Elbrus (mountain)

The main articles are:

• Karachay-Cherkess Republic
• Kabardino-Balkar Republic

Elbrus is a stratovolcano, the highest point in Russia. Located 20 km north of the Main Caucasus Range. Also, according to popular belief, it is considered the highest mountain peak of the European continent, since a clearly defined border between Asia and Europe does not exist.

The volcano is considered part of the Caucasus Mountains, but it was formed much later. The main Caucasian ridge was formed about 5 million years ago, and its mountains are folded. The volcano formed about 1 million years ago, as a result of complex and long-term geological processes: the western peak appeared first, and then, on the eastern side of the lateral crater, a second cone began to form.

The height of the western peak is 5642 meters, the diameter of the crater is 600 meters, the depth is 300 meters. The upper part of the volcano is partially destroyed. The eastern, younger cone, is lower than the western and has a height of 5,621 metres. It has a clearly defined crater, with a diameter of 200 meters and a depth of about 80 meters.

Elbrus is the third highest volcano in the world.

Scientists believe that over the entire period of its existence, Elbrus showed volcanic activity about four times. The oldest volcanic rocks of this mountain are about three million years old. The volcano showed the greatest volcanic activity about 225 thousand years ago. It last erupted about two thousand years ago. According to experts, this happened around 50 AD - lava flows up to 24 km long and 260 square kilometers of volcanic debris were found on the mountain, which indicates the scale of emissions.

Nowadays, the volcano is considered dormant (active), since Elbrus shows active external and internal activity. First of all, this is manifested in the emissions of sulfuric acid and chloride gases on the eastern slopes, as well as in the presence of numerous mineral thermal sources, the temperature of which reaches + 52 ° C and + 60 ° C, on the basis of this, scientists believe that the igneous focus of the volcano is located at a depth of 6-7 km from the earth's surface.

Most volcanologists believe that Elbrus is unlikely to wake up in the next 2-3 centuries, but a number of researchers believe that Elbrus may intensify much earlier, before the end of the 21st century. They argue their conclusions not only by the manifestation of fumarolic activity by the volcano, but also on the basis of a number of other signs, for example, due to the colony of green mosses found on the western peak of the mountain. The soil temperature in this place was + 21 ° С, while the ambient temperature indicators showed a minus temperature of -20 ° С.

History

1813. Russian academician V.K. Vishnevsky first determined the height of Elbrus (5648 meters).

In May 1813, I went to Mount Elbruz, wanting to get as close to it as possible. But with my tools, I couldn't trust the Highlanders without putting myself at great risk. Therefore, I limited myself to taking measurements at the fortresses of Konstantinogorsk and Kislovodskaya, from where I observed the visible anti-aircraft and azimuthal distances associated with this mountain, as well as the readings of the barometer and thermometer. It was also necessary to determine trigonometrically the distances from these stations to Mount Elbruz, but since the circumstances did not allow me to measure a sufficiently large base there, I preferred to calculate these distances from the geographical location of Stavropol and the stations of Konstantinogorskaya, recently determined by me, using the azimuths of Mount Elbruz, which I observed from there. The altitude of the three stations mentioned above was determined by comparing the barometer and thermometer readings obtained by me and Mr. Lokhtin in Astrakhan. Having collected the necessary data in this way, I derived from them the height of Mount Elbruz more accurately, according to two different definitions it is 2898 Tuaz.

источник: Ascension du Mont Elbrouz par un Cherkesse contrefait et boiteux. Nouvelles Annales des Voyages et des Sciences Geographiques, Onzieme Annee (Octobre, Novembre, Decembre 1829), Deuxieme Serie, Tome XIV, p.120-124. Paris, Librarie de Gide Fils, 1829.

(Toise (French toise) - the French unit of length used before the introduction of the metric system. 1 toise=1,949 m.)

1829. The official date of the conquest of Elbrus by the expedition of cavalry general Georgy Arsenievich Emmanuel, who at that time was exercising command of the Russian army in the North Caucasus. The expedition included: physicist Emil Khristianovich Lenz, who had previously participated in Kotzebue's circumnavigation of the world (1823-1826); member of the Academy, zoologist, keeper of the office of Zoology Eduard Menetrie (1802-1862); member of the Academy, botanist Karl Andreevich Meyer (1795-1858). In addition to them, the expedition was accompanied by five mountain guides, among whom were Killar Khashirov and Akhiya Sottaev - "the most experienced hunters and mountain settlers of the Baksan society." The ascent was undertaken from the north side. Due to severe weather conditions and mountain sickness, none of the Russian expedition members managed to reach the summit. The only conqueror of the mountain was 80-year-old Kabardian, a resident of the Baksan Gorge, Killar Khashirov, who received a prize of 100 rubles in silver for his ascent.^[1]

Tiflis Vedomosti by Elbrus correspondence. Middle part the text was not included in the collage.]]

{{quote 'Our expeditionary, under the personal command of the General from the Cavalry Emanuel, spoke from Goryachy mineral water to Elborus of the 26th Iyun. We arrived from the St. Petersburg Academy of Science of the Lord: Ordinary Professor Mineralog Kupfer, Guardian of the Academic Museum Zoologist Menetrie, Physicist Associate Professor Lenz, Doctor of Botany Meyer from Derpt and Gorny official from Lugansk plant Ober-Gitten-Vervalterich. 8 And Iulia, preodolѢv vsѢ difficulties in the way, we arrived podoshvѢ Elborus, and encamped in rѢchkѢ MalkѢ. VsѢ of gravity were left in vagenburgѢ 15 versts to Elborus, and one gun was taken 8 versts from the mѢsta, gdѢ the camp was set up. The steepness spuskov and podjemov, and narrowness tropinok, prolozhennykh on bystrym pokatostyam gor, interfered to make the way to a dala differently kak pshkom or tops on legk Ѣ - but on all it is expensive Ѣ we did not vstrchat to an odnakozha nigd Ѣ tkh neprokhodimykh bolot and in general estestvennykh prepyatstviy, kotoryya on opisaniyam Klaprota and drugikh puteshestvennikov have to be in okrestnostyakh Elborusa. "The weather did not benefit us: daily fogs and rains made our path difficult. Arriving podoshvѢ Elborus, we assumed to wait for the good weather, but to our general pleasure, the next day the sky cleared with razsvѢtom, the clouds completely disappeared and the double-headed Elborus opened before us in all its bleskѢ. "The Gentlemen of the Academicians rѢshilis take advantage of such a good time to fulfill their undertaking. We pospѢshili to provide them with the vsѢm necessary to perfect such a difficult path, that is: we prepared poles, stakes, ropes, etc. To accompany them, they were given by their nѢskolko chelovѢk Cherkess and the hunters from Kozakov. At 9 o'clock in the morning, the Lord's men came out of the camp and reached only the first snѢga in the evening, gdѢ they settled down to spend the night, rising only eight miles away. The next day (the 10th), at 3 o'clock to midnight, they started dalѢe. The morning frost contributed a lot to them and they moved quite uspѢshno but chѢm dalѢe tѢm procession they became medlennѢe, for snѢg melted from the sun and collapsed under his feet. Finally, they began to stop quite often for rest, and stretched out into a small department. "We, having remained in the lagerѢ, watched with extreme curiosity the slow procession of these wanderers. By 9 o'clock in the morning, much bolѢe half of the mountain had passed, they settled behind the rocks to rest and fled completely. After an hour of time, there was only one chelovѢk behind the rock and began to move rather firm and mѢrnymi steps of vershinѢ Elborus. We expected in vain poslѢdovateley for them a preeminent traveler: no one bolѢe showed up against that many vskorѢ began to return back. VsѢ eyes became the slѢdit of the one who performed such a smѢlyy feat. - Resting at every five or six steps, he silently forward. Approaching herself vershinѢ he disappeared between the rocks. "For a long time, every audience member neterpѢlivym the audience waited for him to appear in what way at about 11 o'clock uvidѢli we smѢlchaka this on Elborus's vershinѢ itself. - The gun strѢlba, the thunder of music and the choir pѢselnikov solemnly announced the air at the joyful exclamation of the whole camp about such an extraordinary event. Until the evening, we were in the nedoumѢnii who was this first from mortal, ascending to the top of the highest of the mountains of the Caucasian ridge, which was considered to be unassailable. Upon returning our travelers, we learned that we would remove rѢshivshysya alone climb to the highest point of Elborus, and tѢm having proved the possibility of cie to fulfill, there was one free Kabardintsev, a former shepherd. For the perfection of this feat, this clumsy and temple Cherkess, named Kilyar, received a prize intended by the General Emanuel, 400 rubles in banknotes and 5 arshin cloth held. One from Gg. Academicians, G. Lenz, climbed to a height of 15,200 feet. In total, in ElborusѢ, counting from the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, it is supposed to be 16,800 feet, that is, about 5 versts perpendicular. In the vicinity of our camp, at the bottom of Elborus, we vidѢli beautiful waterfalls of different kinds rѢchek but the vsѢkh formed by Malkoy is superior: rѢka this, with neimovѢrnym noise, descends about twenty fathoms perpendicularly. The current of water in the seven mѢstѢ is not visible, but the waves fall in blocks one after another. Before the waterfall, fathoms in five, lies a natural stone bridge across the river, overgrown with grass, and there is a horse road in Karachay and beyond the mountains of the people living there. - In general, the species are mѢstakh lovely. During our wandering, they were found in the mountains of lead, stone coal in the mnozhestvѢ and hybrid stones: jasper, porphyry, conglomerate and the like, and granite contains the entire ridge of the Caucasus.

A. Sch. - in

1st August 1829

Hot water (T.V.)}}

1865. The famous scientist Gustav Ivanovich Radde, Russian geographer and naturalist, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, organizes a trip to the Caucasus in order to climb Elbrus. An attempt made on August 9 to climb the Eastern peak of Elbrus was unsuccessful due to weather conditions and insufficient preparation of the expedition.

From G.I. Rudde's report on climbing

1868. The conquest of the eastern peak of Elbrus by an English expedition led by Douglas Freshfield with the guide of the Balkarian Ahia Sottaev.

1874. Climbing Elbrus English climbers under the leadership of F. Grove - the author of the book "Frosty Caucasus."

1875. The publication of the book "Geological Research of the Main Caucasian Range" (with the Elbrus cartographic scheme).

1877. The Caucasian Military Topographic Department attempted to make accurate triangulation and topographic surveys of Elbrus itself and adjacent peaks with their glaciers. This responsible work was entrusted to the topographer M.K. Golombievsky. He and the Cossacks stayed on the glaciers of Elbrus for 12 days.

