Russia: Mount Elbrus

There are mutiple routes to summit Mount Elbrus. The Standard Route is the most accommodating path which makes its way up the South Face, beginning at the Barrels Huts which stand at 3900 meters. From here, you will climb further until you reach the Diesel Hut at 4157 meters. Staying on this path helps to maintain a safe distance from the crevasses that stand on either side of the trail as you ascend the south face.

The next stop from here is the Pashtuhova Rocks which sit at 4670m, before moving onto a steep incline in elevation. Very often climbers choose to take a snow mobile up to this point (or even slightly higher) to shorten the summit day. You would have climbed to this point before to acclimatise so you don’t need feel like it’s cheating.

After that point, you will make your way north west to the rocky shoulder. The traverse here seems endless but finally you will reach the saddle between East and West peak. That’s probably going to be the last stop you will make. From here it’s only about 2 hours to the summit! Climbers often leave their heavy backpacks here and continue with just a bottle of water and snacks. From this point you will zigzag up until you reach fixed ropes. Once you reach the end of the ropes you’re almost there… another 15 mins of pretty flat stretch until the last 3 meters climb to the summit.

Another more challenging route option is the Southwest Face Route. This route starts in Voroshilov at 2150 meters and consists of glacier traverses and steeper inclines than the standard route. The southwest face route can be more dangerous and icefalls can occur.

You can also take the Akcheryakol Lave Flow Route, which starts in the town of Elbrus and follows the associated glacial shield through the gorge. It commences at Irikchat Pass at roughly 4000 meters. This route should only be taken after very careful and considerate planning, due to the proper acclimatisation that is needed.