Beyond our consciousness lies the cold, hostile world of reality.
Between them stretches a narrow border strip of our feelings.
Any connection between the two worlds requires crossing this narrow strip...
And to achieve a proper understanding of ourselves and the outside world
it is extremely important to carry out in-depth studies of this frontier strip.

Keynote speech by Heinrich Hertz at the Imperial Palace, Berlin, August 1891

Well, readername, it may seem to you that there is a lot of bukuff here, but if you ever decide to repeat the route, be patient, and you will remember this text more than once. Personally, I envy you a little, because when I set out on the road, I hardly knew a tenth of what is described here.

Any trip starts with fees. Clothing to cover the temperature range from +30 °C to -15 °C, special equipment, bivouac accessories, all this had to be carefully selected and tried to fit into a far from rubber backpack. Plus, do not forget about a bunch of small, but important details: ultraviolet radiation at an altitude of 4000+ m has an intensity six times higher than at sea level, so you need normal glasses and a cream with an SPF 50+ index, and if you don’t want it after a few days in the cold and the wind, your lips were like those of Angelina Jolie Christina Ray, you need to grab a hygiene bag, and of course take a flag, there is always a chance that the goals will still be achieved)
1.

The weight of personal belongings at the start is 18 kg, plus 6 kg of food with a bowler hat, plus 3 kg of a tent that we Lyokhoy dragged in turn. In total, the total weight is 24-27 kg, which, in general, is not considered so much for such a trip, and people who were not so careful about the selection of things easily caught up to 30 kg.

Arriving in Terskol, we decided to spend one day exploring the surroundings, going to the town of Cheget, which actually became the first step towards the start of acclimatization. We were led by an experienced local guide.
2.

On the slope of Cheget, at an altitude of 2735 m, there is a cozy cafe with a short name "Ai". Whoever watched the film "Breakfast with a View of Elbrus", in which it flickers, knows that "Ay" is translated as the moon. There we landed for a short time, ate khychins, washed down with chacha and beer. A little life hack: if you place an order and smile sweetly at the hostess, an additional option opens up, listen to Vysotsky or Vizbor from vinyl, of course, we agreed).
3.

However, you can have breakfast not only with a view of Elbrus, but also of the Baksan Gorge:
4.

Elbrus and its spurs are clearly visible from Cheget. Unconditionally dominating his area, he justifies the name common among the local peoples of Mingi-Tau — which translates as "a mountain of a thousand mountains." Usually, all ascents from the south to any of the peaks start from the "Shelter of Eleven". It can be reached in two main ways.
5.

The first one, from the Azau glade, through the cable car stations (shown in blue). Considered "classic from the south". But to paraphrase a well-known saying, this is a button accordion, not a classic. The advantages include ease, safety, availability of infrastructure, up to a dozen cafes along the way. Particularly lazy, up to a height of 3750 m, can climb on the cable car. The advantages of the second (marked in red) are: greater variety, different attractions, and a circumstance that makes the listed advantages even more bold - the almost complete absence of people! True, some dangers during the passage lurk in the slopes between the 105th picket and the ice base (under adverse conditions, you can catch an avalanche), and when crossing the Gara-Bashi glacier (closed cracks can be easily opened, with unpleasant consequences for yourself).

The question of how best to go, in general, was not even raised).

The next day, having registered with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, we began to rise. Having passed along the road the rock "Elephant" consisting of columnar sections, we decided to have lunch at the waterfall "Girl's Braids" - the last place where you could still see a large number of rednecks.
6.

7.

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After lunch we continue to climb.
9.

Soon we go out to the "glade of the mad", in order to shed light on the etymology of the toponym, we will give the word to Kudinov's "Elbrus Chronicle":

“... the expedition belonged to the Institute of Physiology named after Bogomolets of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. It should be remembered that back in 1929-1934, experiments were carried out on Elbrus by the expedition of Kazan State University, headed by Professor Nikolai Nikolaevich Sirotinin, they studied altitude sickness, as well as changes in nervous system under the influence of high altitude factors. In 1935-1940, studies of the same profile were carried out by the expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR under his own leadership.

Ukrainian physiologists have achieved positive results in experiments on the treatment of mild schizophrenia and asthma by oxygen starvation. "Sirotinintsy", as the Ukrainian expedition members were affectionately nicknamed, back in 1952 began the installation of prefabricated houses at different heights.

They built the main base in the Baksan Gorge not far from the village of Terskol, the second at Novy Krugozor and the third in the area of ​​​​the 105th picket (During the construction of the road between Terskol and the Ice Base, the entire route was divided into hundred-meter sections - pickets. A small mountain meadow before a steep take-off to the "Ice", where the 105th hundred-meter line was located, is called the "105th picket"). Since then, in the summer, “Sirotinins” appear at the bases, along with an experimental “zoological garden!” With their presence, they bring revival to the monotonous life of the permanent "residents" of Elbrus.

From here you can see the Ukrainian observatory Peak Terskol, which is located above the village of Terskol at an altitude of 3127 meters.
10.

"Mad House", in the world "95th picket". Height approx. 3000 m. We decided to spend the night and put up our tent right inside. As it turned out, it was the right decision, a close acquaintance with sleet and rain cheers up few people.
11.

The next morning the weather was good.
12.

Because before that, on the approaches to the house, they fell into the snow knee-deep, they decided to get up early to cross the snowy areas while they were caught by frost.

The next point is a small base built in the summer of 1960 at the 105th picket for the flow of tourists going to the Shelter of Eleven. Height approx. 3400 m
13.

In the fall of 1961, the 105th picket base was connected to the power line running from Terskol to the Ice Base, there was heating.

The same “Elbrus Chronicle” by Kudinov cites a funny fact related to this place. On February 26, 1963, Tenzing Norgay flew to the USSR - the first climber of Everest.

“... In the Elbrus region, in a climbing camp"Adyl-su“, where Tenzing arrived after a solemn meeting with the capital's climbers, he was given a warm, friendly welcome with purely Caucasian hospitality.

