Tati Posokhina

 Mount Elbrus has always been a challenge — not only for physical strength, but also for willpower. In September, I decided to undertake an experiment: to climb both summits of Elbrus while completely fasting. Five days — only water, herbal tea, and a little honey.

The idea of a “hunger ascent” was not accidental. I wanted to test the possibilities of the human body, to better understand how the respiratory system works at high altitude, and finally to overcome my altitude sickness. In previous expeditions, I noticed that eating consumed too much of my body’s energy: digestion drained my strength, food pressed on my diaphragm, and breathing became harder. Without food, however, I felt the opposite — lightness, full and easy breathing, high oxygen saturation, and no headaches. This contrast became the key discovery of my experiment.

The idea was not reckless: Alexander Abramov, the founder of the 7 Summits Club, once carried out a similar experiment, reaching the 5,642-meter Western Summit, and his experience inspired me. Abramov supported my decision and gave me recommendations, while the leader of our expedition, Alexander Dorojukov, agreed to oversee my attempt.

Diary of the Hunger Ascent

Day 1.
A group of 20 participants gathers at a long table. Hot dishes, aromas, laughter. I sit with only a cup of tea and honey in my hands. Physically, there is little hunger, but the habit of “eating together” becomes the main temptation.

Day 2.
The body begins to adapt in the mountains. Breathing becomes easier, as if my lungs have expanded. Walking feels comfortable, energy is steady. Hunger only shows up when I look at others eating.

Day 3.
Oxygen saturation — 97. I feel clear-headed and energized. No signs of fatigue. The main struggle is mental: not with hunger, but with habit.

Day 4.
A rest day before the summit push. My mind is filled with thoughts of food. I dream of homemade dumplings. But my body feels strong, light, ready for the night climb.

Day 5. Summit Push.
Sleepless night.
03:00 a.m. The start is slow because of groups ahead of us. This works in my favor: my body warms up gradually. Later the pace increases, and I feel incredible lightness.
• Eastern Summit — 5,621 m. Oxygen saturation — 96, which is a personal record (normally at altitude my readings were only 85–90).
• Western Summit — 5,642 m. The traverse took 1.5 hours, including a break for rest and changing clothes.

Not a single sign of altitude sickness: no headache, no weakness. My lungs breathe freely, and I am full of energy.

Experiment Results
• Complete absence of altitude sickness.
• Clear breathing and ease of movement.
• High oxygen saturation (96) at the summit.
• No fatigue or muscle pain, even after the climb.
• Plenty of energy, mental clarity.
• The body coped without any medication, vitamins, or supplements.

Achievement

I became the the first American woman to complete a hunger ascent of Elbrus, reaching both summits in a single push.

The greatest result for me: I finally overcame my “altitude sickness.” For many times it had ruined my expeditions, lowering my oxygen saturation and forcing me to retreat. Several pulmonary edemas, reanimation. But here, on Hunger Elbrus, I proved to myself that I could go farther and higher.

Conclusion

This hungry experiment was not just a sports record, but a way to unlock new possibilities of the human body. Elbrus showed me: strength does not always come from feeding the body — sometimes it comes from freeing it instead, and trusting its hidden reserves.

Facts About the Ascent
• Mountain: Elbrus (Caucasus, Russia)
• Summit altitudes:
• Eastern Summit — 5,621 m
• Western Summit — 5,642 m
• Summit push start: 03:00 a.m.
• Traverse time between summits: 1.5 hours (including rest and clothing change)
• Oxygen saturation at summit: 96
• Nutrition: water, herbal tea, honey
• Additional: no medication, vitamins, or supplements
• Unique feature: first female hungry ascent of both Elbrus summit.

Tatyana Posokhin, representative of the 7 Summits Club in the USA:

Hello everyone! Day 5 of my Hungry Elbrus. The day of the ascent. The night was sleepless. The start was at 3 am. I feel great, cheerful, in anticipation!

The start of the route was a bit drawn out, we walked slowly because of the previous teams ahead, which basically gave the body time to warm up, so that it could run up later!

 The result of the hungry experiment:

You also need to take into account that I had not trained for a whole month due to illness (and I arrived on the expedition not having fully recovered yet):

- I quickly recovered from the illness: the cough and nasal congestion went away;

- the ascent itself was very easy for me;

- breathed deeply the whole way;

no altitude sickness or its symptoms;

- no headache;

- no fatigue;

- lots of energy and strength;

- no hunger;

- saturation at the very top 96;

- no clouding of consciousness either;

- climbed two peaks at once (if there had been a third peak, I would have run to it too), the journey from the East to the West took 1.5 hours, taking into account a stop for rest and changing;

- even without taking any medications or supplements, dietary supplements, vitamins, my body feels better than ever and there is no muscle pain after the climb.

