Mt. Elbrus has two summits, both of which are dormant volcanoes. The slightly shorter summit (by only about 68 feet) is known as the “East Summit” and was first climbed in 1829. Its sister summit, the slightly taller “West Summit” was first ascended in 1874. Mt. Elbrus sits in the Caucasus Mountains which stand as the continental divide between Asia and Europe. Interestingly, there’s a slight controversy as to where the continental boundary lies, which invites a debate as to whether Mt. Elbrus is actually in Europe or Asia. It is generally accepted, however, that the boundary is established by the Caucasus watershed, which would plop the summit of Mt. Elbrus in Russia, making it the highest point in Europe. Elbrus should be thankful for this watershed – if the boundary was different, its fame would quickly dissipate, falling quite short of Mt. Everest and handing the European high-point bragging rights to Shkhara in Georgia.
A small snowstorm hit the team the night before they were scheduled to head up to the summit, which caused some slight worry. Appears they got lucky with the weather, however, only encountering a slight dusting the next day. RMI reported the whole team did great and climbed really well.
The team started at 3:00 am. That’s right – 3 in the morning. Known as an “Alpine Start,” professional climbers begin their ascents at the wee hours of the morning. Donning headlamps and flashlights, climbers exchange some shut eye for a more safety-conscious hike. An Alpine Start affords climbers less opportunity to encounter rockfalls, falling ice, lightning storms, and avalanches, among other things.
The climbed slowly and steadily, eventually being able to turn off their headlamps. The sun came out and the weather stayed positive.
The crept closer and closer to the summit. Andy is second from the front.
They finally reached the summit at 9am. Great job Andy!
