"7 Summits + 2 Poles" project news

The 7 Summits Club wishes you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

In the coming year we wish you good luck, always to be in an excellent physical shape and to stay true to yourself! Continue dreaming about impossible! The 7 Summits Club will help to make all your dreams come true, the dreams of climbing the most fabulous peaks of the world.

We wish you new summits and new adventures in 2021!

The international team of climbers under the general leadership of the President of the 7 Summits Club Alexander Abramov continues to prepare for expeditions on K2 in the summer of 2021 and in the winter of 2021-2022. At this time, the teams train separately in their own mountains.

The national team of Kazakhstan from December 6 to 20 held training camps in the Tuyuk-su area.

Mountaineers of Kyrgyzstan continue to make difficult climbs in their native mountains, in Ala-Archa.

The Russian team under the leadership of its captain Alexander Yakovenko is in the Caucasus. Our climbers, according to the plan, go to the traverse of the Elbrus massif in the direction from West to East. It is planned to spend several nights (5 or 6) in "combat" conditions, including in the area of the summit.

Guide of the 7 Summits Club Alexander Dorojukov from the Elbrus region:

Hello everyone from Elbrus! Yesterday the group Winter Blitz, climbed to the top of Mount Elbrus! It was sunny and beautiful! And it was very cold. But that didn't stop us. We stood on the top and admired the beauty, at a temperature of -43 degrees.

The 7 Summits Club invites you to join our expedition to the Himalayas, which will aim to climb Mount Everest and Lhotse. Most of the participants will be those who, due to the regime of restrictions, could not fulfill their dream in 2020. The team is experienced and well-trained. Members continue training. You can still join the group.

You will have great partners!

Nikolai Cherny is 82 years old! A graduate of the legendary Moscow "Burevestnik" mountaineering school, a member of the first Soviet expedition "Everest-82", one of the leaders of the Soviet mountaineering and multiple climber in the Himalayas, the senior trainer of the most significant mountaineering expeditions of the new Millennium (the first ascent to the summit of Lhotse Middle in the spring of 2001, the first ascent on Northern face direct on Everest in the spring of 2004, the first ascent on the West face of K2 in the summer of 2007).

Uncle Kolya is a standard of wisdom generally accepted among mountaineers, as well as an example of maintaining physical fitness and interest in life.

Climbe ron the Himalayan eight-thousandth mountains:

- Everest twice as part of the 7 Summits Club expeditions in 2005 from Tibet, and in 2009 from Nepal;

- Kanchenjunga (1989, Deputy head of the expedition);

- Annapurna (1991);

- Shisha Pangma (1992);

- Lhotse Main (1997);

- Cho-Oyu (1999).

By climbing Mount Everest in 2009, Nikolai Cherny set two outstanding achievements: he became the oldest Russian (70 years old) on the highest peak in the World and the oldest guide in the World who managed to do it!

We congratulate Nikolai Dmitrievich, our close friend and senior comrade, the guide of our expeditions, including Everest! We wish You long years of health, new journeys and many happy days!

Dmitry Kuranov, member of the 7 Summits Club group:

...it's all over now. The moment of euphoria when you stand at the top and the whole continent is at your feet has already passed. How many doubts, preparations, and anticipations there were!

And now it's all over, just memories... and choose a new height and summits!

And it was amazing, indescribable, magical, fantastic! Kilimanjaro will always remain in my heart!

Photos and emotions from Dmitry Kuranov, who successfully climbed Kilimanjaro.

Dmitry managed to make the ascent in a unique time – almost alone with the mountain! During the entire ascent and at Uhuru Peak itself, they were  only one group, which is absolutely impossible in normal times.

In addition, Dmitry managed to capture unique footage of the traces of the fire that took place in mid-October in the Kilimanjaro National Park.

On the one hand, it is very scary to see a burnt-out forest, on the other hand, these shots are unique.

After a successful ascent and descent from the highest peak of the African continent Kilimanjaro (5895 m), the whole group is in a state of mild euphoria.

According to Igor Moshchuk:

It was sometimes a little heavy, but in general it was easier than I was afraid and I sooooooooo much liked it. Directly of the cosmic sense and unreal emotions. I only had a headache, which was quite bearable, and when it got worse, I took ibuprofen. Also took diacarb. Physically, I was well prepared and had no problems in this regard. It's not my first time living in a tent, so I got used to it quickly and slept well for the second night. From the point of view of the organization, everything was at high level in terms of care, nutrition, and camp organization. The local team is just super pros. In short, only positive!

And Yes. I've mapped out the next point. Orizaba.

Instead of 500 people who ascend Kilimanjaro peak (Uhuru peak, 5895 m) every day at normal times, now according to the National Park administration, an average of 8 people per day register a successful summit ascent.

Dreams come true sooner or later, one way or another! Many climbers, before deciding on the route, express their wishes to go along the least crowded path to enjoy the beauty in solitude and merge with nature!

Now it is possible!

You can go along one of the routes and not meet a single person!

A small group of the 7 Summits Club had just climbed the highest peak in Africa on the Marangu route.

According to them, it was amazing! Just you and mountains, and not a single person in any camp!

 The weather was beautiful. We enjoyed nature and solitude! We saw a lot of animals.

In addition, our climbers encountered traces of a fire in the Kilimanjaro National Park, many videos of which could be seen on YouTube a couple of weeks ago. The fire raged in the forest at an altitude of about 3500 m (between the camps of Mandara and Horombo, in the area of unique dendrosenecia).