Tenzing visited a number of places of interest in the Baksan Gorge, a chairlift and ski slopes on Mount Cheget. After that, our guest with a small climbing group, which was supposed to climb to the top of the winter Elbrus, arrived in the village of Terskol. In Terskol highway ended. Ahead - the Elbrus slopes covered with abundant snow cover, along which they had to climb. Tenzing"besiege“ autograph lovers and photographers. Finally, bogged down in deep snow, numerous mourners fell behind. Only at some distance from the climbers are the cameramen of the Nalchik television studio stubbornly going up the prepared tracks, intending at all costs to film all the stages of the ascent. Unfortunately, they will soon"fizzle out“because deep snow, heavy equipment and lack of necessary training exhausted them completely. Climbers continue to climb, and in the afternoon they reach the branch of the camp site"Shelter of Eleven" -„105th picket“Lost in the snows of Elbrus. They are hospitably met by winterers Ikar Paukov and Vitaly Ponomarev.”

On March 7th, in fairly good weather (sun and calm), they, as part of a group of climbers, climbed the Shelter of Eleven. This is 4200 m, more than two times lower than Tenzing's high-altitude record. The weather soon deteriorated. Already he, in bad weather, looked like more than others. But the prudence of the Himalayan prevailed over ambition. After all, each of the climbers is ambitious in moderation. Elbrus showed his obstinate character. Tenzing did not climb Elbrus. Won from this "defeat", oddly enough, Tenzing. I am sure that if he had climbed to the top, he would hardly have made such an impression. And so, we still remember this fact. He once again demonstrated to everyone that he — Great Connoisseur of Mountains and Ascendant, that he has a head on his shoulders, and most importantly — respect for Gore and yourself.

And the "105th" is now going through hard times, the first floor is covered with snow.
14.

It's a shame when the batteries don't heat well.
15.

However, in the attic, with relative comfort, a medium-sized group can be accommodated.

On the end wall, with the help of “sotochka” nails and rubbish pulled from nearby neighborhoods, an impromptu museum was made. Some wise men dragged several shells with shot down fuses, however, a couple of kg of TNT did not go away from this one.
16.

The next day, saying goodbye to the "105th", we began to climb to the Ice Base. (Under adverse conditions, slopes may present an avalanche hazard.)
17.

The base of glaciologists (height is about 3720 m) is located at the junction of the Terskol and Gara-Bashi glaciers and their moraines.
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According to chronicle:

“In the summer of 1950, two more scientific expeditions appeared on Elbrus. One of them belonged to Tbilisi State University. At the "Ice base" the Georgians erected a building of an unusual cylindrical shape, upholstered with duralumin sheets and nicknamed the "tank", in which they studied cosmic rays. Winterers also lived there. However, the southerners, accustomed to the heat and the sun, did not like the harsh climate and the difficulties of working in the highlands, and already in 1952 they moved to Tegenekli, where they continued their research at an altitude of 1600 meters.

Now the station is dominated by desolation, despondency and post-apocalypse.
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However, in the middle of the "tank" there is still a place for one tent, where you can spend the night with relative comfort even in the most severe bad weather:
21.

We spent the night in a 10-minute walk, in a small house.
22.

Of everything we tried on the route, he received a strong 5 stars for comfort. Two rooms with sunbeds, each for 5-6 people, whole windows, a small kitchenette in the middle. True, it is worth saying that part of the house hangs over a cliff, propped up with warped boards and pebbles, but even an unexploded shell brought by someone's caring hand and placed behind the stove did not overshadow our overnight stay.

In general, due to the fact that it was here, in the fall of 1942, that the main events of the battle for Elbrus unfolded, objects from the category of “echoes of war” are found in large quantities: bullets, shells, shells, machine-gun belts and boxes for cartridges, grenades. A large number of Soviet soldiers died on the Terskol and Gara-Bashi glaciers. When trying to attack the Shelter of Eleven, out of 102 people from the company of Lieutenant Grigoryants, only three returned alive. In July 2013, the 34th motorized rifle mountain brigade of the RF Ministry of Defense conducted an action to search for and reburial the remains of fallen soldiers. In a month, 42 fighters were found, in 2014 another 29. In a 70-meter crack on the glacier, the body of Lieutenant Grigoryants himself was found, he was identified by an officer's uniform and parts of preserved tattoos.

The next day, our path lay through the aforementioned Gara-Bashi glacier to the Shelter of Eleven.
23.

Due to the fact that the glacier is closed, the cracks do not go anywhere, on the contrary, it becomes much more difficult to detect them. Rise at 3:00, a sluggish breakfast and exit as soon as the first rays touched the tops of Elbrus. Snow plugs that close glacial cracks, bound by frost overnight, are relatively stable. We connect in bundles, the first is Miha, the second is me. We follow each other, we pass the first section of the path, focusing on the Eastern peak of Elbrus, then, having climbed the ice dome, we deviate to the left.
24.

After entering the "track", we are safe.
25.

The last 150 m of climb and we are in place, the Shelter of Eleven parking lot. We are preparing places for tents.
26.

In general, this place is cult among climbers, therefore, let's dwell on where the name "Shelter of Eleven" came from, what it was before and what it is now.

Let's give the floor to the participants of the project of Rudolf Rudolfovich Leitzinger, the purpose of which was to lay a hiking trail from the Azau glade to the Eastern and Western peaks of Elbrus.

“There are eleven of us left. Two guides, one teacher, four excursionists R. R. Leitzinger and four of us. On a rather steep climb, turning slightly to the left, we climbed to the left edge of a large gorge with snowy slopes, at the bottom of which huge cracks gaped. We walked a little along the edge and, having crossed a tiny pass, turned again to the right to the last group of stones in this area. At 2:30 pm we reached the middle of this group, where we decided to camp for the night. We were motivated to do this by the fact that there were no stones so comfortable above, as well as by the fact that everyone wanted to rest and gather strength for the upcoming difficulties.

The aneroid showed 4320 m. We chose a place where the stones were somewhat larger and formed a platform of several square fathoms, protected from the north and east by natural walls. After a short rest, we set to work and in a short time cleared a place for a "bed" and built another low wall from the west. On this wild stone island, lost in the middle of a sea of ​​snow, at a height several hundred meters higher than the height of the Jungfrau, we were to spend the night, perhaps the most unusual in our lives.

We named this place Shelter of eleven. This name was subsequently approved by Rudolf Rudolfovich Leitzinger, who, by the way, found this place quite suitable for a second hut. I think that it should be built right here, because there are no rocks higher up on which it could be built without fear of snow blockages.

(According to F. Dunaevsky. Walking along the Main Ridge. Attempt to climb Elbrus in 1909)

The idea to build a shelter on this site was returned in 1929. A wooden booth sheathed with iron was installed on the rocks. In 1932 - a barrack-type building for 40 people. Due to the lack of places, tents were sometimes set up directly on the flat roof of the barracks. “Shoulder to shoulder” exactly four “pamirs” were placed there.
27.

