Elbrus

Submit Review

Overview

Get a taste of high-mountain adventure on one of the Seven Summits
Also one of the Volcanic Seven Summits, comprised of the highest volcanoes on each of the seven continents
Discover the wonders of St Petersburg and Moscow
Experience non-technical moderate-altitude mountaineering

We begin our Elbrus expeditions in St Petersburg where we visit the art galleries, museums and architecture of this magical city. A travel day delivers us to the Elbrus region where we climb the local hills to aid our acclimatisation. Being relatively high, Elbrus demands respect and we approach this by climbing higher each day during our acclimatisation phase whilst sleeping at lower elevations at night. A cable car takes us up to accommodation at the base of the climb where we learn basic snow and ice techniques from the guides prior to the ascent. The summit day entails climbing long snow slopes with views over the wooded valleys to the surrounding peaks. After climbing Elbrus, we travel to Moscow, an iconic European city steeped in history. If you are planning on having extra time to explore Russia, we are happy to assist with arranging additional city tours in Moscow and St Petersburg, tickets to the Russian ballet, a river cruise and for the more adventurous, train tickets between the major cities.

Itinerary

Trip 1 initiates in St Petersburg and finishes in Moscow where we get to sample a lot of the local culture along the way.

Day
1	Arrive St Petersburg, Russia. Team meeting, gear check and welcome meal.
2	St Petersburg tour. We tour around this remarkable city to view the incredible architecture and visit the Hermitage Museum; famous for its array of art classics. Later we explore the remarkable Peter and Paul Fortress.
3	Depart St Petersburg for the flight to Mineralnye Vody. Travel by coach to Terskol in the Baksan Valley.
4	Acclimatisation ascent (using ski lifts) of Cheget Mountain, 3,600m/11,800ft. Stay in a local hotel.
5	4WD to a waterfall (2,700m/8,860ft), acclimatisation hike to Ice Camp (3,700m/8,850ft). Return to hotel.
6	Ride ski lifts and head out for an acclimatisation hike. Overnight stay in the newly renovated Heart of Elbrus hut (3,900m/12,800ft) on the slopes of Elbrus.
7	Acclimatisation hike to the Obelisk.
8	Acclimatisation hike to Pastukhov Rocks (4,600m/15,100ft), return to hut.
9	Summit day. Leave hut about 3 am for the climb of Elbrus’ west summit, 5,642m/18,510ft. Overnight in hut.
10	Contingency summit day. Overnight in hut.
11	Spare summit day, descend to the valley and return to the hotel.
12	Drive to Mineralnye Vody. Fly to Moscow, stay at hotel.
13	City tour in Moscow, visit famous Russian landmarks like the Kremlin, Red Square and enjoy the modern Russian culture to be found in this entertaining city.
14	Depart hotel for the airport. Fly home

Trips 2 and 3 start and finish in Moscow and are thus two days shorter, although the time on the mountain is the same as Trip 1.

Day
1	Arrive Moscow and transfer to the hotel. Team meeting, gear check and welcome meal.
2	Two-hour flight to Mineralnye Vody (Caucasus). Travel by coach to Terskol in the Baksan Valley.
3	Acclimatisation ascent (using ski lifts) of Cheget Mountain, 3,600m/11,800ft. Stay in a local hotel.
4	4WD to a waterfall (2,700m/8,860ft), acclimatisation hike to Ice Camp (3,700m/8,850ft). Return to hotel.
5	Ride ski lifts and head out for an acclimatisation hike. Overnight stay in the newly-renovated Heart of Elbrus hut (3,900m/12,800ft) on the slopes of Elbrus.
6	Acclimatisation hike to the Obelisk.
7	Acclimatisation hike to Pastukhov Rocks (4,600m/15,100ft), return to hut.
8	Summit day. Leave hut about 3 am for the climb of Elbrus' west summit, 5,642m/18,510ft. Overnight stay in hut.
9	Reserve day for climbing Elbrus. Overnight in hut.
10	Spare Summit Day. Descend to the valley and return to the hotel.
11	Drive to Mineralnye Vody and fly back to Moscow. Overnight in hotel.
12	Trip ends, depart Moscow.