East Elbrus

In this section you will find the most objective technical information on the mountain climbing routes. All mountain route descriptions are based on the personal experience of our guides operating these routes. They do not claim for absolute accuracy, evaluation of the complexity of some sections can be subjective and depend on the season. All materials listed in that section are intellectual property and intended for informational purposes only, any commercial use or total or partial reproduction is possible only by written permission of the copyright holder. MCS AlexClimb School of Mountaineering and Rockclimbing takes no responsibility for any consequences of using the information provided on this page. Do not forget that mountain climbing routes can be deadly dangerous regardless of their complexity.

Caucasus, Russia.
Climbing East Elbrus by the route from East (2a Russian grade). Season: June - August (Best time - July-September)

Information intended for evaluation purposes only.In order to avoid surprises and possible dangers and complications, we recommend to take part in the organized program of the MCS AlexClimb Caucasus Russia, climbing East Elbrus by well known route, accompanied by experienced guides. This will significantly increase the probability of success and safety of your climbing Elbrus.

Climbing the East summit of Elbrus is possible by different ways - the easiest route is from the Saddle of Elbrus, wherever normally climbers go to the top of West Elbrus - this way many people climb the "Cross" of Elbrus - climbing two tops of this mountain in one climb. The ascent of East Elbrus from the Saddle does not represent any special difficulties - you only need to be careful and not get lost in case of bad weather or not to fall into some crevass as there some quite big crevasses on the way and concequently there is a possibiliti of accident. The distance from the Saddle to the Summit of East Elbrus is about 1.5 - 2 hours, depending on snow conditions.

You can climb to the top of East Elbrus directly from the South, without going to the Saddle of Elbrus at all - there is a bit steeper slope, but without any technical difficulties. With this route, you need to be especially careful in the beginning of the season - in case of the presence of icy areas, climbing the eastern summit of Mount Elbrus on the southern direct line is dangerous - you can easily fell down and smash yourself on the rocks below .

And the third option, consider it a little more, because of all the three, this one is the most complex and interesting. The Route to the eastern Summit of Mount Elbrus by East lava flow. The route starts from the village of Elbrus. Go up by the clearly visible trail on the right (in the direction of motion) board of Irik Chat Gorge. The trail goes through a beautiful pine forest up into the Alpine meadows. Here, a little below the junction of two rivers - Irik and Chat there is a summer shepherd's hut. Distance from Elbrus village - 2-3 hours. Then continue to walk along the trail, which begins turn to the right, going up to the top step of the gorge of Irik river. Good place for the first night - after reaching the top of the step. There are many equipped sites for tents. Total time of ascent from Elbrus village - 5-6 hours.

Further, by quite wide and flat Irik Gorge walk towards the Mountain Pass called Soviet Voin - just ahead, then turn left along the valley and continue walking by the trail towards the Irik Pass - wide scree saddle, closing Gorge Irik from the glacial plateau Dzhinkau Ginkez. From overnight stays to the saddle of the pass - it is from 4 to 5 hours. Coming to the Irik Pass, turn left, and by a wide scree ridge go down to the glacier. From this spot it is recommended to go roped  - there is a lot of crevasses on the glacier.

Crossing the glacier takes an average 1.5 - 2 hours and is not technical difficult. A possible tactical solution could be an overnight stay at the foot of the pass as to cross the glacier on the morning  ice crust - this option is much safer, but requires an extra day.

Exit the glacier at the base of the eastern lava flow of Elbrus - on a large scree ridge. From here good camping places can be found  in abundance - with varying degrees of convenience. It is better to continue going until the level of 4200-4300 - the overnight here would be more comfortable, you can find a well-sheltered from the wind sites. There is no problems with water. From the Irik pass - 3-4 hours.

From here you can try to go to the summit of East Elbrus. It is better to start climbing as soon as possible, as the route is much longer than it seems.

Start from the Camp early at 2-3 o'clock in the morning, with headlamps. Move up by slowly gaining up scree slope of the ridge. Flat areas are interspersed with fairly steep sections, in case of icy or packed snow conditions of the slope go with special care, you may need to use a rope.

At the altitude of 5400, above the level of the east side of the crater of Mount Elbrus, the ridge becomes quite narrow and steep, you should be extremely cautious.

Climbing the Summit plateau of East Elbrus is quite obvious, there is no difficulty in that. Summit triangulation is set on a small elevation of the summit plateau of East Elbrus, about 300 meters from the exit from the eastern slope.

The route is long and heavy, you need to calculate the time and forces and take special care on the steep downhill sections. Average time to climb East Elbrus by East lava flow is quite long -  8-12 hours - the main threat can be considered the complexity of orientation in the case of bad weather - be sure to carry your GPS navigator ready fo ruse with marked active route waypoints.

Good luck and Good weather!