+7 928 691 44 05 
Russia, KBR, city Nalchik
WHY CHOOSE THIS ROUTE?
The program allows beginners and trained tourists to climb the highest top of Russia and Europe. During the acclimatization period, the participants of the ascent will be accommodated in double rooms in a hotel 2-3* in Cheget glade, and on the days of ascent in high-mountain hotel Gara-Bashi at an altitude of 3800 meters above sea level. The eight-day tour has a minimum duration, due to the need to have enough time for tourists to acclimatize. The most popular program and easier route most climbers do is “Classical route on Elbrus” using gondola cableways “Elbrus” and chairlift/gondola-lift to the top station of Gara-Bashi.
Mount Elbrus with other mountains more 5000 m high belonging to Great Caucasus Ridge, attracts mountaineers from all parts of the world. The routes to Mt. Elbrus are not difficult. It is possible to reach the peak without having a high-degree qualification, but nevertheless climbing to Mt. Elbrus becomes popular more and more with mountaineers, as Elbrus is the highest peak of Europe and Russia from Portugal till Kamchatka.
From the point of view of modern mountaineering as a sport Elbrus does not present any insurmountable difficulty. There are many routes leading to its peaks, and they are all comparatively easy. The main dangerous during an ascent are the snow-covered fissures in glaciers and the low temperatures.
Elbrus is the first test of endurance, of ability to overcome the depressing effect of mountain sickness and cold. Actually, it is a fairy easy ascent in good weather. In bad weather, and especially in winter, it is not so easy to reach summits of Elbrus. Its snowy expanses have witnessed many difficult and dangerous rescues.
We do our best to help everyone to get to the top. Join our tours!
The simplest and the most popular is “Classical Climbing Elbrus” by swing cableway “Elbrus”, begining from Azau glade (2350 m):
1st line – st. “Azau” – st. “Stary Krugozor” (3000 m).
2nd line – st. “Stary Krugozor” – st. “Mir” (3500 m).
3rd line – st. “Mir” – st. “Gara Bashi” (3850 m).
In previous years the base camp for climbing Elbrus was hotel Priut-11. It was burnt in August 1998, during the sudden night fire. Constructed near former Priut Diesel hut (4050 m) can accept climbers now. Two-storey hut for 50 persons with, kitchen, gas, electricity.
Now the main summit base camp is situated on mountain hotel “Gara-Bashi” (3800 m). It represents 10 “barrels” for 6 persons each, of cylinder form (in Russian so-called “Bochki”). There are two dining-rooms for 15 persons each, including gas stoves on liquid gas. Every barrel has electricity with electric heating.
For the acclimatization effect climbers stay two nights on altitude 3800 m. First day acclimatization ascent to Pastukhov’s rocks (4800 m). Early morning second day is planned the climbing to the top of Elbrus at about 2-3 o’clock a.m. in direction to the Pastukhov’s Rocks (4,800 m), then to the saddle of Elbrus, here tourists have one hour rest and go to the Western or Eastern summit.
There is a snow tractor – special mountain tractor, which can take till Pastukhov’s Rocks in several minutes.
BRIEFLY
Day one
Day two
Day three
Day four
Day five
Day six
Day seven
Day eight
Our program includes everything you need, with the exception of personal equipment. Transfer from/to the airport, accommodation, meals, guides. Personal special equipment, as well as specialized clothing, can be rented from us.
Food. The summit camp have a full kitchen with a cook and a dining room where you can comfortably sit down for a meal or drink tea. All food is prepared from natural products and is adequate to the «mountain» lifestyle. A thermos with hot water for making tea or coffee is always available. Meals — three meals a day, a lunch package is issued on the day of the ascent.
Guides. Each of our guides is well acquainted with this Mountain, with the physiological features of the work of the human body in these conditions, as well as with many pitfalls of the human psyche, due to the combination of environmental factors and the work that a person finds himself in here. The number of guides varies depending on the size of the group. On average, there is one guide for every 3-4 climbers. Also, the number of guides is equal to how many times the group can split up during the ascent, to descend the «tired» to the camp.
Rescue team. Each group is registered with the rescuers who are on duty on the route in the summit camp.
Connection. Mobile coverage is available everywhere and, depending on the weather and mobile device, it works on the climbing route all the way to the summit.
Season. In general, the vast majority of ascents occur from July to October. The best time for climbing can be considered July and August, this is the peak season. By this time, all winter snow had already melted, it is warm, and there is a sufficient duration of daylight hours. In June and September, the ascent can also be quite successful. In June there may be more snow than in the middle of summer, but at this altitude it is spring here all around, and everything is in bloom, numerous mountain meadow flowers and rhododendrons. In September, the situation with snow and ice can be even more stable than during the peak season, but the daylight hours become shorter and the average daily temperature drops, often even at Cheget area can drop to zero at night.