Subsequently, it was decided to build a more spacious building and provide it with all the necessary amenities inherent in first-class hotels.

The author of the project and the construction manager of a high-altitude three-story hotel, capable of accommodating more than 100 people at a time, on the site of this hut was an engineer, builder of the first domestic airships, architect and climber Nikolai Mikhailovich Popov. The construction of the hotel began in the early spring of 1938. Between the "Ice Base" and the old "Shelter of Eleven" bridges were built over glacial cracks, through which caravans with various construction cargo passed. In the autumn of 1939 the hotel received its first visitors. She had a boiler house and a power plant, central heating was working, cold and hot water, and sewerage were in the water supply system. As V. Kudinov recalled:

“Some of the foreign climbers, without thinking about the difficulties of building on Elbrus, demanded such things as a piano, jazz, and even ... a shoe shine! And one Frenchman expressed indignation at the lack of an elevator.

28.

29.

During World War II, on August 17, 1942, the shelter was handed over to German mountain shooters without a single shot being fired. Subsequently, the Soviet troops made repeated attempts to dislodge the invaders from the Shelter of Eleven, but the Germans covered the approaches, and hostilities unfolded on the Terskol and Gara-Bashi glaciers.

After the defeat of the German troops near Stalingrad, the situation on the Caucasian front changed dramatically. German troops were forced to leave the Caucasus because of the threat of encirclement. On January 10-11, 1943, the German mountain rifle units left the upper reaches of the Baksan Gorge and left the Shelter of Eleven.

The shelter was slightly damaged, the diesel station got more, a direct hit by an air bomb literally blew its roof off.

But for the shelter, the war turned out to be not so terrible as race ***. On August 16, 1998, a group of V. Panasyuk and S. Bodrov descended from the top of Elbrus at 2 pm and was engaged in cooking. Further, the eyewitnesses differ in their testimony, the only detail on which everyone agrees: "ONOSAMO!". As a result, counting 59 years of its history, the shelter burned down like an airship, which it looked so much like (
30.

Well, in the course of our conversation, the tents were set up, let's see how this place looks now.
31.

32.

The function of the shelter was taken over by the former boiler house.
33.

Both in Soviet times and now, it is from the "Shelter of Eleven" that the vast majority of climbers set off, but the first ascent was made from the northern side of Elbrus, and the eastern peak fell first.

According to Davidovich's article "Climbing Elborus" (Historical Bulletin, No. 5. 1887), the first attempt was a complete failure.

“The first attempt to climb Elbrus was made in 1817 by Major General Prince Eristov. The expedition was undertaken with two hundred privates and one light gun and ended in complete failure: the detachment, having no good guides, fell under an avalanche and all died, with the exception of a few soldiers and a general.

But in the summer of 1829, Elbrus faced a much more serious opponent, the head of the Caucasian fortified line, General Georgy Arsenievich Emanuel. Wikipedia cites dry facts, and in order to sufficiently reveal the outstanding personality of the general, let's turn to V. Pott's "Caucasian War":

“On April 2, 1775, this Arseniy, in the town of Vershitsa, had a son, George. The child discovered from an early age a vocation for military craft; all his games were military: he gathered his peers, made revolutions with them and led them into imaginary battles. But soon these children's amusements found their application in harsh reality. In 1788, the Turks suddenly invaded Banat, and the inhabitants of Vershitsa fled, not having time to capture one gun in their haste. Young George, who was then only thirteen years old, did not follow the general example and remained in the city, along with the companions of his childhood games. They decided to defend their native Vershitsa.

And so, as soon as the Turks were seen from the high city bell tower, the alarm sounded in all the churches and a gun forgotten by the inhabitants banged from the wall. The Turks, imagining that the city was occupied by a garrison, bypassed it, and thus Vershitsa owed her salvation to the resourcefulness of young Emanuel. This first success sealed his fate: he volunteered for the Serbian corps of Mialevich and participated with him in the war against the Turks, and then against the French on the Rhine. There, in the battle of Landau, he was severely wounded with a bayonet in the stomach and lay without movement and food for fourteen days. Death was already hovering over his head, but youth - he was in his eighteenth year - prevailed, and Emanuel recovered. Appearing in the detachment, he was again wounded by a fragment of a grenade in his right hand and then, while defending the Weissenburg lines, with buckshot in his leg.

In March 1797, he arrived in Moscow, three years later, in the twenty-fifth year of his life, he was already a colonel and chief of the Kyiv Dragoon Regiment. In the campaign of 1806, in the battle of Pultusk, he was wounded by a bullet in the leg, and then at Heilsberg by a bullet in the arm.

During the Patriotic War, Emanuel made a special difference in the battle at the Shevardinsky redoubt, where the Kiev regiment led by him recaptured the French battery. In this battle near Emanuel, two horses were killed and he himself was wounded by a bullet in the chest through and through.

Needless to say, the general from the cavalry was not to take decisiveness, but he acted not as a climber, but as an organizer. The expedition consisted of academicians - Kupfer, Lenz and Meyer; they were escorted by an infantry detachment of 600 men, 350 Cossacks and two guns. Academicians, accompanied by several Cossacks and Kabardians, began their ascent and by evening reached the line of eternal snow. After spending the night under a rock canopy, they set off on a further journey before dawn on July 22, 1829 and reached a height of four and a half kilometers, but then deep snow and rarefied, hard-to-breathe air forced them to return. But the guide Hilar (his ethnicity is still being debated) from the Baksan aul, went ahead and by noon reached the top of the mountain - the top, according to the local population, inaccessible to mortals, since it is guarded by terrible giants-cyclops.

To great embarrassment, there was no old man with a long white beard, chained to a rock, on Elbrus. Jin-padishah, surrounded by countless hordes of his subject spirits, also made no attempt to resist. People who came from midnight countries, where eternal winter reigns, are giants in spirit, conquered his transcendental kingdom and removed the shackles from the prisoner. All folk myths about the inaccessibility of this mountain were justified by its majestic and at the same time formidable appearance. Elbrus is a huge snow desert thrown out of the bowels of the earth by one of those world upheavals that created continents and oceans. This is a whole country, transferred to transcendental spaces, a dull, uninhabited, harsh country. There is life at the poles, but there is none on Elbrus.

