Yelkov Alexandr

On October 2, 2024, at 22:50, the ship "Argus" with the Transglobal Car expedition on board entered Wolfis Bay in Namibia. So we can consider that another stage of the journey is over. On the 268th day of the expedition, on the morning of October 3, the team landed on the coast of Namibia.

The African stage was divided into two parts. From Morocco in the north, having covered more than 7 thousand kilometers across the Atlantic Ocean, the team moved to the south of the continent. There are 42 days of adventure ahead. Then from Cape Town the cars and crews on the same "Argus" will move to South America, to Punta Arenas.

In the meantime, the route goes along the West Coast of Namibia, through one of the largest and most uncompromising deserts in the world, called the Namib. For climbing, they found the longest dune in the world here. At +40, this is not easy.

Don't miss the opportunity to admire the photos from the mountain travel of the MAI tourist club team led by Sergey Romanenkov in the Karakoram. We have already written that during this route the group members climbed the eight-thousander Gasherbrum-II, which in itself is a world-class achievement. Without additional oxygen and practically without a processed route (the seasonal ropes melted). This is only part of the group's route. Read the details, and most importantly - look at the excellent quality photos. A true mountain lover should not miss this!

Trailer for the documentary multi-part film Oxygen. Everest! Coming soon to the Premier online cinema!

 After storming the highest peaks in the world and the tragic expedition to Broad Peak, Vitaly Lazo, who has completed more than 40 high-altitude expeditions during his career, including the first ascent in Antarctica, sets off on a new dangerous journey.

 Together with his friend, Anton Pugovkin, they plan to conquer Everest without oxygen and ski down from the summit. But the ascent itself is not an end in itself. There are other reasons why Vitaly goes to the summit...

 This is an adventure on the edge of possibilities, on the edge of reason, on the edge of life...

The President of the 7 Summits Club Alexander Abramov has adjusted the previously announced project "Seven Volcanoes in Seven Months". Indeed, if a record is to be set, it should be extreme, at least in its part. Seven months is too easy, it can be halved!

 Alexander Abramov plans to climb the highest volcanoes on all continents in less than 100 days. This will be "Project 99". On October 1, Alexander sets off with a group to climb the Giluwe volcano (Australian continent). And he intends to finish on the Antarctic mountain Mount Sidley in early January 2025.

 Good luck, Сaptain!

You can join our leader and take part in a real world record. There are places in almost all groups. And if there is no group, you can join our hero as a fan.

 October 1-6. Alex Abramov will lead the 7 Summits Club group to climb Giluwe volcano.

 On October 10, Moscow will host an Evening dedicated to the 7 Summits Club's birthday. The President's presence is mandatory.

 October 12-13. These days are set aside for climbing Elbrus. The logistics are still unclear. Most likely, there will be an attempt at climbing SUPER BLITZ - 24 hours from the airport and back.

 October 17-24. Damavand volcano, it is still unclear what program can be agreed upon with the Iranian host.

 November 1-8. The highest volcano in Africa - Kilimanjaro. The 7 Summits Club group climbs the Marangu route.

 NEXT - An emergency flight to Mexico. Alexander catches up with the SUPER GIRLS project group

 November 7-16. Climbing Orizaba volcano according to the SUPER GIRLS project program!

 December 10-24. The first group of the 7 Summits Club season on Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano in the world.

 December 27, 2024 - January 10, 2024. New Year in Antarctica. Climbing Mount Sidley.

 With ideal completion of all routes, it will take about 95 days from the first summit to the final one.

 Alexander Abramov can safely be called the "godfather" of the Seven Volcanoes program. It was the president of the 7 Summits Club who conceived, and our company carried out, the historic 2011 expedition on Mount Sidley. Since the scientific discovery of this highest volcano in Antarctica, no one had been there. As a result of the 2011 ascent, the first people to climb all seven volcanoes appeared. These were the participants of our expedition, the experienced Italian climber Mario Trimeri and the 16-year-old Romanian girl Crina (Coco) Popescu. And this was the real start of the "Seven Volcanoes" program. Russia, represented by our company, is the world leader in the number of climbers who have climbed all seven volcanoes of the project. At the moment, out of 46 who have completed the project, 14 represent our country. There is something to be proud of!

 The most important historical photo of the "Seven Volcanoes" project. 2011, at the top of Sidley are standing the expedition leader Alexander Abramov and the first people to climb all "seven volcanoes" Mario and Coco.

This year, we invited Ilya Gladkikh, a talented video-operator and film author, to the Everest expedition. We were invited him to make our reporting materials at a high professional level. We received the first results directly from the event sites. Watch our channel. It took time to edit the film, and now a big movie is on the way. The premiere is coming soon – let's wait a little longer.

