Elbrus
Elbrus is the highest mountain in Europe and Russia, reaching a height of 5642 meters. The mountain is included in the list of 7 highest peaks of the continents, and its glaciers feed the waters of such large rivers as Malku, Kuban, Baksan. Thanks to the developed infrastructure, the surrounding areas are popular among tourists, climbers, as well as those who want to improve their health in local resorts.
Elbrus is located on the border of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria with a base diameter of 15 km and 2 with two pronounced peaks 5621 and 5642 meters high. In its structure it is an ancient stratovolcano that began to form more than 2 million years ago. According to research by scientists, the eruptions occurred approximately 33000, 21000, 8000, 6500, 5100 years BC. The last eruption occurred 900 years ago. On the slopes of the mountain there are 23 glaciers covering an area of more than 130 km2. The largest of them are Small and Big Azau, Kyukurtlu, Irik, Terskol.
The mountain climbing route is quite simple, but every year 15-20 people die here, among which both "wild tourists" and professional climbers with vast experience of climbing. From 1929 to 2010, 29 professional climbers died, down to masters of sports. The most massive death was on May 9, 2006, when 11 out of 12 tourists died from the cooling tower of Elbrus from hypothermia. Climbers die mainly due to bad weather, the consequences of insufficient acclimatization. Many die from falling into cracks and hypothermia. Difficulties are added by the weather, which can completely change in a few hours.
In 1829, there was a completely first successful climb of a scientific expedition led by General Georgy Arsenievich Emmanuel. The expedition was attended by scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as several prominent European scientists and travelers. As the infrastructure developed, the ascent began to be more widespread. So 1935, 2016 people rose to Elbrus, and in 1960, during the climber alone, 1395 people climbed the mountain. They even met daredevils who climbed mountains on a motorcycle, car. In 1998, horses of the Daur and Khurzuk breed with riders climbed the mountains to attract attention to the conservation of their breeds. And in September 2015, an athlete from Murmansk Andrei Rodichev climbed the mountain, taking with him a 75-kilogram bar.
In order to somehow help climbers in their ascent in 1909, they built a stone dugout for 5 people at an altitude of 3200 meters. In 1932, a building was built for 40 people at an altitude of 4200 meters, which later became a hotel. At different altitudes there are several shelters, some can be reached by cable car.
