The highest mountain Elbrus. The seven highest mountain peaks of the six continents of the earth

View from the plane.

Elbrus is a two-peak saddle-shaped volcano cone. The western peak has a height of 5642 m, the eastern one - 5621 m. They are separated by a bridge 5300 m high and separated from each other by about 3 km. The total area of ​​Elbrus glaciers is about 150 km2. Last eruption dated to 50 AD. e. ± 50 years. The adaptive possibilities of the organism end just at these heights. The highest mountain settlement in the world (large) is located at an altitude of ~ 5100m. is the city of LaRinconada in Peru. Above the mark of 5200-5300 m, the earth's atmosphere is so rarefied that the amount of oxygen in the air is half the norm - a person cannot be there long time. Digestive, respiratory systems, etc. are not able to perform their functions at 100, so long-term stay in such conditions is associated with certain risks to life and health, it is possible only thanks to the internal reserves of the body and only with appropriate preparation.

View of the southern slope of the mountain. PHOTO IS TAKEN FROM THE OPEN RESOURCE "YANDEX.PICTURES"

The above information is for general purposes only. introductory nature, more detailed information can be found on any Internet resource.

Foreword

Viam supervadet vadens
(May the one who walks master the road)

I do not call for people who read this story to immediately grab a backpack, cats with an ice ax and rush headlong to the nearest train or plane to the cities of the Ministry of Water and Mineral Waters. Yes, we went without a guide. But you have no idea how much organizational work has been done to make everything work out the way it did. This story is not a guide "How to go to Elbrus without a guide." This is just a subjective description of our journey. Probably, a professional climber would have written the text in a completely different way. Jokes with such heights can end badly! We are very lucky, but we should not rely only on fortune. At the time of the trip, both members of the expedition had the status of far from "dummies". I already had good experience organizing tourism events, almost eight years of hiking and about four years mountain tourism behind, as well as two years of work as a guide in the southwestern Caucasus. Kostya has been involved in athletics for many years, as a result he had incredible endurance, he already had a sports category in tourism and good skills in handling climbing equipment. If you do not regularly engage in these sports (mountain tourism, mountaineering) and do not have a high level of GPP (general physical fitness), then you should not go to Elbrus alone. Find a team with relevant experience, master all the necessary skills and spend money on a guide-guide. This could save your life. Get ready to climb! The biggest difficulty of Elbrus is its simplicity. “Thousands have gone up there, and I will go up,” the newcomer will think. As long-term statistics show, about 90 climbers achieve success. Such numbers create a deceptive illusion of accessibility, but this is not a campsite - it is highest point Russia, the main peak of the Caucasus, the "roof" of Europe, five thousand meters. And yet, before you go there, ask yourself the question: do I need it, and if necessary, why? After all, every year on Elbrus, on average, about ten people die, which is approximately 0.1 of the total number of climbers. Someone will never return from the Mountain, don't forget about it...

THE PHOTO IS TAKEN FROM THE OPEN RESOURCE YANDEX. IMAGES"

The idea to go to SUCH a mountain arose a long time ago, but somehow everything did not grow together. At first there was not enough finance, then time and equipment. And so year after year, traveling through the southwestern Caucasus, climbing the three-thousanders, I did not stop dreaming of such an ascent. Elbrus loomed on the horizon, beckoning to itself with a sparkling white dome.

photo: view of Mount Elbrus from the top of South Pseashkho (3251m.)

It was a DREAM - Elbrus! That one word turned my whole mind. And once there was a dream, then soon there was also a PURPOSE. About a year before the trip, I firmly decided to climb in 2014. "Elbrus-2014!" - this became the life slogan of all subsequent months before the trip. But it is impossible to go to such a mountain without an experienced team, without people who have been there before! Six months before the ascent, I had the opportunity to go to Elbrus as part of an experienced team of excellent comrades from hometown Sochi, which already had a fairly large experience of climbing above 5000 m.

