How to prepare for the ascent of Elbrus?

When planning to climb Mount Elbrus, many beginners ask the question - how to prepare for this program? To begin, let's highlight the main features of Mount Elbrus climb, which require special attention in preparation:

1. The altitude of Mount Elbrus - 5642 meters, it is much higher than the usual horizon of human habitation. The oxygen content at this altitude is only 55% of the usual norm. For most climbers of Mount Elbrus, it is oxygen deficiency that is the key problem.


2. The length of the route is 7.8 km (one way) from Gora Bashi shelter to the top of West Elbrus (route along the south slope) with an altitude gain almost 1900 meters. This is a fairly large distance, the average climbing time is at least 8-9 hours.


3. The significant height and location of the freestanding mountain increase the risk of unpredictable and sudden changes in the weather and climbing conditions — development and strict following to the tactical plan of the climb is required.

What do we need for an effective and safe solution of our goal - climbing the highest peak in Europe – Mount Elbrus?

Adequate physical form.

The absence of chronic diseases and medical contraindications for mountaineering. The absence of diseases of the cardiovascular system and expressed problems with the musculoskeletal system. If your state of health does not interfere with intense physical exertion, then you will not need any special physical form for climbing Mount Elbrus.

However, the total physical load is very serious - approximately, a similar load can be compared with a running distance of 12-15 kilometers. If you cope with a similar task on the plain - that gives you a good chance that after proper acclimatization and luck with the weather, you will not have problems reaching the summit of Mount Elbrus.

The training schedule for any high-altitude climb consists mainly of the aerobic exercises - running, skiing, swimming, intensive walking. During these trainings, you teach your body to use oxygen intensively to maintain uninterrupted muscle tone. 2-3 workouts per week for 4-6 months will be more than enough even in the case of complete absence of initial physical training. Together with the elementary rules of a healthy lifestyle: proper nutrition, quitting alcohol and smoking, etc. - Your success is almost guaranteed.

Proper acclimatization.

As a rule, if you do not have sufficient experience of staying and physical work at high altitude, the reaction of your body to a low oxygen level can be harsh and painful. The development of the so-called "mountain sickness" is the result of a violation of the physiological schedule of the altitude gain, when your body does not have enough time to rebuild internal processes in accordance with the new conditions. The solution to this issue is to go through the acclimatization program - 5-7 days of climbing or training, spending overnights at the altitudes of 3500 - 4000m and descents to a comfortable altitude conditions for a complete recovery.

It is recommended to choose a mountain area for acclimatization with more favorable conditions than Mount Elbrus, where the combination of factors of low temperatures, gentle slopes and long distances, the oppressive properties of a huge mountain makes your acclimatization more tiring, boring and ineffective. The ideal areas for the acclimatization that we have been using for this purpose for more than 20 years are Bezengi, Adyl-Su, Irik-Chat. Also it goes well before climbing Elbrus to climb Bazarduzu in Dagestan or Kazbek in Georgia.

Proper mountain climbing tactics.

Not always your physical form is a key success factor when you are climbing mountains. Often much more important thing is the knowledge of the route, ability to navigate in the difficult conditions, ability to see and understand the signs of worsening or improving weather, to know the features of the functioning of your body at high altitude. All of these skills are collectively called tactical skills and are the key point for the safe and successful mountain climbing. Regarding the ascent of Mount Elbrus, we can say that this mountain, with all its technical simplicity, is a rather difficult tactical object for climbing, and most of the failures and accidents occur precisely because of the tactical mistakes of the climbers.

Among these errors are underestimation of the difficulty and length of the route, insufficient acclimatization, overestimation of one's power and experience, an unnecessarily high speed of ascent, shortcomings in the gear, and so on. Unfortunately, not all climbers understand the seriousness of the consequences of such errors, which often lead to very sad consequences. Definitely one can learn tactical skills in mountaineering only in practice. No advice and recommendations will help here - only regular trips to the mountains, increasing the complexity of the routes, independent guidance on the easy mountain tours can give you confident decision-making skills in the mountains. With regards to Mount Elbrus, the safest option, especially if you have little experience in the mountain climbing or not have it at all, rely on the ability of those who already well understand the features of this mountain and know well the route and conditions.

High-quality equipment.

Details on all the nuances of selecting gear for climbing Elbrus and other peaks of this class are written in the corresponding article. Here I want to remind once again that high-quality equipment is not only your comfort and pleasure of climbing in the mountains, but in certain cases - your safety. The main criteria for quality climbing equipment are lightweight, durability, usability. Modern technologies allow manufacturers to produce clothes and gear that make our ascents fundamentally safer than, for example, 50 years ago - this is a huge advantage that should not be neglected. When choosing equipment for climbing Mount Elbrus, special attention should be paid to the quality and size of shoes - even a small blister on your heel can cause the entire climb to fail, and frostbitten toes can remain a "souvenir" for all life.

Text — Alexey Trubachev, founder of the MCS AlexClimb mountaineering and climbing school.

Other related questions:

• How much does it cost to climb Elbrus?
• How to get to the base of Elbrus from Moscow or Saint Petersburg?
• Which city is next to Elbrus? Transport logistics of the Mount Elbrus routes.
• In what mountains is Elbrus located?
• Is it possible to climb alone the highest mountain of the Caucasus and Europe - Elbrus?
• At what time of the year is it better to climb Elbrus?
• How long does climbing Elbrus last?
• What clothes and shoes do you need to climb Elbrus?
• What is the atmospheric pressure at the top of Elbrus?
• What sights are there on Elbrus on the way to the top?