 Kathmandu is a bright, unusual and very interesting city. The capital of Nepal, from which expeditions to the Summits of the Himalayas start. Kathmandu is a real "mecca" for climbers, a point of attraction for mountain lovers from all over the world.

We invite you to plunge into the atmosphere of this mysterious city with its unique flavor: Buddhist stupas and temples, a kaleidoscope of cars and people, the smells of burning candles and garlands of colorful sacred flags.

You will find all this in our video, and we hope you will feel the mood of the city.

The 7 Summits Club is shocked by the news of sudden Vitaly Simonovich's death. This is one of our best friends, who walked with us along a wonderful route through the "seven summits", through the "seven volcanoes" and through the two poles. Here is such a "Grand Slam"! It seems that Vitaly was the first in the world who succeeded.  A successful businessman, an organizer of production, an organizer of trips to the mountains of his employees and friends, an athlete pilot, an accomplished person in all respects. We grieve! We met only recently and awarded him our orders. We can't believe!

The Seven Volcanoes program, climbing the highest volcanoes of all continents

 Kilimanjaro, February 26, 2011

Damavand, June 14, 2012

Elbrus, August 02, 2012

Sidley, January 19th, 2013

Giluve, September 14, 2013

Orizaba, December 07, 2013

Ojos Del Salado, December 19, 2013.

The project “Seven Summits” of climbing the highest peaks of all continents

Kilimanjaro, February 26, 2011

Aconcagua, 05 February 2012

Elbrus, August 02, 2012

Vinson, December 25, 2012

Everest, May 19, 2013

Denali, June 06, 2013

Carstensz, September 26, 2013.

Kosciusko, 07/10/2013.

Two poles in autonomous ski trips according to the "Last Degree" program

South Pole, January 07, 2013

North Pole, April 10, 2014.

The 2024 expeditions of the 7 Summits Club (led by Alexander Abramov) and the 8000 Club (led by Viktor Volodin) on Everest have been successfully completed.  The vast majority of the participants achieved their goal and climbed to the highest peak of our planet. Once again, we congratulate them and intend to congratulate them at least twice more: at the event of our Club and at the evening of the Russian Mountaineering Federation.

Thanks to everyone who helped us organize the expeditions!

Thanks to our Sherpa friends, without whose strength and skill the picture would be somewhat different!

The ascents were very difficult. The 8000 Club expedition was simply blocked by strong winds for one day at the assault camp on the South Col. And the next day, the team made the ascent in far from the most favorable conditions. As well as the team of Alexander Abramov (7 Summits Club).  We did not receive ideal conditions. It was hard, but we managed.  We invite all participants to join us on new journeys! Especially those who didn't get Everest this time.

17 May

Mr. Denis Grachev 7:22 AM

Mr. Sergei Mikhalev 7:22 AM

Mr. Adrian Ahritculesei 7:22 AM

Mr. Konstantin Simon 7:22 AM

Mr. Pemba Nurbu Sherpa 7:22 AM

Mr. Lakpa Nurbu Sherpa 7:22 AM

Mr. Lakpa Sherpa 7:22 AM

Mr. Nima Dindu Sherpa 7:22 AM

18 May

Mr. Aleksei Aksenov 6:30 AM

Mr. Andrei Golov 6:30 AM

Mr. Andrey Fedorov 6:30 AM

Ms. Elizaveta Berezina 6:30 AM

Mr. Andrei Naibauer 6:30 AM

Mr. German Koshelev 6:30 AM

Mr. Nikolai Shipilov 6:30 AM

Mr. Rinjen Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Dawa Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Dawa Geljen Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Ngima Thindu Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Lakpa Galu Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Mingdukpa Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Chhiring Tashi Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Pasang Gelu Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Milan Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Ngima Tenje Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Nima Dorchi Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Chhewang Sherpa 6:30 AM

Mr. Pasang Sherpa 6:30 AM

LEONID KORABLEV 7800 m  15 May

VICTOR VOLODIN 7900 m  15 May

ALEXANDER ABRAMOV 18 MAY 8600 m

Successful ascent of Mount Everest as part of the 8000 Club group (head Viktor Volodin) Denis Grachev has completed a program of ascents to the highest peaks of all continents -The Seven Summits. Congratulations! Denis did it "according to Kosciuszko's version." Therefore, we not only congratulate him, but also invite him to join our expedition to the summit of the Carstensz Pyramid next year.

