Itinerary

1. Arrival

   • Land at Mineralnye Vody airport – preferably before 3 PM.

   • Take a 200 km (3-hour) ride to the hotel, situated at the beginning of the 100 km Baksan Valley, almost on the slope of Mt. Elbrus. 

   • Meet and have dinner with the guide.

2. Climb to the observatory 3100m

   • Embark on a morning acclimatization hike to Cheget.

3. Acclimatization

   • Go for a morning acclimatization hike to Maid’s Braids Waterfall (at 2700 m) and further on, to the observatory (at 3100 m).

4. Move to the huts

   •  Take a lift to the refuge and setting up there.

   • After a snack, making an acclimatization hike to an elevation of 4400 m, till the end of the ridge. 

   • Overnight stay in the huts.
     

5. Climb 4700m

   • Embark on an acclimatization hike to Pastukhov’s Rocks (at 4700 m).

6. Rest day

   • Rest day. Final preparations for summiting Elbrus.

7. Summit day

   • Climb Mount Elbrus’s West summit (5642m) and East summit (5621m). This succession of summits can be changed with the guide’s and other group members' consent. The day begins with an early start (at 2–4 AM). It is possible to use a Snowcat. The proportion of Russian guides and clients is strictly 1:3.

8. Reserve day

   • Reserve day. Descent to hotel.

9. Transfer from Terskol

   • Transfer from Terskol to the airport at 7 AM (plan your flight with this in mind!). Probably there will be some time for a walk in Pyatigorsk after you reach the airport and leave your luggage there. On your own, you can visit also the well-known Russian poet Lermontov’s duel site.