Months passed, preparations went on. Physical, technical, inventory, information. And all these six months I drove away from myself a bad feeling that something could go wrong, and I would be left without a place in the team. Theoretically, I allowed for the possibility that the trip as part of this team would not succeed. And so I tried to collect more information about the mountain in advance: I read a lot of articles on the topic of acclimatization, climbing reports, I tried to ask as much as possible all my friends who had been there at least once. And, of course, I did not forget to prepare myself: regular trips to the mountains for one or two days, jogging for 10-12 km., horizontal bar and bars. Summer has come. The peak season of mountain tourism has begun. Now, when Elbrus was once again opening up to my gaze through a veil of clouds, I knew that soon ... And then something happened that I was afraid of, but what I was ready for: a call from the head of the team in which I was supposed to go. They go to another mountain - Kazbek 5033 m., which is located on the border with Georgia.

THE PHOTO IS TAKEN FROM THE OPEN RESOURCE YANDEX. IMAGES"

I had neither the time nor the desire to quickly make a passport. My goal remained unchanged - "Elbrus-2014!". Thanking the manager for agreeing to take me on the team at all, I proceeded to independent organization exit to Elbrus. At first I tried to “sit on the tail” of another team, but they didn’t want to take me. The argument was harsh and exhaustive - the lack of sufficient confidence in my preparedness for such a campaign. Oh, how I understand them now!... There was just over a month left, and there was so much to do! It's good that I had a big "package of information" about the area. It remained to find a companion. The criteria, of course, are very strict: a great desire to ride, good physical and psychological preparation, the availability of all the necessary equipment and much more. The search circle closed on only one person - Konstantin Pavlenko.

At that time, I had only known Kostya for half a year, but in such a short time he managed to establish himself only from the positive side. Calm, balanced, honest, sympathetic, superbly prepared both physically and psychologically, possesses all the necessary skills for such an ascent and, most importantly, he was fully aware of what he was agreeing to. In general, everywhere you look there are only positive qualities, with the possible exception of a certain absent-mindedness characteristic of many romantics, although here I can compete with him. A month before departure… Train tickets were bought in advance to determine the exact date of departure – July 31, flight Adler – Vladikavkaz. Now it's up to the small - to pack up and hit the road! Two weeks before the trip, we went through preliminary acclimatization on the Pseashkho massif and, having spent the night at an altitude of 2600 m, climbed Mount Pseashkho South, height 3251 m. The last week before the trip is probably the most stressful. Just a sea of ​​previously unresolved organizational issues is revealed. And there is very little time left. So July 31st. Backpacks are packed. Boarding the train. Now no one and nothing will stop us! After all, we did not tell ANYONE that we were going only together. According to legend, we are members of a team of "experienced and qualified instructors from Krasnodar". Well, what can I say! The biggest adventure of our lives has begun!

Part one

“Better mountains can only be mountains,
Which I haven't been to yet"
Vladimir Vysotsky

