Mount Elbrus (5642m) ski descent.
| Activity type: | Ski touring |
| Activity level: | Challenging |
| Availability: |
18 May 2021 - 26 May 2021 |
| Duration: | 8 Day(s) / Tour with fixed start dates |
| Price: | from $950 |
Full description
Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in Russia and in Europe, and the tenth most prominent peak in the world. Also it's the last refuge for skiing in Europe in the summer, famous ski resort and free riding Mecca in Russia.
We invite you for a special trip mixing high altitude mountaineering experience with skiing or snowboarding in the summer. Our experience and numerous successful ascent allow us to say that it is capable of not only professional high-level athletes, but also for ordinary people, and we are ready to help you with this!
To be on top of the Summit, we must to conquer with some difficulties that are associated with hypoxia, weather permitting, cracks in the glacier and the changeable snow condition on the top and it’s not easy! It will be 9 days of exploring into the thin air big mountains, because this place is RAD and this is an excellent opportunity to experience the best adventure in your life.
The trip will start from meeting with our guide in Mineralnye Vody airport. After that we are going by minibus to Baksan Valley. Step by step, we will ski tour higher, having fun making first tracks every day and acclimatize for the summit day. During this program we get twice (as min) to the height almost 5000m and spend few nights in mountain huts at 3800m. This is the base from where we will attempt the west summit of Elbrus (5642m).
The downhill terrain on Elbrus is not extremely technical. Several short pitches of no more than 40 degrees will be found, but generally slopes average a modest 25-30 degrees. Natural hazards exist, including rocks, crevasses and variable snow conditions; from corn, powder, sastrugi, ice to breakable crust. Due to these hazards, combined with the strenuous nature of skiing at 5000m , we require that the participants in the Elbrus descent be advanced skiers or snowboarders; preferably with some off- piste experience.
Price includes
- Ski guide from professional Russian Mountain Guide Association for all days of the program
- Group transfer by private minibus from Mineralnye Vody (MRV) airport to hotel and back
- All scheduled group transportation
- Scheduled hotel nights, based on double occupancy in Cheget Valley
- Scheduled mountain hut nights at 3950m
- 2 times meals ( breakfast and dinner) in the Cheget Valley
- 3 times meals on the mountain
- Lift fees on Mt. Elbrus
- Group climbing and cooking gear
- Mountain permit
- Extra mountain guides for summit day (ratio 1:3)
- Certificate in case of success
- Pictures and Video
Not included in price
- Visa
- Airfare to Mineralniy Vody
- Renting of personal equipment
- Domestic excess baggage fees
- Snowcat/ sleds assistance in summit day ( optional)
- Items of a personal nature: phone calls, laundry, room service, etc.
- Medical/evacuation and trip insurance
- Lunches in the Cheget Valley (5-10 euro)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Excess baggage fees on flight to Mineralne Vody from Moscow
- Unscheduled hotel nights
Guide
Verified Profile
- Email address
- Phone number
Location
Russia, Terskol, Kabardino-Balkaria, Elbrussky District
Day 1
Meeting at the airport Mineralnye Vody (MRV).
Transfer by minibus to Terskol Village (3-4 hours from Min Vody airport). Hotel accommodation in Cheget Valley. Dinner at the hotel. After dinner, safety briefing, checking of personal gear. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 2
Trekking to mt. Cheget (3200). +1100m/ - ski lifts
Today we walk up right from the door of our hotel (2000m) to the Cheget mountain (top station of ski lifts 3250m). Mostly easy walking up the «road» in trekking boots and no snow in this altitude. (In the end of May snow could be only in the very top of mt. Cheget). During the way we will enjoy a stunning view of the snow and ice covered out-of-bounds east Face of Donguzarun Mountain hanging Glacier «7» and mt. «Nakra».
In good weather from mt. Cheget you can see the whole route to the top of Elbrus and make a great photo on the background Elbrus. For the descent we will use ski lifts. Lunch in the cafe in Cheget market, walking back to the hotel. Dinner. Briefing. Rest. Overnight stay at the hotel
Day 3
Ski tour to «Dizel Hut»(4050m). 750+m/-1000m
Transfer from the hotel to Azau ski station. Ski lifts up to «Mir» station (3500m) Ski tour via Azau glaciers to «Dizel Hut». Easy glacier travel with rope around seracs and crevasses will surprise you how big is
this mountain. Skiing down to the top of 1st lift/ or till the bottom of ski resort (depends from snow condition). Transfer from Azau Valley back to the hotel. Rest. Renting the gear for summit. Briefing. Dinner. Packing the backpacks with all the gear for ascend of mt. Elbrus. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 4
Accommodation in the mountain hut at 3900m. +500m/ -500m
Transfer from the hotel to Azau Valley, with backpaks, skies, boxes with food, bottles of water. Then we need to load all this in ski lifts and bring up from "Azau"(2500m) to "Garabashi" ski station ( 3950m). Accommodation in the mountain hut (3950m). Lunch from our best mountain chef. Ski-tour up to the end or the ridge 4400 m via Small Azau Glacier. Sunset. Dinner. Briefing. Stars watching. Overnight stay at the mountain hut.
Day 5
Ski-tour to the Pastukhov Rocks, 4750 m. +1000m/ -1000.
Early morning ski tour up to Pastukhov Rocks. Skiing above the clouds. Luch. Rest. Sunsets sleds assistance free ride. Overnight stay at the mountain hut.
Day 6
Rest day. Skills review. +200/ -200
Brief skills review of using crampons, hardness, ice axe and rest day before summit. Guides meeting with a group. Overnight stay at the mountain hut.
Day 7
Summit Day, ski-tour to Mt. Elbrus, 5642 m.
We’ll leave camp around 2-3 a.m. It is a long day; look for a 10-12 hour round-trip. It is possible to rent of a snowcat to assist for the first 800m of the ascent. (1000m vertical, 6-7 hours). We will meet one of the most amazing sunrise with excellent views of the Caucuses, including Ushba, the Matterhorn of the region and weather permitting, ride from the Summit all the way down to the mountain hut. Descent to the valley. Variable
Day 8
Reserve day
Extra day at huts for inclement weather. We’ll take a glacier tour or return to the valley if we already have summitted. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 9
Transfer from Cheget village to Mineralnye Vody (MRV) airport.
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Last update: Oksana Сhekulaeva
(27 May 2021)