How much time climbing Elbrus takes?

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My collection of routes to Elbrus is here

To begin with, let's decide on the question that we will discuss in this text - how much time does it take to climb Mount Elbrus along different routes?

View of the North side of Mount Elbrus from the start of the route along the northern slope

“Climbing time” is the total duration of the route to the summit. It should be understood that the total duration of the ascent consists of the time required to approach the crux part of the route, and, in fact, to climb the summit.

Summit climb of Mount Elbrus along the Northern route

In the case of Mount Elbrus, the summit push on all routes except the Western one begins at a level of 3900 - 4200 m and takes approximately the same time - 7-9 hours, depending on the level of training of the group. But the time required to approach to the high camp differs on all Mount Elbrus routes - more on this you will read below.

Last part of the Mount Elbrus route from the west

Depending on the chosen climbing route, the total time required to climb Mount Elbrus ranges from 2 to 6 days.

We should not forget that in order to successfully and safely conquer the highest mountain of the Caucasus and Europe, acclimatization is required - trying to climb Mount Elbrus without prior preparation means exposing your body to serious danger.

Lack of acclimatization can lead to acute mountain sickness, which in turn can not only compromise the success of the climb, but also create serious health risks.

Comparative diagram illustrating the dependence of the required time to the chosen Mount Elbrus climbing route

The Mount Elbrus climbing schedules described below do not include acclimatization programs and spare days in case of bad weather.

So, I invite you to have a brief overview of the timing of all four classic routes of Mount Elbrus.

1. The shortest route to climb Mount Elbrus is from the South

You can plan on only two days to climb the Southern route of Mount Elbrus, of course it requires acclimatization and good weather.

Program - here

Mount Elbrus route from the south side

On the southern side of Mount Elbrus, the tourist infrastructure is well developed; you can get to the foot of the mountain by car along a good asphalt road. The tourist service includes hotels and restaurants for every taste and budget.

You can get to the starting point of the climbing route - to the level 3700 meters, by cable car - there is no need for approaches by foot on the South route to Mount Elbrus.

The south slope of Mount Elbrus - a clearly visible ascent line and a huge number of people on the route

Climbing Mount Elbrus along the South route, as a rule, begins from high-altitude camps equipped with shelters at the altitudes of 3800-4100 m. On the night of the summit day, many climbers prefer to use a snow cat for for a quick altitude gain to the level of the beginning of the Mount Elbrus Saddle travers - 5100 m.

The climb to the West Summit of Mount Elbrus by the South route usually takes 7-9 hours, the descent to the Baksan Gorge is possible on the same day - if you are fast enough to get down before the cable car closes.

At the summit of Mount Elbrus after climbing along the route from the South

Let’s not forget that it is the logistical simplicity and accessibility of the Mount Elbrus South route that is the indirect reason for the lowest level of successful ascents on this route. Many climbers, trying to meet extremely short deadlines, ignore the need for acclimatization and do not have time reserves or schedule flexibility in case of adverse weather conditions.

2. The next by its duration Mount Elbrus route is from the north; it will take 4-5 days to climb it.

Program - here

Climbing Mount Elbrus from the north side

The entire Mount Elbrus North route, starting from the Emmanuel BC, - the nice beautiful location which you can reach by 4x4, to the summit of Elbrus will take you two more days than if you climb this mountain from the south.

On the north side of Mount Elbrus, the tourist infrastructure is much less developed than in the south. First of all it is expressed in the absence of a cable car, more modest accommodation options and the number of other services that can be used directly on the route. In other words, choosing the North route you will have to climb Mount Elbrus with your own feet from the very beginning carrying all the gear and camping stuff without the obsessive abundance of kebab and khichin restaurants around.

Climbing Mount Elbrus along the north route

This feature of the North route of Mount Elbrus makes it more favorable in terms of the gradual altitude gain, as well as overall aesthetics - the North route is not as littered as the South one and is usually not that crowded with climbers and tourists.

When climbing Mount Elbrus from the north without using mechanical means of transportation, you do not expose your body to excessive overloads and sudden rushes in altitude.

Approaching the West summit of Mount Elbrus when climbing along the North route

Climbing the West Mount Elbrus summit from the north starts at a level of 3800 m and takes an average of 7-9 hours. After the descent, as a rule, there is a need for another overnight stay on the route - usually for this the high camp 3800 m is used, from where on the next day you can go down to the Emmanuel BC and leave for Kislovodsk.