The first day. Check in. On the morning of August 1, our small detachment arrived at the railway station in the city of Mineralnye Vody. Alone, in an unfamiliar city…. But this does not scare us, we know what all this is for. An attempt to find direct transport to the village of Terskol (the closest village to Mount Elbrus) was unsuccessful. Taxi drivers "charged" us with astronomical sums for the transfer, in connection with which we decide to go to public transport, which, of course, is not so convenient, but it is several times cheaper. And now, we are in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, we are passing the traffic interchange "Baksansky circle". Our path is through administrative center district - the village of Tyrnyauz. After a while we enter the territory of the local National Park. Decided to be based on the territory campground"Bivouac". The place is just beautiful - a fir grove. Not a speck, not a bump - what else does a tourist need? The weather is excellent. During the day it is not hotter than +20, and at sunset the thermometer will drop only 6 - 8 degrees. Although the weather in the mountains will always find something to surprise a tourist: the hot sun is scorching, and in an hour the temperature will “collapse” and it will rain with snow, which in an hour or two can be replaced by the release of a bright star. So you need to be on the lookout. As soon as we leave the forest zone, Azau peak and Mount Cheget 3770 m open to our eyes, which we will go to tomorrow. Having received an incredible charge of vivacity at the waterfall, we decide to go further, to the observatory located nearby, at an altitude of 3100 m. Unfortunately, we were not allowed into the observatory itself, but local watchmen advise us not to stop there and go to " Ice Base”, where in Soviet times training was held before climbing Elbrus. Well? No sooner said than done! Let's go to the Ice Base, at 3700! The road is no longer so good, it is not possible to drive here by car. Hundred after hundred we gain altitude. Now you can admire the legendary glacier "Seven", which lay on Mount Donguz-Orun. And after the next "take-off" we opened up ... yes, it was HE - Elbrus! Of course, I understood that Elbrus is a mountain of considerable size, but so “considerable”! It's just huge! This is a grand spectacle! Relative to our location, the mountain rises another 2 km up. We are enjoying the views of the panorama that has opened up to us, when we suddenly notice some “points” on the Terskol glacier. This group of climbers is returning from the acclimatization exit, maneuvering between huge cracks in the glacier. The surface of the glacier is like bottle glass: the blue ice is crystal clear, transparent several meters deep, but it is as hard as stone. Crossing the glacier is not an easy task. It is necessary to have a number of special skills: to be able to move in a bunch, hack on the ice and much more. While we are waiting for the climbers, we are looking at what is happening on the southern slope of Elbrus - someone is moving up along the Pastukhov rocks, someone is moving down from the "oblique ledge". The process is fascinating, and we involuntarily begin to speculate about what exactly is happening there. Also from this point you can study the location of various objects relative to each other: lift stations, "Barrels", "Shelter 11", rocky ridges "Shelter", Pastukhov's rock, "oblique shelf". On the way back, we come across a small island of "green life" in the endless stone sea. What a contrast! We go down. Day three. Going on the first day to a height of 3700 m was not the best idea, but what has been done cannot be changed. We received a lot of information from a group of climbers we met at the Ice Base. After yesterday's forced run, we decided to rest a bit, not get up "a little light" and sleep two to three hours more than usual. But the rising sun by 9 am turns our tent into a "crematorium", we had to wake up. Today, our program is simpler - a radial exit to Mount Cheget up to a height of 3400 m. After dropping about a hundred meters through the village, we get to the Cheget Glade, from where the chairlift (KKD) begins. But we don’t need it, because physical labor is necessary for acclimatization, and a ride on the “cable car” is a little short of this concept, so we go on foot. The ascent to the slope of Mount Cheget begins. At the exit from the forest zone there is a turn to the lake Donguz-Orun-Kel, but it is located in a specially protected five-kilometer zone adjacent to the state border with Georgia. The border runs along the summit ridge of the Donguz-Orun and Nakra-Tau mountains. A pass is needed only if you want to get to the Donguz-Orun-Kel lake, the Shkhelda glacier or the Azau gorge. All this is not necessary for the ascent and is a pleasant "bonus" to the acclimatization exits. Without special permission, going there is fraught with very unpleasant consequences. With a disappointed sigh, we continue to climb. At the second hour from noon, we reach the desired height. By now everything is overcast. No wonder. The weather in the mountains often deteriorates in the afternoon. But we were able to see Cheget itself, to which there were still 300 m of pure mountaineering vertically. The clouds are thickening too quickly, it can rain at any moment, so we go down "in a bourgeois way" - on one of the oldest cable cars in Russia. This will be the last night in the village of Terskol. Primary acclimatization has been successfully completed, so tomorrow we will