Alex Abramov

Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club from India:

 We're reporting on the two days we were without communication. The day before yesterday, we drove up to the gorge in a jeep and headed toward Ut-Kangri Base Camp. This is the highest peak in the Ladakh region – 6,075 meters. There were no people around. There was snow. We set up Base Camp at 5,100 meters. We decided not to waste time acclimatizing and went straight to the mountain. The ascent began at 7:00 AM. The route was initially easy over snow and rocks. Then, along a steep rocky ridge covered in snow. We reached the summit at 2:30 PM. It was difficult without acclimatization.

We returned to camp at 6:00 PM. It's cold and windy. But we did it!

Our new teams will be coming here next year. A fantastic program. The Indian Himalayas. Little Tibet. Buddhism and stupas. The Potala Palace and a 6,000-meter peak. It's all here, near the city of Leh.

Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club from India:

Today is a happy day. We've finished our dispute with the Indian army and police. And today is Lyuda and I's wedding anniversary. 24 years. In fact, 25 years together!

We flew to the town of Leh in Ladakh. It's a wonderful place. Reminds me of Skardu in Pakistan. We visited the monasteries. This is Tibet. The faith is Buddhist and Muslim, just like in Pakistan.

The language is similar to Sherpa and Gilgit. Tomorrow we're leaving to climb Mount Ut Kangri, 6,045 meters high. We're developing a new program. We'll be leading groups in the Indian Himalayas.

Get ready, comrades!

Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club from India:

  End of the criminal case: The judge found my actions to be illegal. But after learning that today is our 24th wedding anniversary, and that Lyuda and I have climbed Everest together 15 times, he decided to pardon me for the first time. Thanks to our Indian partners, who helped mitigate the sentence! However, fingerprints and palm prints, as well as profile and full-face photos, will forever remain in the Indian police archives.

  The judge asked that all travelers not bring GPS devices or satellite phones to India. Doing so will result in a hefty fine or three years in prison.

Lyuda and I are already flying to Leh to climb Ut Kangri (6045m), considered the easiest six-thousander. However, they say there's been an extreme amount of snowfall recently.

Alexander Abramov, leader of the "Super Dogs on Elbrus" expedition, reports from the Elbrus region:

 The Super Dogs project on Elbrus. SUMMIT!!! Today, October 18th, a historic event took place. Three Sherpa dogs, Mingma, Pemba, and Lhakpa, reached the summit of Elbrus, working as sled dogs. They pulled climbers Alexander Abramov, Viktor Simonov, and Ilya Gladkikh.

As a result, the team of three dogs and three climbers ascended from an altitude of 5,100 meters to the summit in 3.5 hours. It's interesting that these dogs pull sleds in winter, but they've never been to the mountains. So, Elbrus is their first summit as dogs. The weather was terrible. After the summit, we descended in a blizzard and 50 km/h winds.

The route was in rough firn conditions, with some ice in places. The dogs proved themselves heroes.

The 7 Summits Club President Alexander Abramov flew to Moscow for 24 hours. Our captain took part in the 7 Summits Club's 18th anniversary celebration and was back at the Elbrus Refuge this morning. The weather is excellent and sunny, but windy, and the slopes are icy. Temperatures at the summit are forecast to be -30 degrees Celsius with winds of 50 km/h. Tonight, the group will attempt to climb Elbrus on dogsleds.

Alexander Abramov, leader of the "Super Dogs on Elbrus" expedition, reports from the Elbrus region:

 Today, the 7 Summits Club Super Dogs team climbed to our Refuge ("National Park") on the slopes of Elbrus at an altitude of 3,800 meters. Everything was covered in snow. They were digging out the cabins. The dogs were the main attraction on the cable car.

We settled into the shelter. We were in the cabins, our Chukchi sled dogs were on the snow. Everyone was comfortable.

Today, we made a test hike with the dogs to Refuge 11. The dogs immediately started pulling up, just like they would in a sled on snow. The speed was actually twice as fast as without the dogs. They pulled even better on the snow than yesterday on the rocks at Cheget. And they're less distracted. So far, the experiment is going great.

