect” is enhanced by high altitude. Accidentally exposed areas of skin easily get frostbite.
Usually, when people reach the saddle, they rest thoroughly before the final part of the journey, but not this time. A few sips of tea was all that could be afforded in such a piercing wind.
Ksyusha got all these “charms” on her first ascent. But she got there, and it’s very cool!
At 7:40 we were at the West Summit.
On the descent, the wind threw pieces of ice at us so that we could feel it through our jacket, but these were minor things.
photo Pavel Bogdanov - www.pavelbogdanov.ru
Step #5: To the mountains!
I flew to Pyatigorsk a few days before leaving for the mountains. This was the right decision. There were several locals among the participants in the hike, so almost immediately after checking into the hotel I was taken to see the sights of the city. So the legends about the hospitality of this region are true.
One of the main attractions of Pyatigorsk is Mount Beshtau, which rises 1400 meters above sea level. It offers a breathtaking view of the city. Despite the low altitude and ease of climbing, I admit, I almost died: terrible shortness of breath, heart rate under 200. There is only one thought in my head: “What kind of Elbrus is there if I can’t climb such a small hill.” Subsequently, I observed the same condition in several participants in the hike who ended up in the camp almost immediately after the plane. It turned out that it was all a matter of acclimatization. It just takes time to get used to the altitude.
And one more plus of my “early” arrival: at the entrance to the city there is a large shopping mall with two specialty stores. In one of them I rented everything I needed and bought some additional things.
The next day we went to Kislovodsk, or rather to its Resort Park. It is considered the second largest in Europe, so it is almost impossible to get around it in one day. There are routes for the treatment of heart and vascular diseases. Yes, you heard right. These are the routes called “health paths”. The doctor conducts an examination and instead of pills prescribes walks in the park, clean mountain air and Narzan. There are only 6 programs, ranging from 1700 to 6000 meters.
Early in the morning we gathered at the railway station with all our things. There I saw all my hiking comrades for the first time, including the guides who checked our equipment. We boarded the buses (it turns out there are all-wheel drive Gazelles), stopped at the nearest rental point along the way so that someone could pick up what we needed, and hit the road. I fell asleep on the road, and when I opened my eyes, it was as if I was in another world. The road went along a mountain serpentine. The views were simply crazy.
They couldn’t take us all the way to the camp, so after we unloaded we had to walk a few more kilometers. Herds of sheep ran past me, followed by an elderly horseman on horseback.
Due to the sudden change in altitude, some did not feel very well. By the way, one of the “tricks” to faster acclimatization is movement. It is advisable not to sit still, not to lie in a tent, but to go for walks.
On the way to the camp we passed through Emmanuel's Glade, named after General G.A. Emmanuel, leader of the expedition that first reached the summit of Elbrus on July 23, 1829. We walked the same route and on the same days as the first successful expedition to Elbrus, only 186 years later.
Symbolic, isn't it?
“1829 from July 8 to 11 Camp under the command of General of the Cavalry Emanuel”
Continuing to follow scenic routes, surprised by the lack of civilization, people, mobile communications and rapid weather changes, we reached our first camp. It was located at an altitude of 2600 meters in Djily-Su (translated into Russian as “warm water”). This is an incredibly beautiful and interesting place. It was here that we first saw Elbrus up close.
The camp itself consisted of several areas fenced with a grid. There was a generator and several blocks in which camp commandants and rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations lived. In the camp, electricity was sometimes turned on, there was a shower, a kitchen, and toilets. We set up tents, divided into groups, appointed guards and dealt with other everyday issues. And all this time, with every cell of my body, I enjoyed the views, the air, the open spaces, the feeling of being a grain of sand surrounded by majestic mountains.
The small dots on the left are our camp.
Evening came imperceptibly. It was necessary to prepare dinner and, naturally, I volunteered first. The menu was not the most varied, but filling and healthy. We had dinner and went to our tents to sleep.
The surprises started when I woke up at 5 am. This fact is surprising to me, since I am a night owl and usually wake up late. This happened every day. But it was impossible not to be happy about this fact. There is more time to admire the stunning scenery. Just imagine: on one side the rising sun, on the other – Elbrus. Cows graze sedately in the valley. And there is an all-consuming silence around.
