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FAQ

How much to climb Elbrus

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How much will it cost to climb with a guide to the highest mountain of the Caucasus - Mount Elbrus?

The giant two-headed Mount Elbrus, soaring over the plains of the Stavropol Krai
The giant two-headed Mount Elbrus, soaring over the plains of the Stavropol Krai

At the moment, in the market of extreme tourism services, climbing Mount Elbrus is in quite high demand; numerous travel companies offer a variety of programs that include this extreme event.

What should you consider when choosing a Mount Elbrus ascent organizer? Especially if you don’t have your own team nor climbing experience, but you really want to climb to the summit of Elbrus - the highest mountain of Europe?

The desired finale of the route is very close - the summit of Mount Elbrus is just a stone's throw away
The desired finale of the route is very close - the summit of Mount Elbrus is just a stone's throw away

For an inexperienced client, it is sometimes difficult to understand the kaleidoscope of prices and offers. However, the key point affecting the success and safety of the Elbrus or whatever expedition is the choice of a team to climb with. Not only your ability to take a selfie on the top of Mount Elbrus, but, to a much greater extent, the level of safety of the entire ascent route will depend on the quality of your provider choice.

A close-knit, friendly team is one of the key conditions for success and safety when climbing Mount Elbrus
A close-knit, friendly team is one of the key conditions for success and safety when climbing Mount Elbrus

Let's figure out how the price of climbing Mount Elbrus is determined by different companies.

Lowest price: attention! Danger

The lowest prices are often offered by aggregator companies, which sometimes effectively disguise themselves as travel companies. The task of such organizations is to find the maximum number of clients and connect them with any, the cheapest “guides” not depending on their experience or qualification.

The group of climbers ascents the snow-covered southern slope of Mount Elbrus - the most popular climbing route in Caucasus
The group of climbers ascents the snow-covered southern slope of Mount Elbrus - the most popular climbing route in Caucasus

As a rule, students or low experienced tourists are involved as guides, regardless of whether they have even minimal experience in mountaineering. Such a company can be located outside the Russian Federation, providing itself with the necessary legal security. In this case, the connection between the client and the guide happens exclusively via the Internet. This option is not worthy of trust!

On the Mount Elbrus climbing route. Conditions - strong wind
On the Mount Elbrus climbing route. Conditions - strong wind

The highest price

As a rule, high prices are announced by private guides with extensive experience and reputation in mountain climbing. Such professional never works with the aggregators, as they have their own customer base and can afford to set a price that is adequate to their qualifications even for such a “simple” route as Mount Elbrus.

On the summit of Mount Elbrus in the international MCS AlexClimb climbing team
On the summit of Mount Elbrus in the international MCS AlexClimb climbing team

Collaboration with a professional individual guide is the most reliable and safe option for organizing an ascent or mountain route. From the very beginning of the preparation of the mountaineering program, you know the guide with whom you will go climbing - to which person you will entrust your life and safety.

Climbing Mount Elbrus safely requires from the guide experience high climbing qualification Average price for Mount Elbrus climbing program
Climbing Mount Elbrus safely requires from the guide experience high climbing qualification

Average price for Mount Elbrus climbing program

This option is offered by numerous travel companies with their own guides. As a rule, such companies employ guides of medium and low qualifications who do not have their own client base nor experience sufficient for independent work. In addition, working with clients “from the company”, the guides, as a rule, do not have direct motivation for the success of the climb. Receiving a daily salary from a travel company, these workers will find any formal reason not to strain themselves, to change plans or routes, or even refuse to climb for unimportant reasons.

Early clear morning on the saddle of Mount Elbrus
Early clear morning on the saddle of Mount Elbrus

By concluding an agreement with such a company, you receive a guarantee of service provision. However, the presence of an intermediary between the client and the contractor - which is travel company - that does not guarantee the maximum quality of the service. Do not forget that an employee never works as well as he could independently work for himself.

Crossing the glacier on the East route to Mount Elbrus
Crossing the glacier on the East route to Mount Elbrus

A beautiful picture with a large white mountain and the happy faces of people who reached its summit should not be misleading about the ease and simplicity of the Mount Elbrus route.

There are no simple mountains, and ones that seem easily accessible are the most insidious and dangerous traps for simpletons
There are no simple mountains, and ones that seem easily accessible are the most insidious and dangerous traps for simpletons.

Nothing special - just climbing Mount Elbrus in moderate wind conditions. Altitude 5200 m Despite its outward simplicity and accessibility, Mount Elbrus is an evil and very treacherous mountain that does not forgive mistakes or excessive self-confidence. Do not forget that most part of the accidents and disappearances of people occur on this well-known and seemingly safe mountain.

Mount Elbrus. View from an airplane
Mount Elbrus. View from an airplane

Mount Elbrus is very dangerous in its apparent simplicity and accessibility - the Internet is flooded with offers to climb Mount Elbrus at a cost that does not require from the “guide” to have even basic qualifications. Many travel companies and “aggregators” recruit students and low experienced climbers to work with commercial groups on Mount Elbrus.

