Entries from Elbrus Southside
July 7, 2019
Posted by: Eric Frank, James Bealer, David Price
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb July 4 - 7 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 7 AM today. RMI Guide Eric Frank reported a beautiful day with clear and sunny skies above 8,000'.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Most of the Mt. Elbrus South Side team has arrived with most of their equipment, which is pretty good by Russian standards. We all got settled into our hotel rooms, did some quick introductions, and then went out to dinner next to the Moscow River. I always forget that outside dining in Russia comes with blanket service. We all wrapped up, enjoyed our meals, and then returned to our hotel and promptly went to sleep.
Tomorrow we'll spend the day exploring Moscow. We'll let you know what we discover!
RMI Guide JM Gorum
How many mountains have you climbed this year Gorum? And, number of countries involved? Nevermind, this is a one way communique. Good luck team with equipment that did arrive! I’d love to see locals. How are average Moscovites fairing? Enjoy!
Posted by: Susan Moore on 7/7/2019 at 8:11 am
July 6, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 18,510'
100% on top!
We did it! We stood on Mt. Elbrus, the highest point of Europe.
I have to admit we were pretty lucky with the weather, as it was near perfect. The team did a fantastic job of taking care of themselves and climbed strong. We reached the summit at 7:30 AM in clear skies with a wonderful view of the entire Caucus mountain range with very little wind, which is rare here.
But it didn't end there, after descending back to the saddle between the 2 summits that Elbrus has, a few of us decided to climb both summits while the rest of the team descended safely back to camp. It only added an additional 1.5hrs, so not too bad, especially since we had such amazing weather.
After everyone returned to camp, we had a quick lunch and then packed up to head down valley to our hotel at the base of the mountain.
Everyone is in high spirits and feeling great after some much needed hot showers.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and comrades
July 5, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 12,600'
Hello again from Russia!
Things are good here and the team is excited for tonight! We did a little prep for tomorrow by reviewing a few climbing techniques with our crampons and ice axe and then relaxed the remainder of the day. Ok, there might have been a little more volleyball and some snowmobiling.
Our cook, Dasha, has done a great job of filling our bellies with plenty of good old home cooked Russian food, which includes borsch and plenty of soups and salads. We had a thorough discussion about tonight's upcoming climb and everyone is packed up and ready. Hopefully the weather continues to hold and we'll be up shortly after midnight and after a quick breakfast hop on the snowcat to give us a bump a little further up the mountain. This will shorten our climb a little and increase our chance of reaching the highest point in Europe.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and comrades
On The Map
Good luck for entire team to the highest point in Europe! huge hugs to Tibor!
Posted by: Katie Kelemen on 7/5/2019 at 10:08 pm
Good luck Riley and the rest of the team - looking forward to hearing all about it!
Posted by: Sally on 7/5/2019 at 12:38 pm
July 4, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 12,000'
Hello again everyone
The weather continues to be beautiful here on Mt. Elbrus for us. We started the day with a nice breakfast prepared by our amazing cook Dasha, then set out on our last acclimatizing hike just after 8 AM to make use of the slightly cooler weather and better snow conditions.
The team did a great job hiking as we made our way up to about 15,000ft in three hours, setting a new elevation record for some. We stopped along the way to take a few breaks and enjoy the view as well as chat with the other climbers that are here from all over the world, including some friends who recently reached the summit of both Everest and Denali in the last 2 months!
After reaching our high point we made our way back to camp just in time for another enjoyable lunch.
We spent the afternoon hitting a volleyball around camp and just relaxing in our little huts after our big day. Everyone is doing well and in good spirits.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and comrades
On The Map
Hugs and big wet kisses to our APA and hunny! We love you! Wish you all good luck on the summit tomorrow!
Mea and the little Kelly’s.
