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Mount Elbrus

Mountain Madness
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  • Overview
  • Itinerary
  • Inclusions
  • Reviews

CULTURE, CLIMBING AND A SEVEN SUMMIT — DA!

Climb­ing Mount Elbrus, the high­est peak in Europe and one of the Sev­en Sum­mits, per­fect­ly immers­es you into expe­di­tion climb­ing and gain­ing expe­ri­ence with the acclima­ti­za­tion process. The gen­tle slopes of Mount Elbrus beck­on climbers in a range rem­i­nis­cent of the Alps. Jagged peaks with glac­i­ers that flow into moun­tain val­leys dot­ted with pine forests, alpine mead­ows, and remote vil­lages wel­come vis­i­tors trav­el­ing into this moun­tain paradise. 

Time spent explor­ing the extra­or­di­nary city Moscow also offers inter­est­ing glimpses into Rus­si­a’s rich cul­ture and his­to­ry. And if you want to see how the Russ­ian czars real­ly lived and explore one of the world’s most com­pelling cities, check out the St. Peters­burg exten­sion. If you’re look­ing for some seri­ous cul­ture, a Sev­en Sum­mit, and for Kil­i­man­jaro climbers and oth­ers look­ing for an intro­duc­to­ry glac­i­er climb, there’s no bet­ter objec­tive for those with no expe­ri­ence — our guides show you the ropes dur­ing the trip. They may even lead you astray for some caviar and vod­ka at the end of the trip.

A vol­canic mas­sif locat­ed north of the Cau­ca­sus main ridge, 18,510-foot / 5642 m Mount Elbrus ris­es almost 3,000 feet / 914 meters high­er than sur­round­ing peaks. The sum­mit offers breath­tak­ing views of the Cau­ca­sus Moun­tains and the impres­sive trib­u­tary val­ley sys­tems feed­ing the rag­ing waters of the Bak­san Riv­er. The Bak­san Val­ley offers trekking through fields of wild­flow­ers, amongst poplar and pine forests.
 

After acclima­ti­za­tion hikes in the Bak­san Val­ley and a day spent review­ing skills, we take a cable car up the moun­tain to the shel­ters at Kharabashi. Here we spend sev­er­al nights before our sum­mit attempt. The climb offers great intro­duc­to­ry lev­el glac­i­er climb­ing that includes the use of cram­pons, ice axe, and roped travel.

Also, con­tribut­ing to your suc­cess are decades of expe­ri­ence in the Cau­ca­sus. Our roots on Elbrus go way back, from Scott Fis­cher’s first guid­ed trip there in the 80’s to Moun­tain Mad­ness’ cur­rent own­er Mark Gun­log­son and his first trip to the region in 1990, short­ly after the col­lapse of the Sovi­et Union. Since a time when the coun­try expe­ri­enced food short­ages to now, our pro­gram has been care­ful­ly craft­ed to take in the best of Russ­ian cul­ture, food, accom­mo­da­tions, and peo­ple. Along with an expe­ri­enced guide from the U.S. or Ecuador, you will be trav­el­ing with Russ­ian guides that know the area as their home. All this com­bines for the per­fect expe­ri­ence in an area that remains as intrigu­ing as ever.

Short on time? Join us on our 11-day Mount Elbrus Express climbing trip — an express experience to this 7‑Summits peak that gives you an opportunity to hone your expedition climbing skills. Or double down and climb Kilimanjaro and bag two of the 7 Summits on our 19-day Mt. Elbrus and Kilimanjaro Combo trip. 

Itinerary

Flight Information

The total num­ber of days for your trip includes all trav­el to and from your des­ti­na­tion, with some excep­tions. Dates list­ed on the web­site start with a depar­ture date from the U.S. and include the day you arrive home. For this trip you will need to arrive in Moscow, Rus­sia on Day 2 any­time dur­ing the day. You will be met at the air­port by a Moun­tain Mad­ness rep­re­sen­ta­tive and trans­ferred to your hotel. 

If you are trav­el­ing from Europe it’s pos­si­ble you can elim­i­nate one day from the itin­er­ary as long as you arrive on Day 2 of the itin­er­ary. Return flight is sched­uled for Day 14 of the trip. 

Domes­tic flights to Min­er­al­nye Vody are includ­ed in the cost of your trip. If you choose to fly direct to Min­er­al­nye Vody, thus elim­i­nat­ing time in Moscow, we can care­ful­ly coor­di­nate this with you so that you meet your group at the domes­tic ter­mi­nal in Moscow or in Min­er­al­nye Vody. 

Please con­tact our office for any help need­ed with your flight schedule.

Day 1

TRAV­EL

The first day is allo­cat­ed for those requir­ing an overnight flight to Moscow.

Day 2

MOSCOW

A Moun­tain Mad­ness rep­re­sen­ta­tive will meet you at the air­port. You will be trans­ferred to your hotel where you will spend the night.

Day 3

MOSCOW

Tour the city of Moscow, includ­ing a vis­it to the Krem­lin Cathe­dral and Armory. Overnight at hotel. Ori­en­ta­tion meet­ing and gear check.

