IMG Elbrus Climb Gear List

This equipment list is meant to help you compile your personal gear specifically for our Elbrus expedition. Most items are required. Please consider each item carefully and be sure you understand the function of each piece of equipment before you substitute anything. Despite the reputation Elbrus has as one of the more straight-forward of the Seven Summits, the weather on summit day can be severe, cold and challenging. Cutting corners on your gear can have significant impacts on your summit experience and chances. We're happy to help you make selection and purchase decisions as you pull together the list below.

Item		Examples/Notes
[  ]	Climbing Backpack, minimum 40L	CiloGear Worksack 40 or Black Diamond Speed 40
[  ]	2 duffel bags	Patagonia Black Hole or North Face Expedition Duffle
[  ]	Small carry-on/travel bag	Jansport Hatchet Backpack
[  ]	Ice Axe (50-60cm)	Petzl Glacier or Black Diamond Raven
[  ]	Crampons	Petzl Vasak or Grivel G12's
[  ]	Adjustable trekking poles	Black Diamond Trail
[  ]	Lightweight Climbing Harness	Petzl Altitude or Black Diamond Couloir
[  ]	Climbing Helmet	Black Diamond Half Dome
[  ]	1 locking and 1 non-locking carabiner	Petzl Attache and Spirit
[  ]	Sleeping bag rated for 20°F or lower	Marmot Sawtooth or comparable
[  ]	Inflatable sleeping pad	Therm-a-rest NeoAir
[  ]	Double mountaineering boots	La Sportiva G2 SM or Scarpa Phantom 6000
[  ]	Gaiters (optional if wearing boots w/ integrated gaiter)	OR Crocodiles
[  ]	Light hiking shoes	La Sportiva Lycan GTX
[  ]	2 sets of wool socks (fit these well with your climbing boots)	Smartwool PhD Outdoor Mountaineer
[  ]	Short sleeve lightweight hiking shirt	OR Echo Tee
[  ]	Long sleeve lightweight hiking shirt	OR Echo Tee
[  ]	Light hiking shorts
[  ]	Light hiking pants	OR Equinox (men) or Ferrosi (women)
[  ]	2 Pairs of synthetic underwear
[  ]	2 sports bras (ladies)	Patagonia Switchback Sports Bra
[  ]	Synthetic base layer for legs (long underwear)	OR Alpine Onset
[  ]	Soft-shell climbing pants (medium weight soft shell)	OR Cirque
[  ]	Waterproof Gore-Tex pants with full-length leg zippers	OR Furio
[  ]	2 Synthetic upper body base layers	OR Echo Hoody
[  ]	1 or 2 medium weight insulating layers	OR Uberlayer or Patagonia NanoAir
[  ]	Soft-shell jacket	OR Ferrosi Summit
[  ]	Heavy weight insulated parka (must have hood)	Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Jacket or similar warmth parka
[  ]	Waterproof Gore-Tex jacket	OR Optimizer
[  ]	Wool/fleece beanie hat that fits under your helmet	OR Booster Beanie
[  ]	Light weight gloves	OR Stormtracker
[  ]	Medium weight gloves	OR Extravert
[  ]	Heavy weight gloves	OR Alti Glove or Mitten
[  ]	Buff	Original
[  ]	Glacier glasses	Julbo Explorer
[  ]	Goggles	Smith I/O
[  ]	Sunscreen and lip balm (at least 30 spf)	Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch
[  ]	2 wide-mouth Nalgene water bottles	1L bottles (Camelbak style bladders are not an acceptable substitute for the climb but will work for acclimatization days)
[  ]	Water bottle insulating sleeves
[  ]	Headlamp with extra batteries	Black Diamond Spot
[  ]	Camera	Keep it light and bring spare batteries or a power bank and cords for recharging
[  ]	Power outlet adaptors	huts have outlets for charging
[  ]	Toiletries	Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hand sanitizer, etc
[  ]	Personal first aid kit: High altitude medications: Acetazolamide (14 tablets @125mg), Dexamethasone (4 tablets @4mg), Nifedepine (2 tablets @30mg), Azithromycin (required) Aspirin Antacids Imodium Moleskin or second skin for blisters One roll of athletic tape	Consult with your doctor to acquire high altitude medications and to complete Form 5 in the application package.
[  ]	2 Large plastic compactor bags	We will use this to line our backpacks to protect our gear from precipitation.
[  ]	Pocket knife	Victorinox Swiss Army Wenger
[  ]	Alarm wrist watch	ideally an altimeter watch (Casio and Suunto make nice models)
[  ]	Casual clothes	Make sure to bring some comfortable clothes for hanging out and going out to dinner. Leave the black tie/dress at home, but classier attire is appropriate at some of the restaurants where we will be dining.
[  ]	Bathing suit	for the Russian saunas
Ski Expedition Climbers will also need:
[  ]	skis and bindings with touring mode (preferably Dynafit)
[  ]	instead of double climbing boots: AT or telemark boots (must have walk mode)
[  ]	climbing skins
[  ]	ski crampons
[  ]	avalanche transceiver
[  ]	avalanche probe
[  ]	collapsible shovel
[  ]	day pack (with ski attachment points)