July 31, 2019 Jonathan checked in today from Terskol and reported that the team had a good acclimatization hike near the Cheget ski area. They timed it perfectly as they had thunderstorms last night, no rain during their hike, and then another rain shower shortly after they finished their hike. Gear checks are done and […]
Elbrus
Elbrus St. Petersburg Tour Update
July 30, 2019 Team took advantage of their time this morning before flying to Mineralnye Vody and snuck in a visit to St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The story of its construction and survival through WWII is amazing, and the mosaics inside are not to be missed. Team will be sleeping in the Caucasus Mountains tonight. Phil Ershler
Elbrus Team 2 Update
July 29, 2019 While Elbrus Team 1 has already returned home, our second team wraps up their visit to St. Petersburg today and will be flying to Mineralnye Vody tomorrow. All continues to go well in Russia! Sasha will meet Jonathan and crew at the airport tomorrow and they’ll all head to our hotel in […]
Elbrus team enjoys dinner in Moscow
July 26, 2019 The team beat the rain and got down to Mineralnye Vody and out to Moscow. After getting checked into the hotel there, it was off for an afternoon of sightseeing and then dinner in town near Old Arbot Street. Fun day. They’ll have another morning of sightseeing tomorrow and then it’s […]
Elbrus Update
July 24, 2019 Elbrus team is wrapping up their time in Terskol after their successful ascent of Elbrus. A little sightseeing, a few nice meals, some hiking, Russian sauna and even a bit of horseback riding. Moscow is next on the agenda. It’s been raining a lot in the Baksan Valley so we’re hoping there’s […]
Elbrus Team Summits Under Challenging Conditions
July 21, 2019 Challenging conditions? No problem. Windy and poor visibility? No problem. The team put their training, conditioning and acclimatization to good use this morning. Up early and out of the hut around 3am. Mountain was determined to make the group ‘earn it’. Cold and windy isn’t unusual for Elbrus, but when you couple […]
Fine Conditions On Elbrus
July 20, 2019 Blue skies and nice snow for cramponing greeted the team on their final acclimatization day on Elbrus. They’ll spend their second night in the hut on the mountain (albeit a short one) and then likely take a summit shot tonight. Long day ahead but no issues with health or altitude so far […]
Elbrus Update
July 19, 2019 Training day is complete and today the team moved up to the high hut to ready for their summit attempt. Tomorrow’s another acclimatization day. You hear that ‘acclimatization’ word – a lot!. Proper acclimatization is essential for safety, success and enjoyment up high. And, 18,000 ft + is high! Plan is a good […]
Elbrus Acclimatization Hike
July 17, 2019 Always nice to have everyone in one spot with all their luggage and actually starting a climb. We love sightseeing in St. Petersburg but it feels right to put on the hiking shoes and start prepping oneself for the actually climbing. For now, that means acclimatizating. The terrain around Terskol is perfect […]
Elbrus Update
July 17, 2019 Jonathan Schrock, Sasha Sak and Igor Tsaruk have greeted our first Elbrus expedition of the season, shown them a bit of St. Petersburg and got them all on their flight to Mineralnye Vody and the bus ride up to the town of Terskol. The trip is off and running and all is […]