The first people who climbed the western peak of Elbrus, in 1874, were the Balkar guide Akhiya Sottaev, the British - Grove, Gardiner, Walker and the Swiss Knubel.

All these people waved their hand to us from the depths of the years, and said encouragingly: “Come on! You will succeed, you are from the same test!

We made an acclimatization exit, almost reached the Pastukhov rocks.
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35.

The next day we rested, walked and prepared for the assault.
36.

At 00:00 rise, at one in the morning exit. Below, a sea of ​​clouds bathed in moonlight.
37.

The weather is beautiful: frost is about minus 10 ° C, there is no wind, the sky is clear.

We start the ascent, having put on the crampons while still in the camp, it goes well on the frozen snow. Every 40-45 minutes we make small stops. By 4 am, the frost is getting stronger, and the 600-700 m gained are making their contribution, the temperature is about minus 17 °C. My toes begin to freeze, I quicken my pace and hit the slope harder with my toes. Half an hour later, the first rays of the Sun light up the peaks of Donguz-Orun, Nakra, Tsalgmyl, Shtavleri. In the west, in the sky, you can see an unusual phenomenon - the shadow of Elbrus!
38.

At the covered snowcat (about 5000 m) we make a short stop.
39.

A little more and exit to the "oblique ledge". I don’t know how long it took me to complete it, but because of the monotony, it seemed like an eternity to me. Signs of altitude sickness begin to appear, breathing quickens, the head starts to hurt, the step slows down significantly. Finally, the exit to the saddle (5300 m), a halt and a lot of people. We communicate on the radio with the closing ones, they are far away, we decide to wait. As soon as I take off my backpack and sit down next to it, the image of my sleeping bag instantly appears before my eyes. How warm and soft it is, and how comfortable it is, this is the best sleeping bag in the world. Dreams dissipate, several times Mikhin's voice pulls out of half-asleep, it is dangerous to fall asleep at such a height, complete disorientation may occur. An hour passes, the laggards are not visible, but on the radio they assure that everything is fine, they continue to move. We decide to go further.
40.

The photo gives a distorted view of the steepness of the slope, which has a value of under 60 degrees. There are railings in the most dangerous areas. We decided to take the left path.
41.

After the end of the ascent, you need to go another 400 meters of the summit plateau. After a stop and a few deep breaths, it turns out to take huge steps, 20 centimeters, but they manage to do quite a bit, a little more “midgets” are obtained on the floor of the foot, after passing, you also notice that the length of the step is approximately equal to the length of the front teeth of cats. With sadness, you look back at the 10 m you have covered and stop to catch your breath.

View from the foot of the summit cone towards the saddle, in the background is the crater of the eastern summit.
42.

Vertex!
43.

You can say a lot of pretentious words about #the highest point of Europe , #the world of your feet , #above the clouds, but, having driven away the surging thoughts about my sleeping bag again, I just rejoice and enjoy the moment.
44.

45.

We take a few pictures, sigh and take a look at the inexpressible landscape with our eyes, and start the descent.

Only now you begin to notice how hot the Sun is. On the saddle, I take off all my extra clothes, but at the same time I try not to leave open areas of the skin, they burn out in a moment!
The next stop is in the "clearing" at the lower end of the "oblique ledge". The height is 5100 m, the mountain climber has completely let go, the state of health is excellent, the clarity of thoughts returns to the head, and finally you begin to fully realize all the events of the previous 12 hours.
46.

Early dinner, and a long-awaited meeting with your sleeping bag. In the list of the most burning events of the entire trip, it takes a confident second place, after climbing to the top.
In the morning rise, collection and descent down.
47.

From 3500 m we decide to go down on the cable car, next to it there is a modern one, built by the French, with a large number of intermediate supports and smoothly moving cabins, but we are for hardcore, so we choose the old Soviet one, the cables of which sharply go down, and are lost from sight somewhere far away.
48.

You can’t just see such a wonderful place and not climb there to take a picture!
49.

The pleasure is estimated at 250 wooden ones, during which, enjoying the free flight of rapid movement, you will be transported from the cold winter (Mir station 3500 m) to the hot summer (Azau ​​station 2350 m), with a stop and transfer in the spring (Station "Old horizon" 3000 m).
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There was a festive evening below, many toasts were made for us, for the mountains, for Elbrus, for those who are now on the trail. Wishes were made and new plans for the future were made, but I will write about their implementation some other time)

In conclusion, I would like to say a huge thank you to Miha for the excellent company, incredibly valuable advice on the technique, tactics and strategy of mountaineering, as well as maintaining the positive mood of the team throughout the ascent)

Tourist route: Terskol village (2150 m) - Maiden's braids waterfall (2800 m) - back by the same route.
Round trip distance: 10 km. Travel time there: 2-3 hours Travel time back: 1-1.5 hours Climbing height: 2800 m

Route map

Shelter "New Outlook"

Tourist route: Terskol village (2150 m) - Waterfall "Maiden's Braids" (2800 m) - Shelter "New Outlook" (2900 m) - back by the same route. Round trip distance: 12 km. Travel time there: 3 hours Travel time back: 1.5 hours Climbing height: 2900 m
Views: panorama of the Main Caucasian Range, Mount Elbrus, Mount Cheget, glades Azau and Cheget, Cheget lifts and ski slopes, the valley of the Terskol River. Near convenient places for tents, clear stream.

Route map

3. Terskol Peak Observatory

Tourist route: Terskol village (2150 m) - Maiden's braids waterfall (2800 m) - Novy krugozor shelter (2900 m) - Peak Terskol observatory (3100 m) - back by the same route. Round-trip distance: 15 km Travel time there: 3-4 h Travel time back: 1.5-2 h Lifting height: 3100 m
Views: panorama of the Main Caucasian Range, Mount Elbrus, Mount Cheget, glades Azau and Cheget, Cheget lifts and ski slopes, the valley of the Terskol River.