The ashes of course are terrible, but  it is a unique sight! It's awfully interesting.

And the forest has already started to recover and in six months everything will be back as before.

Kilimanjaro is open and wait for you!

   A little positive news from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Two of our groups made successful ascents on Uhuru peak (which means "freedom" in Swahili), which is the highest point in Africa and crowns the Kilimanjaro volcano massive.

 The weather was different, there was also fog,  they have been rising among the clouds, but during the summit assault it was a clear night and the sun! Visibility from the top was excellent! The crater of the volcano is covered with intricate snow forms of weathering. Trails on the routes are free, there is no queue to take a cherished photo at the top!

 Now two more groups of the 7 Summits Club are starting on the Kilimanjaro climbing route.

A new group of the 7 Summits Club has arrived safely in Tanzania and is now climbing the slopes of Kilimanjaro.

  Before flying to Kilimanjaro and starting to climb, the team hung out for a couple of days on the Indian ocean in one of the hotels in Dars-es-Salaam (the former capital of Tanzania). There, in addition to the beach, they also managed to see several museums and plunge into the flavor of a large African city.

If you want to spend more time on the coast, you can also find something to do there. In addition to the ocean itself, you can visit the southern national parks and go on a luxury Safari.

The group ascends Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho route. This is the Western traverse with a high throw of up to 3500 m on the first day of the ascent. Then you will have to walk to the first camp for another 1-2 hours and from there you will see magnificent panoramas of the Shira plateau (one of the cones of the Kilimanjaro volcano) and mount Meru (the second highest in Tanzania).

Guide of the 7 Summits Club Andrey Berezin: The group "Pole pole": “perseverance and tenacity” -  that's our motto! Well, and a little bit of luck. The weather today was surprisingly favorable to us. Bottom line: we climbed on the top in the afternoon, at 2 p.m. We were alone on Mount Elbrus! This is so unusual. These types of mountains views you will not see in the summer when the air is not so clear. Today we could even see the Turkish coast. And we fully enjoyed the beauty of the Caucasus peaks. The season is over, winter is ahead with other standards.

Guide Alexander Dorojukov from the Elbrus region: a group of the 7 Summits Club under the Blitz program today climbed the Western Peak of Mount Elbrus. We were very lucky with the weather, it was quite warm. We climb up quickly and in a good mood. The breeze was light and the colors as always were amazing.

Our friend and companion on many 7 Summits Club expeditions Daniil Briman is not just a brewer, but a brewer of the highest category. Suffice it to mention that he is the Chairman of the Council of the Union of Russian Brewers! And he had a very good tradition – to brew a unique special beer dedicated to a specific mountaineering ascent and a specific summit. So the rapid blitz ascent on Elbrus ended with the following scene of taking snow from the top to prepare a new variety of beer:

These are our members! We are proud! Brewer Daniil Briman previously brewed with us and treated us to special beers: Everest, Denali and Mont Blanc.

By the way, the idea of a super-blitz on Elbrus was born in Daniil during our recent friendly expedition on Ararat, in a conversation with Alexander Abramov.

A guide of the 7 Summits Club Alexander Dorojukov from the Elbrus region: Greetings from the 7 Summits Club group named "Capable"! Well, what can I tell you, we climbed the summit. Blitz program without the use of a snowcat is a rarity. Yes, and it is in October! But we did it. The weather was perfect, with a light wind blowing in the morning.

Andrey Berezin, a guide of the 7 Summits Club from the Elbrus region:

Summit! The group of the 7 Summits Club climbed on the top of Mount Elbrus after two days of bad weather. We used a spare day for reaching the summit. The weather today surprised us: there was strong wind and deep snow. And suddenly, as an unexpected result - clear weather at the top!

The Elbrus climbing season is not over yet. Two small groups of the 7 Summits Club with guides Andrey Berezin and Alexander Avtomonov climbed the Pastukhov Rocks to a height of 5000 meters. Thus, they completed the acclimatization rotation before attempting the climb Western Peak of Mount Elbrus.

Greetings from the Elbrus region from the 7 Summits Club group "Mountain Lovers"! Today we climbed the Western Peak of Mount Elbrus. We used a spare day for this, as the previous day there was a strong wind forecast. We didn't regret it for a second. The conditions today were perfect: a colorful sunrise, wonderful mountain views, a slight breeze. We're going down now. Guide Alexander Dorojukov.

Andrey Berezin, guide of the 7 Summits Club from the Elbrus region: The new group of the 7 Summits Club started acclimatization rotation and preparation for the ascent on Elbrus. Today we visited Donguzorun Lake. Autumn in the Elbrus region is beautiful: warm weather, bright colors, and even a blooming rhododendron. Tomorrow we go up to the Refuge National Park, in the zone of ice and snow.

Hello! This is Boris Yegorov, the guide of group with news from the Elbrus region. Today, our team of old friends of the 7 Summits Club climbed the highest point of Europe, Mount Elbrus. The forecast for the day of ascent was so-so. But we were lucky, it was not true, it was calm and a lot of sun! Hurray!

Andrey Berezin, a guide of the 7 Summits Club from Elbrus region: News of the group "Crazy Beetles". Summit! Today we climbed the Western peak of Elbrus. The weather forecast was half justified: instead of the bright sun, a cloud "settled" on the top of Elbrus. That's why we didn't get to see the usual colorful panoramas. But even in the "cloud"  it was cool.