Early in the morning we had breakfast, took some food and water and went to see the surroundings. We did not climb the mountains, since not everyone could comfortably endure this height. Nevertheless, the day turned out to be very eventful: we went to the Sultan waterfall. The power of the natural elements could not fail to impress us. The proximity to her was mesmerizing. A spring came out of some crack in the rock. It turned out to be Narzan. Carbonated and delicious. I tried not to drink a lot. The body is already overloaded with altitude, so you shouldn’t frighten it with unusual drinks.
We walked across the Kalinov Bridge - a natural stone arch that hangs above the water at a height of about 15 meters. Of course, we took a swim in the Narzan bath, a kind of natural “jacuzzi”. Baths help improve the functioning of the cardiovascular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems, as well as connective tissues and digestive organs. You need to take a bath motionless: gas bubbles cover the entire surface of the body, it becomes warm, and towards the end of the 15-minute session, the skin on the body turns red, a burning sensation is felt, as if you were whipped with nettles.
Late in the evening, tired and happy, we returned to camp. We had dinner and went to bed in anticipation of a new day.
On this day we already had a more serious acclimatization trip. First we reached interesting place, called the "German airfield". Thanks to the unique topography, this place was used as a real military airfield during the Great Patriotic War.
Then we went even higher to an altitude of about 3100 to a place called “Stone Mushrooms”. We were taught to use trekking poles, walk on boulders and stones, and breathe correctly.
It was interesting to see how nature changed with the rise. Bright colors faded, giving way to muted shades, the flora became poorer due to the stony soil.
The exit was quite difficult. But (who would have thought) ordinary ascorbic acid helped us.
The day ended with a descent to base camp, household chores, a cup of bulgur for dinner, and, of course, a sound sleep.
According to the plan, on this day we were supposed to throw some of our things into our “upper” camp - at an altitude of 3700 - and then return to spend the night at 2600 in the lower camp. But since the group felt good and we were afraid of missing out on clear weather, it was decided to save one day and immediately go up with everything we needed (tents, food, gas cylinders). The guides advised not to take extra things with you.
I packed my backpack, grabbed some of the public food, several gas cylinders and was horrified by its weight. I have never lifted such a heavy backpack before. We set off. One of the girls immediately sprained a ligament in her leg. How she managed to get upstairs, I still don’t understand. Apparently, women are really tougher than men. On a hike, just like on a run: before going out with backpacks, you need to do a serious warm-up, and then a cool-down. I had no injuries, no sprains, no muscle pain in the morning.
We walked almost the same route as yesterday, only already loaded with backpacks. They deliberately moved slowly, in a single rhythm. It is believed that this makes it much easier to walk uphill with a heavy backpack.
The vegetation disappeared almost completely; we walked over huge black boulders. Sometimes they swayed under my feet. Sometimes they rolled down. It's amazing how quickly the body gets used to changing situations! Just a couple of days ago I would never have walked on such rocks without insurance, but now I also had a huge backpack with me
It was becoming noticeably cooler. In some places ice was already visible between the stones.
After 7 hours of such a climb, everyone was very tired. We tried to support each other. Personally, it helped me a lot to realize that many girls are walking with a backpack almost as heavy as mine. By the way, it was on this climb that I felt all the convenience of my backpack and light trekking boots. The weight of the backpack was somehow cleverly redistributed on the hips, the back was ventilated, the boots did not slip on the stones and did not get tangled in each other.
On the way we passed the Ministry of Emergency Situations base. There they gave us tea and we rested a bit.
To camp away from the popular paths, we had to go further, already across the glacier. I had to put on climbing boots for the first time. And after about 9 hours of travel, we finally reached the site of our second camp.
It was a spit of black volcanic stone (moraine) in the middle of a glacier at the foot of Elbrus. The view was unique. Some kind of alien: ice, stones, wind, clouds floating underfoot. Although we were so tired that we didn’t care anymore. In addition, it was our first time at an altitude of 3700, and every step was accompanied by shortness of breath. Somehow we set up the tents, boiled water, quickly had a snack and quickly climbed into the tents to recover. The condition was strange. There was a sense of fuss and nervousness, and it was difficult to concentrate on anything. I spent about thirty minutes looking for something in my backpack; someone was wandering around near the tent for a long time. We probably looked funny from the outside. This is how the lack of oxygen affected our brain. With the last of my strength, I climbed into my sleeping bag and instantly fell asleep.