On the North route of Mount Elbrus, the percentage of successful ascents is noticeably higher than on the southern side - largely due to the already mentioned lack of mechanical means of altitude gain and better acclimatization options.

3. The next longest route is the route to Elbrus from the east

You should plan at least 5 days to climb the Eastern route to Elbrus.

Program - here

Climbing Mount Elbrus by the East route

The East route of Mount Elbrus is a full-fledged autonomous mountain expedition. As a minimum, two-three-day approaches are required in order to reach the level of 3900-4400 m - the site of the High Camp at the foot of the Ichkerikol lava flow.

High camp 3900 m on the Mount Elbrus East route

From this level you can attempt to climb the East summit of Mount Elbrus. A long approach via the Irik Chat gorge, with two overnight stays, allows, in part, to compensate the possible lack of acclimatization - this significantly increases the chances for success.

On the East summit of Mount Elbrus after climbing along the East route

The descent from the Mount Elbrus East route follows the line of ascent. The route down usually takes one day less than the route up - you can descend to the Baksan valley with just one intermediate overnight stay.

The summit push on the Mount Elbrus East route begins from the high camp 3900 m and takes, on average, 8-9 hours. It is possible to set even a higher camp at the altitude 4400 m - it helps to reduce the distance on the summit day, but you sacrifice the quality of your sleep.

On the East route of Mount Elbrus, crossing a glacier

On the Mount Elbrus route from the east, the percentage of successful ascents is quite high, since a gradual altitude gain has a beneficial effect on acclimatization. In addition, this route is usually chosen by more prepared and experienced groups.

4. The longest Mount Elbrus classic route is from the west

Due to the remoteness of the starting point of this route (Khurzuk village, Karachay-Cherkessia) and generally complicated logistics, the approaches to the mountain and the ascent will require at least 6 days without taking into account very necessary preliminary acclimatization.

Program - here

Climbing Mount Elbrus by the West route

The Mount Elbrus West route is the most serious among the set of classic routes to the highest mountain of the Caucasus. Unlike the three other classic Elbrus routes mentioned above, the route from the west has certain technical difficulties that require special experience and using climbing equipment.

Our group is climbing Mount Elbrus along the West route

The duration of the approaches on the Mount Elbrus West route is at least three days; the ascent is usually done from the high camp on the plateau 4600 m.

The technical difficulties associated with climbing to the high camp at such an altitude, as well as spending the night in low temperatures, require from the participants to have ideal acclimatization, good physical fitness and mountaineering experience.

Plateau 4600 m - a place to set up a high camp when climbing Mount Elbrus from the west

It is possible to avoid spending the night at an altitude of 4600 m if the weather conditions are ideal фтв the group is well prepared physically - in this case, the summit attempt can be realized from the camp 3900 m.

The high location of the last camp on the Mount Elbrus West route significantly increases the chances of reaching the summit - in case of a successful overnight stay, the climb from the camp 4600 m to the summit takes an average of 4-6 hours. The descent usually begins on the day of ascent, lowering the camp to at least to the altitude of 3700 m.

At the camp 3700 m after a successful ascent of Mount Elbrus along the West route

Strange as it may sound, but the percentage of successful climbs of Mount Elbrus along the West route is the highest in the set of classic climbing routes of Mount Elbrus.

This phenomenon is explained primarily by the fact that most of the groups going out on this quite serious mountain route are experienced climbers with prior experience of climbing in high mountains. In addition, due to its length, the Mount Elbrus West route allows you to compensate the possible shortcomings of acclimatization, although it is highly not recommended to risk with this issue on a long autonomous climbing route.

At the summit of Mount Elbrus after climbing the West route

In conclusion, I would like to note that the longer the Mount Elbrus climbing route, the more spare days it makes sense to include in the schedule. This is done so that in case of bad weather or health problems of the participants during the ascent, to have more time realize all the climbing plans.

Thus, if on the South route you can generally abandon any spare days and start from Azau village immediately before the climb, then on the longest of the Mount Elbrus Classics - the West route, it is good to have at least 3 days of reserve - this will significantly increase the chances of success.

And yet, the main thing in any climb of Mount Elbrus or other mountains is not reaching the summit, but a successful descent.

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