Weather and climate. In high camp at night, the temperature drops below zero, however, due to the dryness of the mountain air, it feels mild. During the day, streams of melt water flow here, the sun shines brightly, clouds form in the evening, but on bad weather days it is quite harsh here: the wind can reach 60-70 kilometers per hour in gusts, it even happened that it carried away the houses fixed with cables; a lot of fresh snow may fall, and revenge for a couple of days, a thunderstorm with hail may come, and then the camp is located right in its epicenter.
Acclimatization hikes can take place in good weather conditions, with the sun, blue skies and light clouds. And they can pass through very difficult ones — rain, wind, hail, dampness, cold. On acclimatization days, hikes take place in any weather (the exception is a strong thunderstorm, but usually it does not last long and is simply waited out). In general, the morning and the first half of the day have the best weather conditions, in the evening the weather can become more daring, so the main part of the work takes place in the first half of the day.
Acclimatization access to snow and ice coincides with the ascent route, and, in addition to adaptive goals, also pursues the goal of mastering or updating the skills of walking on snow and ice in crampons, walking in a bundle, optimizing other processes associated with work during ascent.
All these walks and transitions are quite long and energy intensive, so you need to try to have a good rest in between, in order to try to approach the moment of ascent in optimal shape, acclimatized, but not too tired.
Weather on summit day. On the slopes it can be quite severe and even so it is considered acceptable. For example: a wind of 20 m/s – it is a normal working weather, those who doesn’t know that its permanent here can turn back thinking that he was blown off. Over the slope the situation with the wind may be different. It happens that before the lower Pastukhov rocks it is relatively calm, and from the border of rocks abruptly begins to blow. Sometimes vice versa – in the camp the strongest wind and slightly higher on the slope it becomes calmer. The air temperature in the upper part of the route can drop to -20 degrees, and in the sun can also be same number but in different direction. When the sun does not shine and comes the wind and clouds you are as if in the freezer. When the sun fries – as if in a stove. So you need to be prepared for such features.
Our advantages
- Guaranteed meetings and transfers from/to airports Mineralnye Vody or Nalchik at any dates and time.
- No additional fees for transfers.
- It is also possible to join the group later or leave earlier.
- The most experienced and professional guides on Elbrus english speaking.
- We have been in the service since 2003 and therefore have a great experience of successful climbing trips and satisfied tourists.
- Comfortable amount of tourists in the groups — from 3 pax to 10 pax maximum (not more).
- Support from our office 24 hours in the city of Nalchik, with a close location from Elbrus, which allows us quickly resolve any issues that arise during the trip.
- Security support and quick contact with medical, emergency and insurance agencies.
- Additional excursions to other areas of our republic in case of free days.
Climbing schedule 2025 to Mount Elbrus
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PRELIMINARY APPLICATION
Tour Description
Day 1: Arrivals.
Meeting at the airport Nalchik or Minvody, transfer to a private hotel in the Cheget glade. The road to the Elbrus region begins with an air flight to the airports of Mineralnye Vody or Nalchik. The nearest railway stations are Nalchik, Pyatigorsk, Prokhladny, Mineralnye Vody. Then there is a direct road connection with the village of Terskol. Travel time from the Mineralnye Vody to the Elbrus region is 3 hours, from Nalchik 2 hours.
During the day. Hotel accommodation. Checking missing personal equipment. Renting for an additional fee.
Dinner at the hotel.
Instruction on the program and safety precautions. Signing safety instructions.
Free time, rest, walk.
Day 2: Climbing mount Cheget.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Acclimatization hike to Mount Cheget (3400 m).
The route starts on a large glade Cheget near the lower station of the chairlift to Mount Cheget, 2 km from the village of Terskol. There is a Cheget hotel for 520 people, a shop, a bazaar, tourist bivouacs. Around the glade is a pine forest.
Ascent by the first cable car till 2750 m, then hiking to Cheget Peak (3400 m). Length — 14 km, taking into account the ascent on the cable car — walking distance — 4-5 km, total duration — 4-5 hours. Lunch (lunch packages).
If time left, the route is open and the group has a desire to make a trekking trip to the Donguz-Orun lake. The old path to the lake bent around the slopes of Cheget on the left along the way and smoothly rise to the kosh. In 1963, with the opening of the cable car, a shorter route appeared. Now, in 17 minutes, tourists climb to a height of 2750 m, to the cafe «Ay» (in Balkar — «moon»). From here you can clearly see the ice massif of Elbrus with Terskol, Garabashi, Azau glaciers, as well as the southern spur along which the ribbon of the road to the New Horizons stretches.
