It’s a Wrap! Elbrus Team
recording
Kilimanjaro Team wrapping up their Safari
Jambo (Hi)! It’s a bittersweet moment sitting on the deck at the Ngorongoro Safari Lodge. We are perched high above the Ngorongoro Crater overlooking one of the most beautiful conservation areas in the world, yet it is our last night here in Africa. Our team has enjoyed three days of safari, what an incredible way…
July 2019 Elbrus Team back from the mountain
The Elbrus team has returned to civilization and they’re back down in the valley of Cheget after a perfect summit day. They had the good weather when they needed it, and everyone reached the top on the 29th, and now they are enjoying traveling around the region a bit before heading North to St. Petersburg…
Elbrus – SUMMIT!!!
Joe Ceurvorst called in on behalf of our 2019 Elbrus team to report that the entire team made the summit! The team departed early in the morning, traveling up the first segment of the route via snowcat and then cramponing up to the top! We don’t have much additional information at this time, but we’ll…
Elbrus Team – Prepped For The Summit!!
Laura Duncan called in from the flank of Elbrus after the team spent the day reviewing skills under bluebird skies. The plan is to awaken at 2 am and start uphill at 3:30 in the morning. They have hiked up the initial stretch of the route previously so rather than repeat the start of the…
Summit!
The team woke up early this morning and began their ascent of the Western Breach to the summit crater of Kilimanjaro. The route above high camp through the steeper terrain of the breach takes them up to the rim of the crater at about 18,700 ft. From there, they walked across the crater, past some…
Kilimanjaro Montesanti Team at Lava Tower
The Kilimanjaro team had a leisurely three hour hike up to camp at the base of the famous Lava Tower on the Lemosho Route. Located a little over 15,000’ up the mountain along the Lemosho and Machame routes, Lava Tower is a large rock formation that was formed back when Kilimanjaro was still an active…
Elbrus Expedition moving up to the Heart of Elbrus Hut
Mountain Trip lead guide Jacob Schmitz called in another update for the Elbrus team, who were enjoying breakfast at their lodge before beginning their trek up to the Heart of Elbrus Hut. They will spend three to four nights at the Heart of Elbrus continuing to acclimatize and review some essential alpine skills before heading…
Elbrus Expedition team – Weather/skills day in Cheget
Lead guide Jacob Schmitz called in an update for the Elbrus Expedition team–the first audio update of the trip! The team was still staying at Cheget Ski Area as of July 25. They had a couple of great acclimatization hikes up to around 10,300′. Yesterday, the weather kept the team down from the trails; they…
Elbrus Team acclimatizing at Cheget Ski Area
The Elbrus team went for a beautiful acclimatization hike at the Cheget Ski Area, up to around 10,000′, admiring lots of summer wildflowers along the way. The team had a bit of trouble making their way to the ski resort, as a large mudslide caused a road delay for several hours yesterday, after a couple…