Route map

4. Shelter "Ice Base"

Tourist route: Terskol village (2150 m) - Waterfall "Maiden Spit" (2800 m) - Observatory "Peak Terskol" (3100 m) - Shelter "New horizons" (2900 m) - Shelter "Ice base" (3700 m) - back by the same route. Round trip distance: 24 km Travel time there: 4-6 h Travel time back: 3 h Lifting height: 3700 m

Views: panorama of the Main Caucasian Range, Mount Elbrus, Mount Cheget, Azau and Cheget glades, Cheget lifts and ski slopes, Terskol river valley, Garabashi and Terskol glaciers. Description: The buildings of the Ice Base shelter were previously used as a warehouse for building materials during the construction of shelter 11. Then the Ice Base shelter began to be used for free overnight stays for climbers. The shelter consisted of wooden houses with 2 rooms, in which there were floorings for sleeping and a stove. The shelter is not currently in use. However, the place where the shelter is located is very beautiful, picturesque and popular with tourists. On the way you will meet: a monument to Soviet soldiers, the 95th and 105th pickets.

Route map

5. Mount Cheget

Tourist route: Cheget glade - the top of Cheget mountain - Cheget glade Distance: 3100 by cable car + 2200 on foot Travel time there: 2 - 3 hours Travel time back: 1 - 2 hours Lifting height: 3769 m

Route map

6. "Turya lakes"

Tourist route: Elbrus village (1800 m) - "Turya lakes" (2550 m) - back by the same route. Round-trip distance: 18 km Travel time there: 3-4 h Travel time back: 1.5 h Lifting height: 2550 m

Route map

7. To the glacier Big Azau

(Glade Azau - Glacier Big Azau - Glade Azau). Tourist route: Round-trip distance: 8 km Travel time there: 1-2 h Travel time back: 1 h Lifting height: 2800 m

Route map

8. To the upper reaches of the Irik River

Tourist route: Elbrus village (1800 m) - Irik Narzan - Irik river valley (2400 m) - Elbrus village (1800 m). Round trip distance: 14 km Travel time there: 3-4 h Travel time back: 2 h Lifting height: 2400 m

Route map

Two to three day trips

9. Lake Syltrankel

Tourist route: Upper Baksan village (1520 m) - Syltransu river valley - Syltrankel lake (3200 m) - Syltran pass (3400 m) - Mukal river valley (2750 m) - Kyrtyk gorge - Upper Baksan village (1520 m) Distance there and back: 28 km Travel time: 2 – 3 days. Lifting height: 3400 m

Description: The trip will introduce you to one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the Elbrus region. Exit from the village of Verkhniy Baksan ascent to a height of 3400m. Overnight at Lake Syltran. The second day is an exit to the Syltran pass and descent to the Kyrtyk gorge. Overnight stay near Narzan. The third day is a descent to the village of Upper Baksan.

Route map

10. Along the way of the builders of the Shelter of Eleven. (Map Ice Base)

Route map

11. Glade "Green Hotel"

Tourist route: Terskol village (2150 m) - Maiden's braids waterfall (2800 m) - Peak Terskol observatory (3100 m) - Novy krugozor shelter (2900 m) - "105th picket" (3370 m) - Shelter "Ice base" (3700 m) - back by the same route. Round-trip distance: 24 km Travel time: 3 days Lifting height: 3700 m

Description: The hike is intended for acclimatization, also for training with ice axes and walking in a bundle. Exit from the village Terskol rise to the Observatory, overnight. The second day is an exit to the "Ice base". Wearing full gear. The beginning of training at the foot of Mount Elbrus. After training, descend to the bivouac. The third day is the descent to the village of Terskol.

Route map

12. To the rock of Ullukaya

Tourist route: Upper Baksan village (1520 m) - Kyrtyk river valley (2180 m) - Ullukaya rock (2840 m) - Upper Baksan village (1520 m). Round-trip distance: 23 km Travel time: 2 - 3 days Elevation: 2840 m

Description: The route will acquaint you with the picturesque valley of the Kyrtyk River and with the caves of Ullukay, where traces of the habitation of an ancient man were found.

Route map

13. Svan path to the Mestian hut

Tourist route: Upper Baksan village (1520 m) - Ski lift (1640 m) - Adyrsu river - Dzhailik mountaineering camp (2320 m) - Adyrsu glacier (2700 m) - Mestia hut (2750 m) - Upper Baksan village (1520 m) Round-trip distance: 18 km Travel time: 2 – 3 days Lifting height: 2750 m

Description: The route will introduce tourists to the upper reaches of the Adyrsu valley - the kingdom eternal ice and snow. Along the way you will meet: stone river, waterfall, alpine camp "Ullu-tau", spring-waterfall, silver spring, mountain Ullu-tau. For those who are unable to have a child in the upper reaches of the Adyrsu valley, there is a female and male stone, the "Fetal" stone and a glade of desires. Many couples come here to ask for a child.

Route map

14. Around the world Kyrtyk - Syltran

Tourist route: Upper Baksan village (1520 m) - Kyrtyk river valley (2180 m) - Ullukaya rock (2840 m) - Mukal river valley (2750 m) - Syltran pass (3400 m) - Syltrankel lake (3200 m) - Upper village Baksan (1520 m) Round-trip distance: 28 km Travel time: 3 – 4 days Elevation: 3400 m

Description: This circular route is interesting to pass in any direction, however, it should be noted that the Syltransu valley is shorter and steeper than the Kyrtyk valley. Therefore, passing the pass from Kyrtyk is preferable for groups that have not undergone high-altitude acclimatization.

Route map

15. Around the world Syltran - Irikchat

Tourist route: Upper Baksan village (1520 m) - Syltrankel lake (3200 m) - Syltran pass (3400 m) - Mkyara moraine - Mkyara glacier (3159 m) - Mkyara pass (3850 m) - Irikchat river valley (2690 m) - Irik Narzan - Elbrus village Round-trip distance: 30 km Travel time: 5 - 6 days Lifting height: 3850 m

Description: The route is acclimatization. Large elevation changes highest altitude 3850 m - Mkyara pass.

Route map

16. Climbing Mount Elbrus. Classic route

Tourist route: Azau glade (2370 m) - Station "Krugozor" (2950 m) - Station "Mir" (3450 m) - Shelter "Barrels" (3900 m) - Shelter "Eleven" (4100 m) - Pastukhov Rocks (4800 m) - Saddle (5325 m) - Top of Mount Elbrus (5642 m) - back by the same route Round trip distance: 23 km (of which 14 km on foot) Travel time: 12-14 h Lifting height: 5642 m

Description: Classic route Mount Elbrus is the most popular among beginners who already have little experience in hiking and climbing. Before conquering Elbrus, a several-day acclimatization program is held. The conditions of the program are negotiated individually and depend on the condition of the participants, weather conditions and other circumstances.