move directly to the slopes of Elbrus. Day four. We leave the wonderful fir grove that sheltered us and go to the kingdom of eternal snows and ices. But before that, mandatory registration with the Ministry of Emergency Situations followed. Of course, we do not plan to use the services of lifeguards, but everything is possible - safety is above all. We are leaving Terskol. The cable car, which leads to the slope of Elbrus itself, starts from the Azau Polyana, which had to be reached by taxi due to the complete lack of local transport. The cashier insisted that we buy round-trip tickets, assuring us that even after a few days the tickets for the descent would be valid. At the box office we were given beautiful plastic cards. Well, now the most interesting thing awaits us - we are starting to reap the benefits of the absence of a guide. Of course, the main details of the route were very carefully thought out in advance, but it was impossible to pay attention to every little thing. Due to our lack of awareness of the specific location and exact height marks of the camps, a rash decision was made to spend the night at an altitude of 3450 m, near the station of the Mir cable car. It rains all day, at night - with snow. Noisy, somewhat dissatisfied vacationers are constantly walking around the tent, some outrageously smelly equipment is driving, and in general ... I don’t want to waste time on a further description of this day, since nothing interesting happened anymore. Day five. We wake up from the noise that another incomprehensible large-sized equipment is passing by, we begin to prepare for the upcoming road. Curtailing the camp in the rain is not a pleasant pleasure, but there's nothing to be done - it's necessary. We return to the station: in front of us is the chairlift "Mir - Gara-Bashi". For the third stage we pay separately, already at the top. The seats of the cable car are single, so you have to send a backpack with things on the next chair. On each support, the chair shakes terribly and bounces - just look, the backpack will fall out and fly into hell. It's scary to look at - after all, EVERYTHING is in the backpack! By this moment, it became clear that before the trip it was necessary to put on a hat and a down jacket, since moving to warm up, especially with a second backpack on your lap, is uncomfortable and dangerous. In addition, the cable car periodically stops so that the workers can take the load that rides in the same chairs. So we get to a height of 3700 m. And in the direction of the "Shelter" there are already support piles for the new line of the cable car, which will reach a height of more than four thousand meters! What's next? Will they reach the Pastukhovs, and will they sell pies on the saddle? It has become noticeably cooler here - you can feel the proximity of the border of the snow zone. The guard of the upper station of the cable car, seeing two boys getting wet in the rain, immediately invites us to his lodge. How nice people are here! But no matter how regrettable it is, having drunk hot tea near a warm stove, we have to leave the hospitable host and go in search of a place to set up a camp. Our path lies past the "Bochki" shelter. Having set up the camp, we collect radial backpacks “for dropping”, completing them with the heaviest, that is, food and gas. We reached this place by cable car, thanks to which at an altitude of 3500 - 3700 we eat fresh vegetables and fruits, cheese and meat, and other products that we don’t want to carry further on our hump. We have to walk the rest of the way. It is not possible to carry about 70 kg of cargo for two at a time, so we make a “drop-off”: we carry 10-12 kg of cargo each to the second camp site in order to carry everything else away a second time. Or you can go down to the level of "mattresses on a snowcat", which is completely unsportsmanlike. Previously, at an altitude of 4050 m, the legendary Shelter 11 was located. Some reports say about 4200 m - don't believe it, it's not true! Where every meter counts, such a difference is critical. Built back in the Soviet years, on August 16, 1998, the almost ownerless Shelter burned down due to violations of fire safety rules. Now "Shelter" is the name of the building of the former boiler house, which can comfortably accommodate several dozen climbers. The owner of this establishment turned out to be as good-natured as the guard of the Gara-Bashi station. Probably everyone here is like that. He gave us hot tea to drink, and in the process of drinking tea, he told a lot of interesting things about Elbrus. In a hospitable company, time flew by quickly, twilight had already begun to thicken on the street. It's time to go down to the camp at 3700. Upon arrival, we hide all electronic devices inside the sleeping bag - they can deteriorate in the cold. Day six. Leaving ourselves food and gas for only a day, we have no other option but to go with all our luggage to the upper camp. From "Barrels" to "Shelter" we walked already with large backpacks. It is good that the weather is cloudy, it would be much more difficult to walk under the scorching rays of the sun. We are grateful for the weather. With faces expressing the wisdom “Who knows life, he is in no hurry”, we slowly crawl up to our next parking lot. In the meantime, the fog is thickening, so a decision is made - first to set up camp, and only then pick up your "cast". The place was just amazing! Not far from the Shelter, at an altitude of 4150, there are large and flat areas where at least a company of