Tomorrow we'll try to climb Pastukhov Rocks. The weather, frankly, is bad. A blizzard. But the dogs are used to it. In Chukotka, in winter, they pull sleds and sleep outside at -50 degrees. So, Elbrus is a real treat for them. It's like a resort. But they're not climbing alone...

Alexander Abramov, leader of the "Sherpa Dogs on Elbrus" expedition from the Elbrus region:

 Today, October 14th, we made our first acclimatization ascent with dogs to the slopes of Mount Cheget. The result exceeded all expectations. All four dogs moved briskly upwards and pulled reliably. The ascent speed doubled. We reached the Ai Café in an hour and a half. The dogs are all renowned. They've been on the North Pole, but this is their first time in the mountains. Well done!

Tomorrow we're climbing to the refuge at 3,800 meters. There, we'll acclimatize the dogs and the participants for three days. The dogs have protective goggles. They don't like them much, though, and try to rip them off. I hope they get used to them.

 And there's another problem: these are running sled dogs. They pull not only up but also down. And that's dangerous. So we're getting used to each other. And we're trying to agree that the dogs will walk down together and not drag each other down. We're filming a movie.

Alexander Abramov, Viktor and Makar Simonov, Ilya Gladkikh.

Alexander Abramov, leader of the "Sherpa Dogs on Elbrus" expedition from the Elbrus region:

 Today marks the beginning of a new and unusual expedition for the 7 Summits Club to Elbrus. We will be climbing with Sherpa sled dogs. The thing is, the Chukchi sled dogs have been given Sherpa names: Mingma, Pemba, Pasang, and Lakpa. Their owner, the renowned polar explorer Viktor Simonov, believes they are ready to climb Elbrus. We are once again breaking new ground in mountaineering. The hardest part today was checking the dogs in as luggage. It took all day. We rescheduled our tickets twice, thanks to Aeroflot for being so accommodating!

The expedition stayed at the Povorot Hotel and began preparing for the Elbrus climb. The hardest part so far has been figuring out how to train the dogs to wear glasses. They're still a novelty for them. The group is scheduled to summit Elbrus in a week.

Today marks the beginning of a new and unusual expedition to Elbrus by the 7 Summits Club. We'll be climbing with Sherpa sled dogs. The Chukchi sled dogs are named after the Sherpas: Mingma, Pemba, Pasang, and Lakpa. Their owner, the famous polar explorer Viktor Simonov, believes they're ready to climb Elbrus. We're exploring a new direction in mountaineering again. The hardest part today was checking the dogs in as luggage. It took all day. We rescheduled our tickets twice, thanks to Aeroflot for being so accommodating!

 It's now 9:40 PM. We'll arrive in Mineralnye Vody at 1:30 AM. So, I'll send photos of the dogs tomorrow. For now, just our exhausted faces.

We face a second problem: finding crampons for our dogs.

Alexander Abramov, leader of the "Sherpa Dogs on Elbrus" expedition.

Artem Gurshtein, a member of the 7 Summits Club and a fellow climber, has completed a unique ascent of Manaslu, which could be recognized as a world record in several categories.

 Artem Gurshteyn (report): "So, friends, I'm returning home! The ascent took less than 44 hours (base camp - summit - base camp). The ascent began on September 22, 2025, at 3:30 a.m. The summit was reached on September 23, 2025, at 6:06 a.m. Descent to base camp was on September 23, 2025, at 10:58 p.m.

Arrived at base camp on September 21, 2025, at 12:55 p.m.

Departed for Kathmandu on September 24, 2025, at 7:52 a.m. The entire tour lasted 2 days and 19 hours.

All in all, less than 4 days in my beloved Nepal; I've never had such a fast-paced trip.

The founders of 14peaks Company say it's worthy of a Guinness World Record - time will tell.

The mountain is incredibly beautiful. Manaslu is the 8th highest in the world. The highest eight-thousander in the world, 8,163 meters. I experienced a wide range of emotions upon reaching the summit and had the strength to admire the beauty in detail during the descent.

 Artem Gurshtein:

This story dates back to September 2022, when I was part of the Skolkovo team at Professor Volkov's week-long training, sports, education, and, for some, even thought-activity module, "Two Summits". There, I first encountered mountains (mostly volcanoes and hills), and at the end of the program, we completed a very challenging (for me, at least) ascent of Koryaksky Volcano (3,456 meters). By fate, I was climbing in tandem with Professor Andrey Volkov, a Master of Sports of International Class in mountaineering, recent president of the Russian Mountaineering Federation, and the first rector of the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management.

