Distance between Pastukhov rocks and Garabashi station. Pastukhov Rocks: description. Classic climbing route

So, on the 9th day of our journey, we were scheduled to go to Shelter 11.

We returned to Itkol the day before, so we had time to purchase additional magnets and rent equipment - the trek leader rented crampons for everyone, but we got everything we needed for ourselves.

I bought a cool headlamp, a softshell jacket and two compression bags - everything for future hikes. I saw such a jacket in Prague, but then there was not enough money, and I was ashamed to ask my mother. So I didn’t miss this opportunity here)

The whole evening was spent packing backpacks: thick jackets stubbornly refused to fit into the backpack.

I immediately appreciated the compression bags: they contained not only a jacket and pants, but also a puffy vest, all the fleeces, T-shirts, and various small items - which, of course, came in handy along the way, but which I packed so securely that I was amazed later.

We needed to get a good night's sleep, so we put our phones on charge and got ready to go to bed. It so happened that I ended up in a double room with a girl who had never gone hiking, but turned out to be strong like our guys, so I had no doubt that she would make it. For her, the most difficult thing at the beginning of the hike was socializing. But already on the third day she relaxed when she realized that the team was extremely friendly. So, about the girl... When she saw my prayer book, she asked me to definitely read my prayers at night and out loud, saying that she fell asleep better this way. The girl adheres to a different religion, but this is not the first time I have seen this not just tolerance, but even respect for someone else’s religion. Not everyone is like this, but so far I’ve been lucky with such people. I read prayers every night while we spent the night in the hotel and she and I slept like babies. The same cannot be said about the boys: they had nightmares in the hotel and often woke up.

By the way, I completely missed the description of the team. IN 24 people went on the hike: 4 girls, the rest guys. To be honest, I always liked this arrangement: the fewer girls, the better for me. Firstly, girls with character, and if we have difficult days, then whims begin, which are difficult to put up with in extreme situations. And in general, I love basking in male attention and caring for all our boys when they are hungry, sick or tired. They are all “my boys” if they come under my care and care)) It’s funny, of course, but sometimes I just become “Chole’s mom.”

…In the morning we leave Itkol with all our things. We load them onto our long-suffering bus. The leader of the trip decided to save money for us for a festive dinner and a bath upon our return, so only the team of drivers, the girl who accompanied them and one of the boys who managed to fall in love with her remain at the hotel. He went through the acclimatization session perfectly and could have easily ascended. But I stayed at the call of love))

Therefore, in the morning, only 23 people, loaded to the very top, went to the Terskol cable car. The leader of the hike again took pity on us girls: in our backpacks we only had whiplashes for ourselves. The boys were loaded like little donkeys.

On the cable car there are two large red booths with MTS advertising. Before us is a large team of foreigners. Among them I notice a red-haired Irishman who amazed me the day before at the market: he looked like a typical mountaineer and looked a little like a sea captain with his bright red hair and small beard. And in general, I have a soft spot for redheads. Next to him is a very young blonde. So thin, thinner than me. He looks about 20 years old. However, he behaves confidently.

We pile into the cabin and begin a fairly rapid ascent. While we are climbing, one very elderly woman with a cane begins to tell how many decades ago she worked here as an instructor, and while there was no cable car, she and her teams climbed from the Azau Valley on foot with backpacks. It is a pleasure to look at her.

We get to some station, from there we climb again to the Mir station, where we change into warmer clothes. It's getting pretty chilly. Things are packed in such a way that everything that was previously stuffed into a compression bag suddenly became necessary now. It’s a hassle to open the compression bag and cover it. finally, having more or less changed clothes, we transfer to another cable car - a chairlift - where you ride on your own and hug your backpack, and at the same time try not to slide down backwards and fly away along with your valuable cargo onto the rocks below. I don’t have the strength to hold the camera - I press it with my chin to my backpack and read prayers all the way. I don't like such a fast rise, because I know how it will respond to me. Below is an area that a friend described as “completely alien.” We get to “Gora-Bashi”, colloquially “Bochki”, which foreigners call “Containers”, and we get there quite quickly.
1. Chairlift to "Barrels"

To “Shelter-11” it is a 40-minute walk along a path through snow fields in a northerly direction. At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to leave the trail, because The glacier along which the trail is laid is covered in abundance with cracks hidden under the snow. But the leader of the trip explains to us that he included in the budget the rental of a snowcat. So part of the team rides on a snowcat to Shelter 11, while others wait below. I ended up in the second part and witnessed the Meeting. A very old man started talking to us. Or we started talking. There is, of course, another question here. He is 87 years old and is once again planning to climb Elbrus.