It turns out that I became the first Russian and the first American woman to climb Elbrus on two peaks at once without food.

 And my main result: I overcame my altitude sickness. Those who know me, I have had enough defeats, both because of my lungs and failed ascents precisely because of altitude sickness. I have never had saturation above 86-90 at altitudes under the best of circumstances. I have done a colossal amount of work on myself, on my willpower, on all the difficulties.

But the result amazed me and brought me to new heights!

Tatiana Posokhin, representative of the 7 Summits Club in the USA: Hello everyone! I am taking part in the 7 Summits Club expedition on Elbrus under the leadership of Alexander Dorojukov. I am also voluntarily taking part in my own challenge and experiment on myself - to make a hungry ascent in the footsteps of Alexander Abramov. Alexander himself supported my idea and gave me instructions and recommendations. From yesterday evening to this evening I have not consumed anything except liquid and honey. The temptation of food is present everywhere, considering that all 19 expedition members eat delicious food. But I can eat every day, but a hungry ascent is a separate kind of pleasure that does not happen in life on a regular basis.

Greetings from Alaska!  Denali climbing season officially wraps up!

The last two independent summiteers of the season Lukas Jasensky and Petr Halasta from Czech Republic stopped by our 7 Summits Club office in Talkeetna. These incredibly strong climbers topped out on Denali via the legendary Cassin Ridge — an impressive feat to close out the season! Huge congratulations on such an amazing achievement!

This year, Denali saw a 35% success rate among all climbers. We at the 7 Summits Club are truly grateful to be part of the amazing Talkeetna community. It’s been a fantastic season working here, meeting mountaineers from all over the world, and celebrating their achievements on North America’s highest peak. Thank you all for visiting us and sharing your journeys!

Until next season — keep reaching for new heights!

Talkeetna, Alaska, celebrates the 4th of July with a parade on Main Street! It doesn’t get dark in early July in Talkeetna, so the town doesn’t do a fireworks display to celebrate Independence Day. The lack of fireworks, however, doesn’t mean a lack of holiday spirit. The main event was a festive parade through downtown, complete with American flags, floats, live music and ice cream!

News from Talkeetna. A day at the 7 Summits Club: Today was all about the simple joys and routine work at our Talkeetna base. We kept busy handling daily logistics — and even had a surprise visitor: a curious fox dropped by to say hello! We wrapped up the day with some peaceful evening fishing. Alaska keeps us smiling.

 Today in Talkeetna, the 7 Summits Club swapped the mountain trails for fishing rods and rifles! We kicked things off with some sporty fishing (the fish are still laughing), then sharpened our aim with a little sport shooting, and ended the day feasting like true mountain legends. What a blast!

Today the 7 Summits Club office in Talkeetna welcomed Sean Tracy, Denali135 & Denali100K Race Director and the first person to travel under historic own power from the lowest to the highest point in North America. In 2019 he also became the first person to run the 135 Mile Denali Highway with running partner Bill McCue. 

In 1997 Sean climbed Mt. Denali with started point at 282 feet below sea level at Death Valley.

He bicycled more than 3,600 miles, hiked through forests and crossed the chilly water of mountain streams. He survived tricky encounters with wildlife and negotiated treacherous mountain glaciers.

His expedition started March 21. He reached the mountaintop on June 21.

It was a true honor to meet such a legendary person in our office!

Thank you, Sean, for being such an inspiration to our generations!

6/22.  The 7 Summits Club office in Talkeetna welcomed Barrett McMurtry and Pat Monday from USA.

They climbed Mt. McKinley independently in just 9 Days! Super strong team! Big congratulations on your achievement! Keep climbing!

 6/22. Today the 7 Summits Club also welcomed climber Rinat Rahimkhanov from Azerbaijan who summited Mt. McKinley twice (!) this season. Congratulations on your successful climbs! It is absolutely a great achievement!

News from Alaska. Exploring Denali National Park, where wild is still wild. One road, and six million acres to roam. At 20,310 ft, Denali is North America’s tallest — and still growing! Only 30% of visitors ever see the summit. Moose, grizzlies, wolves, and eagles rule the land.

