Elevation: 18,510 ft (5,642 m)
GPS Coordinates:
Longitude: 43°21′18″N
Latitude: 42°26′21″E
1st Ascent: July 1874 F. Crauford Grove and including Frederick Gardner, Horace Walker, and Peter Knubel

 

Elbrus Elevations and GPS Coordinates – Climbing Waypoints and Acclimitization Hikes

Location Elevation (ft) Elevation (m) GPS Coordinates
Terskol                            7,054                      2,150 N 43 05′ E 42 30′
Observatory (Acclimitization Hike)                          10,007                      3,050
Kaskatash Glacier (Acclimitization Hike/Ice Climbing)                          11,155                      3,400
Huts                          13,320                      4,060 N 43 18′ 95 E 42 27′ 58
Pastukova Rocks                          15,223                      4,640 N43 19′ 84 E 42 27′ 48
Elbrus Saddle                          17,769                      5,416 N43 20′ 90 E 42 26′ 79
Elbrus West Summit                          18,510                      5,642 N43 21′ 08 E42 26′ 19

Elbrus Itinerary – Sample

The following is a sample itinerary for climbing Mount Elbrus the tallest mountain in Europe.  Due to the process involved in applying for a Russian visa and the requirements for a invitiation from a somene in Russia it only makes sense to visit St. Petersburg and Moscow on your trip to Russia to climb Elbrus.  Both cities have a lot to offer and seeing Red Square, the Kremlin,  St. Basils Cathedral,  the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the Hermitage are excellent experiences.   You will need to fly into St Petersburg or Moscow anyway in order to catch the flight to Mineralnyne Vody (Russian for Mineral Water) so you are better off flying into one of these cities and flying home from the other.   Plan for a couple of contingency days in Terskol so that if you get hit with bad weather you will have multiple days to attempt the summit,  in the event that you are able to summit on the first possible day there are other things you can do to on those days like ice climbing on the nearby Kashkatash glacier,  going to the nearby village of Chiget,  and there is plenty of hiking to do around Terskol.

Day Activity
1 Departure Flight
2 Arrive in St. Petersburg Russia
3 Sight seeing in St. Petersburg – Hermitage, Peter and Paul Fortress, Church of Spilt Blood, Canals
4 Fly from St Petersburg to Mineralnyne Vody; Drive to Terskol
5 Acclimitization Hike
6 Acclimitization Hike, Technical Skills Practice on Nearby Glacier – Kashkatash Glacier
7 Begin Elbrus climb . Stay in the Huts.
8 Acclimitization – climb to Pastukova Rocks then descend back to the Huts
9 First Potential Summit Day
10 Contingency Summit Day
11 Contingency Summit Day
12 Contingency Summit Day
13 Drive to Mineralnye Vody and Fly to Moscow; Sightseeing in Moscow
14 Sightseeing in Moscow
15 Fly Home

Summit Day July 20, 2009