- If you can’t climb, don’t cry, - he told us. I just shook my head angrily. I have heard this phrase for many weeks and now it has no use for me either. But he continued: - The mountain has stood for millions of years and will still stand. And in your life, if anything else happens, you will have the opportunity to return and ascend. It's not worth risking your life at all.

I do not know why. Until now I had not listened to anyone, I stubbornly walked forward like an ant, and then his words stopped me. The reason for this was probably the rather difficult acclimatization hike, which came as a surprise. Rather, it was a combination of events and incoming information. And so the child became, probably, the first person whose words I really heard.

I took a photo of him, but with the team, I won’t post it here.
While we are waiting for the snowcat, it starts to snow. Elbrus shows us his character for the first time. And this is unexpected: raincoats, of course, are at the bottom of the backpack, although within reach, but getting them out is troublesome. We girls, as always, are the very first to find fundamentally important strategic objects with the inscription “EmZho”. Our bodies are different from those of boys, so when someone wants to go to the toilet, they can safely ask the girls about it - the tender eyes of girls, especially tourists, have learned to detect such a thing.

After 30 minutes the snowcat returned for us. It’s a very strange vehicle, I’ll tell you: it has special tracks, it occupies a large area, so apparently it doesn’t fall into cracks, it rushes forward like a tank, and if it can’t and rolls back a little, it doesn’t slide, but is pressed firmly into the snow by its tracks and , purring, it moves on.
2. Ice expanses over which the snowcat rides

Arriving at "Shelter 11" We quickly check into the trailers.
3. “Shelter 11” existed as a normal hotel until 1998, I have already talked about this. After the fire, booths were set up here for living and cooking, and somehow everything got better.

I get a shelf with one of our “ringleaders” - a tall blond man who gets sick more, but also bares his teeth the most. With an unkillable sense of humor. At least this is good: if things get bad at night, instead of crying, you can laugh. In general, our crew was the most restless: we laughed even at night, having difficulty falling asleep at night. It was so difficult to sleep at altitude. But only one of the guys decided to drink the sleeping pills that I took with me. It was he who slept the best and was healthy, strong and cheerful. And we are suckers, we were sick all night and suffered from insomnia. This whole prejudice against sleeping pills worked and the fear of not waking up when needed.

The leader of the trip gives us an hour and a half to eat and tells us to prepare for the acclimatization trip. The attendants have difficulty boiling water: at altitude, by the way, it is very difficult to boil water in its normal form, it reaches 90 degrees and does not even boil, but simply blows bubbles. The boys brought water from a stream that flows along the surface of the mountain: the snow melts and creates a path for itself - as if a spring was flowing somewhere. The water there is transparent blue, clean, beautiful.

We eat whips again, fill up on someone's dried meat - either the neighbors gave it to us, or the boys stocked up, we get ready, put on crampons, take some telescopes, some ski poles, and go to the Pastukhov rocks.

I'm making a few mistakes. Firstly, I’m one of the last to leave and end up paired with that girl of ours who always trails at the end. We have to wait for herwhich, of course, doesn’t make me happy. I'm slowly catching up with the other guys. A strong wind is rising, there is still a long way to go, but at the chosen pace, resting often, often, you can go.
Secondly, I hang the camera on my neck and it puts pressure on it.
Thirdly, that piece of dried pork, which I don’t eat at all in the world, but then I fell for the offer of this cute blond.
I feel bad. The fourth reason for this is the sharp climb, but I couldn’t change anything here. It’s bad when you feel nauseous, dizzy, you stagger and wobble like a child, and it seems like you could lie down and die, just not have to endure this condition.

There's tea in someone's backpack ahead. I note to myself that I will take tea for the climb myself, I will not rely on anyone, everything I need - tea, medicine, some clothes, gloves - everything will be with me.

We are barely hanging on with one of the team members. He also doesn’t feel well; the part of his face protruding from the mask turns gray. As “experienced” tourists later explained to us, when such grayness appears on the face, the person urgently needs to be taken down.

I'm not going to the Pastukhov rocks - I'm going to tea. That's my short term goal.Suddenly I notice an incomprehensible movement ahead: the guys are quickly moving back and forth, huddled together, consulting about something. After some time we see that they are dragging someone by the arms. Judging by the color of the jacket, it’s not ours. That’s right: the boys helped lower some Cypriot who had made the climb. but he broke down from the mining on the Sedlovina.
4. Rescue operation. The photo was taken when rescuers arrived. They lowered it themselves to "Barrels". A snowcat was supposed to be waiting for them there.