1884. The climb of Elbrus is made by a group of Hungarian climbers led by Moritz Deshi.

1889. The first completed traverse passed by Ungern-Sternberg from the western peak through the saddle north into the Malki Valley.

1890. On July 31, 1890, the Great Russian scientist - topographer, researcher of the Caucasus A.V. Pastukhov in very difficult conditions climbed Elbrus. He was the first of the Russian climbers to conquer its highest point - the western peak.

Caucasus. Elbrus. Vitoria Sello 1890

1896. A.. V. Shepherds also climbed to the eastern peak, making the first time a "cross" - climbing both peaks in one day. Pastukhov made a topographic survey of both peaks of the Caucasian giant. It is he who also owns the first attempt to connect the network of Transcaucasian triangulation with the triangulation of the North Caucasus.

1891. Two-conductor Gotorrid Merzbacher and Ludwig Purtcheller conquered the western summit of Elbrus, covering the entire journey from Terskol to the summit in the shortest time since the beginning of the development of Elbrus - 8 hours.

1907. Geologist V.V. Dubyansky began scientific geological research on Elbrus and in the Elbrus region.

1909. At an altitude of 3200 meters, the Caucasian Mining Society built the first half-dugout for five people. This was the first pre-revolutionary building on Elbrus.

1910. Swiss climbers Gougie and De-Rami made a "cross" - they conquered both peaks of Elbrus in one day.

1910. In August 1910, an attempt to climb the summit of Elbrus was made by a professor at the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute, a full member of the Caucasian Mining Society V.V. Dubyansky.

1910. On August 8, 1910, an attempt was made to climb Elbrus as a full member, comrade of the Chairman of the Caucasian Mining Society, later associate professor of the Pyatigorsk Pedagogical Institute Y.I. Frolov. His group was only able to climb to "Shelter Eleven," where they had to wait out a very severe snowstorm and return. In June 1911, Ya. I. Frolov organized a new group of members of the Mining Society, which successfully climbed.

1911. For the first time in a year, 10 climbing groups visited Elbrus, of which 4 were foreign.

1911. Climbing Elbrus revolutionary S.M. Kirov, comrade-in-arms of V.I. Lenin.

1914. In June 1914, the famous traveler S. Ya. Golubev gathered an experimental group in Kislovodsk to make a number of mountain crossings in the Central Caucasus and climb the western peak of Elbrus. Having completed the first part of his journey along the Elbrus, S. Ya. Golubev conquered the northern peak of Ushba and crossed the Main Ridge through the saddle between the Ushba and Chatyn-tau massifs.

1914. The publication of the classic work on the geology of Elbrus "To the petrography of Elbrus." Author V.V. Dubyansky.

1925. Observations of the glaciers of Elbrus began.

1925. The first Soviet ascent of Elbrus 19 climbers under the leadership of G.N. Nikoladze.

1925. The first Soviet woman on Elbrus was A. Dzhaparidze.

1927. The first ascent of N.V. Krylenko to Elbrus.

1928. During the year, 32 groups of Soviet climbers climbed Elbrus, while in previous years - from 1829 to 1927 - 56 groups visited there.

1928. The government commission examined the mineral springs of the Elbrus region.

1929. A wooden building with 40 seats was built on Krugozor at the expense of the Society of Proletarian Tourism and Excursions.

1931. Under the leadership of Professor V. A. Konopasevich, the first ring ski trip was made around the eastern peak of Elbrus. Five participants from the saddle climbed to the top.

1932. At an altitude of 4200 meters, a wooden building with 40 seats for tourists and climbers was built - "Shelter of Eleven."

1932-1933 V. Korzun, V. Nikitin and S. Lysenko conduct winter meteorological observations on the Horizon.

1933. 10 Moscow skiers first went skiing to "Shelter Eleven," the descent was also carried out on skis.

1933. On the saddle of Elbrus, at an altitude of about 5300 meters, the high-mountain shelter "Sedlovina" for climbers was built.

1933. Planned training of mountaineering personnel in Tegenekli has begun.

1933. A weather station at the Shelter of Nine, built by the Pyatigorsk Weather Bureau, began to function. Its first winters were V. Korzun, A. Gusev, A. Gorbachev.

1933. The 1st mountaineering of the Red Army took place, which laid the foundation for mass tourism in the country. Of the 87 people allowed to climb, 58 climbed to the summit of Elbrus. It was a world record for a mass ascent to Europe's highest peak.

{{quote 'Over 15,000 kilometers of the borders of our proletarian homeland passes through forever snowy mountains, rocky ridges and ridges. The greatest peaks are separated from another political system - capitalist countries. Our Red Army vigilantly guards the inviolability of borders, representing today the most powerful, most advanced army in the world.

The proletariat will have to fight in various areas. There will be a plain, and the sea, and mountains. Here are the latter and represent especially difficult conditions. Learning to walk correctly in the mountains, driving people correctly, taking heights without exposing people to the dangers of rockfalls, snow avalanches, storms and cold, this is a big responsible task. Finally, the ability to use all modern equipment (artillery, aviation, radio, motor-mechanical units, etc.) in conditions of mountain relief and altitude is a task that requires special knowledge and experience.

Mountain hiking and climbing have an extremely beneficial effect on climbers, educating will, determination, perseverance and forethought. These qualities are necessary for every our worker, collective farmer, Red Army soldier and commander in any situation - in factories, factories, collective farms.

All this knowledge and quality can be obtained in a high mountain campaign or mountaineering. Participating in a high mountain campaign, we learn the features of marching in the mountains at different altitudes, the use of climbing equipment - ice ax, hooks, carbines, cats, ropes, etc., etc. Many participants in these campaigns, having visited the mountains once, become regular visitors to mountainous areas, attracted by the exceptional beauty and power of impressions. 20-30 days of a high-mountain campaign give such a physical and moral hardening that does not compare with anything.

The climber has to visit our individual regions and regions of the Union, getting acquainted with the peculiarities of life, economy and socialist construction. And here Soviet climbers actively help local party and Soviet organizations in their work. This is the strength and benefit of mountaineering. In 1933 The Red Army held the first mountaineering of the Red Army, laying the foundation for mass tourism in the country. Of the 87 people allowed to climb, 58 climbed to the summit of Elbrus. It was a world record for a mass ascent to Europe's highest peak - the gray-haired, legendary Mingi-tau (Elbrus).}}

source: A.N. Glaz, Pompolit school of mountaineering of the Red Army, climber of the USSR. "Forward and Up." A collection on the campaign against Elbrus 638 collective farmers of the order of Kabardino-Balkaria. Edited by P.I. Mokrushenko, M.I. Zvontsov, N. Yakimenko. North Caucasus Regional State Publishing House. Pyatigorsk, 1936.

1934. V. Korzun and A. Gusev made the first winter ascent.

1934. The first comprehensive Elbrus expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences began work.

1934. In August 1934, the 2nd mountaineering of the Red Army took place. 276 (out of 286) Red Army officers climbed to the eastern peak of Elbrus.

Climb to Elbrus. High-altitude tourist campaigns of the Red Army. 1934 RGVA. F. 33987. Op. 3. D. 665. L. 10.

Red Army on top of Elbrus. 1934 RGVA. F. 33987. Op. 3. D. 665. L. 10 vol.

1935. For the first time twice in one winter, N. Gusak and V. Kudinov climbed both peaks of Elbrus.

1935. The first winter ascent to Elbrus was made by students of the Ordzhonikidze Pedagogical Institute A. Arakelyan, A. Poltoradev, M. Sveshnikov, Z. Rodkin, E. Chikhradze.

1935. A record of a mass visit to Elbrus was set, during the year 2016 climbers visited the summit. Among them - 638 participants in the collective farm mountaineering of Kabardino-Balkaria.

1937. The first ring ski trip around the Elbrus massif was carried out at altitudes of 3000-4,000 m.

1939. The first ski descent from the top of Elbrus to the "Shelter of Eleven" was made by the Moscow slalom player V. Gippenreiter.

1939. A three-story hotel on the "Shelter of Eleven" began to operate.

1943. On February 13, 1943, at 14.00, a group of mountaineering instructors of the Red Army (master of sports of the USSR lieutenant Nikolay Gusak (group commander) and junior lieutenant Alexander Sidorenko, partisan svans, brothers Gabriel and Beknu Khergiani, political instructor Yevgeny Beletsky, military engineer of the II rank Yevgeny Smirnov, having climbed from the "Shelter of Eleven" to the western peak in nine hours, hoisted the flag of the USSR on the highest point of Elbrus.

