I have had 6 months to settle after Nepal, this time was spent trying not to plan or foresee any future travels to far off lands, it took a year to plan the Himalayas and I needed a rest from it. Then came the opportunity to go to Russia and climb the highest mountain in Europe, one of the Seven Summits,( basically the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.) WILL I, WONT I ???? I have a couple of options regards logistics and costings, I am not an avid fan of raising cash for a charity and using this as a springboard for my own pleasures but rest assured on this occasion I might have to. I have been invited by a group from the UK on a large guided expedition flying through Moscow on the 11th July 2012. This costs a good bit. I have been invited to go with a guided charity group and raise 4k for a great cause. This costs little. And I am trying to blag on an expedition with an unguided crew who are doing the complete Seven Summits and would love to join as a hanger on for this leg of their journey. This costs in between the other two somewhere. My mind has already boarded the flight..........
First of all, Mt Elbrus is tall. Compared to the better known European summits The Eiger (13,025ft), The Matterhorn (14,692ft), or Mont Blanc (15,771), Elbrus (18,481ft) is singularly monumental. I have been to Kala Patar above Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas and stood at 5545m or (18,192ft), and put my body under the stress of altitude. That altitude means thin air, cold temperatures, and nasty weather. I'll talk about each of those in this blog. The sum total of these and other considerations is illustrated in this 2005 account;
On May 9, nine people died and two more disappeared on their way down from the peak of Elbrus. Sixty rescuers, including volunteers, took part in the search, and so far, some 389 journalists have written about it. Approximately 30 people die every year in these mountains of Russia; of them, ten or so die on Elbrus. This time Elbrus has gathered its annual norm in one serving.
First of all, Mt Elbrus is tall. Compared to the better known European summits The Eiger (13,025ft), The Matterhorn (14,692ft), or Mont Blanc (15,771), Elbrus (18,481ft) is singularly monumental. I have been to Kala Patar above Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas and stood at 5545m or (18,192ft), and put my body under the stress of altitude. That altitude means thin air, cold temperatures, and nasty weather. I'll talk about each of those in this blog. The sum total of these and other considerations is illustrated in this 2005 account;
On May 9, nine people died and two more disappeared on their way down from the peak of Elbrus. Sixty rescuers, including volunteers, took part in the search, and so far, some 389 journalists have written about it. Approximately 30 people die every year in these mountains of Russia; of them, ten or so die on Elbrus. This time Elbrus has gathered its annual norm in one serving.
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