It's hard to go down. We met a Czech and a Ukrainian who treated me to water with diluted ascorbic acid. I feel a little better, but I still almost fall from the headache and nausea.
- When do you go to the top? - the Czech asks our leader with a wild accent.
Hearing that tomorrow, he shakes his head.
- This young woman needs two more days. The acclimatization is too short for her,” he says.
I'm silent. and I myself know that everything is so. But the team has people with different backgrounds. You can’t delay your ascent because of me alone. And we no longer have free days. Due to delays with the bus, we lost two days, which we could have used for additional acclimatization and taken reserves for the ascent.
“Scoundrels!” I hiss inside myself with annoyance, remembering the amoebic drivers and the broken-down bus.

I can barely crawl to the shelter. I just want the pain to stop and nothing more.

This situation with the Cypriot greatly shook our self-confidence: both mine and the guys. And this meeting changed something in me: I wouldn’t want to return to the shelter in SUCH a state. And I thought that I would not allow them to mess with me in the same way. And yet I hoped, hoped to the last, that everything would work out and I could do everything.

The leader analyzes our condition and decides that we will spend the night in a shelter and will not go to the top. In the evening, terrible snow begins, we, slightly frozen, warm ourselves against each other, laugh, although we are writhing in pain, and go to bed happy. At night I start to choke, the blond makes me get dressed and takes me outside to breathe.
Returning to the cockpit, we hear someone vomiting all night. And every time this unfortunate man goes out into the street, it resonates in our stomachs and heads with unimaginable pain. Only then do I understand how easily my mining proceeds, and how

We're all lucky.

Starting from an altitude of 4000 meters, the steepness of Elbrus in some places reaches 35-40 degrees. There are steep areas up to 750 meters high.

Below the glaciers along the mountain there are alpine meadows, with coniferous forests growing under them. The northern slope is more rocky.

Elbrus was formed more than a million years ago; it used to be an active volcano, and debate still rages whether it is extinct or just sleeping. The version of a dormant volcano is supported by the fact that hot masses are stored in its depths and heat thermal springs to +60 °C. In the depths of Elbrus, the famous mineral waters of the resorts of the North Caucasus - Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk - are born and saturated. The mountain consists of alternating layers of ash, lava and tuff. The last time the giant erupted was in 50 AD. e.

The climate of the Elbrus region is mild, humidity is low, making frosts easily tolerated. But the climate of the volcano itself is harsh, similar to the Arctic. The average winter temperature is from 10 degrees below zero at the foot of the mountain, to –25 °C at the level of 2000-3000 meters, and to –40 °C at the top. Precipitation on Elbrus is frequent and abundant, mostly snow.

In summer, the air warms up to +10 °C - up to an altitude of 2500 meters, and at an altitude of 4200 meters, even in July it does not get warmer than -14 °C.

The weather is very unstable: a clear, windless day can instantly turn into snowy storms with strong winds.

The history of the conquest of Elbrus

The thought of climbing the legendary Mount Elbrus haunted many daredevils; neither the eternal snow nor the cold winds frightened them. Mountaineering in Russia began with the ascent of Elbrus. The first attempt to conquer the mountain was made in 1829 by an expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences, but of the entire group only the guide reached the eastern peak. After 45 years, the British, accompanied by a local guide, managed to climb the western peak.

The first map of the volcano was compiled by the Russian topographer Pastukhov, who conquered Elbrus without guides.

It is known about the Balkar hunter Akhie Sattayev, who climbed the peaks of Elbrus 9 times, and he made his last ascent at the age of 121.

In Soviet times, the conquest of Elbrus became very prestigious, and mountaineering on its slopes became widespread.

Nowadays, Mount Elbrus is a Mecca for climbers, skiers and freeriders.

Skiing

Elbrus is considered the most skiable mountain in the world. You can enjoy winter sports in the Elbrus region from November to May, and some trails are available all year round. There are 35 kilometers of ski slopes and 12 kilometers of cable cars across the mountains. Both experienced skiers and beginners can ski on the slopes, for whom there are specially designated easy routes and training in skiing skills is organized. The favorite places of most skiers are the slopes of Mount Cheget, which are not inferior to the slopes of ski resorts in Austria, Switzerland and France.

In the public skiing area there are three lines of pendulum lifts, chairlifts and towing roads.

Those who wish can use the services of a high-mountain taxi - snowcats, which will take you to the “Shelter of the Eleven” or to the Pastukhov Rocks (4800 meters), which offer unparalleled views of the peaks of the Caucasus Range.

The Stary Krugozor resort invites lovers of long descents to the longest route of Elbrus, 2 kilometers long and with a height difference of 650 meters.

On the southern slopes of the mountain there is the Elbrus Azau resort, the routes of which are characterized by great freedom of movement - there are a minimum of nets and no dividers. The resort offers: rental of climbing equipment, sleds and snowmobiles, a ski school, snowcat ascent and helicopter flights.

Experienced snowboarders and skiers can ride from the eastern slope of Elbrus to the northern side of the mountain.

