On Tuesday, September 4th, I did my first shakeout cruise. My acclimatization hike from the hotel near the market in Cheget, up to the barrels, from 6800′ elevation to 12,300′ elevation. Roughly 5400′ of elevation gain over 7.3 miles. Reverse that for the return home. I walked up the access road from Azau to the …
Things have changed a bit in the last couple years. You sent in your App and Document Package via Fedex to a Russian Consulate with a Certified Check or Money Order, waited some period of time, then it appeared on your desk via a return Fedex envelope. Last year, possibly with the intent of the …
While preparing for Elbrus, I made a quick Cheat Card to haul with me. I printed it up and laminated it, much like time splits for a marathon, except marker on the forearm won’t work under layers. Here is what I have, in case you’re interested in planning your own trip to Elbrus from the …
In September 2010 I attended the Elbrus Race [Blogger Posts]. Below is a gallery of images from the race organizers. I was entered at bib number 24. I was also featured a few times in a promotional video [1:04, 1:13, 1:33] that the event promoters created as a “trailer”. Elbrus Race 2010 in fact was …
Today is World Water Day 2012. According to this report: There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today … each of us drinks from 2 to 4 litres of water every day, however most of the water we ‘drink’ is embedded in the food we eat: producing 1 kilo of beef for …
Advance speculation shows that this will be the most spectacular Olympic Torch Relay ever, intended to be four times longer than the Turin relay, covering all 83 Russian entities, allowing 90% of the population to enjoy the spectacle. It has also been confirmed that the torch will be taken to Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest …
Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay on Elbrus and in Space? Read More »
New this year is the Elbrus World Race which is primarily a trail race in the vicinity of Elbrus, highest point of Europe, a volcano, and one of the Seven Summits. EWR creation was driven by love and a dream. Two founders of EWR – Sergey and Ivan spent many days on Elbrus and Elbrus …
In June of 2009 I had a pivotal experience on Liberty Ridge on a trip guided by IMG guides Mark Allen and Jeff Ward. We barely survived summiting in 60 + MPH winds, wandering along steep cliffs and crevasses in a whiteout to spend the night in a moat (ice cave) 120′ below the surface …
I read this story recently about a 7 year old Indonesian boy who will be attempting Elbrus this July hoping to summit on July 23, National Children’s day with a follow-up Climb in November of Island Peak, a 6,000 meter mountain in the Himalayas near Everest normally used as a testing ground for the ability …