On February 8, 1943, twenty mountaineer fighters, climbing Elbrus, reached a height of 4200 meters, where the highest hotel in Europe "Shelter of Eleven" is located. The rounded elongated three-story structure resembled an airship from a distance, bogged down in the snow. Climbers usually spent the night here before climbing, they waited for bad weather. Three hundred meters from the "Shelter" the fighters lay on the snow: it is not known whether the Nazis left the hotel or hid in ambush. They gave several queues from the machine. Silence. Only broken pieces of zinc coating creaked lifelessly in the wind. It seems that the Germans left the Shelter recently. The doors are torn off the hinges. The windows are broken. Is the structure mined? The room turned out to be very cluttered. Underfoot snow, fossilized bread, frozen potatoes, fire-twisted cans, old German cue newspapers. Someone picked one up. The newspaper went hand in hand. The photo attracted attention: in the summer of 1942, brave fascist youths in the form of rangers of the mountain division "Edelweiss," with their legs wide apart, stand on top of Elbrus. In the hands of one of them is a fascist standard. Hitler's newspapers and magazines of that time were full of similar photographs. "Europe is at our feet! Our flag is forever hoisted at its highest point! "- Goebbels propaganda trumpeted the whole world. Now the situation at the front has changed: the Nazis were retreating. To finally debunk the legend of the conquest of all of Europe, to remove the fascist flags from the peaks of Elbrus and erect scarlet flags of the USSR on them, the command of the Transcaucasian Front sent a detachment of experienced military climbers - mountaineering instructors, masters of sports. But February is not August. For four days now, bad weather has been raging on Elbrus. The wind was tumbling down. Zero visibility. And the products seized with them ran out. When will this storm subside? How long will you have to stay in the hotel? Nobody knew that. And yet the order must be carried out. On February 12, the radio reported the liberation of Krasnodar. And the climbers made a decision: at night to storm the higher and more difficult Western peak of Elbrus. We decided that the six most experienced, the most hardy will go. A group led by Lieutenant Nikolay Gusak left Shelter Eleven. The ferocious wind left eyes watery. The ice crust was on its faces. Bent under the wind, breathing heavily, every now and then stopping for rest, six climbers in heavy army sheepskin coats and felt boots shaved to a peak indistinguishable in darkness and snow turbidity. To prevent felt boots from slipping on the ice, cats with sharp teeth were tied to them. The climbers are following the trail. The height makes itself known. Foreheads are wet. You cannot talk: you will lose your breath. Here the group stops. Piling their breasts on ice axes stuck in the snow, people rest. Visibility is no more than five meters. Elbrus is terrible in winter in bad weather. Where are they now? How much more height to gain? God forbid someone to get behind, to fight off the group. And back on the road. Here's the ice under your feet. The teeth of cats slide on it, like glass, sometimes bend. You have to stop and straighten them with an ice pick. It is impossible to slip: you are unlikely to be able to slow down. And below - ice discharges (cliffs) and deep cracks. You will fly away - and your bodies will not be found. The six slowly but surely picks up metres of altitude. How do they distinguish the path in this snow cooterism? There are no landmarks ahead, but climbers are walking confidently, technically: not a single unnecessary movement. The climbers know: until the very rise to the saddle, the wind should blow into the left cheek. In such weather, athletes usually sit in the "Shelter of Eleven." It is easy to get lost in the many kilometers of white fields of Elbrus, you can break off, slipping on the ice, and get into an avalanche. You can finally just "walk" around the vast mountain until you fall from fatigue and turn into a piece of ice. It is very easy to freeze your hand or leg - and you will not feel right away. But they stubbornly walked, no matter what. They were determined to win. Ice "boards" alternate with deep, loose snow. Once again, replacing each other, they trample solid snow steps. It is much easier for those who close. They use ready-made steps, do not waste energy to pull a failed leg out of the snow. And the one who goes first remembers: behind him are comrades. Therefore, the first step should not be too long if someone in the group is shorter than you. And the first shortens the step. Everyone learned to think about a comrade long before the war. Behind any of the brave six are dozens of conquered peaks, including the most difficult, highest in the country. The head of the group, Nikolay Gusak, worked as a winterer at Elbrus before the war. In 1935, together with Alexander Gusev, he made the first ever winter ascent of Elbrus. To whom, if not to him, to know the rights of a formidable giant! Alexander Sidorenko and Evgeny Smirnov are also experienced climbers. The political instructor of the detachment Yevgeny Beletsky, back in 1937, was the first in the world to conquer the Pamir seven-thousanders - the peak of Lenin and the peak of Communism. And partisan fighters from Svaneti, brothers Gabriel and Beknu Hergiani, grew up in the mountains. Mountains for them are their home. Six mountaineer fighters walk to the summit as they make their way through the storm. In the hotel, friends worry about them. Just in case, a rescue squad is ready to help here every minute. But who can suggest where to look for climbers with whom there is no connection? And the six is already entering the saddle of Elbrus. Now the wind does not interfere: protects the western peak. Further - cool up. For climbers, this is called a three-bar climb: "ice ax - leg - leg." First, with both hands, you drive the ice pick shaft into the snow, then, like a soccer ball, you hit the toe of your left foot into a snow slope, then your right. And again, everything is repeated countless times. The monotony of this work dulls man. The eye has nothing to cling to: an endless snow slope. It begins to seem to the fighters that they have already turned into established hammering mechanisms, which flounder in the same place, not gaining heights at all. The sense of time is lost. Frost, but the backs get wet with sweat... And suddenly a sharp ice gust of wind. This is a pre-summit plateau! The wind seems to be trying to knock people over. Leaning steeply, almost lying on it, the climbers move to the right to an invisible vertex point. It is not immediately possible to find this flat snow tubercle, behind which there is nothing - only a sharp failure to the pass. Finally, the triangulation tower. Nearby is a flagpole with fragments of the fascist flag. Climbers tear it down and fix a scarlet cloth with a star. Hugs. Shouts of "yay!." Salute from the Nagans. Everyone feels the solemnity of this minute. He Nikolay Gusak in a can, hides a note: "February 13, 1943 14.00. Today a group of mountaineering instructors of the Red Army rose here, consisting of: the head of the group - master of sports Lieutenant N. Gusak; participants: master of sports A. Sidorenko, swan-partisan G. Khergiani, swan-partisan B. Khergiani, master of sports political instructor E. Beletsky, military technician of the 2nd rank instructor E. Smirnov. We got up from Shelter Eleven in nine hours. Snowfall, fog, frost. The ascent is dedicated to the liberation of the Caucasus from the Nazis and the 25th anniversary of our glorious Red Army. The group, by order of the command of the Transcaucasian Front, removed the Nazi pennant and installed the State Flag of the USSR. Death to the German occupiers! Long live our party of the CPSU (b) and the heroic Red Army! Long live our Elbrus and the free Caucasus again! " A can with a note was covered with a stone pyramid on top. The descent is more dangerous than the climb, but it passed safely. Friends met the conquerors of Elbrus with machine gun salute.

source: Zamyatin L.M. Beletsky Peak

On February 17, in extremely adverse weather conditions (wind speed 25-30 m/s, air temperature - 40 ° C), the second group of military climbers went to Elbrus under the command of the 3rd rank military engineer Alexander Gusev. She hoisted a red flag on the eastern summit of Elbrus. Together with Gusev were political instructor senior lieutenant Vladislav Lubenets, senior lieutenant Boris Grachev, lieutenants Georgy Sulakvelidze, Leonid Kels, Anatoly Bagrov, Andrey Gryaznov, Nikolai Morinets and Nikolai Persiyaninov, mountaineer-scout lieutenant Lyubov Korotaeva, junior lieutenants Georgy Odnolyubov and Alexey Nemchinov, private Viktor Kukhtin and military cameraman engineer-captain Nikita Petrosov.

And four days later, in clear frosty weather, the second group of fourteen military climbers led by A. Gusev climbed to the eastern peak of Elbrus. And the Soviet flag was also installed here. Descending from the top, on the saddle, climbers stumbled upon the corpses of two rangers from the Edelweiss division. The fascists froze. One of them was injured. Probably, the enemies were fired from the plane. What did they do so high in the mountains? Perhaps these were "the very" conquerors of Europe "who managed to take pictures on top of Elbrus?

source: Zamyatin L.M. Beletsky Peak

1946. In honor of the 25th anniversary of Kabardino-Balkaria, 40 athletes made the first post-war ascent to the eastern peak of Elbrus.

1947. A. Maleinov, V. Gippenreiter, K. Spiridonov made a ski traverse of both peaks of Elbrus.

1947. Perfect giant traverse of all peaks of the Main Caucasus Range from Elbrus to Kazbek, with a length of more than 250 kilometers. 500 climbers participated.

1949. 60 participants of the second post-war mountaineering of Kabardino-Balkaria climbed Elbrus.

1950. On the eastern peak there is an ARMS auto-meteorological station.

1950. 109 athletes climbed Elbrus. Employees of the Elbrus Observatory, as well as Georgian climbers, also visited there. The scientific expedition of Tbilisi State University studied cosmic rays.

1953. 316 people visited both peaks of Elbrus.

1954. Elbrus has already been visited by 510 people. The summer season of 1954 was opened by athletes from Kabardino-Balkaria, who climbed to the eastern peak in May. In July and August, participants in the ski camps of Lomonosov Moscow University and the USSR trained on the slopes of Elbrus.

1955. Chinese climbers visited Elbrus. They climbed both peaks under the guidance of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR E.A. Beletsky. And in late autumn, climbers from Yugoslavia conquered the eastern peak of Elbrus.

1956. In honor of the 400th anniversary of Kabardino-Balkaria, a group of 400 climbers simultaneously climbed Mount Elbrus. In total, 610 people visited the peaks of Elbrus this year.

1957-1958 Great scientific work on the International Geophysical Year program is being carried out on the slopes of Elbrus. Since July 1957, an expedition of Moscow State University named after Lomonosov settled on Elbrus. She conducted research in collaboration with the expedition of the Institute of Applied Geophysics of the USSR Academy of Sciences. During the summer of 1957, 824 climbers visited Elbrus.

1959. Elbrus was climbed by 583 people. 208 climbers climbed to the western summit, while the rest climbed to the eastern summit.

1960. On July 21, 1960, 1395 athletes participated in the mass mountaineering on Elbrus in honor of the 40th anniversary of Kabardino-Balkaria. Throughout the summer season, 1,841 people visited Elbrus. In August 1961, a group of French climbers undertook the ascent of Elbrus.

1962. 632 people climbed to the peaks of Elbrus, of which 193 climbers reached the western peak.

1963. The first cable-chair road to Mount Cheget was put into operation in the Elbrus region. Its length is 1600 m, the height difference is 650 m.

1963. "Tiger of Snow" Norgey Tenzig, who was the first of the people on May 29, 1953 conquered the highest point of our planet Mount Everest (Chomolungma) (8848 meters), could not climb Elbrus. For three days from March 7 to 10, Elbrus was so raging that even the descent to the Ice Base from Shelter Eleven turned out to be difficult and dangerous.

1963. At the top of Elbrus is a stainless steel plaque. The following text is engraved on it: "Zalikhanov Chokka Aslanovich 209 times ascended to Elbrus. He made his last ascent to the eastern peak on his 110th birthday, in 1963. "

1965. In the Elbrus region opened a highland hotel "Itkol."

1966. In August 1966, Nalchik athlete Alexei Berberashvili reached the eastern peak on a motorcycle, however, not without numerous assistants who pushed a heavy car drowned in snow.

{{quote 'There was a cold wind. Right above the head of the oblique of gray clouds. It's good that the climbers provided us with warm clothes and special shoes at the Shelter. I'm starting to rise. The motor is like a clock. The motorcycle is obedient, pulls up a lot. Overtook the guys. Pastukhov reached the rocks quickly. He began to wait for the group, and felt unbearable pain in his leg. He looked and gasped. Somewhere on the way, the sole flew off. It can be seen that the owner of the boot dried it up at the stake. And the frost is about twenty. What should I do? Do not go down. He put his foot on a hot cylinder, gray. The guys came up, moved on.

... A heavy wind blocks the path. I strain the whole body, dig into the steering wheel, but you can't move. Our plan goes awry. For a moment, the sun breaks the clouds, and we all see the top. Very close. Is it really going to retreat? I look at my comrades - no one hesitates. We decide to go straight, attack head-on. Japuev will lay the track, others will insure.

