Mount Elbrus, a dual-summit mountain, lies within the western Caucasus mountain range in Russia, near the politically strife-ridden border between Russian and Georgia. The range stretches from the Caspian Sea to the Black Seas and creates a natural boundary between the Russian steppes and the three southern states of Azerbaydzhan (Azerbaijan), Georgia, and Armenia.
Mount Elbrus stands as the highest mountain in Europe, with its western summit rising to 18,510 feet above sea level. The mountain also has an east summit that reaches 18,442 feet in elevation. Within the list of the Seven Summits, Mount Elbrus is the fifth highest.
In addition to being the fifth highest of the Seven Summits, Mount Elbrus is volcanic. It is considered to be inactive, but beneath the mountain there still resides a large supply of active magma. There has never been a documented eruption, but scientists believe the physical evidence indicates that the last eruption may have occurred sometime in the first century A.D. The mountain shows signs of solfataric (an opening in the earth’s crust) activity, and as a result, the area has numerous hot springs.
According to myth, Mount Elbrus was known as ‘Strobilus’ to ancient civilizations, which believed that Zeus had chained Prometheus, the Titan, to the mountain, because he stole fire from the gods to give to the people. This is thought to be an indirect reference to some historic volcanic activity.
Mount Elbrus provides two main routes to its summit. The Normal, or traditional, route is the most frequently used. It is the easiest, safest and fastest way to the summit. This is because of a cable car and chairlift system that carries climbers most of the way up the mountain. A longer ascent to the summit is to be found along the Kiukurtliu Route. This starts from below the cable car terminal, and climbers travel over glacial slopes towards the Khotiutau pass. Still other climbers have attempted Elbrus from the northwest and Periwal Balkashi side. This is far more difficult and therefore is less used.
According to theory, the name Elbrus is derived from the Persian name ‘Alborz’. The word Alborz, in turn, is taken from the name of a mountain in Persian mythology, Hara Barezaiti, which translates to ‘High Watch’ or ‘High Guard’. Other names for the mountain include Mingi Taw, meaning ‘Thousand Mountain’ in Turkic, Oshkhamakhua, meaning ‘The Mount of Happiness’ in Circassian, and Ialbuzi, its equivalent in the Georgian dialect.
In more recent history, Mount Elbrus has been subject to interesting acts of war. The mountain was included in a war-zone during World War II. During 1942, the German Army, the Wehrmacht, occupied the area surrounding the mountain with 10,000 troops. A Soviet pilot bombed the German fuel supply on the mountain. In retaliation, the general in command of the troops on Mount Elbrus sent a climbing party to the summit and placed the Swastika flag there. Surprisingly, Adolf Hitler, enraged by the act, called it a stunt and threatened to court-martial the general if it was not taken down.
Mount Elbrus is one of the deadlier mountains among the Seven Summits. The average annual death toll on Elbrus is 20 to 30 lives. Elbrus authorities attribute the high loss total to many climbers not being properly prepared or equipped for the arduous climb. Many novice mountaineers see Mount Elbrus as an ‘easy’ climb because of the cable car. This leads to mistakes on the mountain, many of which result in fatal errors in judgment. For example, climbers attempting to summit the mountain too fast may incur high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). As climbers ascend to higher elevations, oxygen levels continue to drop. If climbers ascend too quickly and do not acclimate to the reduced levels of oxygen, the brain swells, which can result in seizure, paralysis, coma and death.
Sudden storms are also common. Thunderstorms and ‘whiteouts’ can happen sporadically on Elbrus. Whiteouts occur when the snowfall intensifies such that visibility and contrast are severely reduced. In such cases, the horizon and all location reference points disappear completely, leaving climbers disoriented. Caught in whiteouts, some lose the path and are often never found again. Clearly, aspiring climbers should also be prepared for extreme cold weather on Elbrus. Frostbite and hypothermia have affected many people attempting to summit this tricky mountain.
Climbers are required to obtain three permits to scale Mount Elbrus. Foreign climbers will need a Border Zone Permit just to be in the area south of Badsan, and they will also need to be registered in OVIR in Tyrnauz. OVIR registration is required by travelers staying in Tajikistan for the period of three days and longer. The Department of Visas and Registration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will give you OVIR registration stamps. And finally, a Prielbrusie National Park Permit is required for access to the park.
Elbrus History Makers
The lower of the two summits was first reached on July 10th, 1829, by Khillar Khachirov, a Karachay guide for the Imperial Russian Army climbing expedition. The Russian troop was part of a scientific expedition led by General Emmanuel.
The west and higher summit of Mount Elbrus was reached in 1874 by an English expedition led by Florence Crauford Grove. Grove was an experienced mountaineer and a member of the Alpine Club of London. After his ascent, Grove wrote The Frosty Caucasus: An Account of a Walk Through Part of The Range and of an Ascent of Elbruz in the Summer of 1874 [sic]. The Frosty Caucasus gives detailed explanations of the mountain range and of the expedition.
Grove describes the climb to the summit of Mount Elbrus this way: “The valley grew narrower and more striking as we advanced, and there were wonderful glimpses up side gorges of snow-peaks so lofty and so great that it was difficult to understand how there was room for their foundations in the narrow glens whence they seemed to rise.”
Russia has always encouraged ascents of Mount Elbrus. During the early years of the Soviet Union, mountaineering became a popular sport in the country. Then, in 1956, the USSR orchestrated an attempt by 400 mountaineers to summit Elbrus. This event was created to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the incorporation of Kabardino-Balkaria, a federal subject of Russia. In 1959, Russia began to build a cable car system to take visitors to various points on the mountain, the highest being 12,500 feet. The project was not finished until 1976. In 1997, a Land Rover Defender was driven to the summit, an accomplishment that has been recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records.