soldiers can be placed. We were very lucky - a few hours earlier, a group left this place, freeing up a perfectly prepared place for a tent. What a wonderful wall! Thanks to her, we do not feel the wind at all. So far, everything is going very well, although the details again feel the lack of a guide. At the transition "Bochki" - "Shelter" we did not put on either crampons or climbing shoe covers (special insulated shoe covers), since this section does not present any technical difficulty. But the snow plowed by snowcats melts during the day, because even at such a height in clear weather, positive temperatures prevail. Because of this, the whole path turns into a squelching and champing porridge, which no membrane on the boots can cope with. As a result, we get thoroughly wet feet at an altitude of more than 4000 m. There is nowhere and nothing to dry shoes ... Regardless of the weather, it is impossible to violate the canons of acclimatization. It is necessary to follow the rule "climb high and sleep low." Therefore, we warm up and in conditions of almost zero visibility we go upstairs. Up to a height of 5080 m, snow groomers (snow-rolling equipment) regularly travel, which leave behind trenches about 20 meters wide. On the sides of these trenches, every 10-12 meters, there are red flags indicating the direction of movement. It is simply impossible to stray from such a path. Having reached the lower boundary of the Pastukhov rocks (4550 m.), we understand that this is worth stopping. At least today. Visibility - no more than 10 m., strong wind and the time is already drawing to a close. Time to get back down. Day seven. The first overnight stay at an altitude of over 4000 m above sea level was excellent. We slept very soundly, mountain sickness had not yet made itself felt. Climbers from neighboring tents told us how to dry our shoes - you need to sleep with them in an embrace. Yes, it's annoying, but it's very effective. Checked on personal experience. It was quite warm at night, the thermometer slipped only to -6 degrees Celsius. The next morning, Elbrus opens up to us in all its glory! It seems that you can run to the top in a few hours. What a deceptive illusion, because it is one and a half kilometers away, in height, of course ... Up to the mark of 4600, the height is practically not felt, at 4700 there is severe shortness of breath, it becomes very difficult to walk. At an altitude of 4900 we turn into robots. We walk "on the machine." In such conditions, if you suddenly slow down the pace, a feeling of suffocation is guaranteed for half a minute. Attempts to restore breathing by inhaling deeply are futile. There is still not enough air. Remembering the words of A.V. Suvorov “It is hard in learning, easy in battle”, we continue to move. We decide today, by all means, to cross the mark of 5000 m. No sooner said than done. The last "take-off" finally exhausts our strength - the speed of movement does not exceed 1 km / h. Each step is given with incredible difficulty! I have to “pull” myself out with my hands, leaning on poles, and for the first time in my life Kostya regrets that he did not take trekking poles. How useful they would be to him now! After almost five hours from the moment we left the camp, we come to the end of the "ratratny boulevard" - to a height of 5080 m! This is the beginning of the "oblique shelf" - the traverse of the slope of the Eastern Peak towards the saddle. The snowcat does not go further than this place. We are at an altitude of more than five kilometers! What a view! Below us is a cloudy ocean, from which snowy peaks “stick out” highest peaks Main Caucasian Range. It was worth the effort it took to get up. Studying the rocks located directly above us, we compare recommendations for descending from the saddle with the real location of objects, when it is impossible to find the "oblique ledge" due to poor visibility. Massive glaciers lie to the left and to the right of us and multi-meter cracks gape. And again in front of us is the Seven Glacier. Now we are one and a half kilometers higher than him! As we go down, the weather improves noticeably and rewards us with beautiful sunset panoramas. Having gone down to the camp, I understand that the first signs are “catching up” with me. mountain sickness or "bumps". Kostya feels great, but my condition is completely different - my head is cracking like a transformer box, in addition, severe nosebleeds open (after all, the body cannot withstand such pressure drops), which can only be stopped by vasoconstrictors. The consequences of exposure to height on each person are reflected exclusively individually. Some have a headache, some have a stomachache, some have no appetite, and some do not care at all, although, of course, there is a certain, most common “consequence package”. And after all, I was very tired today (after all, we climbed to a height of more than five thousand!), And it’s simply impossible to fall asleep - the transformer in my head still doesn’t want to be silent, and increased nervousness has also been added. I don’t know if it was the result of a headache or if it was a separate symptom, but I lashed out at Kostya, scolding him for nothing, no matter what. When the realization came that the “miner” was speaking in me, I had to make a lot of apologies to my friend. Attempts to turn off this hellish ratchet with aspirin and citramone were unsuccessful. Another hour of pain. It was possible to plunge into the world of dreams only by taking a double dose of sleeping pills.