And the most difficult thing began. The climb is steep, the motorcycle comes out of obedience. Breathing is difficult, each movement causes shortness of breath. The last hundreds of meters are given by incredible labor. Suddenly, the car is thrown to the right, and I notice that the edge of the abyss is very close. Clouds cover the top, and we don't see how many dangers are around.

It was already dawn when Elbrus-1 took the last meter at full throttle and froze at the top. I thought I was struck by thunder. In fact, this mountain echo picked up our joyful "hurrah." The guys rushed to download me, kissing for joy.

On August 18, 1966, at 9:35 a.m., we reached the eastern peak of Elbrus. The motorcycle was left there, in memory of the first ascent.}}

Almost 50 years later, in August 2015, the motorcycle was still removed from the mountain.

1966. The Mi-4 helicopter, piloted by pilots Yu. Rakhmanov and M. Khasanshin, landed for the first time on the eastern peak of Elbrus. They proved that flights in the Elbrus area with cargo are possible, although extremely dangerous.

1966. The construction of the second stage of the cable-chair road on Mount Cheget - "Cheget-2" has ended. In total, 702 people visited the peaks of Elbrus this year.

1967. A new record for Elbrus attendance has been set. During the year, 3,224 people visited its peaks, including 2,536 people in one day to climb in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.

1968. The turgostinitsa "Azau" began to function at an altitude of 2200 m.

1968. The eight-story tourist hotel "Terskol" of the USSR Ministry of Defense was commissioned.

1968. 804 Soviet and foreign climbers visited the peaks of Elbrus, most of them (680 people) climbed to the eastern peak.

1969. The first cable-pendulum road was built from the Azau station to Krugozor. Its length is 1,900 m, the height difference is 900 m.

1969. A bust of Lenin was installed on Elbrus, which was sculpted by a blind sculptor from Uzbekistan Mikhail Rodionovich Makarov.

1972. The Elbrus Medical and Biological Station (EMBS) of the USSR Academy of Sciences began to function.

1973. In August 1973, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Soviet mountaineering, a mass ascent was made to the eastern peak of Elbrus^[1]

1974. The Bogomolets Institute of Physiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR published an information collection "Mountains and Health," which summed up the enormous work done in the Elbrus region by the expedition over many years.

1976. The cable car from Art. "Krugozor" to Art. "World."

1976. The Elbrus station of Moscow State University was visited by participants of the International Geographical Congress held in Moscow.

1977. On August 4, 1977, for the first time in the USSR, climber V. Ovchinnikov, having flown about 12 kilometers, descended from the summit of Elbrus on a hang glider. Starting at 15 hours 35 minutes, he landed 20 minutes later in the area of ​ ​ the Shelter Eleven Hotel.

1982. Ascent in honor of the 60th anniversary of the formation of the USSR.

1983. Elbrusiada, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the Caucasus from fascist invaders and the hoisting of Soviet flags on Elbrus.

1989. On September 27, 1989, on World Tourism Day, the USSR High-Speed ​ ​ Climb Championship began in the Baksan Gorge. With an interval of half a minute, the athletes, starting on the Garabashi glacier (3800 meters), single-handedly rushed to the "Shelter of Eleven." The next day, a semifinal run was held - from Shelter Eleven to Oblique Shelf (about 5,000 meters). And then came the bad weather, which lasted for several days. The hurricane wind simply knocked down, visibility - 10-15 meters. At the insistent requests of athletes, the final still took place, but not to the top, but only to the Pastukhov rocks (4800 meters). At the command of the judges, in strong winds, in snowfall and frost, from the "Shelter of Eleven" ten daredevils simultaneously rushed forward. With a result of 40 minutes 21 second, the first came Almaatinets Anatoly Bukreev, the second was Muscovite Alexander Sheinov (41 minutes 27 seconds), the third Almaatinets Valery Khrishchaty (43 minutes 08 seconds). They are all members of the Himalayan ascents.

1991. On April 23, 1991, the famous Moscow climber, master of sports of the USSR, doctor of technical sciences Antandin Belopukhov, storming Elbrus with paralyzed legs, crawled to a height of 4250 m.

1991. Outside Magazine ranked the "Shelter of Eleven" toilet as the worst toilet in the world. This is not surprising given the fact that thousands of mountain tourists and climbers from all over the planet have used the site for certain purposes for years.

1992. At the initiative of Russian climbers (the idea was proposed by the famous climber Vladimir Kavunenko), the Elbrusiad of Reconciliation took place on Elbrus. The climb involved 58 German and Russian climbers of three generations, including ten German climbers climbing in August 1942, and six of the twenty Soviet climbers climbing in February 1943 were to climb Elbrus and install flags and Russia on Germany top of it. Of the 47 Germans who came to the Shelter, Elbrus was conquered by 35. Among them were 79-year-old Alfred Artman, who fought with Edelweiss in the Caucasus and 65-year-old Michel Schweidner. From our side, young generations of climbers climbed Elbrus. As for our veterans, only one managed to climb the mountain (wearing an oxygen mask) - the USSR master of sports in mountaineering, 65-year-old Yevgeny Gippenreiter. Some participants in the war reached the rocks of Pastukhov and the saddle.

1993. On August 4, 1993, Elbrus was conquered by paratroopers and paragliders. From a height of 6800 meters at 10 hours 48 minutes, having made a jump from the MI-8 helicopter, the first to the western peak, a patch with a diameter of 15-20 meters, the ten-time world champion in parachute jumping landed our fellow countryman Karachai Meker Balaev (in the 90s of the twentieth century he headed the republican sports committee). After some time, Balkarian Ismail Gettuev and team captain Yevgeny Klepov from Essentuki did the same. Three Essentuki paratroopers Sergey Shevchenko (he landed first at 11 hours 4 minutes), Alexander Klepov and Vyacheslav Misnik landed on the eastern peak. On the same day, Ilya Smolyakov, Viktor Yanchenko and Ramil Yakubov descended from the eastern peak on paragliders. Their flight lasted 100 minutes.

1997. For the first time, a specially equipped and modified Land Rover car was able to climb to the top of Elbrus. The person who drove this car is Russian traveler A. Abramov.

1998. The building of the Shelter of Eleven hotel burned down in the fire. Today, on the site of an old wooden building, local authorities are erecting a new one.

1998. On August 12, 1998, for the first time in the history of mountaineering, the Khurzuk and Daur climbed Elbrus - two horses of the Karachay breed. The leading horse breeder of the Ministry of Agricultural Products of the KCR Klych-Geriy Urusov and the chief physician of the Karachay-Cherkess Republican Children's Hospital Akhmat Tebuev initiated and led this expedition. The route was laid through the village of Khurzuk, Ullu-Kam Gorge, Hotyu-tau Pass, Krugozor Station and Shelter Eleven. At 11 hours 30 minutes, the expedition, consisting of seven people, reached the eastern peak of Elbrus. Among the mountain settlers were other residents from Cherkessk: a climber with 35 years of climbing experience, Deputy Minister of Education of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic Boris Khadzhimuratovich Begeulov; USSR master of sports in mountain tourism, teacher Ramazan Ibragimovich Khapchaev, student of the Karachay-Cherkess State Technological Institute Eldar Arsenovich Kubanov and engineer Umar Khalitovich Bayramukov, who made special horseshoes with spikes for horses that allowed them to move on ice and hard infusion.

1998. In October 1998, five paratroopers led by air operator Alexander Begak successfully jumped from a helicopter to a site near the burned out Shelter Eleven. The action was held under the leadership of female cosmonaut No. 2 Svetlana Savitskaya and is dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the removal of fascist standards from Elbrus.

1999. On August 18, 1999, at 10 o'clock 36 minutes, a Karachay horse named "Igilik" ("Good") set foot on the western peak of Elbrus under the saddle of the head of the O. Kasaev state farm from the aul Uchkulan Dagir Kappushev. Other ascending participants: children's doctor of the children's hospital Cherkes-ska Akhmat Tebuev (expedition leader), Deputy Minister of Education of the KCR Boris Begeulov, engineer of Silikatchik JSC from Cherkessk Umar Bayramukov, student of the KChGTI Eldar Kubanov, driver from the village of Prigorodnoye Marat Khachirov, two livestock breeders from aul Uchkulan and Khurzuk - Magomed Bizhiev and Murat Dzhatdoev, rose together with Kappushev and igilik and Igilik to the top. Two other horses, "Daur" and "Ginger," were left at the saddle at 5,300 metres. The conquerors dedicated their ascent to the 170th anniversary of the expedition to Elbrus by General G. Emmanuel. For this ascent, all expedition members were awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland and diplomas of the Committee for the Registration of Planet Records.

2004. This year, 48 extreme skiers and climbers have died on the slopes of Elbrus.

2008. Mount Elbrus was recognized as one of the seven wonders of Russia.

2016. In Kabardino-Balkaria, on the basis of the Center for Mining Training and Survival of CSKA, for the first time, an international competition for the best high-mountain division "Elbrus Ring"^[2] is being held^[3].

2020. On May 7, employees of the Elbrus High Mountain Search and Rescue Detachment (EVPSO) of the Russian Emergencies Ministry in honor of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War installed the Victory Banner on Elbrus. Six employees of the detachment took part in the expedition. The group was headed by the head of the search and rescue unit "High Mountain" Ademey Dzhappuev.

© Press Service of the Ministry of Emergencies of the Russian Federation in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic/TASS

2021. On May 15, 2021, the Training and Methodological Commission (UMK) of the Russian Mountaineering Federation (FAR) approved recommendations for groups and guides/instructors when climbing Elbrus and the provision on the award sign "For Climbing Elbrus"

2022. May 15, 2022 The team of the project "Elbrus. There are violent" with the support of Кавказ.РФ set an absolute record for climbing the summit of Elbrus. The route from Polyana Azau (2300 m) to the western peak of the mountain (5642 m) was taken on a motorcycle equipped for a snowbike on May 15, 2022 in 57 minutes. For the first time, the climb to Elbrus on technology was made on its own, without assistance and winches. The fact of the ascent is registered in the Russian Book of Records. Motorcyclists Sergey Ptushkin, Alexander Kononenko and Nikolai Tsydenov took part in the race.

2022. On August 12, 2022, the tourist gave birth to a child at the cable Gara-Basha Road station at an altitude of 3800 m.

