Skiing the wild north side of Elbrus

Caucasian mountains, with their 1 000 km length, divide the Europeans and minor Asians summits. This huge chain of mountains, surrounded by the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, is subject to sudden climatic changes.

Elbrus, former volcano covered with glaciers, is the culminating peak of Europe & Caucasus, with its 5642 m.

Kabardes, ethnical group from the region, call it Oshkhamankho, meaning “mountain of happiness”.

There is a discussion whether Elbrus is the highest European summit or not, depending on the geographical lines of Europe.

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Level

Though non-technical, the climb of Elbrus requires a good degree of fitness; the ascent or SKI ASCENT by the north slopes are tougher than by the South where we often use the ski-lifts for going up to 3860 meters’ altitude: ELBRUS by the North is much more a true (and physically harder) expedition. Nevertheless, the landscape on the south side is more amazing as we can see all the Caucasus mountains from Georgia to the West chains and peaks, Azerbaijan.

The terrain on Elbrus is exclusively on snow and glaciers, while training climbs in the region are on rough trails with much off-trail terrain. The conditions on summit day are typically quite challenging. Though we will travel at a moderate pace, being fit is the best way to avoid excess fatigue on the mountain and will greatly increase your chance of summiting. Anyone attempting this peak should be in excellent physical shape. You will spend much time at altitudes above 3,500 meters.

On this expedition, expect 5-7 hours of physical activity per day at altitude and that will be over several days! Whilst there are few technical difficulties on this trip, the vertical height between the refuge/hut and the summit is important and requires you to have basic mountaineering skills as well as good fitness levels.