All is well here in the Baksan Valley, at the base of Elbrus. We've settled into our comfortable hotel here in Cheget, which doubles as a ski town in the winter. It reminds me of Jackson Hole with Mt. Rainier instead of the Grand Tetons.
We woke to a beautiful morning and finally we were able to get out and stretch our legs a bit. We made the most of the local ski lifts, (to save our knees of course) and hiked up the neighboring peak to start our acclimatization. It started off a little cloudy today, but eventually cleared for some decent views of Elbrus. After our ascent we headed back down to town for a nice lunch and headed over the local climbing shop to pick up a few last minute things. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, getting our bags packed and just wrapping up another enjoyable Russia dinner with plenty of borscht.
All is well here and we'll check in again tomorrow!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
Hello again Everyone,
It was anyone long day of travel here in Russia for us again. We departed Moscow moderately early and flew southward to the town of Mineralnye Vody (which means mineral water) where we were meet by our local guide Alexander. We loaded all of our duffels into the waiting van and continued heading south towards Mt. Elbrus. This part of Russia is very rural and the countryside is mostly used for agriculture purposes, especially sunflowers! It has been heavily influenced by the Turkish and is therefore predominately Islamic. It's beautiful here, but it also seems a bit behind the times when compared to Moscow or St. Petersburg. The team enjoyed the views, had a little fun, but everyone is ready for some exercise!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
Hello from Russia everyone!
The team arrived yesterday, and after the long flights we took it easy with a brief team meeting and a quick bite to eat. We then retired to our rooms to sleep off the jet lag.
Today we woke up rather leisurely, had a continental breakfast, and walked just a short distance to meet our tour guide at the Red Square and Kremlin. We spent the better part of the day walking around the Kremlin, Red Square, and the famous St. Basil's Cathedral. Along our walk we also passed by the tomb of the unknown solider and had a brief lunch at the G.U.M.
After our tour we took a short break to do a little exploring on our own, or snuck off for a quick cat nap. We wrapped up the evening with a nice walk down to a diner to grab dinner where we enjoyed mingling with the locals and getting to know each other better.
All is well and everyone is looking forward to heading to the mountain tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and team
July 12, 2014 - 1:15 am PT
Hey - This is JJ. Well, this morning we did not play Eye of the Tiger. We did not play T-N-T. But let me give you a few of the lyrics we played this morning:
I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast. I do like jelly on my breakfast toast.
And do you know what else I like? Not one, not two but every single climber on top of Europe's highest mountain.
What do you say gang? (cheers in back ground)
It's an urgent news message, we are on the summit of Mt. Elbrus. Everyone did a great job. Strong as can be. And we are enjoying a beautiful day, a few puffy, happy clouds out in the distance, but that is about it
Stay tuned for some photos and videos. We are going to head back down. I do believe we have a well deserved dinner and maybe a little bit of a celebration back at camp. Take care and thanks for following along. We will touch base again soon.
Sayonara from the summit of Elbrus.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman and the team call from the summit of Mt. Elbrus.
July 11, 2014 - 4:31 pm PT
Hey Everyone –
This is JJ Justman with team #1 here on Mt. Elbrus. It’s about 3 am in the morning. We have the crampons on, it’s a breathless night here for climbing. We are about to jump on the snow-cat, which will give us a little lift higher up on the mountain.
It’s a gorgeous evening, it’s going to be a gorgeous day tomorrow. We will touch base again. And I am pretty darn positive we will be doing that from the highest mountain here in Europe.
Take care everyone, talk to you soon.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman checks in just before summit attempt.
July 11, 2014 - 4:00 am PT
Good day RMI followers. The news today is sun, sun and more sun! We spent the morning reviewing mountaineering techniques in preparation for The Big Day on Mt. Elbrus! And speaking of the big day, rumor is it is going to be gorgeous! Keep your fingers crossed for us. We are all doing great and having a blast. It's nice when a team that is diverse in age can all joke around, have fun and enjoy the mountains together. The big item on my plate is deciding what song to wake the team up with. It's either Eye of the Tiger or TNT. If you have any other suggestions let me know.
Stay tuned for a call on the summit!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
First and foremost, please tell me Argentina won. Please. This morning our team awoke to beautiful clear skies. The twin summits of Europe's highest peak were shining and in the faint distance several climbers could be seen on the upper slopes.
Lower down we prepared our packs and after a hearty breakfast we laced up our boots and pulled up our knickers for a good day of acclimatization. The entire team did fabulous as we made it above Pastukhova Rocks with an end altitude of 15,500 feet. I swear some of the team wanted to just keep climbing to the top!
Now, we are back at camp recovering from a great day in the Russian mountains.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Today we had an early morning as we finished packing all our gear in preparation for heading to the upper mountain. We rode two trams up to the Mir station and then we jumped on the final chairlift to Garabashi Hut at 12,000 feet.
We used to stay at the Barrels but we were in for a real treat. We are staying in a brand new facility exclusive to our in-country outfitter. They have brand new huts which really resemble shipping containers with windows. The hickory flooring and coat racks are a nice touch.
Our head chef is Albina and let me tell you, I almost forgot how incredible her home-cooked food is. Fresh cucumber and tomato salad is my favorite!
The team just returned from a good acclimatization hike that took us to 13,200 feet. A blanket has covered the upper mountain giving us zero views other than a tipsy feeling of being surrounded in a constant shield of white. It didn't stop us from having fun and doing our bodies some good.
We are back in our huts relaxing and getting settled in. Stay tuned for some more adventure!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Hi RMI Blog Enthusiasts!
It was really nice to finally get in the mountains and breathe some fresh air! We had a gorgeous day as you'll see in the video. The team had a relaxing day as we strolled up to 11,000 feet topping out on Peak Cheget. Tomorrow we will continue the adventure and head to the hut on the lower flanks of the mighty Elbrus.
Sad news...or maybe you'll be glad...I don't think I'll be able to post anymore videos until we get down in a few days. If you have any questions please contact my agent...
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Hi everyone! Today our team enjoyed a beautiful day sightseeing in Moscow. We had a phenomenal city tour focusing on the intense history of The Red Square, the many gorgeous cathedrals and of course The Kremlin. Every time I visit I learn more and more about this fascinating country!
Enjoy the slide show of some of the highlights of today's adventure!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Casey,
You do get around!
Good luck and stay safe.
Art Muir
Posted by: Art Muir on 7/15/2014 at 8:38 pm
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