Guidelines for climbing Elbrus

Elbrus is a huge mountain range, with routes of varying complexity, up to the highest categories (6kt). At the same time, on many routes, ensuring security presents significant difficulties even for experienced and trained athletes. As a result, only a few of the simplest routes can be available for mass ascents:

1. Elbrus Zapadnaya, through "Shelter-11" ("Classics from the South") 1B Ph.D.

2. Elbrus Vostochnaya, through "Shelter-11" ("Classics from the South") 1B Ph.D.

3. Elbrus West from the north ("Classics from the North"), 2A Ph.D.

4. Elbrus East from the north ("Classics from the North"), 2A Ph.D.

5. Elbrus East, from the east through the Achkeryakol lava stream, 2A kt.

Preliminary preparation of the group

Acclimatization

One of the key aspects of climbing safety is the sufficient adaptation of the body of the climbers to height. The recommended period of the preliminary acclimatization cycle for middle-level participants, based on many years of study by physiologists of the process of adaptation of the human body to the conditions of the highlands, is at least (and preferably more) 5 days, with a gradual climb within the framework of active sawtooth acclimatization. To do this, the group rises to the maximum height, actively working if possible, and after that descends to the already mastered height for recreation. The reference point for the sequence of maximum heights of such a "saw" can be a cycle with heights: 1 day - 2500m, 2 day - 3200m, 3 day - 4000m, 4 day - 4500m, 5 day - 5000m. With a reduction in the acclimatization cycle, the risks of an emergency on the ascent associated with various manifestations of mountain sickness significantly increase. Experienced athletes can slightly (by 1-2 days) reduce the period of acclimatization due to preliminary training and previous high-altitude experience, but such a path cannot be recommended for novice climbers. Before the day of climbing, a day of full rest in the "green" zone is recommended. In winter and spring, reducing the acclimatization cycle can be especially dangerous.

Technical training

For a safe ascent, participants must have a number of basic skills:

• movement in cats on gentle and medium steepness relief.
• self-retention on snow-ice slopes of medium steepness.
• movement in a bundle.
• movement on the railing.
• organization of rescue from a crack by a group under the guidance of a guide/instructor/conductor (or independently by the members, with sufficient qualification of the group members).

Classes for mastering these skills are recommended to be held on real natural terrain, in compliance with methodological recommendations and safety rules. It is recommended to conduct classes as part of the acclimatization cycle. Supervisor/Guide/Instructor Qualification

Manager needs to

• be able to plan and implement a plan of phased active acclimatization, taking into account the specific conditions and level of training of a specific group.
• be able to ensure control and safety of the group within the framework of acclimatization exits and on ascent.
• be able to organize and conduct training of participants with the skills necessary for climbing (choice of the place of study, constant control of all participants, ensuring safety, control of the level of skill acquisition)
• be able to organize and carry out rescue operations in the event of an emergency (a sharp change in the weather, deterioration of the participants' well-being, falling into a crack, failure of the participant, etc.)
• be able to organize group railing insurance on ice relief
• be able to organize group railing insurance on snow relief
• have first aid skills
• register the group in the local subdivision of the Ministry of Emergencies
• have skills of orientation in mountainous areas, including in conditions of poor visibility.
• control the provision of the group members with the necessary equipment, clothing and footwear.

Ensuring Climbing Safety

Recommended minimum set of personal equipment:

• cats (well sharpened, especially for winter and off-season)
• helmet
• ice ax
• mountain boots (suitable for cats, for climbing peaks above 5000m)
• trekking sticks (optional)
• climbing binding + 2 coupling carbines + self-insurance
• jacket and trousers of wind-moisture protection
• heat insulation (thermal casing)
• down
• cap
• mittens
• gloves
• headlamp
• sunglasses
• sunscreen with a protection factor of 40 and above
• flask/thermos with drink
• pocket food

Group gear

• rope at least 30 m for a bunch of two or three people, and at least 50 m (or 2 bays of 25-30 m each) for a group of more than 3 people.
• rescue kit (for rescue operations in case of a sharp change in the weather, deterioration of the participants' well-being, falling into a crack, failure of the participant, etc.)
• navigation aids (GPS with spare power supplies, compass/map)
• means of communication (telephone, walkie-talkie). It should be borne in mind that modern smartphones do not always function under difficult weather conditions.
• first aid kit

Composition of the group

To ensure effective safety, the number of members in the group should not exceed 3 people per leader/guide/instructor. In case of ascents in difficult conditions (winter, off-season), it is recommended to reduce the composition of the group to 2 members. The group can be increased to 6 people when all participants of the FAR Mountaineer Training Program pass the NP1 stage (approved program for www.alpfederation.ru, 390 hours)

The management and control of the actions of a larger group at high altitudes according to all canons of psychophysical activity is not effective and impractical from a safety point of view.

Climbing routes

To date, there are 4 main climbing routes to Elbrus. It is an ascent from the south, west, east and north.

Elbrus from the south. Classic route

Elbrus from the south is the most developed, simple and comfortable route. The complexity of the route according to the Russian classification is 1B. The route begins, as a rule, from the Boochka shelter (the end of the cable car, 3720 meters) and goes almost exactly up under the Eastern peak, past the former Shelter of Eleven (4050 meters), numerous new shelters and Pastukhov rocks (4550-4700 meters) to a height of about 5100 meters, from where, according to the so-called "oblique shelf," access to the saddle (5416 meters). Further from the saddle is an obvious ascent to any of the peaks. If you wish, you can get to a height of 5000 meters by rattak. On the one hand, this devalues the sports component of climbing, and on the other, reduces the climbing time to 3 hours. This route is suitable for the first ascent of Elbrus. It is the most comfortable, accessible and understandable. As a rule, the duration of the ascent, taking into account transport costs, acclimatization exits, weather and the degree of readiness of climbers, takes 7 - 10 days (directly from the Eleven Shelter to the top for trained athletes takes 5- 6 hours without taking into account the time to descend).

Route Keys:

The first key of the southern slope is the cracks at the end of the plateau at an altitude of 3900 meters, before the steep rise on which the shelters are located (the so-called "Shelter of Eleven," instead of which there are now several shelters). Many pass by and do not even notice cracks, but there are a lot of them here and sometimes fall through them.

Further difficult place from the height of 5000 meters to the saddle of Elbrus 5300 meters, here is the "oblique shelf," i.e. a trail going up the slope diagonally from right to left. There is a danger of sliding down on ice discharges here. Cats and an ice ax will help to safely pass this area.

The next key is the rise from the saddle to the summit plateau of the western peak of Elbrus. The area is steep, and if little snow falls, you have to climb a dense firn (very hard snow), the teeth of cats do not enter it well and you can slip down (which is often the case with those who do not take an ice ax). This section also goes diagonally on the left to the right. A rope is often hung at the end of the site because the path is steepest and most dangerous at this point.

If bad weather begins: it snows, a strong wind blows or a cloud covers the entire Elbrus, visibility disappears and you can see the road no more than 10 meters. When descending, it is dangerous that you may not find a way to the shelter. The photo below is shown with red arrows, which descend much more often than not in bad weather.

To return to the shelter at an altitude of 4100 meters, you need to get between two rock ridges. When nothing is visible, you only have to navigate by GPS, even the hangings with which the path is not visible. This is a frequent case of all emergencies on the mountain - when descending, they went to the side and fell on cracks or ice discharges.

Elbrus from the north. Path of the Primates

The route from the north is the second most popular. Until recently, it was considered a wild "expeditionary" route, following the footsteps of pioneers and places with historical names. The route starts from the base camp at an altitude of (2500 meters) and leads through the Northern Shelter (3700 meters) and the Lenz Rocks (which are a good natural landmark) to the Eastern Peak. At the top of the route, it is possible to traverse in the direction of the saddle and further to the Western peak. On this route you can feel a real taste of mountaineering. The northern route appears to be an alternative to the congested southern. It is closer to nature, allows the ascender to feel the spirit of the researcher and discoverer. The complexity of the route according to the Russian classification 2A.

The peculiarity of this route route (compared to the south) is the lower concentration of infrastructure (despite the fact that since 2012, a number of new huts and tent camps have appeared in Emmanuel glade (2600 meters) and on the rocks in front of the glacier (3750 meters)). This requires more autonomy and more tourist qualifications from the ascendants. The main problem is 2000 meters of vertical climbing from the last stationary camp, while from the south this problem is leveled by a large number of commercial snowcats.

Climbing Elbrus from the north is a little more technically difficult due to the large number of cracks. But despite this, the route is accessible and safe for beginners.

Route Keys:

The first key on the way to the summit of Elbrus from the north, is on an ice slope at an altitude of 3900 meters to 4400 meters, there are many cracks and they are often sprinkled with snow and invisible (usually in July the snow piles and the cracks become clearly visible). The site is always in bundles.

The second difficult place, which is not often noticed, is a small steep section near the Lenz rocks, on which snow pours and ice is exposed in the summer and there is a risk of breaking. Cats and an ice ax are also required here. The length of the site is about one hundred meters. Further to the easternmost peak of Elbrus, there are no special technical difficulties.

Elbrus from the west. Expeditionary route

Elbrus from the west is the shortest route to the highest point in Europe. There are no cable cars, ratraks and even a trampled trail. Powerful glaciation, rock walls, including the famous Kükürtlu wall, open from the Gila-su glade and give the impression of a Himalayan peak.

There are several features of this route. The first problem is distance from housing. You need to walk to the base camp all day from the asphalt road. There is no mobile connection in the gorge. Rescuers can only be called by satellite phone. The second problem is the technical complexity of the route. This is the Iron rock, where you need to move along the scree slope, and then the transition along the steep ice to the tent camp-2 at an altitude of 4500 meters, when Elbrus is usually stormed from a height of 3800 meters. Finally, a high mountain attracts all fronts, so you need to be prepared for sharp and sometimes long-term weather deterioration.

This route can be seen as the final ascent of Elbrus after other routes.

Route Keys:

The first key on Elbrus from the west is the passage under the rock "Iron," at the top of the rock lies snow and ice and when the sun begins to warm, melted snow and ice begin to flow and draw stones behind them.

The path is under a rock, in places of fall all in pits from falling stones. Here you need to pass very early, before the sun begins to heat the top of the cliff. Although sometimes without the sun, stones fall here.

The second key is the passage of the glacier with access to a plateau of 4600 meters. There are many cracks hidden under the snow on the glacier, and you need to bind as soon as you get on the ice. Here you need to overcome ice steep slopes using a full arsenal of climbing equipment - ice drills, ice picks and ropes. The first slope immediately after the cliff "Iron" is uncomplicated and passes quickly. Between the rock and the glacier is a gentle couloir and stones can also fall along it during the day (the route passes by crossing the couloir). After it, a simple approach to the steepest and longest ice wall. This is the main key of the route, the ice wall is about 150 meters long, the steepness in places is such that hanging on self-insurance at the station, the legs are easier not to rest on the ice, but to hang and rest. This place is hung with ropes. The site is covered by two options - "forehead," i.e. vertically up or with a bypass on the right, traversing the ice slope. The choice of climbing an ice slope depends on the condition of the ice and snow. The walk to the right is not so steep, but there is a danger of disruption and stones fall throughout the walk.