Freeride masters are transported by helicopter to untouched slopes, from where they race across the virgin snow at great speed.

At the foot of Elbrus, guests will find cafes, billiard rooms, and saunas. You can also have a snack at each station on the slopes of the mountain. In the village of Terskol there is a paintball area.

The ski season on the slopes of the five-thousander lasts from mid-November to April. It happens that solid snow cover remains on some routes until mid-May.

Video: Descent from the top of Europe / Expedition to Mount Elbrus

Mountaineering

Every year thousands of climbers and tourists storm the slopes of Elbrus. Thanks to the improvement of mountaineering equipment, anyone with acceptable physical fitness can visit the top of the mountain.

For those wishing to climb, routes are organized in different directions. Climbing Elbrus along the classic route from the south does not require tourists to have any special mountaineering training. People of average physical fitness can participate in this hike. Tourists can use the cable car that delivers the conquerors of Elbrus to the “Bochki” shelter, located at an altitude of 3750. Guests of the Caucasus can use the shelter’s restaurants, bars and hotels, where they can relax and refresh themselves before the rush to the top.

The northern route, following the route of the first ascent, is of the same difficulty. But, unlike the southern route, you will not encounter any shelters or a cable car along the road, which will add extreme excitement to the hike. The northern ascent will take more time, but as a reward you will receive unique views of the Caucasian nature, untouched by civilization.

The eastern ascent passes along the Akcheryakol lava flow and is accessible only to physically strong people. This route is considered the most beautiful.

The routes are designed in such a way that climbers have enough time to acclimatize.

The most favorable period for climbing is from May to October.

The cost of a ten-day tour is from 38,000 to 85,000 rubles. The price depends on the complexity of the route and the range of services provided, of which the following are obligatory: transfer from the airport of arrival and back, accommodation in a shelter or at the base, meals, instructor services. Additionally, the services of porters and cooks, equipment rental, and medical insurance may be paid for.

All participants in a successful climb are given a certificate “Conqueror of Elbrus”.

In addition to climbing and skiing, guests of the Elbrus region are offered paragliding, rock and ice climbing, mountain biking, heli-skiing, trekking, and kiteboarding. In summer, mountain biking is possible on the gentle slopes.

Attractions

A hike through the Chegem Gorge with its magnificent pine forests, rugged canyons and amazing waterfalls cascading from the cliffs will leave an indelible impression on tourists.

The picturesque Baksan Gorge originates in the glaciers of Elbrus. If you have time, be sure to stroll through its green valleys framed by mighty snow-capped peaks. The gorge has its own attractions - the “Mourning Highlander” monument and a geophysical observatory that studies the Sun. In the Narzanov Glade you will see rusty earth - it became like this due to the abundance of iron in the water of local springs. On the slopes of the mountains you can find caves with traces of ancient people living in them.

The Djily-Su tract, located on the northern slope of Elbrus, is known for its healing mineral springs. Warm waters flow directly from the rock and are collected in an artificial bath, renewed every 10 minutes. Swimming is organized according to a schedule. Local narzans have a beneficial effect on the heart, nervous system, and cure some skin diseases and allergies. In total, there are 14 springs in the tract, each of which has its own specialization: “renal”, “eye”, “liver” and others. There are stunning waterfalls in Jili-Su - the famous forty-meter giant Sultan and Karakaya-Su, 25 meters high. The Valley of Castles, Valley of Stone Mushrooms and the German Airfield located in the tract are popular among tourists.

On Mount Cheget, at an altitude of 2719 meters, there is an observation deck where, sitting in rented sun loungers, you can endlessly admire the majestic nature of the North Caucasus. Those wishing to refresh themselves are met by the cafe "Ai".

At the Mir station, in the highest mountain museum in the world - the Elbrus Defense Museum, exhibitions will tell about the dramatic events of the Great Patriotic War. There is also a monument to the warrior-defenders of the North Caucasus.

50 kilometers from Nalchik, in the valley of the Cherek-Bolkarsky River, lie the karst Blue Lakes, fed from underground springs. It is worth coming here to admire their beauty. But even professional swimmers do not risk swimming in Lake Tserik-Kel - the circular current of the reservoir creates a whirlpool from which it is impossible to get out.

Accommodation

Hotels in the Elbrus region can be divided into three categories: those built in Soviet times; small semi-luxury hotels for 20-25 people; premium class hotels - modern boarding house "Elbrus", hotels "Ozone" and "Seven Peaks".

The Elbrus recreation center awaits guests in a pine forest on the banks of a mountain river near the village of Tegenekli. Hotel "Balkaria" is located on the slopes of Elbrus at an altitude of 2300 meters. A little higher, in the village of Terskol, there are the hotels “Vershina”, “Seven Peaks”, “Antau”.