The marked path goes to the left along the lift, goes around the slope of Cheget and goes down to the kosh. This is where the old and new paths converge. Tourists traverse the grassy slopes high above the Donguzorun River. On the opposite side of the valley, two triangles of peaks Small and Big Kogutai are clearly visible, the formidable Donguz-Orunbashi wall (4454 m) with huge hanging glaciers and snow cornices, to the right — the truncated pyramid of Nakratau.
After 45 minutes we go to the valley of the Medvezhiy stream, in the upper reaches of which the glacier of the same name is visible. Not far from the stream there is a monument to Komsomol members who died in battles for their Motherland. Below is a large green lake — Donguzorunkel.
Having crossed over the stones across the stream, we continue to traverse the slope of the Donguzorun valley. In August-November 1942, our military units were evacuated through the Donguz-Orun pass. There are many weapons and monuments.
The trail goes up among the arena ramparts. One of them offers a view of the circus of the Western Donguz-Orun glacier, at the bottom of which the Northern Shelter is located. Above the shelter there is a small lake, around which there is snow for most of the year.
The road from the cafe «Ay» to the shelter will take 3 hours, back — 2.5. If for some reason you cannot use the cable car, you can go along the old path past the kosh. In this case, the length of the route will increase to 20 km, duration 6 hours.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 3: Hike to the waterfall Maiden Spit and the Observatory.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Acclimatization hike to the observatory at Terskol Peak (3200 m).
The Terskol Peak Observatory is an international astronomical observatory founded in 1980 on Terskol Peak by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 3 km from the top of Elbrus (at the foot, on the southern shoulder of Elbrus), at an altitude of 3150 meters above sea level.
The Terskol Gorge is located to the north of the Terskol village, further to the Novy Krugozor shelter (2900 m) (length — 19 km, duration — 4-5 hours).
The route will allow you to admire the majestic panorama of the Main Caucasian Range. It passes along a dirty road branching off from the Baksan highway in the village of Terskol (2100 m). The road goes first to the valley of the Terskol river. After 10 minutes, the ascent to the left side of the valley begins, to the slope of the relatively small southern spur of Elbrus. This spur, composed of volcanic rocks, separates the Garabashi and Terskol glaciers. We gain altitude with long serpentines and exit the pine forest to the grassy slopes above the Baksan valley. Above them are areas of picturesque basalt rocks. After 2.5 hours the road turns north, to the transparent multi-jet waterfall Devichi Kosy. This is the first stream along the way. From here we rise to the hanging valley and approach the houses of the «New Outlook» (2900 m). Near the shelter there are convenient places for tents, a clear stream. The way from Terskol will take 3 hours. From the houses you can clearly see the Baksan valley, the peaks of Ushba, Shkhelda, Donguz-Orun, Cheget and others. On the opposite slope you can see lifts and the famous Cheget ski slopes.
Lunch (lunch packages).
From the village of Terskol, on the road to the «New horizons», without climbing up, you can go to the valley of the Terskol river. (Length — 15 km, duration — 4-5 hours). The road soon turns to the left along the way, and we continue to move along the path past the outbuildings to the river. Cross the bridge to the left bank. The trail leads up along the river, past the kosh, the summer houses of the shepherds. In 1.5 hours we rise above the border of the forest, from where the upper reaches of the gorge are clearly visible. It is closed by a glacial threshold about 300 m high. From the smoothed rocks — «ram’s foreheads» — the tongue of the Terskol glacier (2900 m) hangs like a huge white paw. It will take another 40 minutes to go to the site near the beginning of the threshold. The trail ends. Glacier tongue nearby. Streams flow from under it. Taking tributaries, right and left, they give rise to the Terskol River.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 4: Moving to the summit camp on Elbrus slope.
Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from hotel. Some luggage can be left in the hotel storage.
Ascent to the Gara-Bashi base-camp (3800 m): ascent on the Elbrus cable cars, first from the station Azau — st. Stary Krugozor, then on the second st. Stary Krugozor — st. Mir and then on the chairlift to the upper station of Gara-Bashi.
The cable car ascents lasts a little more then an hour. Accommodation at the base-camp, lunch.
Acclimatization hike to Priyut-11 (4200 m).
To «Shelter-11» 40 minutes walk along the path through the snowy fields. North direction. It is strictly forbidden to go off the trail, because the glacier on which the trail is laid is covered in abundance with cracks hidden under the snow. The path leads to the rocks on which the highest mountain hotel in Europe and Russia, the Priyut-11 hotel, was located, which burned down in August 1998 during a sudden night fire. Here the height is 4000 m above sea level.
From «Shelter-11» opens a grandiose panorama of the mountains of the Central and Western Caucasus. Both peaks of Elbrus are visible in the north. In the east, southeast and south, the Main Caucasian Range and its northern spurs are visible. Behind the Main Range, the ranges of Svanetia are visible, in the southwest, behind the Hotyu-Tau bridge, the Western Caucasus and its ranges are visible.
