How much to climb Elbrus

At the moment, in the market of travel services, climbing Mount Elbrus is in high demand, numerous travel companies offer a variety of programs that include this extreme tour. What should be considered when choosing a provider, if you do not have your own team, nor have experience, but you really want to climb the summit of Mount Elbrus? For an inexperienced client, it is sometimes difficult to understand a variety of prices and offers. However, the key point is the choice of a team - this determines not only your ability to take selfies at the summit, but, to a much greater extent, on that depend your safety and health. Therefore, let's understand how formed the price of climbing Mount Elbrus in different companies.

Lowest price: attention! Danger! The lowest price is offered by aggregator companies, which, at times, are quite effectively disguised as travel companies. The task of such organizations is to find the maximum number of customers and connect them with any, cheapest "guides" that these people also find on the Internet. As a guides, normally, students or low experienced tourists are involved, regardless of whether they even have any minimal experience in mountaineering. The company itself is located offshore and connects the client with the guide just on the Internet. This option is not trustworthy under any circumstances!

Highest price: as a rule, that is offer of individual guides with extensive experience and reputation. They will never contract with the aggregators, they have their own customer base and can afford to set a price that is adequate to their qualifications even for such a simple program as climbing Mount Elbrus. This is the most reliable and safe option for the climb - from the very beginning of the organization of the program you know the person with whom you will go climbing - to whom you trust your life and safety.

Average price: travel companies with their own guides. As a rule, such companies have medium and low qualification guides who do not have their own client base and experience sufficient for independent work. In addition, working with clients "from the company", these guides, as a rule, do not have direct motivation for the success of the climbing program - receiving a daily salary, these employees will find any formal reason in order not to get any effort to go to the summit. By fixing an agreement with a similar company, you get a guarantee for the provision of the service, however, the presence of an intermediary link between the client and the contractor does not guarantee the maximum quality of this service. Do not forget that the employee will never work the way he could work privately for himself.

The approach to the price creation of the Mount Elbrus climbing program in the MCS AlexClimb team is based on the following points:

• Safety - for 20 years not a single accident either on Mount Elbrus, or on much more difficult routes;
• Success - 90% of successful ascents;
• Professionalism - we work around the world on alpine climbing routes of medium and high level of complexity.

And also:

1. Groups lead only by professional guides - no student or tourists are allowed to leadership.
2. Number of participants in the group for climbing Mount Elbrus depends on the physical condition and qualification of the participants, for one guide it is from 2 to 5 participants maximum.
3. Acclimatization is always included in the price of the whole program - to minimize the possibility of imposing harm to your health and increase the chance of success.
4. The cost of the program always includes special insurance with the possibility of helicopter evacuation (only accessible for Russian customers).
5. We use the special climbing equipment only from leading brands and top quality. Crampons, ropes, helmets, iceaxes, etc. we provide for participants at no additional charge.

A beautiful picture with a huge gently sloped white mountain and happy faces of people who reached its summit should not mislead you about the ease and simplicity of the route. There are no simple mountains, and peaks that seem easy are the most dangerous. With external accessibility, Mount Elbrus is a very treacherous mountain that does not forgive mistakes and excessive self-confidence. Do not forget that the most of the accidents and disappearances of people occur at this mountain, which is known to everyone and seems so safe.

Mount Elbrus is deceptive by its apparent simplicity and accessibility - the Internet is littered with offers to climb Elbrus with a price that does not imply even a basic qualification from a “guide”; the aggregator companies recruit students and beginners to work with commercial groups on the Elbrus routes. But this variety of offers should not confuse you - with a mindful approach to choosing a team for climbing tour to Mount Elbrus or for a guide, you should not focus on choosing the cheaper programs.

And the most importantly, it is not the company from which you bought the tour that leads you to the summit, but the guide does that. If you do not know the guide - you buy a cat in a sac – that is what the Russian proverb say for a not very smart buy. So do not make hasty decisions and do not forget - MOUNTAINS ARE ELEMENT WHICH CAN NOT BE CONTROLLED BY MAN.

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

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