The two peaks crowning the cone-shaped volcano are separated by a saddle, the height of which is 5300 m. The peaks of Elbrus are two independent volcanoes formed on an ancient volcanic base. The height of the young cone, located in the east, is 5621 m. This volcano has retained its classic cone shape with a clearly defined crater. The height of the maximum point of Elbrus - the western peak - reaches 5642 m. This volcano has enough ancient history, which was displayed on the state of its upper part - it is partially destroyed by a vertical fault.

Elbrus is a saddle-shaped volcano cone that was last active in 50 AD. e. It was most active about 225 thousand, then 110-70 thousand and less than 30 thousand years ago. The mountain, formed about a million years ago, consists of alternating layers of lava, ash and tuff.
The slopes of Elbrus are mostly gentle, but starting from a height of 4000 meters, the average slope angle reaches 35 degrees. The northern and western slopes are strewn with steep rocky areas up to 700 meters high. The eastern and southern ones are more gentle and even.

Flowers on the southern slope of Elbrus:

At an altitude of more than 3500 meters, the volcano is covered with stone placers, rocks and glaciers. The number of the latter is about 70 pieces, and their total area is 134.5 km². The most famous glaciers of Elbrus are: Terskop, Big and Small Azau. The streams erupting from them, uniting, create the three main rivers of the region - Baksanu, Kuban and Malka. The surface free from glaciers is covered with moraines. A huge cap of ice and snow preserves the picturesque shape of a Kazakhstani volcano all year round. It is because of this snow cap that Elbrus is called Little Antarctica.

The first written mention of a two-peak volcano can be found in the "Book of Victories" written by the Persian historian and poet, Sharaf ad-Din Yazdi. It tells about the Central Asian conqueror Tamerlane, who, during his military campaigns, climbed to the top of Elbrus to pray.

The peoples of the Caucasus and the Middle East composed a large number of songs and legends about Elbrus. One of the legends tells that before the mountain was one-humped. On its top lived the magical bird Simurgh, who gave gifts to the highlanders who inhabited the valleys. mountain gorges, happiness and prosperity. This idyll lasted for many centuries, until the desire to take possession of the bird's throne under heaven did not lead to its possessions of two greedy people. Their fierce struggle was stopped by higher powers: a blinding lightning cut the sky, a terrible thunder broke out and Elbrus split in two, spewing fiery streams that incinerate everything in its path. After such a terrible duel, the magical bird Simurgh hid deep underground, upset by the ingratitude and greed of people.
According to scientists, Elbrus has not reminded of itself for quite a long time, but despite this, the current degree of activity does not give specialists a reason to classify it as an extinct volcano, now it has the status of "sleeping". The volcano is indeed quite active in external and internal activities. In its depths there are still hot masses that heat the local "Hot Narzans" - springs saturated with mineral salts and carbon dioxide, the temperature of which reaches +52°C and +60°C. In the bowels of the volcano, the life of many famous springs of the medical resorts of Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk and the entire region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters begins.
The climate on Elbrus is characterized by severity, which makes it related to the Arctic regions. average temperature in the warmest month of the year it does not rise above -1.4°C. There is a lot of precipitation here, but they are mainly represented only in the form of snow.
Around the two-headed giant are the most beautiful peaks of the Caucasus: Nakra-Tau, Ushba, Donguz-Orun.
For the first time, a person managed to reach the eastern (lower) peak of the volcano on July 22, 1829. This was done by the conductor of the Russian scientific expedition, a Kabardian by nationality, Kilar Khashirov. The highest peak of Elbrus (western) was conquered by a team of climbers led by Florence Grove in 1874. The first to reach both peaks was the Balkar hunter and shepherd Ahiya Sottaev. During the period of his long life, he conquered Elbrus nine times: he made his first ascent at the age of more than forty, and the last - in 1909, when he was 121 years old.

On top of Elbrus:

View from the top of Elbrus:

The study of Elbrus by Russian scientists began actively in the 19th century. Academician V.K. Vishnevsky in 1913 was the first to determine the height and location of the volcano. In addition to the status of a unique natural landmark, the famous Caucasian peak is also an important scientific base. Even before the war, the first experiments with cosmic rays in the Soviet Union were carried out here, and today the most highly located geophysical laboratory is located there.
The territory of the Elbrus region - major center tourism and skiing. Fans make up the bulk of the guests. winter views sports, including extreme sports, which are very popular in these mountains. In addition to the usual snowboarding, sledding and freeride, thrill seekers were offered a new entertainment, which is climbing to the top of Elbrus by helicopter and then skiing down the mountain. For more conservative skiers, cable cars are provided, the average capacity of which is 2,400 people per hour.

One of the main attractions of the Elbrus region is Mount Elbrus - highest peak Russia and Europe, located north of the Bolshoi Caucasian ridge on the border of two republics: Karachay-Cherkess and Kabardino-Balkaria.

Elbrus is a two-peak extinct volcano. The height of the western peak is 5642 m above sea level, the eastern one is 5621 m. They are separated by a saddle - 5300 m. The peaks are located at a distance of about 3 thousand m from each other. The main composition of the rocks is granites, gneisses, diabases and tuffs of volcanic origin.