For those making the climb, shelters have been built to meet climbers on the glaciers. At an altitude of 3,750 meters, you can spend the night and gain strength in the insulated trailers of the Bochki shelter. The more comfortable Liprus shelter welcomes guests at an altitude of 3911 meters. The highest mountain hotel in Russia, “Shelter of Eleven”, is located at an altitude of 4130 meters.

Prices for accommodation in hotels in the Elbrus region range from 1,000 to 8,000 rubles per double room per day, depending on the season and the class of the hotel. As a rule, the price includes two meals a day and transfer to the ski slopes.

Inexpensive housing is offered by the private sector in the villages of the Elbrus region - Tegenekli, Elbrus and Terskol.

For tourists who want to climb to the peaks of Elbrus, both large companies with their own shelters on the slopes and single guides are available. Be careful when choosing your ascent organizer. Your safety will depend on the professionalism of your escort.

Be sure to find out in advance what clothes you will need and what items you need to take with you.

Participants in climbs of any difficulty must be prepared for the fact that on the way to the top of Elbrus you will encounter unfavorable natural factors: cold, wind, thin air, increased solar radiation, the release of sulfur dioxide gases and lack of visibility in inclement weather. You will have to carry a heavy backpack and make long treks on foot. You will spend the night in tents and cook your own food on gas burners. Soberly assess your health to avoid accidents.

It is necessary to unquestioningly follow all the instructions of the guide. All controversial issues are discussed either before the ascent or after the descent.

The organizers of the ascent have the right to stop or shorten the tour for individual participants of the ascent or the entire group in the event of:

• Violations of safety and behavior rules in the mountains;
• Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages;
• Failure to comply with public order standards;
• Disrespectful attitude towards nature and local residents.

Tourists aged 16 to 18 must provide written permission from their parents to climb. Children over 14 years old are allowed on simple routes together with their parents.

If you go to the mountains on your own, you must register with the local branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and have communication sources with you - a walkie-talkie or a cell phone. It is preferable to use the services of Beeline and Megafon operators; MTS does not always provide stable communication.

All climbers must have identification documents and a medical certificate with them.

How to get there

By train or plane to the cities of Kislovodsk, Mineralnye Vody, Nalchik or Cherkessk, from where a taxi or bus will take you to the desired location in the Elbrus region. If you arrive as part of an organized group, you will be provided with a transfer.

And now back to the snow and up. I still walk without a jacket, there are no gloves on my hands and the same cap on my head. The walking becomes more difficult, the slope increases, we pass the rescue base, leaving it on the right. Time is no longer felt, I don’t know how much we have already passed, I just understand that the sun does not burn the whole face, but only its left side and hands, left hand...

At the next stop I remember about the player in my pocket and headphones. I stick them in my ears. Some trance guy is playing, I think Korsikov recommended him. It has become easier to walk, the rhythm is hammering and you don’t think about anything.

This is where for the first time I catch myself thinking that there are no thoughts. My head is empty.
I only see the legs of the person in front of me, I can’t hear the music, I don’t remember when it stopped playing, but it’s definitely not there.

Sometimes it seems like I can fly to the rhythm, why is everyone walking so slowly?
there is still a stone ridge on the right, which means that we have not reached the foot of the cliffs.
It's getting colder, I'm putting on a hat

I’m really thirsty, Sasha says that we can’t drink the water we collected from the stream, the glaciers are melting and we don’t know what kind of nasty things will happen there.
We climbed to the foot of Pastukhov, we have no strength, we hope that Sasha will not lead us to the top of the rocks. We stand and rest

I want to lie down and lie there. I have no strength, I’m constantly thirsty, tea doesn’t help, I just want plain water.
We ignore the warning and drink melt water. It is icy, in the stomach you feel how the esophagus is burning with cold, life-giving moisture is pouring, now the water has reached the stomach and spread along its walls in cold streams... goosebumps... they are the most honest))

We take photos of the sunset, and for the first time during the whole climb I look down. Beauty, mountains, and for some reason Lermontov pops up in my head. I was never interested in his works and poems.

I remember that when I was studying at the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps, there was a portrait of him right in front of the literature room. I didn’t understand well then what he had found in the Caucasus, what beauty he saw, the mountains, the snow caps... now I understand.

Sasha commands the rise. Contrary to expectations, you need to keep going up. Up to the top of the Pastukhovs, compared to the path already traveled, is nothing, but how complex they are.

