Berg Adventures had another great season on Elbrus this year. It was a season full of sun, plenty of laughs and countless memories.
As always, the team started in Saint Petersburg and after seeing the sights they traveled by midnight train to Moscow. They visited the Red Square (literally across the street from their hotel!) and saw the iconic St Basil’s Cathedral before flying to the Caucasus Mountains.
BAI guide Karina greeted the team at the airport in Mineralnye Vody and drove them to Terskol where the climbing portion of the trip began. Each day they hiked and climbed in the mountains around Terskol, using the chairlifts to facilitate their acclimatization to the altitude. Once they were ready, they moved up to The Barrels at 14,110ft/4,300m where they spent three nights as they staged their summit attempt.
On July 11, the team woke up at 1am for a 3am departure. The weather started out badly, but the wind died down and the sun came out as they reached higher elevations. It turned out to be a beautiful day to stand on the summit of Mount Elbrus (18,586ft/5665m), the highest point on Continental Europe!
Enjoy these great photos from the 2012 expedition.
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