Mt Elbrus 5642 Mtrs Solo Climb from India : Reaching on top of Europe from Asia side
On 25.06.2018 I successfully climbed the Mt Elbrus Solo. Here is a guide for how to do it Solo.
Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in Europe, and the tenth most prominent peak in the world. A dormant volcano, Elbrus is in the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russia, near the border with Georgia. At 5642m, Elbrus and its double-coned volcano is 832m higher than Western Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc. It’s a certified member of the ‘seven summits’ – the highest point on every continent – and is coveted by mountaineers everywhere. You climb an European Mountain from Asia without entering the Europe.
How to Reach:
Nearest Village: Cheget (12km), Terskol (10km) and Azau (5km)
Nearest Town: Minerlnye Vody (180km) and Nalchik (120km). Both Place have Airport and Railway Station. There are regular buses from Nalchik to Terskol. Bus station at Terskol is near Hotel Elbrusiya. There are no buses from Minerlyne Vody. Taxi is the only option. At Minerlyne Vody airport terminal you can get the Taxi in 3000 Rubles.
You can reach these towns from Moscow by train/flights. Some flights from Europe and neighbor countries are also available directly till these towns.
Aeroflot is the good budget airline in Russia. I took flight from Delhi to Moscow. From Moscow to Minerlnye Vody another flight. From airport i took taxi to reach the Cheget to stay in a Hostel.
On coming back i took a bus from Terskol Hotel Elbrussia to Nalchik. Took another bus from Nalchik to Minerlnye Vody to catch my train to moscow. Train journey is 28 Hours and 1700km. Its very luxury train just in 3000 rubles. You can book the tickets online on english version site of Russian Railway.
Here is a handy map with Russian symbols to give idea of the region:
Here is a handy map with Russian symbols to give idea of the region:
Visa:
You can't get Russian VISA without invitation letter from any travel agency from Russia. For 15 days trip you need invitation voucher only. For trips 15 to 30 days you need to have travel itinerary as well as voucher from any agency. I took help of www.TransHimalaya.in to arrange my travel voucher and itinerary as my trip was for 16 days. They sent me copy of both documents to apply for VISA.
Go to online portal of Russian Embassy in your country and apply for VISA and get appointment for document submission. My VISA got processed within 3 days and costed INR 2500
Migration Slip:
On arrival at Russia you will be given a Migration Slip at Airport. Never ever lost this slip and always keep VISA and Migration slip with yourself. At all checkpoint Russian authority will check for your Passport, Migration Slip and Hotel Registration. You will be in trouble if you lost it. It's a very bureaucratic and red tape country and they love to do lot's of paper work.
OVIR Registration by Hotel:
If you stay at any location for more then 7 days then you must do OVIR registration. It's free and some hotels do it for free / 250 Rubles and give you a slip.
With all these you can freely move inside Russia.
Rubles:
Use the ATM in Moscow to get the Rubles. Even my Indian SBI debit card was working fine. Dollars will be of not much help in Elbrus Area. Also ATM at Elbrus area will work is not certain. Don't get Rubles at Moscow Airport they are looting tourists, Here Don't convert more than $100 which may be needed to get taxi. You can get some money changers inside markets of Moscow. Google maps will help you for that.
Accommodation:
In Moscow hostels are easily available and much cheaper under 500 rubles per night. In Elbrus area you can get Hostel under 800 Rubles. One black point hostel in Terskol is very trendy. During climb you have options to stay at 3-4 popular huts at Base of Elbrus. Netspark or National Park Hut is at 3900 mtrs
Key points to Stay:
Azau : 2350m - this is the height of the towns of Terskol and Cheget
Glacier Lake: 3300m - this is a lake we sometimes visit on acclimatisation days
Mir Station : 3500m - Old hut. Better to stay up at more hieght.
Bockha Barrels: 3750m - top of the chair lift and the summer snow line, also known as Garabashi
National Park Huts: 3900m - these are seven new huts which we use as the mountain base. At Garabashi you will find several barrel hut containers. The first few are near the chairlift and are generally quite busy. It is recommend walking further up to the top barrel huts as these are quieter, and by staying further up you will shorten your summit push. At Garabashi you will find a few coffee shops (one of which closes at 4 PM). You can charge your phone in these coffee shops, as well as buy food and water.