Tourist routes

On the way of the builders of the Shelter of Eleven

(Terskol village - "New horizons" - "105th picket" - "Ice base" - Terskol village. Length - 26 km, duration - 3 days.)

The route passes along a pedestrian road laid in 1938. It was used to deliver building materials for the Shelter of Eleven building. The place where the road ended was called the Ice Base (3,800 m). From here, a four-kilometer toboggan road was laid along the ice fields of Elbrus to the construction site, building reliable bridges through ice cracks. Until the commissioning of the EKD, this was the most popular route to the Shelter of Eleven. Now they use a simpler and shorter pedestrian road from the Mir station.

The beginning of the hike coincides with route No. 2. It is best to spend the night at the Novy Krugozor shelter (2900 m) or in tents near it to admire the evening panorama of the mountains. In the pink rays of sunset, the peaks of the Main Caucasian Range are especially spectacular in the lateral (western) illumination. If, moreover, the Baksan valley is filled with clouds, then there is a unique feeling that you are on the steep shore of a gray-haired foaming sea.

They go out on the route in the morning. They rise to the crest of the spur and move along it towards Elbrus. An hour later, tourists come to a small lowering of the ridge, on which the houses of the weather station are located. This is the "105th picket" (3300 m). It is located on the 105th 100-meter section of the road from Terskol.

On the approach to the weather station, to the right of the road, there is a monument to the cavalrymen of the 214th regiment, who defended the approaches to Elbrus during the Great Patriotic War. On a wide rocky ridge, firing points, remnants of fortifications and dugouts have been preserved. Military operations were conducted here from mid-August to early November 1942. The first to take the blow of the mountain rangers of the division "Edelweiss", torn from the slopes of Elbrus to the Baksan valley, were the cavalrymen of the 214th regiment. By the end of September, they were replaced by soldiers of the 897th Infantry Regiment. The heroic events of that time are described in detail in the book by O. L. Opryshko “The Cloudy Front of the Elbrus Region”.

Above the "105th picket" the trail is littered with stones in places, covered with landslides, but it is not difficult to walk along it. From it you can clearly see the valley of the Terskol River and the glacier of the same name, dotted with cracks, hanging above the valley, as well as the southeastern spur of Elbrus with the dominant peak Terskolak (3787m). Tourists climb to the top of the ancient lava flow. Both peaks of Elbrus and the Garabashi glacier are perfectly visible. In 3 hours, the journey from the “New Outlook” leads to the “Ice Base” - a flat moraine area near the upper reaches of the Terskol glacier. Here are a small house of a tourist shelter and buildings of the scientific station "Ice Base". The Shelter of Eleven is clearly visible. It is 1.5 hours away, but it is dangerous to go there without special equipment and walking skills on closed glaciers. In addition, this requires permission from the Elbrus KCC.

Recently, I have been literally attacked with questions about competent acclimatization for climbing Elbrus. Many of my friends are going to run Redfox Elbrus flight and Adidas Elbrus world flight around Elbrus, with a preliminary ascent. Usually these people are limited in time, so we are also talking about the minimum acclimatization period.

I'll try to write something like a manual based on my own experience. And I will present the program for acclimatization, which I myself followed before the race to the top.

Acclimatization is important

It is very important to follow the acclimatization program! Some of my friends were in very good physical shape, and they had every chance to climb, if they hadn’t brought down the program for some reason (most often because of bullshit, they simply didn’t attach any importance to it). As a result, they were demoralized by a terrible state and refused to climb.

Of course, one program for all people cannot exist. Everyone's body is different and everyone handles altitude differently. There are people who come from Moscow and immediately run to Elbrus in one day, and there are those who have a limit of 4000 m. Above it starts to die, no acclimatization helps. But these are all unique cases. Those who fly to the summit are those who have been climbing mountains all their lives, and they have a lot of experience and residual acclimatization.

We will be counting on a physically developed, trained person, but without any high-altitude training. It just so happened that we live not in La Rinconada and not even in Lhasa, but not so far from sea level. Therefore, coming to Terskol at 2000 meters, we already put some stress on the body. And it’s not worth rushing to run immediately to the mountain, nothing good will come of forcing events.

Step acclimatization

We use the method of stepwise acclimatization, like a "saw". It consists in going every time to an ever greater height, spending the night there, and then immediately descending. Stress yourself and then let yourself recover. So there is an addiction to a lack of oxygen.

I want to warn you right away that it will be difficult. Perhaps very hard. And even with excellent acclimatization, you will not feel at home at 5000. Having lived 2 months at 4000 and having climbed 7000, it was still hard for me to climb 5-6 thousand every time. Yes, it wasn’t bad anymore, but the heavy step, shortness of breath, muscle fatigue - all the attributes of high-altitude mountaineering remained with me until the end of the season) And there’s nothing to say in one or two weeks, you won’t get used to this height. It will be hard, bad and very slow. So be prepared to be patient.

Names of geographical objects

Now let's agree on the names geographical objects, which we will deal with in what follows. You can see them on maps and diagrams. We are considering the classic route from the south, along which the race to the top takes place.

- Bottom part ski slope, is a large area surrounded by slopes, with parking, hotels, cafes, and the starting stations of two cable cars. Height 2300.

"Horizon"– intermediate station of cable cars, height 3000m. Several cafes.

"World"- the upper station of the pendulum and the gondola, height 3500 m. Several cafes, parking of snowcats and snowmobiles, the lower station of the Garabashi chairlift.

"Barrels", Garabashi - the upper station of the chair, several huts and houses for climbers. In summer, the parking of snowcats. Altitude 3750m.

Shelter 11- several houses located on a stone ridge, on the opposite ridge - a hut of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and several huts where you can also spend the night. Altitude 4050-4100m.

Pastukhov Rocks- rocky outcrops at an altitude of 4600-4700 m. The last separate stone spot on the slope up to the eastern peak.

oblique shelf- a trail pierced by climbers from 5100 to the saddle, 5400 m.

Observatory Terskol. A summer road from the village leads here. Height 3000.

ice base– an abandoned building at an altitude of 3900m

105 picket- an abandoned house on the same ridge, at an altitude of about 3400m.

Ascent: Day One

1 day. So, you have arrived in Terskol. Today, you don't have to climb anywhere. But you can't sit too long. Remember, during the acclimatization process, it is generally better not to sit. You need to constantly move, no matter how lazy, sleep at night. Take a walk around the area, go to the Azau glade, towards the observatory, to Narzany. Overnight in Terskol.