Further, having reached the plateau, you need to carefully look for the way among the cracks, there are a lot of them here. After a plateau of 4600 meters (where they usually set up camp), there are no more special difficulties until the very top of Elbrus. However, it must be remembered that in bad weather you can get lost when descending and not find a camp, although when you go upstairs, the path seems clear and obvious. It is also necessary to always remember that if you spend the night on a plateau (4600 meters) and bad weather begins (the wind on Elbrus in a hurricane can easily demolish a tent with people inside), then you will not be able to go down quickly, because you need to go down the ice walls using a rope (lowering the rope with a "dulfer") and this significantly takes time.

It must be remembered that there is no connection on this side of the mountain and it is better to have a satellite phone.

Elbrus from the east. Exotic route

Elbrus from the east is the most exotic route. They climb it quite rarely, although it begins with the village of Elbrus. The first difficulties of this route await you immediately behind the asphalt road of the village: traverses along a narrow steep path along the river along the Irik Chat gorge. This is a hard-to-reach route, but relatively safe: there are no rockfalls, cracks are already visible in the middle of summer. There is an open glacier in the area of ​ ​ the Irik Chat Pass. Further, the route goes along the Akcheryakolsky lava flow directly to the Eastern peak. It is very short, beautiful and logical. There are very few people there. This gives the very charm of real mountaineering to climbing this route. Complexity of the 2B route.

Route Keys:

The first key on the east side of Elbrus is on a glacier before climbing the Achkerjakol Lava Stream (on which everyone rises to the east peak). There are a lot of cracks, you need to go through this area with a tied rope.

The second key is two sections after a height of 4,500 meters, where ice sometimes thaws in the summer and, since the slope is steep, you can fall down. Therefore, for safety, you need to use ice drills and rope here (depending on the situation, sometimes these areas are covered with snow and they become less dangerous).

Regulation on the award sign "For climbing Elbrus"

1. The award mark "For Climbing Elbrus" was established by the Federation of Mountaineering Russia (FAR).

2. The badge is awarded to Russian and foreign citizens who have climbed the highest point in Russia and Europe - the summit of Elbrus.

3. The badge is awarded only once.

4. The distribution of the sign "For climbing Elbrus" is carried out through specialized companies, federations, clubs and associations involved in organizing climbing Elbrus.

5. The sign "For climbing Elbrus" is awarded personally to the climber, in a solemn atmosphere. The award is made by the leader of the event within which the ascent was made.

6. The organization conducting the event is responsible for the ascent and registration of the awardees.

7. Those awarded the badge are advised to comply with the norms and rules of the "Declaration of Ethical Behavior in the Mountains."

8. The sign has the shape of a circle (32 mm), made of copper alloy covered with nickel, engraved in the circle of the obverse "Federation of Mountaineering of Russia" and "For Climbing Elbrus." The color of the metal is steel. In the center of the obverse of the sign, by the method of covering with hot enamel, is a stylized relief image of the highest point of Russia and Europe - the peak of Elbrus. The sign has an individual number on the reverse. Type of attachment - pin fastener

Accidents and accidents

Despite the comparative simplicity of climbing the peaks of Elbrus, annually, according to various estimates, from fifteen to twenty people die on it, which is about 80% of all accidents in the Elbrus region. Among the dead and injured are not only amateur tourists (the so-called "wild tourists"), but also, often, experienced trained athletes with appropriate mining experience.

The main objective hazards on the climbing routes are numerous glacial cracks, weather conditions (due to the specific location and its dominant position, the weather on Elbrus can deteriorate in a matter of hours, which, along with a decrease in visibility and a sharp drop in temperature (nominal and felt), leads to loss of orientation and hypothermia), as well as possible insufficient altitude acclimatization of the ascenders and such related factors as dehydration, significant deterioration of well-being and, as a result, loss of concentration, etc.

There are no exact statistics for all those killed and injured in Elbrus. Of the organized climbing climbs between 1929 and 2010, 29 athletes of the qualification level up to the "Master of Sports" died on Elbrus. Typical causes of death are hypothermia and injuries resulting from breakdowns or falling into cracks.

March 17, 1936 Perhaps the first documented mass accident in Elbrus. As a result of the breakdown of the ligament on the descent, 4 people were killed and four more were injured. It was an expedition of Komsomol members of the Elbrus region. The vast majority of participants did not have the slightest idea of ​ ​ mountain sites. For the entire group of 33 people, there were only four guides and not a single mountaineering instructor. The weather favored the rise: frost is no more than 20 degrees, there is no wind, the sky is clear and cloudless. 27 people climbed to the Eastern peak, 6 - to the Western.

On the descent from the top above the "Pastukhov Rocks" on the ice slope, 8 people fell. The groups moved in bundles of seven and eight people. The front and rear were connected by a "conductor" knot, the rest were attached to the rope with sliding carbines. A. Kurdanov had a cat on the descent, he slipped, fell and quickly slipped on the ice, tearing off all the ligament. I. Dzhappuev (a conductor who tried to stop the fall of the ligament), A. Kurdanov, R. Khuseynov were killed, X. Taimazov died on the descent.

May 1987 Death under unclear circumstances of the group of the Lenin Club of Tourists (g.) Moscow Under the leadership of V. Lykov, only 5 people. Participants: I. Karavaev, Ilyukhin, E. Bazykina, V. Lapina. The group climbed to the Western peak from the west through the Balkbashi ice fall and spent the night on the plateau, did not go down. During the search in 1988, the bodies of Ilyukhin and Karavaev were discovered on the Western plateau of Elbrus (left in place).

May 1990 Turiad of Leningrad tourists on Elbrus. 6 people died (5 participants in the turiad and one Japanese).

A group of 6 people led by two candidates of medical sciences - Sergei Levin (group leader) and Sergei Farbstein on May 2 entered the acclimatization ascent from Shelter 11. Due to the worsening weather, the group equipped the cave, where they spent the night safely from May 2 to 3. The next day they tried to go down, but to no avail - they had to return to the cave. On this day, 2 Japanese people joined them, descending from above. I had to stay for another overnight stay.

At night, in the cave, which began to be noticed by snow, it became very difficult to breathe and three (S. Levin, V. Lazarev, O. Voronin) climbed out to dig out. In the morning, one of the tourists (Odintsov), having hardly dug up, found the corpses of three comrades near the entrance to the cave. He managed to go down to the rescuers, but the two survivors (S. Arbstein and O. Buldakov) died during transportation to Shelter 11. One of the Japanese survived, the second was found frozen in an ice crack. According to the conclusions of the forensic examination, the death of the members of the Levin group occurred as a result of general hypothermia of the body.

They climbed Elbrus from Karachay-Cherkessia. Unsuccessfully put bivouac. Bad weather began. In fact, you can survive on the mountain, you need to dig deeper into the snow and sit out. But, apparently, the experience was not enough, they seemed to panic when the tent broke with the wind. They didn't even dress. One girl was lying in a sleeping bag, two nearby, one guy rolled down 300 m. All four died from hypothermia. But they had good equipment, new.

February-March 2004 When climbing Elbrus from the west, a group from Ukraine disappeared, probably hit an avalanche. Six people (two from the Vinnitsa club "Asklepiy," four from the Khmelnitsky club of climbers) planned to climb Elbrus from the west. The group left Khurzuk on February 21, did not go down to Terskol by the March 8 deadline. The search did not give results.

May 2004 A group from Ulyanovsk consisting of seven people led by V. Novoselov made a 2 k.s. hike from Khurzuk to Terskol (including the traverse of the northern ice fields of Elbrus) and planned to climb Elbrus along the route from the north. The group includes experienced tourists. The bad weather played out on the night of May 7-8 destroyed the group's tent camp, installed above the Lenz rocks at an altitude of about 5,200 meters.

They were last seen on May 7. The search was launched on May 12, when the group did not return to Ulyanovsk by the deadline (May 11). They did not register in the Ministry of Emergency Situations on the spot (here it should be noted that the route began in the KCR, but was supposed to end in the KBR). A week later, the bodies of the three dead and the remains of the destroyed camp were found at an altitude of about 5,100 while circling the slopes of Elbrus by a search helicopter.

At night, the tents broke, and people were completely unprepared for this. They found a recorder in the head's backpack, they kept something like a diary. And here are the last words: "We are at an altitude of 5200 m., We tore the tent, we will have to spend the night in the open air. The weather is terrible, what awaits us in the morning - we do not know.... " Until morning, everyone froze - I noticed the first from the helicopter, two more were found nearby.

But the story of a participant in the rescue of Artem Kukharin: {{quote 'The remains of the camp were found at an altitude of 5100 almost under the saddle. The tent was not just torn apart, only the uprights remained of it, most of the things were simply blown out. Regarding the equipment of Ulyanovsk residents, it must be said separately: this is a quiet horror, no one is walking with this. Canvas jackets, a gable tent, not even percal, although percals on Elbrus vomit for one or two. The woman's body was found immediately 50 meters from the camp. Then about half a meter of snow fell, and only a few days later, when a strong wind rose and all the snow was blown away, we found a second body much below the camp on the way to Aleinikov's hut at an altitude of 4100. The third body was found not far from the camp away from the main trail. If you remember, at one time four bodies were reported and allegedly cannot be approached. Indeed, visually and in binoculars, a dark silhouette was visible on a large serac below the camp. It was necessary to approach him already on the ice fall, but when they approached, it turned out that this was a backpack of one of the Ulyanovsk residents.

What happened, there can be no doubt. The group continued to climb in bad weather. Before reaching the saddle, they set up a tent. The place for the tent is extremely unsuccessful, cracks begin already 20 meters from the tent, the ice fall is generally lower. With a hurricane wind, the tent is torn apart, people are thrown, they begin to scatter in different directions. There were no shoes on the woman, one wandered straight down, one fought for quite a long time, walked in the direction of the hut. From where we found it to their tent in good weather, you need to go up for about 3 hours. He lay on his back, spreading, most likely he was knocked over by the wind, and there was no more strength to rise. The rest are likely to lie on cracks.}}

On May 9, 2006, eleven of the twelve tourists climbing the Western Peak along the route from the South froze on the Elbrus saddle.