Priut–11 Hut: 4050m - the famous old hut which was burnt down and is now not used
Shelter Maria : 4100m - At Shelter Maria you will find large containers, each with a kitchen and gas stove. Shelter Maria's electricity supply stays on until 19:00 each night and the toilet is outside. You will find no drinking water here and no coffee shops. You will need to either melt snow for water or collect water from the streams near by (make sure to bring purification tablets to purify your water). Shelter Maria is a great option to stay at if you are well acclimatised as it shortens the summit push.
Key Points for climb:
Pastukhov Rocks: 4670m - the high point of the acclimatization walks
Saddle: 5300m - between the two peaks of the mountain
West Summit: 5642m - 50 metres higher than the east peak
(Click image to Enlarge)
Most climbers start their summit climb at the second "Barrels" stop - Garabahsi. The summit climb takes about 8-9 hours of ascent and 3-5 hours to descend. Summit bids start early at around 12am, allowing climbers to have just enough time to get back down to the chairlift, which closes at 03:30pm.
How to Reach Hut:
There are two cable car options - the old red option (this takes you direct to Mir and is cheaper around 500 R) or the white option (this is a newer car and more expensive.). You can get new car where the Red car ends to go further up to reach huts. It will cost another 600 R.
The cars run from 09:00am to 16:00pm (15:30 is the last car down). This is important to remember as missing the last car after descending from the summit will mean staying another night at the barrels.
Weather:
Elbrus can be extremely cold and windy. O2 density is also less comparison to Himalaya due to higher wind speed this is what i felt. Weather is very much unpredictable that no weather portal can give correct information. Every 20 minutes it can switch from Sunny to rainy to snowy. After 12 pm or noon weather is mostly poor in June which i saw. In the morning before 10 AM i found it clear sometimes with sunny.
Watch out for White-outs. You can't see anything then. Best thing to do is stay at the place and don't move. Even experience guide can not find the path and get lost and that can be dangerous. Prepare yourself mentally to survive for 2 hours in such situation after that most likely white out will be gone.
Here is a pic of me during white-out. But it was gone within half an hour:
Watch out for White-outs. You can't see anything then. Best thing to do is stay at the place and don't move. Even experience guide can not find the path and get lost and that can be dangerous. Prepare yourself mentally to survive for 2 hours in such situation after that most likely white out will be gone.
Here is a pic of me during white-out. But it was gone within half an hour:
Acclimatization:
To acclimatize i use following rules:
Hike high sleep low : If you have enough energy and are not feeling the affects of altitude, then you might take an afternoon stroll further up the mountain before descending to sleep. Almost all routes offer an extra day for acclimatization. Taking this day increases your chances of getting to the top by 30% and increases your chances of actually getting some enjoyment out of the experience by much more than that. We do not offer climbs which do not include this extra day.
Slow Walk: Walk slow as much as you can even if you feel to move faster or run.
I did some hike from the place of stay and return back to get sleep. It really helps you to get acclimatize faster. Diamox tablet to thin the blood and increase the O2 content, i never took but gave to some fellow climbers having headache.
Follow this profile to get acclimatize. do cheget first and return to base. Do chairlift till mir station and return to azau. Do pustakhov and return to hut. That's good enough.
Hike high sleep low : If you have enough energy and are not feeling the affects of altitude, then you might take an afternoon stroll further up the mountain before descending to sleep. Almost all routes offer an extra day for acclimatization. Taking this day increases your chances of getting to the top by 30% and increases your chances of actually getting some enjoyment out of the experience by much more than that. We do not offer climbs which do not include this extra day.
Slow Walk: Walk slow as much as you can even if you feel to move faster or run.
I did some hike from the place of stay and return back to get sleep. It really helps you to get acclimatize faster. Diamox tablet to thin the blood and increase the O2 content, i never took but gave to some fellow climbers having headache.
Follow this profile to get acclimatize. do cheget first and return to base. Do chairlift till mir station and return to azau. Do pustakhov and return to hut. That's good enough.
Food:
Bring your own cook and fresh supplies, and there is a kitchen area where meals are prepared. Soups, stews, pasta, chicken, rice, potatoes and vegetables. Mostly meals high in carbs, plus hot drinks with sweets and biscuits. For breakfast mostly porridge and bread with preserves you can get. I had some Maggie , french fries and fruits for 3-4 days.