Denis is 50 years old, a Muscovite, a veteran of law enforcement agencies, and professes a lifestyle that is sympathetic to us. That is, adventures of various kinds. Motorcycle, parachute, mountaineering…

 On May 10th, about ten days ago, an assault attempt was made on Kangchenjunga. The expedition members followed the ropes group from camp 7300. But from the height of 7800, everyone went down - huge snows, the danger of avalanches, stormy winds. The mountain was never hung with fixed ropes to the top.

On May 18, four Sherpas tried to break through from Camp 2 (6,400) to Camp 3 (7,300), and double-check the ropes that had gone under the snow. They couldn't. Today, the enlarged ropes team tried again - unsuccessfully.

 Sergey Seliverstov and Alina Pekova continue to stay at the base camp at 5500. Alla Mishin was taken out successfully and literally by accident on an insurance sanitary flight. The treatment in Kathmandu went without problems, but it is impossible to return back in a reasonable way: the mountain is too far away, difficult, high and unpopular. There are no passing flights, a separate flight costs $ 6,500 and there has been no weather that will allow it to fly a very long distance, four five thousand passes along the way, for a week. As a result, Alla dropped out of the Kanche team. Sergey and Alina continue to keep fit, making training rotations to 6200, still waiting for the weather window.

 This morning, the ascent on the summit of Mount Everest was made by members of the 8000 Club group Adrian Ahritculesei (Romania), Denis Grachev, Sergey Mikhalev and Konstantin Simon. Now this group, together with Viktor Volodin, spends the night in Camp 2 at an altitude of 6500. Alex Abramov's group went up to the assault camp and was already supposed to go on the ascent. Dmitry Moskalev also went up to the assault camp. But he has a different aim and a different camp. He must go out to storm the summit of Lhotse. Good luck to everyone!

On May 8, 2024, a historic chess tournament was held at the Everest base camp, which was attended by professional chess players and amateurs, climbers and walkers, Russians and Nepalese. It is very important that the competition was held according to all sports rules, under the close supervision of professional referee Sergey Moiseev. The parties had a very strict time limit, but they were not only recorded, but also broadcast over the Internet. All possible difficulties were overcome, and in the end we got an event that we at the 7 Summits Club have the right to be proud of.

Full gallery (171 pictures)

Full tournament record from the Russian Mountaineering Federation

Fragments of a chess tournament

Awarding

The 7 Summits Club congratulates our friends and comrades from the Transglobal Car expedition on completing the Arctic stage of their record-breaking route! We remind you that one of the authors of the idea and initiator of the project is the President of the 7 Summits Club, Alexander Abramov, who took part in the first stage – a run through the northern regions of the United States. He was not allowed to enter Canada in a sneaky way, canceling his valid visa right at the border without reason.

   The Arctic stage began on February 8, when the team left the Canadian town of Yellowknife. On February 22, the expedition left solid ground and entered the ice of the Arctic Ocean. A team consisting of 13 people went on a route on all-terrain vehicles "Ymelya". On April 6, the North Pole was reached and the expedition turned south towards Greenland. On May 10, the shore of this largest island in the world was reached. Further along the way, our expedition was accompanied by the Danish military, who demanded non-stop movement to the final point of the Arctic stage of the Nord Station military base. April 11 was the final day. In 80 days of a unique, record-breaking crossing, the expedition covered a distance of 6141 km.

  Vasily Shakhnovsky, the final message of the Arctic stage of the expedition:

As I expected, we were forbidden to take photos and videos at the base. They collected passports and conducted a full-fledged search of cars for weapons. Vaudeville developed in parallel with our departure. The police insisted that we leave Greenland as soon as possible. As a result, in exchange for agreeing to leave today, they will help us with putting the cars in order.

  In the end, 6 people are leaving today: Badulin, Safonov, Zaitsev, Andrew, Gavrilov and I. The remaining six are Elagin, Vankov, Ershov, Obihod, Dubinin and Larin. They stay for one day, put the cars in order and put them on conservation and fly to Svalbard tomorrow. There will be no photos of the base. But I want to say that the order here is perfect. Despite all the fears, in the end everything was agreed. We are sitting now, waiting for the plane.

  We took off safely and landed in Svalbard two hours later.

We stopped to take a collective photo against the background of Yemelyas.

More information about the expedition:

Transglobal Car Expedition Website

Expedition route

Facebook

Instagram

Alla Mishina conveyed the following information.

Kangchenjunga, 05/11/2024.  Message from Sergey Seliverstov:

"Yesterday at 19.30 everyone went out to storm the summit. We turned around from 7700m - a lot of snow, avalanche danger. We went down to the Base Camp".