Digression about housing: The most a budget option is to live in a tent near the river, on the way from Terskol to the Azau clearing. In summer, campsites with small amenities work here. At the beginning of May, nothing works yet, and at the same time it is quite cold at night, in bad weather, washing in the river is below average pleasure. And in general, living for a long time in Spartan conditions in the vicinity of civilization is at least simply inconvenient. In short, I would not recommend. The next budget option is to rent an apartment in Terskol. Usually payment is charged per person, in the region of 500 r per day. And of course hotels. in Terskol or right on the Azau glade. In the clearing, you can only live in a hotel; pitching a tent is not an option here.

Ascent: Day Two

Day 2 Ascent to 105 picket, overnight stay. Why here and not along the route? Isn't it dreary to cut the saw back and forth on a muddy ski slope? And it's beautiful and deserted. The dirt road starts right in Terskol, which is typical to get to it, you need to go through the barnyard. And further along the serpentine towards the observatory. In May, on the way to the Maiden's Braids waterfall, most likely the road will already be littered with snow. Will have to tread. Leave early, if there is a lot of snow, the trail will be delayed. You need to spend the night in a house on the second floor. But it’s better to put up a tent right there, it blows from all the cracks. Take care in advance that the tent is set up without stretch marks and stakes.

Ascent: Day Three

Day 3 Ascent from picket 105 to the base of glaciologists. Perhaps cats will be needed in May. In the morning we got up, lightly climbed to the base, here the glacier already begins, and immediately descend to Terskol. Everything, now you need to eat, drink and relax in every possible way. Overnight in Terskol.

Ascent: Day Four

Day 4 We sleep until our eyes open on their own. You need to sleep well. Then we continue to eat and relax until lunch. In the afternoon we move to Azau. Today, the plan is to spend the night at 4100, shelter 11. You can either climb there from below, or get to the Mir station by cable car, and then on foot. We rode the lift to save time and effort.
At the shelter, you can spend the night in a hut. At the Ministry of Emergency Situations or on the opposite ridge. The price of the issue is 500 rubles per night. There are wooden bunk beds, you need to have a sleeping bag and a mat. In the summer, I suppose, there may be problems with places. Then grab a tent.
You can go to this place in any weather. You can't go further into the blizzard. Most of the accidents happen on Elbrus because of the weather.

Ascent: Day Five

Day 5 Perhaps this night was hard. In the morning you can walk back and forth. If the condition allows, take a little walk upstairs. AND FALL DOWN! In any weather, in any condition. The second overnight stay is not allowed here! If you feel bad (and most likely you don’t feel so good), it will only get worse! We go down, eat, relax. Overnight in Terskol.

Ascent: Day Six

Day 6 Repeat 4 days. Toward evening we move to shelter 11. On the last flights of the cable car. The last flight up seems to be at 17:00. Overnight at the shelter.

Rise: Day Seven

Day 7 Climbing. Release time is a moot point. It depends on your preparedness and on the time of the other groups' release. It is better to go out in a crowd, and not alone. We left for the first ascent at 2:30 am. And they didn't fail. We reached the top around 11 am. After lunch, the weather deteriorated badly. We would definitely turn back halfway if we left at 8. So, the best time to leave is between 2 and 4 am. You will walk very slowly. You need to give yourself a spare. Before the race, the route is often marked with flags, it is difficult to get lost. In the summer, they trample a wide road here. In May, the oblique ledge is rather a hard firn slope. But the trail as a whole is visible. From the saddle, the path to the western peak is hung with railings. They will definitely be on the run. There really is a place to fly here. After the ascent, it is better to descend immediately to Terskol.

As you can see, there are no spare days for bad weather in this plan. This is true. This is a rather forced acclimatization program. And it remains to hope for the sky that the weather will allow all this to be done. It is desirable to have another eighth and ninth day, so that if something goes wrong on the seventh day and the ascent fails, there will be time to descend, rest and make a second attempt.

If you are going to participate in the race, it should take a couple of days after climbing before the competition. And don't be under the illusion of making the first ascent of the race. You simply won't fit into the HF. You will be deployed on the saddle. It will be a shame. Moreover, even for the second time in HF it will be very stressful to keep within. And starting at 7 am from the barrels is a very late exit for your level of altitude training.

God forbid you to show up for the race from the Azau glade! This challenge is not for those who spent one week in the mountains! On a good note, for a normal performance in Elbrus, you need to have already two ascents to the top before that. Or one ascent and overnight on the saddle. There is a metal hut there. It will be very cold in it at night, but it will not blow. How can you fit in with a tent? Do not spend the night on Shepherds - tents are constantly tearing up there.

Equipment

A few words about equipment. It certainly depends a lot on the time of year. Elbrus in January and Elbrus in August are two different mountains. In January, there will be real severe mountaineering. If we are talking about the Redfox Elbrus flight, then this is the beginning of May. And here it is not the beginning of spring, but the end of winter. Therefore, also get ready to have a complete set of climbing clothes: boots, crampons, storm pants and jacket, leggings, puff, fleece, mustache harness, ice ax, goggles with protection 4, trekking poles. The weather can change dramatically and scary. At one moment, even in a bathing suit, sunbathe, and at the next everything is already addictive, a blizzard rises, it gives frost, wind, snow falls to the waist. You need to be ready for this. Forget studded sneakers. Only leaders run in them, these people live in the mountains and are members of skyrunning teams. It's their job to run uphill. You can't keep up the pace without getting your fingers cut off.

If you think a week is too long for acclimatization and you only have three days, well. You can also visit three days in advance if you acclimatize in other mountains. For example, on New Year go to the Tuyu Ksu or Ala-Archa mountain camp in the Tien Shan and get a good acclimatization up to 4500, then the aklem program on Elbrus can be shortened. You will also learn the basics of climbing techniques. No matter how it is not needed on Elbrus, if there is no force majeure. Now, for example, if you fly off an oblique shelf, catching a cat on a cat, not being able to walk in them, then you will break on the stones for one or two, if you do not know how to cut yourself. So this is a philosophical question. The classic route is on foot, but falling in some places is not recommended)

Watch a video about climbing Elbrus

Despite my hiking experience, until recently I somehow did not take mountain trips seriously. On the water with equipment it’s easier, you can take it with a margin, you don’t need to drag anything on yourself - everything floats by itself. On mountain rivers, you really don’t need to row, taxi up a little, and that’s all :) I had some kind of prejudice to hiking ...