When the body is ready to go down, you force it to go up. But many step over themselves and continue on their way.
I can say for sure that on this day, the most difficult things for me were these steps. Everything in me was screaming and screaming that I needed to turn, that it was so simple, no one would look askance, and I wouldn’t be the first to turn around... but no, something even deeper spoke to me. Find 1000 reasons not to do it, but find one way that will give you a chance and use it...
I just walked, and Vanka walked behind me, it was no easier for him than mine...
And here are the long-awaited stones, we reached it, managed it, a few more steps and we reached the goal... Now we can take pictures, shoot videos, and relax.

The top is ours, now the descent.
By all rights, going down should have been easier, but it wasn’t. Every step reverberates through your lungs and legs.
It’s impossible to run - you can’t run in crampons, as we did when descending from Cheget.
Vanka and I are the last to go, I’m slowly getting into the rhythm again, I’m trying not to notice the body’s signals, tomorrow will be a day of rest... this thought is in my head.

Vanya slowly lags behind, I wait for him, we start walking together again... after a while it becomes clear that Vanya’s old knee injury has made itself known, as we walk down, all the weight goes to his knees.
We walk with stops, Sasha follows us, I feel like swearing, but doesn’t show it.

It gets dark quickly, the sun is no longer visible, only shadows walk along the rocks, and the sun illuminates only the tops of the mountains.

The sun has set, it’s dark and very cold all around, an icy wind blows in our faces, but it’s not cold, we’re dressed warmly.
We take out our headlamps, it becomes more comfortable, I ask Sasha: “Are there any animals here?” He, smiling, replies: “Except for you))”
We stop again, Vanka is feeling really bad, but he’s holding on, well done! We look down at the glacier, and there are three groups with flashlights, rushing about in different places on the plateau.
It’s funny, it looks like dogs who have flashlights tied to them and are playing... well, what thoughts come to mind at the height.

I’m catching up with Lekha Z. from our team, he’s not doing well either, he’s rubbed his leg. I stop next to him and wait for Vanya and Sasha. The head is not thinking well. Lekha Z. does not have a flashlight; it was left in his backpack, which he gave to one of the guides. While walking, I light a candle for him, the slope is still steep.
We waited for Vanya. Together we continue to move, reaching the shelter of eleven. The second Lekha R. comes out to meet us. He has a problem with his legs, erased.

We go down to the glacier, this is salvation, I think. We make a connection, Sasha sets the pace.
We practically run, Vanka follows me and curses. Stepping over large thawed patches is a bit difficult, the rope between us is almost always taut. There is only one thought in my head that there is only one way, down to victory. Either fall or reach. Very hard.

From the darkness, flashlights snatch out a rock, then houses, but this is not the same, our goal is much lower. We are going further and further to the right, it seems to me that we are losing our way, we could not go so far to the right.
The flat road goes steeply down again, and it pops into my head that this is how the road to the top began.
I shake my head, hear the sound of a small river, and then a light peeks out from behind a rock.
A little more and the noise of the generator is heard. Here the flashlight snatches the first snowcat out of the darkness.

Hurray, we got there, we got there!

Scrabbling our cats on the concrete, we reached the barrel and collapsed onto the concrete pavement running along the barrels. They sat for a long time, breathed, the whole body ached, it didn’t hurt, but it ached from tension.
Finally I had the strength to throw off my crampons and take off my boots. How nice it is to be without plastic boots; my feet are light. We climbed into the barrels, we are sitting on the bunks, we need to go have dinner, but we don’t feel like eating at all, we just want to drink.

We don't look very good. You need to force yourself to get up, but your body doesn’t listen)) an interesting feeling.
I look at Vanka:

And I understand that I’m still good.

I get up, go to the house with the kitchen, there is a bottle of water on the table, I drink two mugs at once, I take one mug, take it to Vanka, he mixes some kind of tablet, drinks it and you can see from his face that he feels good.

I take him to dinner, I just need to eat, because I don’t want to, my body has lost a lot of strength. And he’s a bastard - he resists!
Well, nothing, after five minutes of negotiations and the use of cunning, I convince you to drink tea.
Let's go eat, it's dark outside, but the sky is clear, you can see all the stars...beauty.
We don’t feel like eating at all, we’re sitting there with sour faces, but Vanya Koshkarev is serving up a second bowl of salad, that’s who cares.

After drinking tea, we go to the toilet so as not to get out of our warm sleeping bags at night.
There is wind outside and the cabin is swaying like an aspen leaf. It’s a little scary, since the toilets are on the edge of the old foundation, and the foundation is on the edge of a cliff)) and this is disturbing.