Well-deserved rest on the summit of Mount Elbrus
Well-deserved rest on the summit of Mount Elbrus

This situation should not confuse you - with a sensible approach to choosing a climbing team or a guide, you should not focus on choosing the cheap programs. A low price is always a sign of low quality service. In case with choosing an organizer for climbing Mount Elbrus, this principle is unacceptable - as on the quality of this service depend your life and health.

On a training climb before ascending Mount Elbrus with a team from Great Britain
On a training climb before ascending Mount Elbrus with a team from Great Britain

And the most important thing that should never be forgotten. You are guided in the mountains not by the tourist company from which you bought the tour, but by a Guide. If you don’t know the guide personally, you’re buying a pig in a poke. And you can get in trouble then. Do not make hasty decisions when preparing to climb Mount Elbrus or any other peak. Don't forget - MOUNTAINS ARE DANGEROUS ELEMENT. Beyond the control of man.

Mount Elbrus from afar from Georgia
Mount Elbrus from afar from Georgia

The approach to determining the cost of the Mount Elbrus climbing program in the MCS AlexClimb team is based on the following theses:

Safety - for 20 years of climbing all the existing routes Elbrus, we did not have any accident on Mount Elbrus

Success – 90% of our Mount Elbrus expeditions end successfully

Professionalism – we work all over the world on the mountaineering routes of medium and high difficulty level.

1. Groups are led only by professional guides - no student or tourists are allowed to work with the clients.

2. The number of participants in a group for climbing Mount Elbrus depends on the physical fitness and qualifications of the participants; for 1 guide there are from 2 to 5 participants.

3. The Mount Elbrus climbing program always includes acclimatization part - in order to minimize the risk to health and to increase the probability of the success of the whole climbing program

4. Only the highest quality climbing equipment of the leading brands is used on the climbing routes.

The author of the texts and photographs Alex Trubachev

Your professional mountain guide for Mount Elbrus and other mountain climbing routes in Caucasus

MCS EDIT 2024

https://alexclimb.com/category/voshozhdenie-elbrus?lang=eng https://alexclimb.com/?lang=eng MCS EDIT

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Our Principles

AlexClimb Rule #1 - Safety First

From the very beginning of our activity, here nearly 16 years, the first Principle of work of School of mountaineering and rock-climbing of MCS AlexClimb is the Safety Priority. On the basis of this Principle all process of training is based, all programs and rounds are developed and carried out only within this main principle. We consider that at professional approach to development of programs, at personal discipline and correctly put motivation - occupations by mountaineering and rock-climbing are COMPLETELY safe. And from the return - all troubles and accidents in our sport come from nonprofessionalism, from ignorance or neglect by elementary standards of safety, from irrational motivation, from revaluation of own forces and opportunities. All these prerequisites we COMPLETELY EXCLUDE in our work - ours Rock-climbing, Ice climbing and Mountaineering are based on one Principle - the Safety Priority. In rock-climbing, mountaineering and ice climbing, the Priority of Safety of MCS AlexClimb-is your personal security and comfort irrespective of, than we are engaged - we train muscles and we work technology of the movement in the sports hall and on the rock climbing wall, we make the way through snowstorm to top or we relax on golden sand of the Caribbean beach after hot day of trainings on rocks. The Safety priority - the main credo of School of mountaineering and rock-climbing of MCS AlexClimb.

AlexClimb Rule #2 - Leave No Trace

Closely interacting with Nature, working with the active programs in mountains, woods, lakes and rivers, we perfectly understand the importance of carefull and respectfull bahavior towards the Nature, for its resources. From the very beginning of our outdoor-activity we adopted rules of  Leave No Trace technique - the standard of behavior of the person accepted in all the civilized world in relation to environment and especially - to the wild nature. After all on the relation of people to the nature near which they exist, itself can draw dalekoidushchy conclusions on the relation of these people to... Where and as we didn't travel - we don't reserve any garbage, we try to reduce whenever possible our influence on environment to a minimum. We clear earlier zagryazyonny tourist parking of the left garbage, we take out and we take out to utilization places that to us other people left there. We consider that only thus, at personal individual consciousness of each citizen, each tourist, climber or autotraveller, we will be able to keep the nature surrounding us in its state, natural, suitable for life, - in it pledge of the healthy future for ourselves and our children.

AlexClimb Rule #3 - Sober Concious

The position of AlexClimb Mountain and rockclimbing School regarding healthy lifestyle is quite clear - we consider that only sober consciousness is capable to fill sincere emotions,  to sympathize, to enjoy life in all its variety. Bright various enjoyable life is possible only on condition of keeping the absolute sobriety and purity of consciousness. Any way of obscuring our perception of reality is intended to do harm to our consciousness and bring harm to our physical health, to replace the true values by false ones, to destroy us physically - to turn us into flabby, weak, senseless, gray herd with empty hazy eyes. We don't force anybody to our point of view, everyone has a God's gift of making his own choice and to destroy himself if that is what he wants... But in AlexCilimb Mountain Climbing School we accept quite certain and very simple set of rules: neither alcohol, nor drugs.
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