Two groups went to the top - 8 Muscovites and 4 Kievans. Both groups were caught in the weather. According to available information, they began to descend at about 8 pm. On May 10, Nikolai Antonov, the only survivor, came out to the rescuers in the morning. He indicated a place where his comrades could be. 60 rescuers, including volunteers, participated in the search.

Found those who buried in the snow. They most likely died of hypothermia. At night, on the slopes of Elbrus, the temperature dropped to minus 50 degrees Celsius.

On May 16, the bodies of nine dead were delivered to Nalchik - five people from the Moscow group and all four climbers from Ukraine. These are Muscovites Yevgeny Puzyrev, Andrey Logvinov, Maxim Zubarev (group leader), Denis Bukhvostov and Alexander Antonov, the brother of the only climber who escaped, as well as Ukrainians Nikolai Khoruzhenko, his 16-year-old son Alexander, 17-year-old Maxim Melnik and 38-year-old commercial director of the newspaper "Mirror of the Week" Vyacheslav Zorya. Muscovites Urubkov and Dmitriyev are missing.

August 1, 2006. Triple incident on the eastern slope of Elbrus, in the area of ​ ​ the Achkeryakol lava flow^[1]Four people were killed, one was missing and another was injured. The incidents happened in two Ukrainian groups, which went independently of one another, but the reason is one - a breakdown on a rather steep snow-ice slope of an inexperienced participant (in one case, this led to a breakdown of the entire bundle).

A group of 13 people led by G. Topolenko from the Arsenal club planned to climb Elbrus along the Achkeryakol lava flow. Two consecutive accidents occurred during the ascent around the crater. As a result, three people died, one went missing. Only two people (including the leader) out of 13 had experience of hiking in the highlands.

On the same day, while descending from the summit, East Elbrus at an altitude of 5600 fell and killed E. Nadol. The group descended from the top in the direction of the Achkeryakol stream, one cat broke at the deceased. He continued, removing the cats and soon fell off on a firn slope.

September 23, 2021 On the evening of September 23, a group of 19 climbers at an altitude of 5.4 thousand meters on the slope of Elbrus requested the help of rescuers due to worsening weather conditions. Picture of the tragedy^[2]

Seven people and two pieces of equipment went to search and rescue. According to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Kabardino-Balkaria, tourists were in different places.

It is clarified that rescuers began a search operation from five thousand meters, but the work was complicated by unfavorable weather conditions - poor visibility, heavy precipitation, temperatures up to minus 20 degrees and gusts of wind from 40 to 70 meters per second.

As a result of the incident, five climbers were killed, 14 tourists were saved, 11 of them were injured of varying severity and were hospitalized.^[3]

First, the Ministry of Emergency Situations managed to find eight climbers, of which three were without signs of life. Then nine more were found alive. Later, the bodies of two more dead members of the group were found.^[4]

According to Mikhail Nadezhin, head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for Kabardino-Balkaria, almost all of the rescued have severe frostbite, some tourists also received fractures of their limbs.^[5]

The weather greatly prevented us from working, those in distress at altitude were not technically prepared and without acclimatization. It made it a little difficult for us to work. And so, basically, they coped, "Khadzhiev said. According to him, in the evening a very strong wind rose, it was unsafe to lower tourists in the dark, and rescuers decided to wait until it became lighter, the wind would get warmer and subside

We went down to the hut on the saddle, we had to spend the night there. They sat down walkie-talkies from the cold, probably. They went down under their own power, no one was hurt. And on the Kosaya shelf they met the guys who went to meet us

2024

Shelter 11 will be restored on Elbrus

Shelter 11 will be restored on Elbrus. The famous house for climbers will be turned into a modern hotel.

The new Shelter 11 will be built at 4100 meters. The hotel with 19 rooms will be made as autonomous and technological as possible, with amenities that in such climatic and highland conditions are considered a luxury - hot water supply, sewerage, a modern dining room and a well-equipped panoramic platform.

It is assumed that the hotel will also become a base for the Ministry of Emergency Situations: the first floor will be reserved for rescuers who are engaged in search operations on the mountain. Construction work is planned to be completed by 2027.

Work "ERA-GLONASS"

On Elbrus, a hybrid communication network based on the ERA-GLONASS state information system was put into operation, designed to ensure the safety of tourists at altitude. This became known in August 2024. This network uses unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor routes and quickly deliver medicines. The system was tested in conditions of extreme heights - at the level of 5642 meters. The new technology will help significantly increase the level of safety of tourists in mountainous areas and speed up the provision of emergency assistance in case of emergencies. Read more here.

2023

Monitoring of glaciers of the Caucasus

In the report "Glaciers of the Caucasus," prepared by the specialists of TERRA TECH JSC (part of the Russian holding space systems of the State Corporation Roscosmos) using space survey data, a brief history of studying the huge mass of ice in the Caucasus is presented, information on changes over the past decades is given on the example of a large and studied glacier of the Elbrus massif - Bolshoi Aza, as well as an anomaly of the increasing size of the Kolka glacier on the Kazbek-Jimarai mountain range.^[1]

File:Ledniki-Kavkaza.pdf

2022

Elbrus rescuers received "smart" trackers for communication with tourists

MTS has provided mountain rescuers in Kabardino-Balkaria with 50 GPS trackers that will help tourists stay in touch while climbing Elbrus.

The MTS travel tracker runs on GPS technology, it is a thin, durable plate that fits easily into a backpack. The device supports the function of voice communication, Internet, SMS messages and is equipped with internal antennas with a high communication gain, so that the tracker can be used as a communication tool at any hard-to-reach point.

Also, the digital solution is equipped with an SOS button for instant call of assistance over all communication channels. A smart tracker will help you quickly fix the tourist's location and send information to a special application installed on the rescuers' equipment in real time. Batteries with a capacity of 1050 mAh in "beacons" last for 7 days in low temperatures.

Before going to the route of the tourist group, the specialist of the search and rescue unit prescribes the specified route in the digital service. In case of deviation from the specified coordinates or change in speed, a notification comes to the "base," and the responsible employee has the opportunity to contact the tourist or the head of the tourist group through a smart tracker and find out the cause of the abnormal situation. In addition, on the MTS Mobile Employees platform, rescuers can track in real time where the group of tourists is located, at what height, as well as the history of tourist movements.

On Mount Elbrus at an altitude of 3800 m, a woman gave birth to a child

In Kabardino-Balkaria, a woman gave birth to a child right on Elbrus.^[2] Rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria told about this on Friday, August 12, 2022.

The department said that for many years of practice, this is the first such unusual challenge: before no one ever asked them to give birth in the mountains.

We haven't had that yet. The operational duty officer received a message that at the Gara-Basha station (height 3800m), the waters left one of the vacationers - they shared the details in the official message.

Immediately rescuers moved to the scene of the "incident." While the specialists were in a hurry to help the woman, she was in childbirth. By the time the rescuers arrived, a boy had already appeared. The woman and her newborn child were successfully transported to the Azau clearing, where they were handed over to ambulance staff.

Elbrus not only takes but also gives! - commented on the miraculous birth in the rescue service.

2020

Russian rescuers installed the Victory Banner on Elbrus

The Victory Banner and the anniversary pennant signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin hoisted Mount Elbrus (5642 m) to the highest point in Europe, said the head of Kabardino-Balkaria (KBR) Kazbek Kokov on Thursday May 7, 2020.

On the eve of the most important date for all of us - the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, he handed over to the head of the Elbrus region Kanshaubiy Zalikhanov the Victory Banner and the anniversary pennant signed by our country's President Vladimir Putin. Today, by the team of the Elbrus High Mountain Search and Rescue Squad (EVPSO) of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, they are hoisted to the top of the highest mountain in Europe - Elbrus. Sincere gratitude to the ascendants!

Six employees of the detachment took part in the expedition. The group was headed by the head of the search and rescue unit "High Mountain" Ademey Dzhappuev.^[3].

2019

Rogozin plans to send robots to conquer Elbrus

The head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin plans to send robots to conquer the highest point in Europe Elbrus.

Our engineers are thinking about something else, when we were now talking about the work of rovers, moon rovers, in the same place (on the moon - ed.) The surface is not asphalt... I had an idea, we discussed on the phone, to make the ascent of the robotic complex on Elbrus, how it will rise at angles, how the atmosphere will affect. Conquering Elbrus with a space robot is interesting

According to him, the Caucasian mountains are quite suitable for testing robots.^[4].

Roscosmos may create a cosmonaut training center in the North Caucasus

Roscosmos is considering the possibility of creating a cosmonaut training center in one of the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District. This was announced on Tuesday by the general director of the state corporation Dmitry Rogozin, separately noting that the conquest of Elbrus could be included in the training program ^[5].

Dmitry Rogozin: "We visited Elbrus. I couldn't even imagine all the power and all the spirit. The astronauts climbing Elbrus, I think, will also be the subject of a training program. "

Rescuers evacuated Malaysian tourist from Elbrus slope

Rescuers evacuated a climber from Malaysia from Elbrus, who requested help from a height of 5.2 thousand meters above sea level. Kantemir Berov, head of the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Kabardino-Balkaria, told reporters^[6]

"On August 15, the Crisis Management Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the CBD received information that a Malaysian citizen born in 1989 asked for help on Mount Elbrus at an altitude of 5.2 thousand meters above sea level. As of 23:00 Moscow time on August 15, search and rescue work is completely completed. The climber was assisted in descending to a height of 3.8 thousand meters to the Shelter Eleven base, where he refused further assistance, "Berov said.

Three employees of the Elbrus high-altitude search and rescue detachment of the Russian Emergencies Ministry were involved in search and rescue operations.

Elbrus glaciers began to melt 3 times faster

The rate of decline in glacial mass in Elbrus has tripled over the past two decades. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The volume of glaciers on Elbrus in 1997-2017 decreased by 1.5 cubic kilometers, which is 23% of the total. This means that glaciers melt three times faster compared to the period from 1957 to 1997, according to the results of a study by Russian scientists, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Earth^[7].

In particular, glaciologists studied all 23 glaciers on Elbrus and found that the main reduction in ice volumes is observed on all glaciers located below 4500 meters above sea level - from Pastukhov's rock. For example, the Iricchat glacier has lost 47% of its volume in 20 years and, according to scientists, may disappear in the coming decades. At the same time, scientists call climate change the main reason for the melting of glaciers. But Elbrus is still the largest ice cluster. The volume of its glaciers is 10% of all ice in the Caucasus.

