From Terskol village, arrange a taxi or walk the 5 kms (3 miles) up the valley and along the road to Azau at 2350 meters (7700 feet) elevation. This is where the first cable car station is, and you can’t miss it. From the cable car station, you can cheat and ride the cable cars up to the Low Hut (located at what is known as Garabashi Station), or you can walk. From the Low Hut, head south and up the slopes to the High Camp location at 4157 meters (13,638) feet elevation. The trail is usually well packed by snowcat and takes about an hour. From the High Camp, continue south up the slopes while heading straight towards the East Peak. Make sure to stay on route (usually marked with wands) because the surrounding slopes are covered with huge crevasses. There are no crevasses of consequence as long as you stay on route. You will pass between two linear rock bands before the route becomes steeper and climbs to the Pashtuhova Rocks, located at 4670 meters (15,321 feet) elevation. After the Pashtuhova Rocks, the route first heads south towards the East Peak, but after a short distance, it turns left and heads more in a westerly direction as it climbs up the slopes. The route reaches a gentle-sloped snow filled basin before climbing up to the saddle between the two peaks. From the saddle, head west and then head left towards the rocks of the shoulder of the West Summit. Cross the broad slope to the summit. Total elevation gain from the Low Hut is 1743 meters (5718 feet), and the climb usually takes 6-9 hours up. Descent usually takes 3-6 hours. The route travels via moderate snow and ice slopes up the glacier.