As usual, I woke up at 5 am. My head was clear and calm. I left the tent: there were clouds below me, and Elbrus hung above me, glowing in the rays rising sun. We dressed in “space” clothes: membrane jackets and pants. Despite the fact that they are light and thin, you get the feeling that you are walking in a spacesuit, since they are not ventilated. Well, probably, the height had such an effect on my imagination.
After breakfast we went on an acclimatization hike to an altitude of 4500 to the Lenz rocks. We learned how to put on crampons, tied ourselves with a rope and hit the road. Walking quickly at such a height is practically impossible, and, as it turned out later, harmful.
After several hours of climbing, a strong wind blew and the sun disappeared behind the clouds. It became much colder. I had to warm myself up.
The leapfrog with temperature continued. The sun came out from behind the clouds again, the wind died down, and it became hot. I overheated in warm clothes. Moreover, he quickened his pace in order to quickly reach the resting place. And then I felt what mountain sickness was, or, as it is also called, “mountain sickness.” The condition resembled poisoning: nausea, weak legs and severe weakness. I changed clothes, lay down at the rest stop, drank tea and ate ascorbic acid. It became easier. When we returned to camp, it was as if nothing bad had happened. Conclusion - it is better to go slowly and get a little cold than to go fast and overheat.
On the way to the camp we saw an interesting cloud of an unusual shape, which was rapidly moving in our direction. And literally 10 minutes later it covered us, driven by strong wind and snow.
We returned to camp at about 18:30 and spent the rest of the evening doing household chores, resting, and thinking about the upcoming ascent.
We were given a day of rest. We had to gain strength before the climb. You know, I was definitely lucky with the team. It's impossible to get bored with her. Despite the strong wind we were even able to play cards
Our guide went to the Ministry of Emergency Situations base to find out the weather forecast. This is very important for being in the mountains. It often happens that bad weather it stands for weeks, and no matter how well you are prepared and equipped, climbing is impossible. In the mountains you are at the mercy of the elements, competing with which is akin to suicide.
We were lucky. The weather forecast was optimistic. Plus the full moon was beginning, which is a good sign. So it was decided to take the chance and start to the top tomorrow. Immediately, excitement ran through the camp. I was also very excited, I didn’t even think I could fall asleep. Everyone began to get ready, since we had to leave the camp at one in the morning.
I went to the tent, quickly packed a storm backpack so as not to forget anything, put the necessary things in the pockets of my jacket, dragged my boots into the tent, climbed into my sleeping bag and prepared to suffer from insomnia. I didn’t believe that I could fall asleep at 6 pm in this state. But somehow I quickly fell asleep.
At midnight, a very early breakfast or an extremely late dinner awaited us. Whoever likes to call him what you prefer. Ate a plate of buckwheat (one of best options food before climbing), poured boiling water into a thermos and diluted an isotonic drink (a sports drink that provides the body with water, carbohydrates and minerals) instead of tea.
When the preparations were completed, we tied ourselves with a rope and walked into the darkness. The silence was broken only when it was necessary to jump over cracks in the glacier. They say their depth reaches 200 meters. At about 5 o'clock in the morning we met the sunrise on the slope of Elbrus. A stunning sight.
Around the same time, three rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations joined us. They walked a little behind and kept an eye on us.
At about 6:20 we made a short stop at an altitude of 4500 (lower cliffs of Lenz). In the same place where I felt bad 2 days ago. I listened intensely to my body and (oh, miracle!) there were no signs of the miner. I was happy, but I didn’t relax, I closely monitored my body, tried to calm my pulse and breathing. We took off the ropes, since there were no further cracks, and we could walk without being tied together.
The serious altitude, lack of oxygen, one-dimensional rhythm and pace of movement, and the equally swaying back of the person in front put me into a trance state. It was difficult to estimate the time. It seemed to freeze. Sometimes he raised his head, assessed how close the peak was and again became convinced that it seemed out of reach.
So, little by little we reached the upper Lenz Rocks (about 5000 m). At this altitude, rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations strongly recommended that some of our team not climb further, as they noticed signs of an incipient “miner”. The rest moved on. We just have to overcome the “Eternal Dome”. This is a gentle snowy slope, behind which you can see the peak of Elbrus, deceptively attracting with its proximity.
I started to feel strange. He took a step, counted to three and took the next one. This probably sounds strange, but I walked at such a snail’s pace. Amazingly, at such a constant pace, I began to overtake the other participants. I turned on my favorite music to which I ran and trained for Elbrus. The effect of altitude on the body has changed. I felt some pleasant feeling of euphoria, excitement, intoxication. My head was spinning with thoughts about what was important to me: family, relatives, friends, colleagues. A step is a memory. Another one is a picture from the past. Music intertwined with them in amazing unity.
