Team Elbrus Presley Ropes Up
Friends, Family & Loved Ones,
We made great use of our rest day today by roping up and practicing crampon techniques and rope travel on steep terrain.
Everyone had a great time on the glacier– we jumped several crevasses and got close (not too close!) to a stunning icefall.
The weather was once again stellar and we are hoping that it will hold for our summit attempt in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. In preparation for a 1:45 a.m. start, we’ve just finished an early dinner and are headed off to bed for a few hours.
Stay tuned!
Vern & Carole
Team Hikes to Pashtakov Rocks
Another bluebird day today and a great day to acclimatize in the mountains. Team Elbrus Presley boogied up the lower flank of Mt. Elbrus (pressure breathing and using best rest step form) to Pashtakov Rocks today. We took several breaks along the way where we had great views of the Caucasus Range.
The view of the twin summits of Elbrus encouraged us upward.
We visited the remains of the historic Pruitt Hut and memorial.
After reaching our objective of 15,000 feet, we glissaded down to the hut for lunch.
After a lovely lunch, we practiced some crevasse extrication techniques in preparation for tomorrow’s glacier tour. The team is looking good and feeling great.
All our best,
Carole & Vern Tejas
Elbrus has left the valley
Hello friends, family and loved ones,
We loaded the and drove to the base of Elbrus, the mountain.
We jump on the tram and were treated to a beautiful panorama.
Upon arriving at our huts we dove right into knot tying 101 and fix line school.
Afterward we moved out onto the slopes for self arrest practice.
And crampon exercise finished of our very full day. Fun had by all.
All our best
Team Elbrus Presley
We acclimated above village
Hello friends, family and loved ones,
Another gorgeous day trekking through fields of flowers. All in good spirits as scaled the ridge above the little village of Terskol.
Team Elbrus has left the building
Rather than going around a large boulder, we climbed right through it.
Threading the needle
Break on through to the other side
Then we posed for some hero shots.
Mountain Matt
Rocking Rachel
At 10,200 feet, we rested at a border observation post.
All along the watchtower
Our descent included a waterfall and and an ancient basalt lava flow. Upon arrival back in the valley we had a feast.
All our best,
Carole Tejas
Assistant Guide
Acclimatization at the base of Elbrus
Friends, family and loved ones,
The “Elbrus Presley” team took a hike today. We climbed up Cheget ridge to get a good look at our objective, Elbus, the highest mountain in Europe.
The Approach
Our Objective
We got a good look at the route and were able to identify many of the land marks on our route. We got familiar with Pressure Breathing and the Rest Step. These are important techniques to learn to be a successful big mountaineer.
The Team
We will perfect this in the days to come. Then we learn the best way to descend. Everyone did well on the way down, of course I should mention that we were motivated by the BBQ that awaited us at the bottom.
The Motivation…..BBQ.
All my best,
Vern Tejas
You guys once again exceeded my expectations on Elbrus trip. From the time I requested information until we returned to the US, Alpine Ascents was a first class act. All of the indigenous tour guides, mountain guides and cooks were superb.