Elbrus with two crater peaks was formed a million years ago during the creation of the Caucasus Range. Huge streams of ash mud rushed along the slopes of Elbrus, which swept away all stones and vegetation in front of them. Layers of lava, ash, stones, layered on top of each other, thereby expanding the slopes of the volcano and increasing its height.

The scientific study of Mount Elbrus began in the 19th century. Russian researchers. The first to determine the exact location and height of the mountain in 1913 was Academician V. Vishnevsky. In 1829, Mount Elbrus was visited by the first Russian scientific expedition, which included the famous Russian academician E. Lenz, Pyatigorsk architect Bernardazzi, botanist E. Meyer, and others. The expedition was accompanied by General G. Emmanuel, head of the Caucasian line. The first successful ascent to the western peak was made by a group of English climbers in 1874, led by F. Grove, A. Sottaev was its participant.

In 2008, Elbrus was recognized as one of the "7 Wonders of Russia". Today, Elbrus is the largest ski mountain in the world, as well as the most promising place for national and international competitions. Basically, the infrastructure is well developed on the southern slopes of Mount Elbrus, where there is a chairlift and a pendulum cable car leading to a parking lot called "Barrel" (at an altitude of 3750 m), which consists of 12 insulated six-seater residential trailers with a kitchen.

In the ridge Caucasus mountains is Elbrus. It is also considered the whole of Europe. Its location is such that several peoples live around it, who call it differently. Therefore, if you hear such names as Alberis, Oshkhomakho, Mingitau or Yalbuz, know that they mean the same thing.

In this article, we will introduce you closer to the most high mountain in the Caucasus - Elbrus, which was once active volcano, and occupying the fifth place on the planet, among the mountains formed in the same way.

The height of the Elbrus peaks in the Caucasus

As already mentioned, the highest mountain in Russia is an extinct volcano. This is precisely the reason that its top does not have a pointed shape, but looks like double cone, between which there is a saddle at an altitude of 5 km 200 m. Two peaks located at a distance of 3 km from each other are different: the eastern one is 5621 m, and the western one is 5642 m.

Like all former volcanoes, Elbrus consists of two parts: a rock pedestal, in this case it is 700 m, and an artificial cone formed after eruptions (1942 m).

Starting from a height of 3500 m, the surface of the mountain is covered with snow. First, mixed with scatterings of stones, and then turning into a uniform white cover. The most famous Elbrus glaciers are Terskop, Big and Small Azau.

The temperature at the top of Elbrus practically does not change and is -1.4°C. A large amount of precipitation falls here, but due to such a temperature regime, it is almost always snow, so the glaciers do not melt. Since the snow cap of Elbrus is visible all year round for many kilometers, the mountain is also called "Small Antakrtida".

The glaciers located at the top of the mountain feed the most big rivers these places - Kuban and Terek.

Climbing Elbrus

To see the beautiful view from the top of Elbrus, you need to climb it. It is quite simple to do this, since you can get to a height of 3750 m along the southern slope on a pendulum or chairlift. Here is a shelter for travelers "Barrels". It consists of 12 insulated trailers for 6 people and a stationary kitchen. They are equipped so that they can wait out any bad weather, even for a long time.

The next stop is usually made at an altitude of 4100 m in the Shelter of Eleven Hotel. The parking lot here was established in the 20th century, but was destroyed by fire. Then a new building was built in its place.

For the first time, the peaks of Elbrus were conquered in 1829 on the east and in 1874 on the west.

Now the Donguzorun and Ushba massifs, as well as the Adylsu, Adyrsu and Shkheldy gorges are popular with climbers. Increasingly, mass ascents to the peaks are organized. Located on the south side ski resort Elbrus Azau. It consists of 7 tracks, with a total length of 11 km. They are suitable for both beginners and advanced skiers. A distinctive black of this resort is freedom of movement. On all routes there is a minimum number of fences and dividers. It is recommended to visit it from October to May during this period there is the strongest snow.

Elbrus is at the same time very beautiful and dangerous mountain. Indeed, according to scientists, there is a possibility that in the next 100 years the volcano will wake up, and then all nearby regions (Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia) will suffer.

Mount Elbrus (Caucasus, Russia) - detailed description, location, reviews, photos and videos.

