Seven Summits: Mt. Elbrus

By -

Mount Elbrus lies in Russia, rising near the political strife ridden border between Russian and Georgia. Mount Elbrus stands as the highest mountain in Europe and the west summit rises to 18,510 feet. The name Elbrus is a metathesis of Alborz. Alborz is derived from the name of a mountain in Persian mythology, Hara Barezaiti, which translates to 'High Watch' or 'High Guard'.

Elbrus is considered an inactive volcano, but beneath the mountain there still resides a supply of active magma. There has never been a recorded eruption of Mount Elbrus but scientists believe that between 0 and 100 AD. The mountain also has solfataric activity and many hot springs. Scientists do not know if Mount Elbrus will erupt again. According to myth, Mount Elbrus was known to the ancient civilizations as Strobilus and believed that Zeus had chained Prometheus, the Titan, to the mountain because had stolen fire from the gods to give to the people. Some speculate this is in reference to the historic volcanic activity.

Mount Elbrus also holds a more recent and interesting history. The mountain was engrossed in a warzone during World War II. During 1942, the Wehrmacht occupied the area surrounding the mountain with 10,000 soldiers. At one point a Soviet pilot was nominated for a medal for bombing the German fuel supply. In retaliation, the general commanding the mountain troops sent a climbing party to the summit and placed the Swastika flag there. Surprisingly, Adolf Hitler enraged by the act, calling it a stunt and threatened to court marshal the general if it was not taken down.

The summit of Mount Elbrus was reached in 1874 by an English expedition led by F. Craufourd Grove. Russia has always encouraged ascents of Elbrus, in 1956 400 mountaineers attempted to summit to mark the 400th anniversary of the incorporation of Kabardino-Balkaria. In 1959, Russia began to build a cable car system to take visitors to various points on the mountain, the highest being 12,500 feet. The cable care was not finished being built until 1976. In 1997, a Land Rover Defender was driven to the summit, breaking into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Mount Elbrus is one of the more deadly mountains of the Seven Summits. The average annual death toll on Elbrus is 20 to 30 lives. Death is so frequent because many climbers are not properly prepared or equipped. Many novice mountaineers see Mount Elbrus as an 'easy' climb because of the cable car. This leads to fatal mistakes on the mountain.

Climbers are required to attain three permits to attempt Mount Elbrus. Foreign climbers will need a Border Zone Permit to be in the area south of Badsan and will also need to be registered in OVIR in Tyrnauz. Prielbrusie National Park Permit is required for access to the park.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Mountain Climbing Training Tips

By -
Image
Climbing a mountain is no small task, but these 10 mountain climbing training tips will have you on your way to a successful climb in the near future. Take an orienteering class.  Contact your local mountaineering club to find out when they have a mountaineering class scheduled.  Learn to use a compass and gain some survival skills before you think about making a large climb. Start resistance training workouts. While endurance is important for mountain climbing, don't discount the importance of strength.  Basic resistance training is adequate for mountain climbing.  You don't need to purchase any fancy equipment because dumbbells and your own body weight provide all the necessary resistance.  Eat right for mountain climbing.  A good climbing diet should get 50% of its calories from carbohydrates, 25% from protein, and 25% from fat.  This is the time to stop eating fast food, and start concentrating on high quality food that you ...
Read more

6 Iconic Mountains You Can Climb

By -
Image
You don’t need extensive climbing experience to tackle these peaks. Good health, fitness and the right background knowledge will take you all the way to the top.  Why do people climb mountains? Does it represent humanity’s spiritual quest to reconnect with nature, to brush against our limits by trying to touch the sky? Or has Climb Every Mountain from The Sound of Music influenced us more than we’d care to admit? Some peaks need nerves of steel: technique, training and a familiarity with crampons. Others, as I have discovered, need only basic fitness and a dose of common sense. So, lace up, grab a water bottle and get ready. It only takes three hours to reach some of the world’s most famous peaks. Let’s start easy and work our way up. Table Mountain, South Africa Table Mountain forms a silhouette that symbolizes Cape Town. Its three-kilometer plateau stands guard over the harbor, the prison that housed Nelson Mandela and the ragged townships that represent the wors...
Read more

Best Mountain Climbing Locations for Beginners

By -
Image
Even if you're nowhere near the Rockies, there are probably a couple of great mountain climbing locations for beginners near you. If you're just getting started with mountain climbing, you hardly need glaciers, barely livable altitudes, and sheer drops to contend with. You should cut your teeth on a mountain that is perfectly safe, yet still lots of fun. You can challenge yourself even on relatively small mountains, especially if you aren't already at an extremely high level of fitness. Train on a small, local mountain and you'll also get the opportunity to test your equipment and find out what works and what doesn't work for you personally. Then, when you've mastered your local peaks and you're kitted out with everything a pro mountain climber could need, you can save up some cash to travel to a more well-known and intimidating climb. Mount Rainier Just an hour's drive outside of Seattle...
Read more