We go to bed, finally the long-awaited rest. I close my eyes.
It seemed to me that I practically did not sleep. It's difficult to describe the condition. We didn’t take any water for the night, but we were incredibly thirsty. There was only hot tea. Everything is in a fog for me.
So I open my eyes, the light in the barrel is still on, I blink, there is no light anymore, but someone gets up and leaves.
I blink again, a spotlight is shining through the windows, different thoughts are in my head... the thirst is so strong that I still unpack the tea and drink a hot drink.
I fall through, open my eyes again, the spotlight no longer shines through the window, it has become colder. I blink again, open my eyes, it’s already dawn outside...
I’m lying there, crumpled, and I don’t want to get out of my sleeping bag. I look at the ceiling, I don’t know how long, my phone is in my backpack.
Everyone begins to slowly move. Vanya Koshkarev wakes up and declares that I snored like cattle all night... this becomes news to me number one, since I remember for sure that I slept very restlessly.

After the morning procedures, we go for breakfast, the omelette has become more tasty, but we are still reluctant to eat.
Sasha informs us that if we go out at night today, we may not make it, winds up to 60 m/s are promised at the top
We are sitting thinking and then an unexpected offer comes to us to go downstairs, rest, sleep and rise with fresh strength the next day.
I see everyone cheered up from this idea.
After some deliberation on Sasha’s part, the decision was made to go down!
We were given 30 minutes to get ready, but we were ready within 10; everything we needed fit into a small backpack.

We launched a small cable car. We get on it and go down, the big cable car works, but the old pendulum one works. They say a few years ago one trailer fell off... this does not make us optimistic. But since I really want to go down, there is nothing to do))

I won’t describe the descent, it was normal, the cabin creaked, the door closed with a wire, normal.
Having gone downstairs, we were taken to a hotel and settled in. While we were driving, we agreed that we would go to the Narzan Valley and have lunch there.

Shower and normal toilet!!!
A person, of course, gets used to everything, but comfort, it is so sweet)
Hot streams hit your head, a sweet shiver runs through your body. Soft towel and barefoot according to the number.
Kosilov is already rejoicing on the balcony, puffing on a cigarette.
Lepota.

The valley is located three kilometers from the hotel. We get out and walk along Baksan, the path goes through the forest and then onto an asphalt road. It's a long walk, but time flies by when talking.

The Narzan glade is truly a clearing. There are seven springs on it and, as the locals say, the water is different everywhere, so let’s modestly go and try it.

Honestly, I don’t know where this pipe leads, but apparently to Moscow))

In general, the taste was the same everywhere, everywhere with gas and salty)
There is also a lot of iron in it, which can be seen from the color of the earth around the springs.

Finally we go to lunch. For lunch they serve lagman, salad and delicious khinkali.
We raise a toast with Narzan to a good day))

After a delicious lunch, it should be noted that at 2000m you want to eat much more than at 3800), we set off on the way back.

I didn’t want to do anything, and Kosilov and I slept together until dinner.
We had dinner, went to the bathhouse and... the guys got hold of poker cards from somewhere.
True, they forgot the chips, but they did a good job replacing them with buttons, tea bags and something else))
It looked like this:

Vanya and I unanimously recognized this as a cynical perversion of the highest degree, a desecration of the very essence of the game of poker, and went to rest with the Guides, so as not to discredit the guys, we will omit their names.
Since Abramov introduced prohibition, I had to drink cola with whiskey, and not vice versa... there were few songs and a lot of talk about what it would be like tomorrow.

Since there is no need to get up early, we went to bed around 2 am)))

Day five.

We got up leisurely, Breakfast - minibus - shop. I give Vanya a second try)) I send him for water and lo and behold, he brings two half rubles. Having remembered our previous mistakes and realizing that the summit is serious, we packed with water correctly.

The new cable car is working, which is good. This time we are going without things. True, everyone’s faces are concentrated.
We quickly rise, the chair is sold out. We look for the reason and remember that today is Saturday, there are a lot of tourists.

We stand in line, joke, laugh)) The cable car goes up to the barrels. It’s 3800 again, the sun is hot, but the wind is not inferior, it blows quite strongly.

By 12 o'clock we are already on the barrels. We sit, wait for lunch, enjoy the sun, check the equipment and supplies.

Several people went down, one had bronchitis, another had calluses, they were a little bruised, I took some sticks for myself.
I need something to carry the flag to the top. One of the sticks turns into a shaft. I tie it to my backpack. This way your hands will be free and you won’t have to hide the flag.

We had lunch, the mountains were covered with clouds, the sun hid, and the wind picked up. I went to see the water world on Mount Athos.
People walk here and there, they just make you feel cold))
The film is long, almost until dinner I’m lying in my sleeping bag, on my sleeping bag...

I’m not enjoying dinner, the food is delicious, the cook’s name is Zulya, she cooks well, she just doesn’t bother, but I understand that I need to eat.
Evening dressing with flashlights and sleep...) I’m almost settled in, I remember that I didn’t take the thermos. To pour tea in the morning.

