Why Climb Elbrus with Alpine Ascents?
As the highest peak in Europe, Elbrus is a premier ascent for aspiring climbers who wish to test their skills at increasing altitude. Although only basic mountaineering skills are required, high-altitude and unpredictable weather make this a challenging and extremely enticing ascent. Elbrus expedition is very demanding logistically and we offer several key elements that separate our climb from other outfitters (see below). One of our most popular climbs, this trip has filled five – six months in advance for the past five years.
Key Elements of our Climb and Success
• Lead Guides: We always send a guide from the United States, generally a very experienced Himalayan climber. Our 2013 trips are scheduled to be led by Vernon Tejas (of Everest and 7 Summits fame). He has led over 200 climbers to the summit of Elbrus and has just under a 100% success rate in 15 years of guiding Elbrus. Please book early as these tend to fill months in advance.
• Summit Success: We have had a 95% summit success since 2000 with most teams having 100% success. We encourage you to compare our expedition to other guide services.
• Flexible Schedules: We have built-in extra days for bad weather and acclimatization to give our team the best chance of summiting. This includes extra days actually reserved for high camp which is not very common.
• Logistics: Russia is a challenging country to operate expeditions. With our year of experienced we have ironed out many of the wrinkles and more importantly have the experience to deal with issues as they arise (and they will!)
• Russian Guides: We have been working with the same Russian staff for the past ten years and our guiding systems are extremely compatible. We hire extra guides for summit day (and often earlier) to keep climber-to-guide ratios low.
• Hotels, Lodging & Transportation: We offer quality hotels and meals throughout the climb. (This is one way guide services usually try and cut costs) The cost of the internal flight to/from Mineral Vody is included. City Tours: Our departure and return dates are set to access as many cultural activities as possible. Our unique expedition includes tours of both St. Petersburg and Moscow.
• Costs: We try to be up front about all costs. Note our cost inclusions which cover internal flights and most meals.
Our Mount Elbrus Expedition is an excellent example of where Alpine Ascents stands apart from other guide services
Success on Elbrus over the past 10 Years
2012 proved to be a spectacular year with our 2 full teams reaching the summit under the leadership of Vernon Tejas, assisted by Carole Tejas. We returned to the South Side and the mountain proved to be in great condition for both climbs. We had 2 outstanding groups and as always, we are happy to put you in touch with last years team members.
Alpine Ascents has had outstanding success leading trips to Mt. Elbrus. 2000, 2001 and 2002 saw 100% success under the leadership of Vernon Tejas. Our 2003 trips were led by Dave Morton and Todd Burleson with 95% success. Vern led our 2004 climb with 100% success on trip I , then after being turned back by weather on trip II , Vern, beyond the call of duty, re-ascended the next day to the summit with several team members. Vern enjoyed 100% success in both 2005 and 2006, leading four teams of 12 to the summit and once again in 2007 with 100% success. 2008, 2009 and 2010 met with typical success with 95 - 100% of the climbers reaching the summit. 2011 saw Vern pioneering two successful climbs on the North Side route in a year when most companies did not offer a trip.
Audio Cybercast
We are planning to cybercast your expedition on our website. If you have any objections to having your name included in the cybercast as a team member, please contact us as soon as possible.
Cybercasts can be viewed by friends and family at: http://www.alpineascents.com/elbrus-cybercast.asp How it works: Guides will call in an audio report that is immediately posted to the website. This report is transcribed the next business day and posted on our website and relayed to Facebook....Like us on Facebook and the post will be sent to your Facebook page. www.facebook.com/AlpineAscentsInternational
Our Guiding Team
Alpine Ascents is known worldwide for the unparalleled quality of its guide staff. Recent Elbrus guides include famed mountaineers Todd Burleson, and Vernon Tejas. While many other outfitters are little more than a "one man show," all of our trips are led by professional mountaineers with great flexibility in guide staff, full-time office support, logistics and access and information for other great climbs around the world.