In restaurants russian have Chicken Shami Kebab. Its like chicken tikka without spices. Mostly food is frozen non-vez. Another good item is Plab. Its Pulav they make with pork. You can ask them to put veggies in-place of pork.
Bring your own cook and fresh supplies, and there is a kitchen area where meals are prepared. Soups, stews, pasta, chicken, rice, potatoes and vegetables. Mostly meals high in carbs, plus hot drinks with sweets and biscuits. For breakfast mostly porridge and bread with preserves you can get. I had some Maggie , french fries and fruits for 3-4 days.
Water:
You have to melt the fresh snow in Kitchen and get your water for Drinking and Food.
It's a makeshift arrangement with a cabin on corner of hill. Something squat type Indian style toilet. Do have own toilet papers. Very stinky and you can get nausea entering it.
Register with the Rescue Centre:
Whether you decide to do the south or north route, It is recommend registering with the Rescue Centre in Terskol (MCHS) before you set out. You can tell any taxi driver and he will take you to the center before going to Azau for Cable Car. They will take your name, surname, passport number, contact phone number and return date. After the climb you should sign out with them in person or by phone. If you do not sign out they will call you to make sure you made it off the mountain safely. Their contact number is: +7 928 694 51 19 or +7 866 387 14 89.
Risk Factors:
Don't cross the boundary restriction placed by Russian army. You may be in serious trouble. Also crevasses are a big risk. So dont move lateral (plus minus 5 meters) from your designated climbing path. crevasses are hidden under fresh snow and a wrong foot can put you inside the glacier for million of years.
I got a good friend Sargai a snowcat driver. During bad weather i used to do recce in his snowcat to get good idea of the climbing route and crevasses.
Trekking Gears:
Don't cross the boundary restriction placed by Russian army. You may be in serious trouble. Also crevasses are a big risk. So dont move lateral (plus minus 5 meters) from your designated climbing path. crevasses are hidden under fresh snow and a wrong foot can put you inside the glacier for million of years.
I got a good friend Sargai a snowcat driver. During bad weather i used to do recce in his snowcat to get good idea of the climbing route and crevasses.
Trekking Gears:
If you think to buy trekking gears in Elbrus area then it would be too much costly. Here gears are available of Good quality but so much costly. Renting is a good option and you can get 200 rubles per day per gear in Azau and Terskol. I rented Ice Axe, Snow Glasses and Walking Sticks from a shop near chair lift in Azau.
I used following gears:
Trek 700 Trekking Boots: Drawback it got colder at saddle of Elbrus so Plastic Boots are recommended. It was my poor choice and i was about to get frostbite.
Good fitting on crampons to walk on Glaciers and heavy snow. Waterproof and breathable membrane for all-round use in difficult terrain. Hard sole for better grip and traction on hard and wet ground.
Trek Trousers
Heavy-duty fabric panel on areas most exposed to friction, Water-repellent, light weight.
Forclaz 0/5” Ultralight Sleeping Bag
Made for sleeping in temperatures between 0°C and 5°C for greater comfort at coldest places. 2 x 3/4 two-way zips for heat management. Lightweight and compact.
STRAP-ON CRAMPONS
Made for Glacier travel or high snow field on low angled slopes (0 to 30°). Lightweight crampons adjust to all boot types.
SCREW CARABINER
Made for hooking up a belay system to a harness or securing climber when maneuvering ropes.
Self-locking HMS karabiner.
TREKKING GAITER - BLACK
To avoid the entry of foreign objects in the shoes. A resistant, waterproof and breathable gaiter,
Down Jacket Warm:
For very cold weather. Face the extreme cold with this down jacket featuring down and feathers. Ultra Light Weight Can be stuffed into its inner pocket to save space. Ventilation zips facilitating evacuation of heat generated by the body. Water repellent.
ROCK ADJUSTABLE HARNESS
Weight is well distributed between waistbelt and leg loops.
7 MM X 4 M CORD
for various ancillary tasks. And attaching to harness and carbiner.
LA VACHE CLIMBING LANYARD - 75 CM
simply attach to harness tie-in loop using a cow hitch. capable of absorbing potential fall
Walking Stick
Atleast 2 sticks are must to comfortably climb down.
Ice Axe
It's must to have a self arrest in case you slip or fall on glacier.