The 7 Summits Club has always been at the forefront of the technical development of the Everest base camp. The first attempt to conduct Internet broadcasts from a high-altitude base was carried out back in 2006. These are already legends. A new step has been taken this year. High-speed Internet has reached not only the base camp, but also Camp 2 at 6600. We get an absolutely television picture from the base camp. A fantasy that has become reality.

Ivan Dusharin was an amazing man. He is always friendly and considerate, and at the same time an outstanding organizer, an authoritative leader. An engineer-inventor, a technician, and at the same time the author of books full of poetic attitude to mountains, to nature, to the fate of man. He has never been among the stars of mountaineering, but any athlete can envy his achievements.

 The 7 Summits Club has always been proud of its friendship with this outstanding man. And especially by the fact that he worked for us periodically as a guide.  We also remember our joint ascents of Mount Everest, Ojos del Salado and Vinson. And, of course, our joint record-breaking campaign "Seven Summits - in less than a year”, in 292 days. This is still the record for the speed of climbing all the highest peaks of the continents by one team. Only singles walked faster.

At 11 pm Moscow time, our friends from the Transglobal Car Expedition arrived at the North Pole. This is a significant milestone in their incredible journey. There are still many challenges, worries, and problems ahead, but we can take a moment to celebrate! We congratulate our friends and are proud to call them our friends. Good luck on your way, and may fortune smile upon you!

 On March 28, the staff and friends of the 7 Summits Club and the 8000 Club summed up the results of the last season at the Winter 2024 After Party. We talked about our achievements over the past six months in Antarctica and South America. Those who closed the "Seven Psummits" and "Seven Volcanoes" programs over the past year were awarded.

And then we met the onset of a new season of climbing and trekking. Our climbing teams on Everest (two groups), Dhaulagiri, Lhotse and Kanchenjunga were solemnly conducted! Thanks to everyone who came and shared this little holiday with us!

The Transglobal Car Expedition continues despite the fact that one of its leaders, Alexander Abramov, had to leave it for a while due to the lawlessness of the Canadian authorities.  On March 21, the team covered 63 kilometers across the ice of the Arctic Ocean and got 55 kilometers closer to the pole. Now there are less than 700 km to the North Pole! The expedition set up camp at 83 degrees 47” north latitude. Fuel supplies are expected to be received from the air here.

 In general, the pace of progress has been stable over the past 10 days, thanks to the ice reconnaissance service. Only a couple of days were hampered by the lack of visibility and ice hummocks. One day there was a need to stop for a small repair. In general, cars do not fail.

The diary...

The Transglobal Car Expedition continues despite the fact that one of its leaders, Alexander Abramov, had to leave it for a while due to the lawlessness of the Canadian authorities.

March 1–5, 2024

We've left Resolute, Nunavut, the last community on our route before the North Pole. It was hard. We have to have everything we need for two to three months! But we are ready.

 166km achieved on the way to the North Pole, which is a really good pace. A few bits of difficult ice, but we think our satellite and radar images are helping a lot.

 March 6–10, 2024

We had interesting days working on our vehicles with the windbreak of the abandoned Isachsen weather station. We took breaks by exploring the buildings, but of course leaving everything intact as we found it. We also took a terrific trip a few km away to see a C-47 that crashed in 1949 with all eight on board suffering only minor injuries. A haunting but beautiful icon in the white desert.

 Then we got our first real taste of pack ice and open leads. There was a good amount of ice chipping to make a route over the pressure ridges, then we got to an open water lead that we were planning to cross - getting the boat ready - but it opened so much wider and so quickly that we elected to look for another route.

The Transglobal Car Expedition continues despite the fact that one of its leaders, Alexander Abramov, had to leave it for a while due to the lawlessness of the Canadian authorities.

 From the Diary:

February 28-29, 2024

We were prepared for big challenges on the ice, but by good planning from our ice team and great images and data from Siku.org, we were able to navigate to relatively good flat ice with only a handful of difficult pressure ridges.

 On the Day 50 we've covered just over 200km incredibly fast. We had to cross a couple of large pressure ridges including with the fording ladders - a really technical challenge.

 However, we made it to Resolute Bay in early afternoon on February 29. We will spend a couple of days here in the lodge doing small repairs then head north. This will be the last community we will see for about two months until we cross over the North Pole and get to the south end of Greenland. There were great days with some very smooth ice and only one small mechanical issue. The team stopped northwest of King William Island near the coordinates where the Franklin Expedition ships were beset by ice for two winters and eventually abandoned in 1848. We observed a moment of silence for the lost 129 men and flew the Explorers Club flag.