After resting, we descend to the Garabashi base-camp.
Dinner at the base-camp.
Free time.
Day 5: Acclimatization day on the Pastukhov rocks 4700 m.
Breakfast at the base-camp Gara-Bashi.
Training hike to the Pastukhov rocks (4700 m) along the snow-ice field, between two rocky ridges. Lunch (on the way during one of the stops).
To obtain an acclimatization effect, it is necessary to spend at least two nights at a height, while on the first day a training day to the Pastukhov rocks is made. Return to the Gara-Bashi base.
Acclimatization-training ascent to the lower boundary of the Pastukhov rocks to the height of 4600-4700 m. (Scheme coincides with the line of the route of ascent).
The start of ascent is optimal at around eight o’clock in the morning in order to use the best, the first half of the day because of the weather. Depending on the condition and training of the climbers this already “fighting” ascent, can take “from the camp to the camp” from three to six hours.
Goals of this ascent are several, and they are all important:
1. To practice walking on ice-snow slopes in crampons in the group.
2. Gain of height to acclimatize (improving the quality of blood in terms of oxygen transfer).
Clothing. Today all the same clothes as for climbing day. In general, the ascent is going in the whole complete set of clothes and equipment as for the summit, in which you will go directly to the top. The difference of today from climbing day – we leave at eight o’clock in the morning – not as cold as the night when there is a climbing to the mountain. Because of that some warm clothes may not be necessary, but worth to take it anyway, in case of worsens of the weather. Again, depending on the individual thermo regulation, someone may not need a “full” set of recommended clothing and hike of this day makes it also possible to “adjust” your own set of clothes before summit.
Equipment – climbing boots, crampons, harness, poles, headlamp flashlight, and sunglasses.
Food: Hiking will not be so very long to become very hungry, but a thermos of tea and some sweets you can take, again, the question of how the body requires or not the feeding during physical activity.
Day 6: Rest day or climb/reserve day.
We rest, eat and gain strength for the ascent.
Or climbing day depending on the weather conditions and the preparation of the group.
Early dinner at base-camp.
Preparation of equipment for climbing Mount Elbrus. Instruction on the climb and safety precautions.
Early sleep.
Day 7: Summit day.
Early rise (01:00-02:00) and breakfast, light snack.
Climbing to the top of Elbrus (5642 m). In the morning begins the ascent to the top. The start of the ascent is planned for 2-3 am. For an additional fee, if desired, you can climb on a snowcat (about 5,000 rubles per person) to the Pastukhov rocks 4800 m. The ascent takes place along the path to the Pastukhov rocks, or a few minutes of ascent on a snowcat — a special mountain snow tractor.
From the Pastukhov’s Rocks the ascend route directly ups 300-400 meters and then smoothly turns left across the slope and reach the saddle 5300 m. Here we rest for 1 hour and go to the Western peak 5642 m.
It takes 6 or 8 hours from the barrels Gara-Bashi to the saddle. On the left side of the saddle, under the west summit slopes, near the beginning of the snow mould the hut construction is situated. At the distance of 250 – 300 meters above the hut the route turns left from the saddle and over the snow slope with the simple rock places up to the rock shoulder. From the shoulder over the wide horizontal plateau comes to the round on the Mount Elbrus west summit (5,642 meters). It takes 1,5 or 2 hours from the saddle to the summit. It takes 5,5 or 6 hours for the descent to the Gara-Bashi going along the ascent line.
Descent to the Gara-Bashi base-camp.
Descent into the valley.
Day 8: Departure.
Transfer to airport MinVody or Nalchik. Departure to Moscow, Istanbul etc.
| SERVICES | STANDARD |
| Airport transfer (railway station) Nalchik/Minvody — Elbrus region — airport (railway station). | |
| Accommodation in a hotel in the Elbrus region, according to the program 4 days (breakfast, lunch packages, dinner). | |
| Accommodation at a mountain summit camp Gara-Bashi, according to the program 3 days, standard (three meals a day + lunch packages). | |
| Ascent by cable cars to summit-camp Gara-Bashi (1 ascent — 1 descent). Gondola and chairlift cable cars. | |
| Inside the route transports. | |
| Guide services throughout the route (english speaking). | |
| Extra Guides for the day of climbing, one guide for 3-4 climbers. | |
| Cook at the mountain base of Gara-Bashi. | |
| Resort fees, Elbrus National Park. | |
| Visa support letters and visa registration. | |
| Rental of personal equipment. | |
| Ratrak for the day of ascent to the Pastukhov rocks. | |
| Accident insurance. | |
| COST | 85 000 rubles. |
Leave a preliminary application
| REQUIRED EQUIPMENT FOR THE EXPEDITION «CLIMBING ELBRUS»: | GROUP EQUIPMENT: |
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