Snow-glasses
There is too much light and chill and it is very useful to have for easy visibility
Mostly I use the same gear which was used on Everest Base Camp. In clothings, I believe in art of Layering i.e. 1 layer for each 1000 meter so at 5k you must have 5 layers. For heavy wind i use wind cheater as top layer. My personal technical equipment included a small handle ice axe, harness, carabineers and crampons. I lost my walking stick before the climb and its very usefull tool when you climb down. It is always critical to protect toes, fingers and face since these were most susceptible to frost bite. I had wrong boots so i used 2 layers of shock and a polythene above to get some comfort but still my fingers got numb at saddle 5200 mtrs. With luck of sunshine i saved myself. So plastic boots are recommended. As for warmth, I always wear a bandana cap on head and one at neck, it helps you to trap the heat leaving from head. One liner gloves when I get the least bit cool - regardless of the outside temp.
Medicines:
I am lucky to not take any medicine till 5k+ climb including Elbrus, Everest base camp and Mt Kailash but still, Here is the list of medicines which i kept with myself during the solo climb:
I always donate all medicines on climbing down to some medical center en-route.
Training:
I did a lot of running, cycling, swimming for aerobic conditioning plus weight training for the heavy loads 3-4 days a week. 4-5km running twice a week with cross training in between.
Train your endurance, you should be able to run around 10 to 15km at a reasonable pace say 8kph with breaks every 4 weeks.
Climbing Route:
Here is the climbing rout and you should not deviate from it.
Summit Day:
Weather was very poor for 3-4 days. At one point of time i thought to cancel the climb and return to Azau to wait for getting clear weather and replenish my supplies. But i realized that no weather prediction is going to work and there will not be any guarantee to get clear weather. I had seen that between 7am to 10 am sometime weather is clear so i decided to start the climb in Night.
I wake up at 12:30 in midnight and after having some food started my climb around 01:00 AM from Maria shelter under the lights of headlamp. My target was to reach saddle elevation by 4:30 AM sunrise time.
I lost my walking stick near Pashtuhova rocks. Luckily i was having my snow axe to complete the climb.
It was calculated risk and i was not sure to see the sun rays. My hiking shoes were already wrong and my fingers were almost numb and i was not feeling them at one point. I stopped for 10 minute and thought again to go down or go up with chance to loose my fingers. Was thinking of that and just when the sun-rays started to spread on glacier. Here is the pic of that moment :
It's around 4 AM
(That's west summit behind me getting some sun rays. I was still in freezing shadow area)
Still my fingers had no improvements but i got lot of energy in sunlight. I walked further 2 hour and crossed the saddle. Till that time it was little warmer and i could feel my fingers again. That made a huge difference and i started to climb easily.
Finally i reached the summit around 07:30 AM
By the time some more climbers reached at top to help me get some pictures. Otherwise i was using my GoPro to take selfie.
My Daughter Vaanya's drawings i placed there. On top of europe (in background)
Medicines:
I am lucky to not take any medicine till 5k+ climb including Elbrus, Everest base camp and Mt Kailash but still, Here is the list of medicines which i kept with myself during the solo climb:
NAME OF MEDICINE
|
UNIT
|
QUANTITY
|
Crocin (for fever)
|
Strip
|
01
|
Pantaprazole
|
Strip
|
01
|
Digene (for acidity)
|
Strip
|
01
|
Vitamin C 500mg (for building up immunity to cold)
|
Strip
|
01
|
ANTIDIARRHOEAL
|
||
Norflox/ TZ
|
Strip
|
01
|
Neutrolin-B
|
Strip
|
01
|
ANTIBIOTIC - Levofloxacin
|
Strip
|
01
|
Strip
|
01
|
|
ORS Electrol
|
satchets
|
10
|
ANALGESICS: Combiflam
|
||
Nausea: Metroclopramide/Prochlorperazine /Ondem
4mg tablet
|
Strip
|
01
|
Cough Syrup
|
No
|
01
|
Bandage cloth Roll
|
No
|
01
|
Tincture
Benzoin
|
No
|
01
|
Betadine lotion
|
||
I always donate all medicines on climbing down to some medical center en-route.
Training:
I did a lot of running, cycling, swimming for aerobic conditioning plus weight training for the heavy loads 3-4 days a week. 4-5km running twice a week with cross training in between.