Day 4

MIN­ER­AL­NYE VODY / TERSKOL

Ele­va­tion: 7,030 ft / 2143 m

Trans­fer to domes­tic air­port for the two hour flight to the city of Min­er­al­nye Vody (Min­er­al Water) or Nalchik. Con­tin­ue by bus to a hotel in the town of Ter­skol in the Bak­san Val­ley, where you spend the next sev­er­al nights.

Day 5

TER­SKOL

Ele­va­tion: 7,030 ft / 2143 m

To pre­pare for our sum­mit attempt of Elbrus, and to enjoy the mag­nif­i­cent Cau­ca­sus Range, we take a day hike in the Bak­san Riv­er Val­ley. At the end of the day you overnight in the hotel.

Day 6

TER­SKOL

Ele­va­tion: 7,030 ft / 2143 m

To fur­ther pre­pare for the climb, we ride the cable car and prac­tice cram­pon and ice climb­ing skills. Overnight at hotel.

Day 7

KHARABASHI

Ele­va­tion: 12,467 ft / 3800 m

Ride the cable car up to Kharabashi, which is Balka­r­i­an for ​“where black rock meets glac­i­er.”. We set­tle in for a rest day in com­fort­able bar­rel shel­ters. More skills review possible. 

Day 8

ACCLIMA­TI­ZA­TION HIKE

Ele­va­tion: 12,467 ft / 3800 m

Acclima­ti­za­tion hike to Pas­tukhov Rocks and return for anoth­er night at the barrels.

Day 9

REVIEW SKILLS

Ele­va­tion: 12,467 ft / 3800 m

Fur­ther review basic moun­taineer­ing skills. Rest and pre­pare for the climb.

Day 10-11

SUM­MIT ATTEMPT

Ele­va­tion: 12,467 ft / 3800 m

Two days are sched­uled for our sum­mit attempt. We increase our chances for a suc­cess­ful sum­mit climb by rid­ing a snow­cat to just below our pre­vi­ous high­point near the Pas­tukhov Rocks. If weath­er allows our group to sum­mit on the first day, we descend the fol­low­ing day and have an extra day in the Bak­san Valley.

Day 12

TER­SKOL

Ele­va­tion: 7,030 ft / 2143 m

Overnight at Hotel.

Day 13

MIN­ER­AL­NYE VODY / MOSCOW

Dri­ve to Min­er­al­nye Vody. Fly back to Moscow. Trans­fer to hotel.

Day 14

FLY HOME

Depart Moscow and fly home.

Note on Itin­er­ary: Although we do our very best to fol­low the sched­ule list­ed, this itin­er­ary is sub­ject to change due to inclement weath­er, unsafe route con­di­tions, or oth­er rea­sons beyond our con­trol and in the guide’s best judgement.

Inclusion/Exclusions
Inclusions

  • Assis­tance with obtain­ing visa vouch­ers for visa appli­ca­tions (extra fees may apply for non-US citizens)
  • Domes­tic flight from Moscow to/​from Min­er­al­nye Vody
  • Moscow city tour
  • Sched­uled restau­rant meals in Moscow
  • Three sched­uled hotel nights in Moscow (dou­ble or triple occupancy)
  • Four sched­uled hotel nights in Cheget (dou­ble or triple occupancy)
  • All food dur­ing the climb
  • All team climb­ing gear and cook­ing gear
  • All expe­di­tion sup­port staff
  • Lift fees on Mt. Elbrus
  • 1 Sno-Cat ride
  • Air­port trans­fers at the begin­ning of trip

Exclusions

  • Inter­na­tion­al airfare
  • Rus­sia entry visa and air­port fees
  • St. Peters­burg extension
  • Excess bag­gage fees on flight to Min­er­al­nye Vody from Moscow
  • Air­port trans­fer at end of trip
  • Per­son­al climb­ing gear and clothing
  • Per­son­al expens­es (phone calls, laun­dry, room ser­vice, extra meals, etc.)
  • Trav­el insur­ance with trip can­cel­la­tion, med­ical and evac­u­a­tion policy
  • All expens­es asso­ci­at­ed with non-sched­uled departure
  • Break­fast and lunch Day 2
  • Lunch and din­ner Day 14
  • Alco­holic and bot­tled beverages
  • Guide/​Staff gratuities

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Mountain Madness
Est. 1984
Expedition Information
Price
$5,675
Months
June, July 14 Days
Activity
Mountaineering
Fitness Level 2
Technical Level 2
Guide:Client ratio 1 : 3
Message Guide
Send
Expand location information
Continent: Europe
Country: Russia
Location: Elbrus
Elevation: 5,642m/18,510ft
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$5,675
Expand for Expedition Information
Mountain Madness
Est. 1984
Expedition Information
Price
$5,675
Months
June, July 14 Days
Activity
Mountaineering
Fitness Level 2
Technical Level 2
Guide:Client ratio 1 : 3
Message Guide
Send
Expand location information
Continent: Europe
Country: Russia
Location: Elbrus
Elevation: 5,642m/18,510ft
Save
Share
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