Last year, reading other people's enthusiastic reports about hiking in the mountains, I suddenly thought - what the hell? Am I depriving myself of something important and right? After all, you can argue about the taste of oysters only with those who have tried them.
I decided to go to Elbrus. Why Elbrus? To amuse your CHSV, of course, because the most high point Europe, is included in the seven peaks. Well, small “feats” are needed in life, they stimulate further movement.

For normal people, purely technical questions begin next - find a guide, coordinate a vacation, withdraw money from a card. We are going the other way. I am skeptical of commercial hiking groups and even more skeptical of guides. Although I understand perfectly well that in some cases it is impossible to do without the help of a professional. In general, such a fad, strangely explainable. And, interestingly, this same fad applies to various kinds of instructors absolutely exactly. A fad does not allow you to go to the mountains with a commercial group, but take lessons from a windsurfing instructor or skiing- Please:)
In short, no guides! A partner was needed.

Dad, I'm on Elbrus in June. Are you coming with me?
- You can go...

2. Next was the theoretical preparation. An oblique shelf, a saddle, shelter 11 and even, what a nightmare, a corpse collector - these words excited the imagination. Gradually, the acclimatization schedule was drawn up. But with the practical experience of mountain hiking was not very good. It was completely rotten with practice, I would say :) Both of us, at one time, went to the water five in the Sayans. Plus, my father went radial to Topographers Peak, in the same place in the Sayans. Well, plus skiing, but it's all up to 3000 meters.
Okay, we'll figure it out on the spot. We move towards the M4 highway, outside the career window with yellow walls. Not only careers, of course, but they too:

3. The path along the M4 has already been traveled a thousand times, everything is the same. We left late, so we spend the night somewhere near Rostov and the next day we turn onto the M29 "Kavkaz" and keep our way to Mineral water. The very first hill in the area of ​​​​the turn to Pyatigorsk enjoys increased attention, well, what to take from the inhabitants of the plains :)

4. We enter the KBR and turn into the Baksan Gorge. There is a constant and decent climb. Traffic cops with machine guns and in armor, armored personnel carriers and concrete blocks at posts, between which you need to snake through. And just unreal, unearthly beauty on the sides. Baksan River:

5. We didn’t book anything in advance, as we originally planned to set up with a tent at the local “camping”. But I didn’t like the camping, plywood houses with amenities on the street for 300 rubles from the nose somehow didn’t impress either. As a result, we settled in a junior suite with a shower and a refrigerator in the Cheget clearing, knocking down the original price exactly twice, solely thanks to the charm and bargaining skills of my partner (well, yes, I knew who to call :) At about 6 pm we leave things and follow the idea of ​​active acclimatization Let's go for a walk around:

6. “Around” somehow by itself turned into a road to Cheget :) In general, on the first day after arrival, the ascent to Cheget was just planned (there was another option for a cable car up and legs down, so as not to load frail lowland organisms with an exorbitant load) , but the road made its own adjustments and we arrived at six in the evening instead of the planned mid-day:

7. Before dusk we manage to rise to about 2500, get into the cloud and run down. Whiskey somehow “itch and itch”, I noticed a similar reaction of the body back in Dombay. And it's only 2500 meters. I'm starting to be afraid of further tricks of the body at a height. Yes, a photo about loneliness:

8. The next day, we are planning to go light up to picket 105 past the Maiden Spit waterfall and the observatory. The trail is very fast, thanks to the GPS navigator, and goes between local farm buildings. Sounds and smells come from the buildings :)

9. Walking is easy enough, other tourists meet along the way. Very different, only goodwill unites everyone. An Indonesian photoblogger was dragging a huge tripod upstairs. There are five of them, including two guides (sort of). We met in the evening below, in the Cheget clearing, and did not see him again. I hope that the Indonesian tripod, along with its stubborn owner, still made it to the top:

10. Whiskey no longer “itches” and in general he feels cheerful, which pleases. And just don’t tell me that the shower helped the day before :)

11. The weather is changing rapidly. Only 40 minutes separate this frame from the previous one:

12. Giant billiard pocket right in the center of the frame:

13. Slowly we reach the waterfall. In the morning, and only mid-June, the glacier melts badly, so the hair is so-so:

14. What can you think of when you look at a waterfall?

15. Of course, only about how he has it inside :)

16. The clouds again quickly disappear somewhere, under the waterfall we arrange a small halt:

17. Almost immediately after the waterfall, an observatory is visible. By the way, Ukrainian. High security guard base:

18. In general, the route is popular, it is quite crowded even now, when the season has not really started yet. We meet a married couple who are going to Elbrus the next day. They are remembered for extracting a huge bunch of bananas from the bowels of their backpack, for which they instantly get the nickname "banana". It clearly follows from the conversation that the guys are completely new to tourism. More "banana" did not meet:

19. After talking with fellow travelers, we feel a little more cheerful, because when we drove here, we assumed that every second "Snow Leopard" is here, and every tenth has the "Crown of the Earth" on his head. And between them are "mutants" running to the top from Azau in 3 hours and 4 minutes:

20. The observatory remains at the bottom, in front of the 105th picket. The road is blocked by snowfields. The snow is wet, walking is somehow not very good. We cut as we can:

21. I come across a monument to the cavalrymen who fought here with the Edelweiss division. From August 21, 1942 to February 13, 1943, German flags were on both peaks of Elbrus. And I have a suspicion that some of the dilapidated stone walls nearby are directly related to those times:

22. They didn’t go down to the building, sipped some soup and set off on their way back. Visible serpentine to the ice base. Terskol-105 picket-ice base-shelter 11 - the classic southern route to Elbrus before the advent of cable cars and other snow groomers:

23. We meet Chelyabinsk residents, they also go to Elbrus. The words "Chelyabinsk guys are so harsh ..." are interrupted by exclamations of "We know! Enough…". Wow what does it mean to become an internet meme :)

24. It is cold and purple clouds go around without a break:

25. Suddenly, for a very short time, our goal for the next few days becomes visible. Sign, not otherwise:

26. Approximately 24 kilometers traveled per day (measured with a ruler in Google Earth). The climb was about 1200 meters. Going down turned out to be harder than going up :)

27. Everything. To be continued…

P.S. Leave photo 1000 on the long side?

Elbrus. No guides