I lie down and once again go over in my head everything I need, whether I have everything, whether I have collected and prepared everything. It seems like yes, I haven’t forgotten anything.
There is no sleep... I toss and turn, it becomes cold, the wind howls outside the wall. I take out my player, turn on the film: “Trainspotting”... an excellent, positive choice before the climb)) I watch to the end, drink water, have a few hours to sleep, Elbrus, wait for me!

And it became approximately clear what awaits us when climbing Elbrus. The very next morning we were getting ready to hit the road again. We had one more training hike ahead of us, the last one before the climb. This time to the Pastukhov rocks. And if everything went according to plan, then we intended, having reached them, to try to rise even higher.

During the last dinner, after returning from a hike to Shelter 11, we heatedly discussed the starting point for the next hike. Kolya insisted on climbing from the camp on foot, for the sake of greater load. And I suggested getting to Shelter 11 by snowcat (I affectionately called them minibuses) and starting from there - this way we had a chance to climb higher. Acclimatization is more important - that was the main argument. In the end, the team still agreed with my arguments.

The minibus parking lot is located very close to the “barrels” (“barrels” is the conventional name for all mountaineering camps located in the Gara-Bashi area at an altitude of about 3,700 meters), and we reached it in less than 5 minutes. We loaded ourselves into the snowcat, handed over 500 rubles for the ride and off we went.

Our camp remained below, and the snowcat moved up the mountain, like a giant spider on a web. We understood that snowcat operators are experienced people, they have studied all the routes for a long time and know where to go and where not. But still, from time to time, at the sight of the huge cracks below, I felt uneasy, and goosebumps began to run across my skin in droves.))

We covered yesterday's hour and a half climb on a snowcat in 10 minutes. But if yesterday we walked very lightly, today we dressed much warmer: in the mountains, the higher you go, the colder it is.
We unload at the Shelter of Eleven and head up the mountain on our own two feet.

After yesterday's "easy" walk, our tired bodies managed to recover thanks to the Chilean semi-sweet good sleep, and the whole team was now walking in good spirits. In one line, army style. The bright sun was shining, and I felt as if I had gone out for a walk in some Moscow park on a warm March morning.

The first stop was made an hour and a half later, halfway to the Pastukhov rocks.

When the sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky, you look at the top and think: well, why go here? Even the saddle of Elbrus - the area between two peaks - seems very close. But everything is far from so simple.

Another hour later we reached the bottom point of the Pastukhov rocks. This is an altitude of approximately 4,650 meters. I looked at the time - 11:50. And we started from the Shelter of Eleven at about 8:30. That is, in 3 hours 20 minutes the journey went up only 550 meters.

During the rest we discussed the upcoming climb to Elbrus. Namely, we again chose a starting point. There are several options. The first and most difficult is to start the journey on foot directly from the Gara-Bashi camp from an altitude of 3700 meters. The second is to drive, as now, to the shelter of eleven (4,100 meters) and start from there. The third is to climb to the tops of the Pastukhov rocks (4700 meters) - and then further up. And finally, the fourth and easiest one is to get to the highest point where a snowcat can reach - this is at an altitude of approximately 5060 meters, and start there.

I suggested gathering all our strength and reaching “5060” today, so that the day after tomorrow we could start from there - then we would be able to “climb the entire mountain,” even if not in one day.

Interesting conversations over warm tea restored our strength, and we continued to climb.

Another hour later we made a halt 50 meters above the Pastukhov rocks, at an altitude of 4,750.
The weather was good, but our condition was not ideal. The lactic acid “clogged” my leg muscles, and Misha’s so-called gornyka caused headaches.

We tried not to rest for more than 10-15 minutes so as not to lose momentum. So we sat, had a quick cup of tea, and then got up, put on mittens, took our trekking poles, looked down...

looked up and went.

After another hour, my leg muscles were already starting to let me down. This is not to say that I could not go up, but after 15-20 steps it felt as if ten-kilogram weights were tied to my legs, and each step was given with great difficulty. I stopped, sat down on the ground for 30-40 seconds and continued on my way again.

Despite the fact that my strength was almost running out, I really wanted to reach the maximum point of raising the snowcats. At 12:45 we stopped at an altitude of 4,867 meters. In principle, for today we completed the “minimum program” and reached the Pastukhov rocks and even climbed higher. But you always want more.

There were a little less than two hundred meters left to the desired height, but this is a very steep section, and going up here is very difficult. In the following photographs you can appreciate the steepness of the climb.

Although it may seem to some that in the next photo they simply “blocked the horizon”)).

Pastukhov Rocks from a 100-meter height above them.

In the next photo, a figure of a man is visible at the top in the distance, this is just about half the way to the “cherished goal”.

Misha suggested turning around and returning to camp, the miner broke him. On the contrary, I wanted to move forward no matter what. One