For summiting Mt. Elbrus, Andy chose Rainier Mountain, Inc. Expeditions (“RMI” Expeditions), established in 1969. RMI boasts some of the best mountaineering guides in the world and prides themselves on their safety standards and top notch experience they give their clients. They rely on a “leave no trace” approach to climbing – they take environmental protection, conservation, and preservation of natural resources seriously and work hard to ensure all their climbers appreciate the cultural, ecological, and historical significance of their summit accomplishments. Check them out here. Check out their blog on Andy’s trip here.
They offer an impressive array of trips to choose from:
Seven Summits: The highest mountain on each continent; Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Vinson Massif (Antarctica), Carstensz Pyramid (Oceania).
Himalaya: Everest, Shishapangma, Kyajo, and the Gokyo Trek
Chile: Chile Ski Mountaineering and Torres Del Paine Trek
Ecuador: Winter and Summer Volcanoes, Ecuador Seminar, and Cotopaxi Express
Argentina: Aconcagua
Bolivia: Illimani and Huayna Patosi
Mexico: Orizaba and Ixtaccihuatl
Peru: Alpamayo, Artesonraji, Macchu Pichu, and the Peru Seminar
Africa: Kilimanjaro
Antarctica: Vinson Massif
Australia: Carstensz Heli
The team loaded up on two gondolas and a snow cat to reach their base camp of just over 12,000 feet.
The crew started their first day early with a typical Russian breakfast of porridge, eggs, and bread before embarking on the first of their acclimatization hikes.
For this acclimatization hike, Andy and the crew hiked Cheget Peak, one of Russia’s nicest ski and snowboard destinations. Standing at 11,815 (which is nothing to turn your nose up at), the trailhead begins at the end of Cheget Village, which is around 6,890 feet elevation. Conveniently perched at the start of the trail is a ski lift, which took Andy and his team up to 9,800 feet. They started their hike there, which gave them an acclimatization of approximately 2,000 feet.
Cheget Peak sits pretty close to the Georgia border; RMI indicated that the Russian military had closed the upper part of the peak to climbers for an unknown reason.
The team completed a second and third acclimatization hike in the days following their trek up Cheget Peak. Their second acclimatization hike took them up to 13,000 feet and their second took them up to 15,000 feet.
After the hikes the group enjoyed some authentic Russian food. They also played around with some Russia headgear and jokingly donned horses while shirtless à la Vladimir Putin (picture on its way). Next stop: the summit!