Suddenly, at some point, I realized that apart from the person walking in front of me, there was nothing else. The weather suddenly deteriorated, a strong wind blew with snow and nothing was visible further than 15 meters. The situation is, to put it mildly, not very comfortable. I followed that “man in front”. So we reached the edge of the volcano (Elbrus is a cooled volcano) and it is believed that we climbed onto it. But somewhere further on there should have been a memorial obelisk, at which everyone was taking pictures, and we moved on.
The wind grew stronger and blew straight into my face. I tried to turn away from him and almost crashed into that very monument. Several of our participants were sitting around him. The guide tapped me on the shoulder and took a few photos.
So, at about 12 noon on July 28, I climbed the eastern peak Elbrus, 5621 meters high.
I had just begun to comprehend my emotions, but a rescuer from the Ministry of Emergency Situations appeared from somewhere and ordered me to urgently descend due to the stormy wind. Adrenaline began to be produced furiously, new strength appeared, and my head began to work clearly and clearly. Overall, I felt great. It was much easier to go down than to go up, and the weather began to improve.
At about 18:00 we reached the camp and climbed into the tents to catch our breath. Then we sat down to drink tea and eat. Almost no one spoke, but comprehended what had happened.
It's 5 am again. Since we were tired of the rocks and ice, and memories of our first camp kept popping up in our heads, we asked the organizers to return to the lower camp. Green grass, warmth and delicious food awaited us there. By 10 am we broke camp and went down. The road was also difficult, but the anticipation of the camp gave us strength.
When we got to the camp, almost the entire group experienced extreme bliss. And do you know why? We drank a can of cold cola, which someone was able to buy from the camp commandants. We decided that we didn’t want to disassemble our backpacks and set up camp again, so a few hours later a transport arrived for us and took us to Pyatigorsk.
The rain had just stopped. When we were driving along the road, under which there was a kilometer-long abyss, right below us we saw 3 rainbows at once. This is the first time I've seen this. Usually to admire it natural phenomenon, you need to lift your head high. The driver (a mountaineer who speaks Russian poorly) turned on Joan Osborne – “One Of Us”. We suddenly finally realized what a great adventure we had. And that we are a team, each of which gave 200%. A very bright feeling. We joked, laughed, rejoiced, and finished off our stash of goodies. It was almost night when we checked into the hotel. Having reached the mirror and city clothes, everyone noticed that they had lost weight. My scales showed minus 6 kg.
Neither I nor the other members of the group wanted to sleep. And we went for a walk around Pyatigorsk at night. We drank tarragon from street vending machines, talked, and admired the beauty and originality of the city. We went to the restaurant to finally eat regular food. We ate a piece and that’s it... we were full. It’s good that we at least thought of not eating more, but taking it with us - we need to gradually return to regular food.
The next morning I got ready and handed over the things I had rented. Then I went to the airport and within a few hours I was with my family, telling them about one of the most unusual vacations of my life.
P.S. We continue to communicate and meet with our group. Such a vacation really allows you to make new friends!
Meeting with the group in Kislovodsk. Anatoly is an instructor, Vladimir and Dmitry are experienced climbers.
We drove from Kislovodsk on a gazelle to the village of Khurzuk, Karachay-Cherkessia, in about 3 hours. We stopped at the Gumbashi pass, had a snack with khychin and ayran, admired the wonderful views and rushed on.
In Khurzuk, having agreed with local resident for 3000 rubles (then it was about $100), we continued our journey in a UAZ. We drove through a pine forest with numerous river crossings on bridges made of logs.
Every time we approached a river, the driver poured a bucket of water into the radiator to cool the beast-machine. In 2 hours we covered about 20 km and reached the last point of civilization called Djily-su, set up tents near the closed base of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, ate porridge and went to bed.