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Ever since school age, each of us remembers the majestic two-headed Elbrus, if not from geography textbooks, then from literature textbooks. After all, the great Lermontov, having got to the Caucasus involuntarily, was truly fascinated by him, fell in love with him with all his heart and sang him not only in verse, but also in colors. His paintings depicting Elbrus, Beshtau, gorges and mountain ranges of the Caucasus perfectly convey the beauty and special, harsh, ancient and breathtaking poetics of these places.

Elbrus occupies a special place in the system of the Greater Caucasus. This is the highest mountain range of the Lateral Range of the Caucasus Mountains. Geologists have determined that Elbrus is a cone extinct volcano. Its western peak reaches a height of 5642 m, and the eastern one - 5621 m, they are separated by a deep saddle, which is also a five-thousander, its height is 5325 m.

Since Elbrus is very high, it is always covered with a cap of firn and ice, from which 54 glaciers descend in different directions, the largest of which are Bolshoy Azau, Irik and Terskol.

Climbing Elbrus

Naturally, even in those days, when the mountains were the point of application of the sports interests of only climbers, and by no means skiers and snowboarders, attempts were made to conquer Elbrus. In 1829, the Kabardian K. Khashirov, the guide of the Russian scientific expedition, was the first to reach the eastern peak, and the western peak was reached in 1874 by English athletes led by F. Grove and the Kabardian guide A. Sottaev, a participant, by the way, of the first ascent of the Russian expedition.

During the years of Soviet power, ascents in the Elbrus region became very popular, they turned into mass "alpiniades", in the largest of which in 1967 no less than 2400 climbers participated.

At an altitude of 4600-4700 m there are the cliffs of Pastukhov, a Russian military topographer, who was the first to conquer both - East and West - the peaks of Elbrus. Above these rocks in winter there is an ice field. From a height of 5000 m, the “oblique ledge” begins, as climbers call it, a rather gently sloping plane rising upward. Traditionally, the route of climbing any of the peaks of Elbrus passes through its saddle. From there, it is about 300 m to both peaks.

WITH north side mountain range the infrastructure is still poorly developed, there are only a few huts for climbers, which are used by both tourists and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. As a rule, ascents are made from the northern side to the Eastern peak, the route passes through the Lenz rocks (from 4600 to 5200 m).

During the years of Soviet power, ascents in the Elbrus region became very popular, they turned into mass "alpiniades", the largest of which in 1967 involved 2400 climbers.

Skiing

In our country, the Elbrus region has always been and remains one of the most popular centers for skiing and tourism. The most visited slope of the Elbrus region is Mount Cheget, which is well equipped with both cable-chair and cable-pendulum lifts. The tracks here are of varying degrees of difficulty, anyone, from aces to beginners, will find a track on Cheget according to their capabilities. Cheget also has a rather attractive choice of entertainment for tourists. There are cafes and restaurants on the slope, there are equipment rental shops. From the top of the mountain, a wonderful view of the two-headed Elbrus opens up.

Elbrus clones

Camp sites

As for Elbrus itself, for all its severity and external impregnability, which does not seem to imply the presence of a person, there is also a certain tourist infrastructure here. It is concentrated mainly on the southern slopes of the mountain range, where the pendulum-chair cable car, whose height is 3750 m. Here you will be met by the "Barrels" shelter, in which there are more than ten six-seater insulated residential trailers and a kitchen. This place serves launch pad for modern athletes climbing Elbrus. There is a new, more modern shelter "Liprus", opened in 2013. It accommodates 48 people and is located at an altitude of 3912 m. mountain hotel Elbrus region - "Shelter of Eleven", its main building burned down in the 90s of the 20th century, but at present a new building has been rebuilt on the basis of the boiler room of the former hotel. In addition, the shelter has several 12-seat trailers and a kitchen. In the evenings, the work of a diesel generator is organized with the supply of electricity to the trailers.

The saddle of Elbrus, as a starting point for all climbers, no matter which peak they strive to reach, has long needed its own shelter, because the higher the climbers climb, the more difficult it is for them every centimeter of the way. Therefore, a shelter at an altitude of 5300 m is really necessary. Since 2007, work has been underway on its construction. The shelter will be a hemisphere with a diameter of 6.7 m, installed on the foundation. By 2009, the structures of the dome were made, and construction work began. However, it was not possible to open the shelter on the planned date - 2010, and work is currently ongoing.

How to get there: by plane to Kislovodsk, Nalchik or Cherkessk, then by bus, taxi or rented car.