Entries from Elbrus Southside
August 8, 2016
Posted by: Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 11,000'
After a quick chairlift bump up from the valley we went for a great training/acclimatization hike today up to over 11,000'. Last night was full of thunder, lightning, and steady rain and had me worrying in bed that today would be a drencher. But low and behold, the skies eased off and we enjoyed high overcast skies with some beautiful views of the mountains around us and near perfect hiking temps. The team moved well and even handled some light rock scrambling with ease. Cap it off with a nice lunch and I'd chalk it up as a success. Now we're spending the afternoon handling last minute details before we head up on the mountain tomorrow.
Talk tomorrow,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team
Whoah...
Long day of traveling today. We assembled at 5:30 am in the hotel lobby and were picked up by our driver who helped us beat the Moscow traffic on our transfer over to the airport. It was a beautiful morning for navigating Aeroflot's complicated check in process but we were able to get it all done relatively quickly making time to grab some breakfast at an airport cafe before heading through security. Our flight itself was smooth, and our ride from Mineralnye Vody to Cheget went smoothly as well despite hot temps and many cows in the road. The team is relaxing after our dinner and hoping to catch up on a little sleep. Sometimes days where you just sit in on vehicle and then another can be the most tiring.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team
Sue Mamer. I enjoy the blog to keep up with your trip .Also the the photo. Good Climbing and have fun !!!!! Dad
Posted by: Dan Griswold on 8/8/2016 at 12:18 pm
Greetings from Moscow!
Today was our first full day as a team and we spent it touring some of the famous spots in Moscow. The day kicked off with a viewing of Lenin in his tomb. It's not everyday you get to see a revolutionary embalmed and behind glass... We also visited many churches and buildings in and around Red Square including the Kremlin and the iconic St. Basil's Cathedral (of Tetris fame). After a while the heat and crowds were getting to us so we made a run for lunch and enjoyed a nice meal at a French bistro. Some of us walked back to the hotel while others Ãœbered but we all got a few hours off before reconvening for a team dinner. Tomorrow it's off to Mineralnye Vody early in the morning and by evening we should make it to the Caucasus.
Прощай (goodbye), for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Greetings!
Our whole team has officially arrived in Russia without a hitch... even all of our bags made it! Most of the the crew was pretty travel weary so we grabbed a quick dinner here in Moscow and headed back to the hotel to crash early. Jet lag is always a bit of a hurdle at the beginning of these trips but we'll hit our stride soon enough. Excited for a city your tomorrow of Red Square and the Kremlin!
Talk tomorrow,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
August 3, 2016
Posted by: Casey Grom, Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Well we had a really nice last day in Russia yesterday. We began the day meeting with our tour guide, Galina, and headed out on a quick tour of St. Petersburg. We stopped off at St. Nicholas Church, stopped by the grand St. Isaac's Cathedral and made our way to the famous Heritage Museum. Not having a ton of time to see the thousands of exhibits so we did and express trip to see the highlights, which included a few paintings and sculptures by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, and other great artist. It was pretty amazing to see so much art in one place and everyone enjoyed the brief visit.
We took a short break before meeting back up with our tour guide for a evening canal tour via boat of this historical city, which was a great way to wrap up a wonderful trip.
That's all for this trip! The team heads home tomorrow. Thanks for following us.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
August 1, 2016
Posted by: Casey Grom, Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Saint Petersburg!!!
We traveled all day and have finally arrived in one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. Things went relatively smooth considering we had two van rides and two flights. We checked into the hotel here and then ran out for a quick dinner.
Everyone is very excited to explore and see this city tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and team
Hey Team-1!
How is St.Petersburg treating you? Enjoy your last day in Russia and remember that you have a place to stay in Moscow, if you ever decide to visit again. It was a great pleasure to climb with you.
Cheers,
Galina
Posted by: Galina on 8/2/2016 at 7:45 am
July 31, 2016
Posted by: Casey Grom, Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
After lucking out with weather our team spent the contingency weather day hanging out in Cheget. Rumors from the mountain were that most teams were turned around before the summit this morning due to bad weather finally coming in. The drizzle hardly dampened our spirits after our perfect conditions yesterday and we spent the day walking around town, luncheoning, ATV renting, nearly getting run over by a horse on the loose, drinking coffee, telling lies, and eventually drinking beer. Right now we're all hanging in the hotel lobby before heading out to a celebratory dinner with the entire team including our Russian staff. Hopefully we'll survive the vodka associated with a traditional Russian celebration well enough to make tomorrow's early departure for the airport bearable.
All for now!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
July 30, 2016
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 18,510'
We did it! We stood on the summit of Mt. Elbrus, Europe's highest peak.
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 summited around 7:30 in clear skies with a wonderful view of the entire Caucus mountain range.
But it didn't end there, after descending a short ways off of the summit we were at the saddle between the 2 summits that Elbrus has and 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 hour and a half, 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.
RMI Guides Casey Grom & Billy Nugent
On The Map
July 29, 2016
Posted by: Casey Grom, Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 12,000'
Pree-vēt!
Things are good here at Garabashi Hut and the team is excited for tonight! We did a little prep for tomorrow by reviewing a few climb techniques and then rested the remainder of the day. Our cook, Dasha, has done a great job of filling our bellies with plenty of good ol' home cooked Russian food.
Everything is set and if the weather continues to hold we'll be up at 2:00 a.m. After a quick breakfast, we'll hop on the snowcat to give us a bump a little further up the mountain. It will shorten our climb a little and increase our chance of reaching the highest point in Europe.
That's all for now. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
July 28, 2016
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 and then set out on our last acclimatizing hike just before 9:00. The team did a great job as we made our way up to a little over 15,300', setting a new record for some and it took us only about three hours. We stopped along the way to take a few breaks and enjoy the view as well as chat with the other climbers that are from all over the world.
After reaching our high point we made our way back to camp just in time for another enjoyable lunch.
Since then it's been nap time for some or just relaxing in our little huts as there was a small snow squall that blew through this afternoon.
Everyone is doing well and in good spirits.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
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Super fond of Don Cash and proud to be his wife!!Good luck to Jeff and Joe as well! Summit #3! Mo
Posted by: monette on 8/9/2016 at 3:59 am
Beautiful pictures!! We’re following you with amazement Sue!! Have fun & have a great climb!
Posted by: Laura Thompson on 8/8/2016 at 9:20 pm
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