July 17, 2012
Leaving Elbrus (photo: Viki Tracey)
Mike shot off an email when the team got down to Terskol. One single chair ride and a couple of tram rides, followed by a short drive does the trick. All reached the summit and all are now down safely at the hotel. A 60th birthday celebration for Dennis capped off the dinner and their evening. Two days left to explore the area around Terskol. All is well.
Phil Ershler
July 15, 2012
Final stretch to the top. (Viki Tracey)
Spoke this morning with Mike Hamill. The team and he were back at the high hut after having climbed Elbrus. All team members stood on top – 100%. Great news. Windy but manageable. They’ll spend the night at the hut, clean things up in the morning and then head down to their hotel in Terskol. Since the weather has been so cooperative, they’ll have both their contingent days to do a bit more climbing and likely spend a day touring the valley. Nice.
Phil Ershler
July 13, 2012
View from the high hut. (Viki Tracey)
Just got off the phone with Mike Hamill and the Elbrus team. Mike’s working with our full group of climbers and Russian guides, Igor Tsaruk and Sasha Sak. It’s a good couple of hours from the hut to the Pastokov Rocks and it makes for a great acclimatization hike the day before the summit climb. It’s also another opportunity to get the spikes on and do a bit of a general ‘shake down’ prior to a summit attempt. It was a bit breezy for their hike with some afternoon snow but things seem to be settling down. They’re expecting to get up early tomorrow and take a shot at this thing. Everyone’s healthy and Mike’s expecting all team members to go for it. Wish them luck. If it doesn’t happen tomorrow, the itinerary does allow for a couple more attempts. Let’s hope the mountain lets them up tomorrow so they can use those contingent days to do the valley and get in a bit more ice climbing.
Stay tuned.
Phil Ershler
July 12, 2012
Guide Igor Tsaruk in front of the Kashkotash Glacier
We received an email from Elbrus team leader, Mike Hamill, yesterday. Weather was nice as the team did an acclimatization hike up to an observatory located on the side of Elbrus. Today, the team heads to the Kashkotash Glacier to get in a day of training on the ice. The Kashkotash is a dry glacier that provides an excellent place to work on cramponing and ice climbing skills. It takes a special permit to get into this area, but it’s worth it. They’ll be heading up to Elbrus itself soon. All’s good!
Phil Ershler
Waterfall on the hike to the observatory (Viki Tracey)
July 10, 2012
Mike Hamill called in to report that the first Elbrus crew if off to a good start. Everyone arrived, with all their gear and ready to go. We always go in through St. Petersburg and out through Moscow. The idea is to see as much of Russia as we can. After their day and a half of sightseeing in St. Petersburg, they flew down to Mineralnye Vody and did the 4 hour drive up to the village of Terskol, in the Baksan Valley.
Tomorrow’s an acclimatization hike of about 3000 vertical feet to an observatory at the base of Elbrus.
We’ll keep you posted on how they’re doing.
Phil Ershler
August 13, 2010
Phil called in this afternoon to report that all is well in Moscow. Their flight from Mineral Vody was on schedule and it looks like the haze from the forest fires are lifting a little in Moscow. 
The team will enjoy one last day of sight seeing with visits to the Kremlin and Red Square. After climbing Elbrus and taking in the sights of Moscow they’ll be ready to rest on the long flights home.
That’s it from Russia!
Tye Chapman
August 12, 2010
St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow (photo: Jeff Johnson)
Phil called in this afternoon to report the team made their way off Elbrus yesterday and enjoyed a nice tour of the Cheget ski area. They took a chair lift up to the top and stretched the legs on a short hike to a nice little mountain lake. After a great lunch they made their way back to the hotel in Mineral Vody and will depart for Moscow in the morning.
Even with all the recent forest fires outside of Moscow it looks like flights are back to normal and they’ll get out on schedule – fingers crossed.
Tye Chapman
August 10, 2010
Phil called in late last night/early this morning…
The old Priut Hut on Elbrus
10 of 12 customers on the summit today! Beautiful weather, warm, minimal amount of wind and good snow conditions made for a great climb. We have 1 more night at the hut at 13,400′ on the side of the mountain. We’ll be heading down to Terskol tomorrow morning (Wednesday) for showers, clean clothes then one more day to tour the valley before we begin our flights home with an early morning departure from the town of Mineralney Vody to Moscow.
All is well!
-Phil
August 9, 2010
Phil called in from Russia around 3:30am this morning (remember they’re +11 hours from us here on the west coast)
We had a good acclimatization hike today up about 1500ft. above the hut on Elbrus. The weather continues to be cooperative and we’re hopeful about a summit attempt tonight. So, our plan is to get up about midnight be walking about 1:AM on Tuesday the 10th. After the ascent we’ll come down and spend another night in the hut and then descend to Terskol on Wednesday morning. We’ll try to give you another update tomorrow on how we did, but as of now all signs look positive and we’re hopeful for a good climb early tomorrow morning. That’s it for now everybody’s still healthy, all’s good. Ciao.
Phil
July 20, 2010
IMG Senior Guide, Mike Hamill, called in early this morning from the Caucasus mountains in Russia. Mike and team were standing on the summit of Elbrus. Nice, sunny day with only two members not reaching the true summit. That’s a super accomplishment. Another day to the valley, a bit more touring in the Caucasus and then off to Moscow. Can’t leave Russia without seeing Red Square, the Kremlin, Old Arbat Street, the Russian White House, the GUM………
The group is psyched. And, they’ll all be home on Sunday. Sweet!
Phil Ershler