It was incredibly challenging psychologically, even though I was "attached" to the professor. I was safe, on the one hand, but the sense of responsibility for moving in unison and carefully measuring every step, so as not to, God forbid, stumble and drag the teacher down with me and end up on Wikipedia, took a lot of energy. And at that moment, this climb became one of the most difficult events of my life! Something definitely changed upon my return, but I didn't yet understand what...

Then I learned about the "7 Summits" program and the "7 Summits Club" company, led by Alex Abramov, and in October of that year I climbed Kilimanjaro, and in December and January, Vinson Massif in Antarctica. Then there was Giluwe in Papua, Everest, more week-long "Two Summits" modules in September in Kamchatka, and more volcanoes and challenges.

 While on the third Kamchatka module, I learned that Alex Abramov wants to set a world record for the fastest ascent of the seven highest volcanoes on seven mountains. continents of the planet. I liked the idea and wanted to compete with a renowned climber... In the end, we completed the program in the same time (66 days), climbing to the summit of Antarctica's last volcano together.

 And then this June, Alex calls me and tells me passionately that new records for speed climbing on Everest were set in May and that we could try to prepare for the "fast" Manaslu. And that this would soon change the whole game, and we wouldn't have to spend so much time living in base camps and polluting the environment, etc., etc. Alex's idea immediately resonated with me, and I began preparing – acclimatizing at home. I sleep in a tent, gradually gaining altitude (the highest I slept was at 6,500 meters) and do daily IHT (interval hypoxic training) using a portable GIPOX device (I've completed over 50 IHT sessions from 1 hour to 1 hour 40 minutes). Alex Abramov, of course, is a master; he knew where the fertile ground was, where he could plant his next adventure))) An adventurer can spot another adventurer from afar.

In fact, the ingredients of this soup, called "Quick Manaslu," aren't complicated:

- idea (Alex Abramov) – 50%

- sleep in a hypoxic tent (400+ hours) – 20%

- Gipox IHT (70+ hours) – 20%

- discipline, morning exercises, faith in the outcome (foolishness and courage in common parlance), communication with professionals, support from family and friends… - 10%.

With Alex Abramov in Antarctica

 Greetings from Manaslu! The results of the 2025 expedition, and most importantly, the entire team reached the summit. 12 of us! Plus Borya Egorov and Alexey Sivkov, who were also with us. We'd like to highlight Dima Pilshchikov's record. He arrived in Kathmandu on September 20th and reached the summit on the 25th without acclimatization rotations. It wasn't easy, but he didn't give up. He underwent a short xenon therapy course in Moscow beforehand. Olya Rumyantseva attempted the ascent without oxygen and reached almost the summit (8,046 m). Artem Gurshteyn, a member of the 7 Summits Club, reached the summit of Manaslu in 44 hours from Base Camp. He also completed a short hypoxic training course beforehand. He consulted with us when preparing for his ascent. The other team members also did a great job, ascending and descending at a good pace, without any delays.

This is already my 17th summit above 8000 meters in my career. 12 Everests, 3 Cho Oyu (once without oxygen), and 2 Manaslu. I don't know if there are any other climbers in Russia who have summited 8000 meters peaks 17 times? Please respond.

The 2025 Manaslu expedition was successful, comfortable, and fast. I look forward to seeing everyone on Everest in the spring of 2026!

Congratulations to our climbers from the first group! They enjoyed excellent weather and, ahead of everyone else, were the first to reach the summit that day, September 24th. The queue was terrifying; standing at 8,150 meters and waiting was nothing to be envied. As usual, many participants will be rushing home after the summit, so congratulations and awards were distributed on the first evening together at base camp.

Our second group, led by Andrey Berezin, also made it to the summit. Its members are spending the night at Camps 2 and 1. We await information about their descent to base camp tomorrow so we can send them well-deserved congratulations!