The power of a living volcano. Elbrus can wake up at any minute

Volcano Elbrus can wake up at any minute. This is evidenced by famous Russian volcanologists, geologists and glaciologists. The possible awakening of the volcano is evidenced by the melting of the Elbrus ice cap, as well as the appearance of moss on the slopes - where the air temperature is below 50 degrees, and other anomalies. Among them are such as the exit from the depths of volcanic gases and the formation of huge cracks on the slopes. If a volcano that has been in hibernation for 900 years awakens, disaster is inevitable^[8] of a^[9]

Traces of volcanic eruption in the Elbrus region are everywhere. Frozen lava even after hundreds of years looks impressive - so that it becomes scary. Scientists believe that the village of Elbrus, a number of settlements, as well as the city of Tyrnyauz are at risk.

Vadim Milyukov, a well-known scientist, professor, head of the laboratory of the P.K. Sternberg State Astronomical Institute, told the MIR 24 correspondent about the possibility of a volcanic eruption. For more than 40 years he has been studying the volcano Elbrus.

Vadim Milyukov: "We believe that magmas exist, and they are hot. I can't say that the eruption will happen today or tomorrow, but it can happen. If the eruption of the Elbrus volcano begins, the lahars (these are mud flows: a mixture of water, mud and stones) will flow along the valley of the Baksan and Malka rivers, demolishing everything in their path. "

Few people know that somewhere here, in the rock strata there is a laboratory with special equipment. Only selected lucky ones can get there, strictly by passes. The tunnel of the Baksan Observatory goes 4 kilometers deep into the mountain. If you go through it to the end, you can approach the processes that occur inside the volcano Elbrus. And, even feel his breath while he's still asleep.

The so-called interferometer is an instrument mounted on special foundations that is rigidly attached to the bedrock. With its help, scientists observe what happens in the mantle of the volcano Elbrus:

"Here we follow how the indigenous breed" breathes, "how it hesitates," says Vadim Milyukov. - This is the main signal. Here's our location relative to Elbrus. Directly 18 km. This is just the magmatic camera that I told you about. According to our data, it is just here. "

Volcanologists even made a tomography of Elbrus. It clearly shows that magma came close to the surface of the volcano. The picture shows that magmatic formations are not only under the cone of a volcano. There are many of them at a distance of 20-50 km from the volcano: near the village of "Elbrus," the city of Tyrnyauz, the resort of Dzhyli-Su.

Vadim Milyukov: "Volcano Elbrus is not a separate building. It is a volcanic system, a volcanic center consisting of various igneous formations, in different states. There are many branches on the volcano, from which lava erupted at one time. That is, it is a rather complex, long structure that we are on. "

Let's give just a couple of examples from the world history of volcanology. The active Nameless volcano in Kamchatka woke up a thousand years after its previous eruption, in 1956. At the time of its eruption, most of the volcanic structure collapsed. And all this - a mixture of lava, stones and mud - collapsed down the valley, spreading over a distance of more than 80 km. Fortunately, there were no casualties. There are no settlements near the volcano. But the terrible personnel of the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in 1985 shocked the whole world. Then, on the night of November 13, 25 thousand people died in Colombia. Although there were harbingers that the volcano was waking up. And the population was warned of the danger.

This is what Mikhail Dokukin, a leading researcher at the High Mountain Geophysical Institute of Roshydromet, told the MIR 24 correspondent: "Before that, there was an expedition of Italian volcanologists on the volcano. And they saw signs of an impending eruption. By change in the nature of gas emission, by composition. That is, gases have become those that are characteristic of cases when magma is already approaching the surface of the volcano. Scientists warned the population. But people weren't prepared for it. Because 140 years didn't have an eruption and they didn't have any experience.'

At the foot of Elbrus there are many springs with cold and hot water. The gases they contain are further evidence of volcanic activity. Their composition has not yet aroused the fears of scientists, unlike the gases that emerge on the northern slopes of Elbrus in the resort of Jyla-Su. This place is wild, it became available to vacationers only five years ago. No one has yet investigated the composition of water or gas here. But people believe that gas baths and local sources are quite good for health.

Drilling expeditions of Russian scientists work at an altitude of about five thousand kilometers. Two hundred pieces of ice columns. Just so many meters scientists have been drinking out on Elbrus. It took two weeks. For another two weeks, glaciologists guarded the extracted ice so that it would not be covered with snow. Even in conditions of oxygen starvation and thirty-degree frost, they flatly refused to leave the camp.

"There were no weather conditions for the helicopter to make multiple flights and take everyone and everyone out. We could only come down with what you see here. This is what we spent a lot of effort and time for, "says Ivan Lavrentiev, a researcher at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The ice core was saved and lowered from a five-kilometer height. Only ice can tell about the unknown pages of the climate history of the planet.

"Evidence other than glacial cores is quite limited and gives inaccurate results. And now we have the opportunity to reconstruct the air temperature, the amount of precipitation of the natural environment, for a period of at least 2000 years, "says Vladimir Mikhailenko, a leading researcher at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Moreover, at a depth of 100 meters, scientists discovered ash, which will help establish the chronology of the eruption of Elbrus.

"After we date the core, we can establish the chronology of the Elbrus eruption," says Vladimir Mikhailenko. - This is an active volcano, since femoral activity is very active. Microcracks raise heat from the depths and near the crater of the eastern peak there is a platform with a positive temperature. "

Here's another anomaly - the melting of the Elbrus ice cap. This is due not only to global warming, but also to the volcanic activity of the highest peak in Europe with a height of 5648 meters above sea level. According to glaciologists, over the past 4 years, 6 square kilometers of the Bolshoi Azau glacier have disappeared. This means that the volcano is freed from the glacial shell.

Mikhail Dokukin: "Climate changes are very noticeable. We all feel this, and literally everyone can say that it has become noticeably warmer. Because the climate is warming and the volume of icing on the face is reduced. And the pace is simply colossal. It is possible that this could push the volcano to erupt. "

Another evidence of melting glaciers and a warming climate is mudslides. Since mid-August 2017, the mudslide has hit the mountainous regions of Kabardino-Balkaria three times. The last and most powerful, descended in the Elbrus region in the Adyl-su gorge on September 1. This is not remembered here for a long time. Dozens of climbing routes take place in the Adyl-Su gorge.

"Our base camp is located right where the mudslide comes down. But the mudslide passed the side. From the sensations - the smell of burnt stones, when the stones beat each other, and right smoke comes from the river. I have not yet met such a smell, "admits mountain guide Igor Besson.

Sel then demolished several climbing huts and the Dzhantugan base, known since Soviet times.

"His dog was there as well," says Igor Besson. - Well, parking cars next to the "Jantugan." There were several cars in the parking lot. They too were carried into the river. "

Three people are missing. A few days later, rescuers found the bodies of a watchman, the head of the administration of the village of Elbrus and another local resident in the floodplain of the river. Streams of water and mud were so strong that boulders the size of a five-story building were torn off rocks. The element swept away everything in its path.

On the other side of the road remained the resort of Elbrus and six highland villages. There was no electricity, gas supply, communication. Almost eight thousand people were in the natural blockade. Among them are one and a half thousand tourists. From early morning until nightfall, helicopters of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Russian Guard cruised in the sky over Elbrus. Every day they delivered tons of humanitarian aid to the disaster area. Cars went back with people. First, children and women were evacuated:

The culprit of misfortune is Bashkara. It is a lake in the upper Adyl-Su. It is fed by the glaciers of Elbrus. The situation was then complicated by abnormal heavy rains and hot summers. Was it possible to prevent the lake from breaking through? Experts say: no.

"The fact is there's no dam there. It was a natural lake. Over time, it made itself a wash and went off. No one expected this, "says Russia Anatoly Savvin, head of the Leader Center of the Ministry of Emergencies.

There are several dozen such lakes in the upper reaches of Elbrus. It's hard to imagine the scale of the disaster if the volcano wakes up. By comparison, Colombia's Nevado del Ruiz volcano closely resembles Elbrus. Almost identical in height: 5300 meters above sea level and was also covered with a glacial cap before the eruption in 1985. At the time of the eruption, the glacier melted in half an hour. 90 million cubic meters of water were released!

"This water stream, along with pyroclastic material, created a giant mud stream that destroyed a city 65 kilometers from the volcano," says Mikhail Dokukin. - If you compare the volume of ice on the volcano Nevado del Ruiz before the eruption and the volume of ice that is on the volcano Elbrus, then we have five times more. That is, a catastrophe can exceed the available examples every five times. The fact is that we see signs of what happened before. " Traces of Elbrus eruptions are especially visible in the valley of the Irik River, where the village of Elbrus is located. The village itself and the cable car were built on the so-called pyroclastic removal. Or, as the people say, "fiery stones" that descended from the vent of a volcano at different times. "

"If such a hot mass occupies the hollow, then there is no need to say that someone will survive," admits Mikhail Dokukin.

With accuracy, the awakening of a sleeping volcano can be determined only a few days, or even hours before the eruption. This is the time to announce the evacuation of the population. Experts are confident that a long period of calm of the Elbrus volcano can lead to an eruption, which in power will be tantamount to an atomic bomb explosion.

2018

The "Shelter of Eleven" burned down in 1998 on Elbrus will become the rescue base of the Ministry of Emergency Situations

In Kabardino-Balkaria, it was decided to restore the Shelter of Eleven hotel, which burned down 20 years ago, located on the slope of Elbrus at an altitude of more than 4 thousand meters. It will be transformed into the rescue base^[10]

"Now the EMERCOM of Russia is actively working on the issue of restoring the Shelter of Eleven and creating a powerful rescue base for the Elbrus High Mountain Search and Rescue Detachment (EVPSO) there. There are several ways to solve, including building a separate building for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, or built into the building of the "Shelter of Eleven," where it will be possible to keep both equipment and rescuers ready to help in greater numbers and at any time, "said Mikhail Nadezhin, head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Kabardino-Balkaria.

From May to September, during the season of climbing Elbrus, the duty of the EVPSO rescuers is organized at the Shelter. However, according to Nadezhin, there are only two wagons at the disposal of employees and there are no warehouses or hangars for equipment.

Since the beginning of 2018, EVPSO rescuers in the mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria have carried out more than 100 search and rescue operations, during which 37 lives were saved. The Shelter of Eleven Hotel is located on the southeastern slope of Elbrus. It got its name in honor of one of the groups of climbers, who in 1909 established a temporary camp on the site where it will appear. In Soviet times, it was considered the highest hotel in the USSR. In 1998, the structure burned down.

See also

• Demavand (Damavand) Sleeping volcano in the Elburs mountain range (Alborz)
• Everest (Chomolungma)
• Kilimanjaro
• Ol Doinyo Lengai

Notes