Posted by: Tam Doan on 7/4/2019 at 11:36 am
July 3, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 12,000'
We woke to clear skies and beautiful weather again today, then had breakfast in the hotel and loaded up all our climbing gear and drove to the base of the Elbrus ski resort. Once there we took advantage of the three gondolas, and a short snowcat ride to reach our new home for the next few days.
It's rather comfortable up here, as our outfitter has taken a few shipping containers and converted them into simple bunk rooms some for sleeping and some set up as dinning rooms.
Once we got settled into our new home we headed uphill on another acclimatizing hike and reached just over 14,000' before returning to camp where our wonderful cook Dasha had a nice hot lunch waiting for us.
We spent the remaining of the afternoon relaxing around camp and enjoying the views of the Caucasus mountain range which are pretty amazing since we are camped out at just over 12,000'.
Dasha has once again had filled our bellies full of delicious Russian food and so the team is off to bed now.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and comrades
On The Map
Hello again everyone
It was a beautiful day here in Russia. We had a nice relaxing start to the day with a traditional Russian breakfast of porridge, eggs and bread. Then made our way to the local ski lifts to help give us a jumpstart on our hike. I didn't hear a single complaint about riding up 1500' before we started our hike to nearly the top of a local peak called Cheget. Normally we get to hike to the top of the peak, but being so close to the border with Georgia, the Russian military had the upper part closed to climbers. Regardless, we enjoyed the beautiful views and stretching our legs a bit.
After our hike we made back to town relatively quickly thanks to the ski lifts, where we had a hot lunch waiting on us. After lunch we dropped off our gear and made a quick stop to pick up a few extra items and even managed to try on a few local hats.
We wrapped up the evening with another nice home cooked meal here provided by our ever so gracious local outfitter.
Things are good here.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and comrades!
On The Map
Zdravstvuyte comrades!
All is well here in Moscow, although it's been a little rainy and cool for this time of year. Most of the team arrived yesterday evening after some very long flights and most of us are still adjusting to the massive time change, so we keep things simple with a little round of introductions and stepped out for a short walk and a nice dinner not too far from the Hotel.
Today we started with a visit to Lenin’s Tomb and then met up with our local tour guide Victoria and had a wonderful tour of the nearby Red Square and Kremlin as well as visiting several churches including the iconic St. Basil's. We also made good use of the beautiful, efficient and busy subway that Moscow is known for, which saved a bit of walking time.
After our tour we took a short break and then headed out once again for an amazing dinner and a nice walk.
Everyone is doing great and looking forward to heading to the mountains tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Our last day in St. Petersburg!
The team had a great final day here in Russia. We visited the very famous Hermitage Museum, where we saw paintings and sculptures by many well-known artists including Rembrandt, Michelangelo and even Da Vinci, to name a few. It's one of Russia's great treasures and houses several million pieces of art collected over the last few hundred years. It consists of five buildings, each with three floors, and has hundreds of rooms. We did our best to take in the highlights in a little over two hours.
We took a quick lunch before stopping by the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, that's decorated almost entirely with mosaics and then wrapped up the day with a wonderful evening boat cruise to see this amazing city by water.
It's been a wonderful adventure here in Russia, but it's time to say our goodbyes and return to family and loved ones.
Thanks for following,
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Well done!
Posted by: Brinkley Pound on 8/1/2017 at 12:20 pm
Plane, trains and Automobiles!
We traveled nearly all day and have finally arrived in one of the most beautiful cities of Europe, St. Petersburg.
Things went relatively smooth despite 2 van rides and 2 flights. We got checked into the hotel here and then ran out for a quick dinner followed by a short but scenic stroll to the top of St. Issac's Cathedral for a nice view of the city.
While enjoying the view, there happened to be a small fireworks display that was a welcome surprise.
Everyone is doing well and looking forward to seeing this city tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
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Yeah booooooiiiiiiiii! Get it!
Posted by: Nicole Hertel on 7/7/2019 at 10:51 am
I’m so proud of you guys! Way to go!!
Posted by: Melinda Lohre on 7/7/2019 at 8:35 am
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