Early this morning, the first group of the 8000 Club expedition, led by Alexander Abramov, reached the summit of Manaslu. Six climbers were involved: Roman Sklyar, Evgeny Fedorov, Alexey Aksyonov, Daniele Wolfson, Vladislav Khomkov, and Farid Sagutdinov. Alexander Abramov also served as guide and leader. And, of course, thanks to our high-altitude Sherpa guides! The first group is descending; they almost reached Camp 2 at 12:00 Moscow time.

The second group, led by guide Andrey Berezin, is ascending to Camp 4 at 7,300 meters to begin their summit bid that night.

Alexander Abramov's report: Teams 1 and 2 have reached Camp 1. Altitude: 5,600 meters. We ascended from Base Camp in four hours. Getting ready for dinner. Everything is great. Guides: Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin. 

The team is preparing to climb Manaslu. We've split into two teams. The first (7 people) is led by Alexander Abramov and is scheduled to summit on September 24th. The second (6 people) is led by Andrey Berezin and is scheduled to summit on September 25th.

The weather is favorable, with a good weather window promised. There will definitely be traffic jams along the route, as these are likely the only five days when the summit will be possible. The weather will worsen after September 26th-27th.

We won't be taking Starlink with us to avoid distractions from the climb. Expect results on September 24th-25th.

Manaslu 2025. On the second rest day at Base Camp, we conducted training with oxygen equipment. Participants learned many interesting nuances of using this equipment.

The weather is improving in the coming days. We have already drawn up an ascent plan, dividing the expedition into three parts:

September 21 - We leave for Camp 1 (Groups 1 and 2).

September 22 - Group 1 goes to Camp 3, Group 2 goes to Camp 2, Group 3 goes to Camp 1.

September 23 - Group 1 - Camp 4; Group 2 - Camp 3; Group 3 - Camp 3.

September 24 - Group 1 - summit push; Group 2 - Camp 4; Group 3 - Camp 4.

September 25 - Groups 2 and 3 - summit push.

Group guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Manaslu 2025. Yesterday we reached Camp 2 at 6,300 meters. A terrible snowfall began in the evening. The tents were torn apart, and we had to shake them clean of wet snow all night.

In the morning, the wet snow continued to fall. Both the trail and the ropes were buried. The snow was knee-deep. All night I recalled avalanches on Manaslu. Back in 2008, I think, 22 people were buried at Camp 2. And then a few years later, 16 people at Camp 3. So, we decided to begin our descent before we were buried too.

Wet snow along the way, and rain at Base Camp. All our clothes were soaked. The only good thing is that the team completed the acclimatization plan. We spent the night at 6,300 meters. Many of us had headaches. Now we'll rest for three days at Base Camp. And after September 20th, when the route is ready, we'll set out for the summit push.

Avalanches are constantly falling from all the couloirs around Base Camp. And by the way, our team still hasn't seen the summit of Manaslu, as the route is covered in clouds, fog, snow, and rain.

Expedition guides: Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Manaslu News. The 8000 Club expedition team reached Camp 2 at 6,300 meters today. The climb wasn't easy, with climbers scaling vertical walls and queuing for the remaining fixed ropes. Wet snow is falling constantly, so everything is wet. Visibility is none. Avalanche-prone slopes are constantly being cleared of snow. But we're holding on for now. Tomorrow we'll reach Camp 3 at 6,650 meters and then descend directly to Base Camp.

Expedition guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

The main part of the team of the Club 8000 expedition to Manaslu after the puja climbed to Camp 1. This is a real high-altitude camp at an altitude of 5642 meters. It is equipped with the maximum possible comfort for such conditions. As usual, we have the best service compared to other companies. The team will stay overnight in this place. Tomorrow, the ascent to Camp 2 at an altitude of 6300 meters. There, the night will be spent and the next day, September 17, the ascent to the 7000-meter mark and descent to the base camp. After which the team will rest and calculate the best weather window for storming the summit.

Today, a festive puja ceremony was held at the Manaslu Base Camp. This is the consecration of our expedition. Two lama priests came. The whole team not only received a blessing, but also blessed our equipment. They tied red ropes on us. Today we are heading out to Camp 1 (5600 m) and then the next day to Camp 2 (6300 m). We spend the night. We reach Camp 3 and on the same day, September 17, we plan to descend down to the Base Camp.

Guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.