ELBRUS: ONE MOUNTAIN, TWO TEAMS
The upcoming phase of “Alpari: On Top of the World” will take our team to Russia’s Mount Elbrus, a “five-thousander” in the western Caucasus range. Each of the members of Team Alpari has climbed the twin-peaked dormant volcano several times. However, this time around, our trio is going to have some company. We’re sending some of our employees out to climb Elbrus with them.
Representing our company will be a group including some of our up-and-coming young managers and some of the head honchos at Alpari. For many of them, this expedition will be their first real taste of mountain climbing. They’re going to need to overcome their fears and push their bodies to the limit. At the same time, they will have to learn the basics of mountain climbing as they go: how to move across ice and snow, how to belay themselves and how to overcome the effects of the high altitude.
We asked our fellow Alpari employees: “Why are you going to Elbrus?” Here’s how they answered.
The Team
Andrey Dashin, Chairman of the Alpari Supervisory Board:
“The mountains are a passion of mine. It’s an emotional reprieve for the body and soul. In the mountains, everything is simpler. First you issue a challenge to the stony goliath. Then, at the summit, you get this incredible feeling: ‘Yeah. I’ve done it. I made it. I’ve overcome the obstacles and my personal weaknesses.’ There’s just the mountain and you. There’s nothing else. Up there, you experience a different type of awareness. In the mountains, something special takes place: I’m always coming up with new ideas and finding solutions to different problems.” Favorite Sports: Running, swimming, mountain climbing, boxing, skiing.
Andrey Vedikhin, CEO of Alpari UK, Alpari Founder: “I’ve never been to the mountains. I’m looking at the upcoming Elbrus climb as a warm-up for the December expedition to Vinson (Antarctica).”
Favorite Sports: Running (Andrey’s goal at the moment is to compete in a 2014 Iron Man triathlon: 3.86 km swimming, 180 km on a bike, 42 km running)
Ivan Kosilov, Investments. Ivan is an active snowboarder and paintballer. He loves go-carting, mountain climbing and rafting. He likely has as much experience in the mountains as any Alpari employee, having taken part in Alpari company trips to the Swiss Alps, the Altay region and Kamchatka.
He says Elbrus is “the next step towards conquering the world’s highest peaks.”
Andrey Kharchenko, IT Support. Andrey is an avid snowboarder and has visited several mountainous regions including Dombai, Khibiny, the Austrian Alps and Gornaya Shoria.
“I’m looking to conquer Elbrus so I can experience the mountains from a different perspective – climbing up instead of going down. The opportunity to climb the highest mountain in Europe isn’t something that comes around all that often. And the chance to do this with my co-workers makes it twice as nice.”
Sergey Belchikov, Consulting. Favorite Sports: Snowboarding, paintballing, go-carting, diving
“I thought it would be interesting to try something new with a group of friends. This definitely isn’t something I would do alone, but I simply couldn’t pass on the chance to make this trip with such a great group of people.”
Aleksey Redko, Broadcasting. Favorite Sports: Bike riding
The highest climb Aleksey has made is Mount Livadiyskaya (1,332 m) in Russia’s Primorskiy Krai.
“Conquering this mountain is on my list of things I want to accomplish in life. It’s great to have the chance to do this with such a great group of people.”
Aleksey Zayakin, Technical Support. Favorite Sports: Paintball, swimming, table tennis. When he was younger he used to travel to the Köpetdag Nature Reserve in Turkmenistan.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve always found the mountains to be beautiful. For me, Elbrus is a really interesting challenge. Not only that – I love traveling with friends.”
Ivan Koshkarev, Site Support. Favorite Sports: Snowboarding, fitness, motorcycle riding
Ivan has been to the Altay Mountains a number of times. Says Ivan, “I love all types of adventure travel including road trips and snowboarding.”
“Why am I going to Elbrus? I really want to add a mountain expedition to my memory bank.”
Yaroslav Efremov, Development. Favorite Sports: Diving, rafting
Yaroslav has taken part in a number of Alpari company expeditions: climbing the Swiss Alps, rafting in the Altay Mountains and hiking through the fog of the Kamchatka volcanoes.
“The mountains are one of my passions. I was born in the foothills of the Pamir range, so the love has always been there. What can you say when you are given the chance to climb Elbrus with your friends and co-workers? Of course I will!”
Stanislav Efremov, Software Developer, London. Favorite Sports: Volleyball, diving
“I was born 5 minutes before Yaroslav. I lived in Tajikistan until the age of 15. In that time, I managed to climb most of the surrounding foothills. I love the mountains.”
Maxim Andrianov, Legal. Favorite Sports: Paragliding, bike riding. Maxim has climbed Beshtau (1,401 m, Russia) and has ridden halfway up Elbrus on a gondola.
“A number of the people I fly with are also mountain climbers. They convinced me that the enjoyment you get climbing towards the sky is pretty much the same as when you’re flying through it. I’m not sure if I believe them, so I thought I’d give it a try to see if they’re right. It’s always better reaching your goals with a good group of people.”
Andrey Rybin, Legal. Favorite Sports: Downhill skiing, bike riding
“Elbrus? I don’t even know where to begin.”
We would like to wish both teams luck. We can’t wait to hear from you guys!