Day 2:
We woke up, washed ourselves with water from the well, ate muesli, drank tea and hit the road. We walked along the ridge, it was terribly uncomfortable; because of the slope, one leg was often higher than the other. Beauty, wild nature, except us, not a soul. We communicate, from our conversations I begin to understand where I ended up smile emoticon . Elbrus is not for beginners, Elbrus from the north, especially. Horror stories the accidents on the mountain turn out to be true. Anatoly does not dramatize, but confirms the authenticity of all the accidents that I have heard about. From the very beginning, I decided for myself that the ascent would be without fanaticism. Everything is under control for now. Dmitry and Vladimir share their past exploits and worry whether they will be able to conquer the summit. Do you have enough strength to climb, what if the weather is bad, because the previous group didn’t climb because of the weather?.. What if the mountain won’t let you? Looking ahead, I will say that climbers are wildly superstitious. Dima refused to go “for water”, it was like being carried away by a river, so we walked “on water”. And I already considered the ascent successful, a lot of impressions from yesterday and I had already set my high-altitude record when I ate khychin).
Stop for a modest lunch, Snickers and tea. There is no time for a full lunch, and you can’t eat heavily because it will be difficult to move on. Even before dark we arrive at the parking lot, Balk-Bashi pass, altitude 3600, fresh air, clear spring water from the stream.
A charming view of the Elbrus glacier; the roar of breaking off blocks of ice can be heard periodically. We cook porridge with stew, dinner is our main meal. We drink tea, discuss tomorrow’s route, prepare mentally for the fact that it will be difficult. Let's go to bed.
Day 3:
A difficult section of the route, descending into the valley to the source of the Malka River. Constant ups and downs. Descending down a hill the size of a skyscraper was quite an adventure. A very steep slope, small and not so small stones move in a stream with you. We descended in a traverse in twos, parallel to each other, so that the rockfall would not hit the one below. Anatoly and Volodya went first, it looked very beautiful and smooth, almost like a ski descent, only instead of skis there were boots, instead of snow there were stones. Dima and I are sitting and waiting, we have already lost sight of the first bunch. Anatoly shouts that they are already below, it’s time to go down. I can’t get up, the slope is so steep that it seems that if you stand up straight, you’ll immediately roll down, the heavy backpack makes it difficult to catch my balance and straighten up. The sticks that are supposed to help get in the way due to lack of experience. After several unsuccessful attempts, I manage to get up and move down, periodically I fall and get up with difficulty. After 2/3 of the descent I learned to keep my balance, and then I glide with pleasure. Below we pour stones out of our shoes and move on.
We came to a fast and wide river; we had to cross to the other side. We spent about an hour looking for a convenient place. Balancing and jumping from rock to rock with 20 kg on your back is not easy at all. We insure each other and find ourselves on the other side, change our shoes and continue our journey. Since the river meandered, we had to repeat this trick several times.
We pass by the dragon's teeth, it begins to rain and hail, we increase the pace. I'm really thirsty, and I'm sucking on hailstones. I've had no strength for a long time. Anatoly says that we are almost there, our camp is on the hill, “Aerodrome”. Having gathered all our willpower into a fist, we climb the plateau, walk another 2 km and we are there.
Day 4:
Today we have to get to the base camp, an altitude gain of 900m. We leave some of the equipment and food for the return trip at the drop-off point. Over the past few days, I have realized the value of every gram in my backpack, so I leave everything that is unnecessary. For example, a second thermal T-shirt and a silicone mug turned out to be superfluous, because you can drink from the thermos cap. I suggest taking one toothpaste for everyone, and Tolik wonders why we didn’t do this from the very beginning.
It is very difficult to walk, a steep, endless climb. The landscape changes every year, so there is no permanent path, you have to make your way through trial and error. We stop several times for 15-20 minutes to catch our breath and go up again. A group of climbers descends, we say hello, Dima asks: “Where are you from?” - they answer: “From above” smile emoticon.
In the evening we arrive at the base camp. We find only a few tents, few climbers, it’s already the end of the season and the last shift of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
When you take off your backpack, you get a second wind, we go to the glacier “by water”.
I wash my face with ice water, a smile appears on my face, and I’m in a great mood. It seems that the top is within easy reach, but it only seems...
Day 5:
Acclimatization hike to the Lenz rocks (4700 m), elevation gain of 1000 m. Our dress rehearsal before the ascent, the purpose of which is to test the equipment and the body’s reaction to a height that has never been before.
The fear of any climber is mountain sickness. "Gornyashka" can develop due to oxygen deprivation along with aggravating factors, such as physical fatigue, cooling, dehydration, severe weather, sudden changes in temperature, etc. “Gornyashka” is a terrible thing, it can lead to swelling of the lungs and brain. Therefore, when symptoms arise, the best medicine is down, down and down again.
