New projects of the 7 Summits Club

The climbing season in Chile for Ojos del Salado 2023 has ended.  This is the highest volcano in South America with a height of 6893 meters, which is part of the project "Seven Volcanoes", ascents of the 7 highest volcanoes of each continent.  Thanks to this project, the mountain is popular and this year about 50 people from Russia rushed to it.

I want to sum up the results of the season of the 7 Summits Club.  In total, 32 participants entrusted their fate to us, of which 30 people reached the top of Ojos del Salado. These are 4 groups with 6 guides.  I want to clarify, they have reached the real top of the mountain. The highest point: 6893m.

Why I am writing about this: recently there has been a fashion not to reach the top of volcanic mountains and, having reached the lowest point of the crater, announce that the group has reached the summit. Like, geographers consider the entire edge of the crater to be the top. This is what has been practiced by many on Ojos del Salado in recent years. After reaching the edge of the crater, which is 150m below the summit, the guides tell the clients that they have climbed  the summit. And the real summit is still the hardest and most dangerous 2 hours of work.

I want to state responsibly: mountain climbers have always called the highest point the summit of the mountain, and before reaching the highest point, you can not say that you have climbed to the summit. This is a deception of yourself and others. I myself climbed the summit of Ojos del Salado only in my 3rd expedition to this mountain. In total, I have more than 10 ascents to Ojos and each ascent is a very tough struggle with myself and nature. And most importantly, with the desire, having reached the edge of the crater and to turn down.

The mountain is deceptively simple due to the fact that the height of 5900 can be reached by car. A very treacherous mountain, on which two weeks of active acclimatization are required. The mistake of many teams and novice guides is underestimating the complexity of this mountain.

Every climber is free to interrupt his ascent at any height.  You can even talk about "conquering" the mountain without reaching the highest point. But from the point of view of the implementation of the project "Seven Volcanoes", there can be no two opinions. Did not reach the highest point – "no credit"! So all those who have not climbed to the real summit of Ojos del Salado this year, we invite you to finish what you started next year.  What do you think? Is it possible, without reaching the highest point of the mountain, to claim that he has ascended to the summit?

The President of the 7 Summits Club Alexander Abramov announced plans to establish a new record of speed of climbing all of the "Seven summits".  That is, he intends to climb all the highest peaks of the continents in a total of about six months.  But since the ascent will be carried out from January to July, it can be called "Seven Summits in seven months."

 The project will start on January 1, 2019.  At the same time, Alexander Abramov acts as a guide in all programs. And he gathers groups of climbers.  You have a great chance to join them and climb in good company and under the guidance of the legendary leader, the Prisident of the 7 Summits Club. The project starts in January 2019 and is to be completed in July 2019 by climbing all 7 summits. See the program below…

 The speed record from this year belongs to the Australian Steve Plain -117 days, 6 hours and 50 minutes (from the top to the top).  The previous world achievement of Pole Janusz Kochanski remained the record of Europe - 129 days. The record of Russia now belongs to Masha Gordon - 201 days (October 2015 – June 2016).  It's all climbers who specifically set out to show a record time. Some (short) time the record holder was the famous guide from the USA Vernon Tejas. He completed  the "Seven Summits" in 134 days. However, Vern is on some of the ascents series was not a guide went on vacation.

 So Alexander Abramov claims two records: national - for Russians and  probably World for guides at work.

List of programs

 Vinson Massif, Antarctica

1-9 January

 Aconcagua, South America

17-25 January

 Kilimanjaro, Africa

16 - Feb 24

 Carstensz, Australia and Oceania

10 - March 16

 Everest, Asia

15 April-27 May

 Elbrus, Europe

June 10-17

 Denali

June 26-July 12.

The 7 Summits Club  plans to reward climbers on the "Seven Summits", that is, the highest peaks of all continents, a special sign of honor. What will be the order of awarding, we will inform later. Now we offer you to look at the list of summiters from Russia plus those of whom we consider "our". Citizens of Russia in this list are 38 people. And they all, somehow, climbed in the programmes of the 7 Summits Club. With the exception of the first – Fedor Konyukhov, who also was in our group climbing Everest, but after the completion of the program "Seven Summits".  We are proud to note that, apparently (accurate statistics have not yet been restored), Russia is in second place in the world in terms of the number of climbers to the highest peaks of the continents. And this is the merit, first of all, of our 7 Summits Club!  We are proud!

1997.05.26  Fyodor Konyukhov.               Kosciuszko        

2005.11.13  Dmitry Moskalev.    Kosciuszko   2008.02.28-Carstensz

2005.12.15  Alexander Abramov.             Kosciuszko 2008. 02.28 Carstensz

2005.12.15  Victor Bobok.            Kosciuszko 2013.11.08 Carstensz

2006.01.10  Boris Sedusov.          Kosciuszko 2006.01.06

2006.02.02  Karo Ovasapyan (Arm-USA) 2008.02.28

2007.05.19  Israfil Ashurly (AZR)Kosciuszko        

2008.07.06  Igor Pochvalin.          Kosciuszko 2017.11.04  - Carstensz

2008.12.09  Sergey Larin.                            

2008.12.12  Sergey Kofanov.                     

2009.01.02  Lyudmila Korobeshko.          Kosciuszko 2010.10.16 - Carstensz

2010.07.22  Elena Gorelik.           Kosciuszko 2013.09.26

2010.12.27  Sergey Kovalev        Kosciuszko         

2011.01.07  Maxim Bogatyrev.                 

2011.05.21  Yuri Beloyvan.                         

2011.05.21  Igor Prinziuk                             

2012.05.17  Mikhail Turovsky.    Kosciuszko 2013.09.23 Carstensz

2012.11.01  Andrey Podolyan.   Kosciuszko        

2012.12.11  Maxim Shakirov.      Kosciuszko        

2012.12.11  Ivan Dusharin.          Kosciuszko        

2012.12.23  Dmitry Sokov.           Kosciuszko        

2013.09.26  Vitaly Simonovich.                 

2013.10.25  Andrey Filkov Kosciuszko   

2014.01.06  Igor Kadochin.          Kosciuszko        

2014.06.10?        Sergei Dudko.                 Kosciuszko          

2014.06.10?        Dmitry Krasnov.               Kosciuszko        

2015.04.13  Igor Stolyarov.                         

2015.05.29  Yaroslav Sabyrbaev (KAZ)                  

2015.06.15  Sergey Dmitriev                      

2016.05.09  Maria Gordon.                        

2016.05.20  Igor Demyanenko.                

2016.11.01  Irina Kharazova.                      

2017.05.22  Evgeny Kravt.                          

2017.06.20  Alexey Bautin.          Kosciuszko        

2017.11.04  Oleg Savchenko.                    

2017.12.14  Tatiana Jalovchak (Ukr).                      

2018.05.17  Alexander Tertychny.                          

2018.05.17  Dmitry Tertychnyy.               

2018.05.17  Alexey Balakin.                       

2018.05.19  Jamilya Murtazina.                

2018.11.09  Vladimir Belkovich.

2018.11.09  Kirill Semeshkin.

2019.01.06 Vladislav Lachkarev