No fences. No signal. Just nature. Midnight sun in summer, auroras in winter. This is Denali — raw, free, and unforgettable.

Tati Posokhina, representative of the 7 Summits Club in Alaska:

6/20- Today is the summer solstice! Here in Talkeetna, Alaska, we’re soaking up 22 hours of daylight — and the sun barely dips below the horizon!

No need for flashlights — just endless golden skies, midnight hikes and kisses, and sunshine that never sleeps.

6/20- News from Alaska.  Today the 7 Summits Club in Talkeetna welcomed our dear friends and climbers from India who successfully summited Mt. McKinley on June 16 Muthamil Selvi Narayanan and Shaikh Hassan Khan.

Narayanan is the first Tamil woman who competed the 7 Summits project. And Shaikh Hassan Khan  is the first Malayali man from Kerala state who competed the 7 Summer project.

This is a huge achievement and we are honored to congratulate you personally!!!

Wishing you both good luck in your new projects!

6/19- News from Alaska. 2nd group of 7 Summits Club with Lyudmila Korobeshko is getting to fly out to the Kahiltna Glacier/ Base Camp of Denali. Real adventures is about to begin.

6/18- This season in Alaska for the 7 Summits Club is pretty busy. We meet and welcome climbers from around the world. They share their climbing stories and we share ours! 

Today we are happy to welcome and award other international groups of climbers who successfully made it to the summit of Mt. McKinley. 

 Qiao Yang, Dmitri Gordeev, Tom Mcgibbca and Thomas Hanski from USA, England and Russia, summited on June 17.

Kyriakos Avgoustis from Greece summited on June 14.

Tomasz Maciaszczyk from Poland summited on June 14.

Pavel Eframov from USA summited on June 14.

Congratulations on your big achievements! Keep climbing!

6/16 - 7 Summits Club in Talkeetna is not just an office, it’s a place where climbers from around the world can meet each other and unite. Today we welcomed our old friend Tashi Lakra Sherpa. Our President Alex Abramov awarded him with a medal for his successful Denali summit back to 2017!

Today Tashi left for his another McKinley climb! Wishing you good weather and good luck!

6/16 - Another Big News from Alaska! New Day- New Achievements!

The 7 Summits Club is proud to welcome in our Talkeetna office another Denali Summiters, independent American climbers: Danny Innamorati, Daniel Bateman and Daniel Langemann. 

Innamoratti and Bateman climbed McKinley via Cassin Ridge, which is a challenging and iconic alpine climb and considered one of the most sought-after big mountain climbs in North America. It's a direct, 9,000-foot ascent on the South Face, requiring technical ice and rock-climbing skills. The route is known for its steepness, commitment, and limited escape option!!!

It’s a huge achievement! Congratulations! Well-deserved summit!!!

6/15 - exciting news from Alaska! Today 7 Summits Club is thrilled to welcome and award special guest and climber Alfa Karina Arrué!

She is the first person and first woman from El Salvador who successfully summited Mt. Denali - on June 13 at 5:20am! She did it independently and in just 7 days!

Alfa Karina also is the first person and first woman from El Salvador who successfully summited Mt. Everest in 2022.

Big congratulations on these achievements!

6/14- Denali Summits Keep Rolling In! It’s a busy and exciting season at the 7 Summits Club office in Talkeetna! We’re proudly welcoming climbers who’ve reached the top of Denali, North America’s highest peak and honoring each one with a medal and certificate.

Today, we awarded two strong climbers from Bulgaria - Aleksandra Latunova and Dimitar Kovachev for their successful ascent on June 11 at 6 pm.

Congratulations on this incredible achievement!

Climb. Summit. Be recognized.

6/13- The 7 Summits Club team went out fishing. We didn’t catch any fish, but instead we caught a stunning sunset over the mountains: Foraker, Hunter, and Denali.

6/13- Greetings from Alaska!  Another Summit Success:

Six Russian Climbers Stand on Top of Denali on June 11! An incredible achievement! Six dedicated mountaineers have successfully reached the summit of McKinley - the tallest peak in North America. The 7 Summits Club proudly congratulated the team at our Talkeetna office, where each climber was awarded a medal and certificate to honor their strength, courage, and determination.

Well done, champions of the heights!

Nikolai Zaiakin

Ilgiz Gilyazev

Vladimir Valkovich 

Georgiy Shulepov 

Ilya Maslov

Ivan Alentsev.