Train your endurance, you should be able to run around 10 to 15km at a reasonable pace say 8kph with breaks every 4 weeks.
Climbing Route:
Here is the climbing rout and you should not deviate from it.
Summit Day:
Weather was very poor for 3-4 days. At one point of time i thought to cancel the climb and return to Azau to wait for getting clear weather and replenish my supplies. But i realized that no weather prediction is going to work and there will not be any guarantee to get clear weather. I had seen that between 7am to 10 am sometime weather is clear so i decided to start the climb in Night.
I wake up at 12:30 in midnight and after having some food started my climb around 01:00 AM from Maria shelter under the lights of headlamp. My target was to reach saddle elevation by 4:30 AM sunrise time.
I lost my walking stick near Pashtuhova rocks. Luckily i was having my snow axe to complete the climb.
It was calculated risk and i was not sure to see the sun rays. My hiking shoes were already wrong and my fingers were almost numb and i was not feeling them at one point. I stopped for 10 minute and thought again to go down or go up with chance to loose my fingers. Was thinking of that and just when the sun-rays started to spread on glacier. Here is the pic of that moment :
(That's west summit behind me getting some sun rays. I was still in freezing shadow area)
Still my fingers had no improvements but i got lot of energy in sunlight. I walked further 2 hour and crossed the saddle. Till that time it was little warmer and i could feel my fingers again. That made a huge difference and i started to climb easily.
Finally i reached the summit around 07:30 AM
(Thanks to NTPC & Indian Mountaineering Foundation for Support)
I was lucky again to get clear weather even horizon was visible clearly and i could see the curvature of earth.
My Daughter Vaanya's drawings i placed there. On top of europe (in background)
Best Itinerary for Solo Climb by TransHimalaya.in
Day 1. Arrival day. Reach Minerlanye Vody airport (MinVody), transportation (4 hours) to hotel (2100 m above sea level) at the foothills of Elbrus.
Day 2. Acclimatization ascent (using ski lifts if possible) of Cheget Mountain, 3450 m. Stunning view of Mt. Elbrus and Mt. Donguzorun. Overnight stay in the hotel.
Day 3. Ride ski lifts. Acclimatization hike on Elbrus slopes up to 4100 m. Descent to the valley. Overnight stay in the hotel.
Day 4. Ride ski lifts. Set up base camp at Pilgrim huts (3800 m.) Acclimatization hike up to 4500 m. Basic ice/snow/rope/self-belay course. Overnight stay in the hut on the slopes of Elbrus.
Day 5. Acclimatization hike up to 5000 m. Overnight stay at the hut.
Day 6. Relax day. Overnight stay at the hut.
Day 7. Summit day. Leave base camp about 3 am for the climb of Elbrus' west summit, 5642 m (18,498 feet). Descend to base camp. Overnight stay at the hut.
Day 8. Reserve day for climbing Elbrus (in case of bad weather) or descent to the Baksan valley if we climb the summit on day 7.
Day 9. Reserve day for climb and descend to the Baksan valley or a hiking/relax day if a group have already descended.
Day 10. Transportation (3 hrs.) to Airport
Expenditure Details (As on 2018):
VISA : INR 2400Flight Delhi-Moscow Return: USD 600
Flight Moscow to Minerlyne Vody: 5000 Rubles
Vody to Baskan Valley taxi: 3000 Rubles
Hostel in valley: 1000 Rubles per day
Huts during climb: 1000 Rubles per day
Minerlyne Vody to Moscow Train: 3500 Rubles
Moscow Stay: 600 - 1000 Rubles per day
Food: 300 - 600 Rubles per day
Permission fee : 2000 Rubles
(I did solo. If you take guide, cost would be additional USD 1500 )
For my acclimatization hike i climbed cheget without gears and that was a big mistake. I was not knowing it would be so much vertical. Climbing down put so much toll on my legs that i was not expecting to do Elbrus easily. Certainly resting during the bad weather helped me to recover.
(At Cheget)
On return i took the 2 day rail route from Minerlyne Vody . It costs some 3K rubles and luxury train.
Finally reached Moscow during the FIFA Word Cup.
Written By
Vinod Kotiya
Link to my previous Treks:
Mt Everest Base Camp Solo Trek
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