Travel Day: Depart U.S.A. Depending on flight times and connections, travel to Moscow typically takes almost 24 hours from the U.S. Please make sure your arrival date in Moscow coordinates with the first day of the program.

Day 1: Arrive in Moscow. A group transfer is arranged from the airport to our hotel at 12:30 p.m. We can arrange a personal transfer for you if your flight arrives after 12:30 p.m. This will be at an additional cost, but is much less expensive than taking a taxi. Once we check in to our hotel, the afternoon is free to rest and explore the city. A team orientation meeting is held at 6:00 p.m. We spend the night in Moscow at the Hotel Katerina.

Day 2: Today is spent exploring the city. We will take a bus/walking tour to visit Red Square, the Kremlin, Pushkin Museum, Gorky Park, and Lenin’s Tomb. The afternoon is free to explore the city. We spend the night at the Hotel Katerina. (B)

Day 3: After breakfast, we drive to Moscow’s domestic airport for our flight to Mineralnye Vody. A three hour drive brings us to the village of Cheget at the base of Mount Elbrus. Cheget sits in the Baksan Valley at 7,000 feet. Cheget, and is a small village full of skiers in the winter and a quiet center for climbers in the summer. We spend the night in a hotel in Cheget. (B, L, D)

Day 4: We awake for an early breakfast and to begin our acclimatization hike. Our trail begins at 7,000’ on a gravel road then travels through forest and a high alpine environment before turning into a climbers trail. We continue through a rocky area which requires some scrambling and complete our hike at 11,500’. We have the option to descend back to Cheget via a single chairlift or return by our ascent trail. We have lunch at the hotel, and spend the afternoon organizing our gear for our climb. (B, L, D)

Day 5: A short drive from our hotel brings us to the start of our climb. We ride two gondolas up to the Mir Station, and then take a chairlift to Garabashi Hut (12,000’). Also referred to as “The Barrels”, Garabashi Hut is where we stay for our first night on the mountain. We take an acclimatization hike on the lower reaches of Mount Elbrus’ glaciers and snowfields to approximately 13,000’ (B, L, D)

Day 6: We leave the Garabashi Hut and begin our two hour hike to the Diesel Hut (13,200’). We spend the rest of the day reviewing basic mountaineering techniques such as ice axe arrest, crampon techniques and roped travel. An afternoon acclimatization hike to Pastukhova Rocks (15,000’) finishes the training before returning to the Diesel Hut for the night. (B, L, D)

Day 7: Today’s focus is on acclimatization and rest. Final preparations are made for Summit Day, and we settle in early in anticipation of tomorrow’s summit attempt. Overnight at the Diesel Hut. (B, L, D)

Day 8: Summit Day! We get an early alpine start for the summit. We begin our ascent with a Snowcat ride from the Diesel Hut (13,200’) to Pastukhova Rocks (15,000’). From there, we climb the low angle snow slopes as we traverse towards the Saddle (17,700’). Mount Elbrus has two large summit domes and the Saddle separates the East Summit from the West Summit. Both are comparable in size and height, but the West Summit is slightly higher, and our objective. Our route gets a little steeper as we gain the upper summit plateau, and then we follow the ridge to the Summit. After enjoying the summit and its impressive views of the Caucasus mountain range, we descend back to the Diesel Hut. Depending on our schedule, the time of day, and the weather we have the option of taking the tram back down into the valley or spending one more night on the mountain. Climbing time: 8 to 10 hours. (B, L, D)

Day 9: This extra day is scheduled into the itinerary in case we encounter bad weather or need additional time for acclimatization. Having this extra day has proven to dramatically improve the team’s success. If we do not use this day for our summit attempt, we can spend the day in Cheget relaxing, horseback riding, fishing and/or visiting the local market. Overnight in Cheget. (B, L, D)

Day 10: We have an early transfer from our hotel to Mineralnye Vody for our flight to St. Petersburg. A transfer from the airport brings us to the city and our hotel. There are no plans for this afternoon, except relaxing and enjoying one of Russia’s most beautiful cities. Overnight at Hotel Arcadia. (B)

Day 11: We take a half-day tour of the stunning city of St. Petersburg. Attractions include a visit to the State Hermitage, the Church of the Savior of Spilled Blood, St. Issac’s Cathedral, and walking along the banks the city’s many canals. The afternoon is free to check out any of the numerous churches, palaces, museums, or parks that make up this wonderful city. We finish the day with an evening boat cruise on the canal, and spend our final night in Russia at the Hotel Arcadia. (B)

Day 12: Return flights from St. Petersburg to the U.S. (B)

Key: B, L, D = Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.