At a nearby shelter I rent boots 2 sizes too big, they are incredibly smelly, I’m lucky that I even found these. For the first time in my life I put on crampons and sharp spikes so as not to slip on the ice. There are many cracks on the glacier into which you can fall, so we go together. I control every step so as not to get caught in the crampon or step on the rope. Tolik has an ice ax ready in case someone falls. His task is to quickly “hack himself” to stop us from sliding down. We conduct snow and ice training on the Lenz rocks and return to the camp.
Despite extreme fatigue, I feel good, my body adapts perfectly to the altitude and lack of oxygen. Let's rest.
Day 6:
We have two days to climb: today and a spare day tomorrow.
If everything goes well, we will go out at night to storm the summit.
We eat, relax, gain strength, enjoy the views and walk around the camp. Only in the mountains can you get sunburned and frostbite at the same time. We sit near the tent, the bright sun burns our face, but our back is freezing. In a matter of minutes, we are enveloped in clouds, the weather turns bad, and it begins to snow. We hide in a tent, play cards, chat. The probability that today there will be suitable conditions for climbing, very small, but there is hope. Bitterly cold, zero visibility.
Under such conditions, there is not the slightest desire to attempt an assault; I don’t even want to get out of my sleeping bag. I decide for myself that if the weather suddenly “improves” and Tolik says “go ahead,” I will stay in the camp and wait for the group to return.
It’s snowing, we take turns digging out the tent so that it doesn’t get completely covered with snow and we don’t suffocate.
Day 7-8:
Tonight is the last chance to walk along the top of Elbrus. I don’t like the expression “conquering the peak”; in the mountains you realize how small and helpless you are. A strong gust of wind can carry you into a crack, and you won’t be found for the next hundreds of years, you can stumble and die, you can freeze something or break something...
In the evening, the weather on Elbrus worsens, so the ascent begins at night in order to return safely before the evening. We wake up around one in the morning, the weather is excellent, we are about to climb. Elevation gain 1900 meters. Lenz rocks, where we went for acclimatization, are half the way. But mathematics doesn’t work in the mountains; in terms of time and difficulty, the Lenz rocks are only 30% of the ascent. If I had known how difficult it would be to get to the top, I would have stayed in the tent.
We leave around two in the morning, walking with headlamps. The beauty is incredible, the stars are not only overhead, but also on the side. It seems that you are at the same height with them. The stars are so close that you can touch them. We overcome the familiar route to the Lenz rocks and continue to gain altitude.
Joined us large group led by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Saving people is a dangerous and thankless task, which is why EMERCOM officers prefer to be instructors during working hours. Tolik was assigned as a trail leader, and he ran far ahead, bringing up the rear as a rescuer.
At the last section, a magical stone awaits the climbers, and the magic is that the closer you get to it, the further away it seems. To increase my chances of climbing, I don't look at it. Dima is far behind. I follow Volodya, it’s easier psychologically.
On the ascent, when it is already very difficult to move forward, there is a technique called “counting steps.” For example, you set a goal of 50 steps, reached the goal, stopped, set the next goal, and so on. Tolik explained in advance that 50 steps is very good, 20 is also very good, and 5 steps is also very good. I decide to take 200 steps to quickly get to the magic stone, from which the top is already nearby. But this system did not work, the forces ran out long ago, the magic stone is infinitely far away.
I walk around Volodya, he has been standing for too long, and my feet are already starting to freeze. Tolik is standing near the magic stone, I go up to him, and he says that this is not the peak yet... We wait for the others and together in about half an hour we climb to the eastern peak of Elbrus, height 5621 m.
It is difficult to describe the wonderful views that opened up to us. But there is no time or special desire to admire for a long time. There is a strong wind at the top, it is very cold, you want to quickly find yourself in a warm and safe sleeping bag. We take pictures and begin our descent. If you didn’t have the strength to go up already, it’s not clear how to go down.
The feeling that if you close your eyes, you will immediately pass out. The weather is getting worse, strong winds, snowing, visibility is poor. The glacier scares us the most, we can barely drag our feet, and there we have to be very careful so as not to fall into a crack. We drink snow with tea, fill the thermos cap with snow, pour tea on top, so we get more of it.
Dima is feeling very bad, Tolik gives him vitamins and the last of his tea, we sort out the contents of his backpack among ourselves, and move on. We safely passed the glacier and around 3 pm we were back in a warm tent. The climb was successful!!!