Kotlyar Svetlana

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the team "We are just tourists!"! Today, after breakfast, a puja ceremony took place, at which the lama and monks recited mantras, burned incense and blessed the ascenders.  Surprisingly, literally immediately after the ceremony, a rainbow appeared over the top of Lhotse! And then a second one appeared over our heads!

After lunch, we held a briefing, where we discussed and approved further plans: tomorrow morning we go to the first camp at 6100, we planned to leave at 4 am. If everything goes according to plan, then the day after tomorrow we will move to the second camp at 6400. We'll be out of touch for a few days.

Wish us good luck!!!

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the team "We are just tourists!" of the 8000 Club! We continue to acclimatize at the Everest base camp. Today, the weather did not allow us to hold snow and ice classes, so we were checking and fitting equipment. We remembered the main nodes in mountaineering, conducted an instruction with a demonstration of the use of climbing equipment using jumars for climbing a rope and a descent device.  We discussed the specifics of traveling along the route.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the team "We are tourists!" of the 8000 CLUB!   Today we had a day of active acclimatization: after breakfast, we walked at a leisurely pace to the Pumori base camp, up to an altitude of 5500 m. Towards noon, the sky was overcast, but we managed to see a beautiful panorama of Mount Everest and Lhotse, opening from this height.  Also, the scale of the Khumbu icefall is almost entirely visible from there.

By lunchtime we went down and went to tea at the base camp of the 7 Summits Club. We met with Alex Abramov and his team of Everest climbers.  Well, in our 8000 Club camp there is another innovation: last night in the tent of each participant there was a lamp that is charged from a solar battery. So now there is no need to burn flashlights in the evenings — now we always have light!

We plan to hold snow and ice classes tomorrow.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings from the Everest base camp from the 8000 Club team "We are just tourists!"! Yesterday our friendly team reached the base camp! This year's acclimatization program is slightly different from the previous one: for better acclimatization, we spent 2 nights in Namche Bazaar and 2 nights in Dingboche, so trekking took 8 days.

Our camp pleasantly surprised all participants: comfortable tents in full height, where there are beds and dressing rooms for storing things. The floors are covered with carpets, there is enough space for storing equipment.  We have our own separate toilets, showers, a washbasin with hot water and a separate large tent where we can all gather together. Everything is at the highest level!

Three times a day we are deliciously fed, and at any time you can come to the coffee shop and drink delicious coffee with fresh pastries with a view of the Himalayas.

Today our group was left by Elena, who accompanied her husband only to the base camp. We presented her with a diploma and a medal for completing this beautiful route.

Today we rest all day and adapt to the new height. Tomorrow our leader Viktor Volodin will once again check the equipment of all participants, we will fit the crampons and we will prepare for snow and ice classes.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

All Namaste from Dingboche from the group "We are just tourists!" 8000 Club!  Yesterday our friendly team moved from Tengboche to Dingboche at an altitude of 4300 m. All the way we were surrounded by beautiful views of the majestic Ama-Dablam!  According to the acclimatization program, we spend two nights in Dingboche. Here we live in a still relative civilization — with a hot shower and delicious coffee.

New lodges are being built on the route to the Everest base camp, new cafes and coffee shops are appearing, the food in which is becoming more diverse.  Today we had an active day of rest! We had a good night's sleep and after breakfast, taking our time (we are tourists!), we walked to Chukhung, gaining another 400 m in height. The weather pleases, the saturation of the participants is normal!

Tomorrow we move to Lobuche at 4900, and the day after tomorrow we plan to be at the Everest base camp!

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

The 8000 CLUB team "We are just tourists!" sends greetings to everyone from Tengboche from a height of 3850 m! Today our trekking was 11 km, we passed a section of the route from Namche Bazaar to Tengboche.  In the morning the weather was fine and for the first time in these days we saw Everest, Lhotse and the pearl of the Himalayas — the beautiful Ama Dablam! The members were delighted!

Behind the endless jokes, conversations about mountains and travel, time goes unnoticed.  I would like to say a few words about the guides of our expedition — Viktor Volodin and Pasang.

 VIKTOR VOLODIN has more than 70 routes of the highest difficulty category (5B and 6) to his credit. He climbed Everest twice (the second time on the record Northern Face), as part of the team he passed the most difficult route in the world – the Western Face K2, climbed among the first ascenders to the Middle peak of Lhotse ("Russian eight-thousandth). He climbed all the Pamir seven thousand meters.

 PASANG SHERPA — has been on the top of Mount Everest 17 times. Climbed 9 out of 14 eight-thousandths of our planet! 

We feel as safe as possible in their hands!

 Tomorrow we will go higher, to a height of 4200.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from Namche Bazaar from the 8000 CLUB team "We are tourists!"! Another beautiful day in the Himalayas is coming to an end!  We continue our acclimatization program, today we walked to the Hotel Everest View, gaining 450 m in height.

The morning started with beautiful views, but by lunchtime the mountains were covered with clouds. We spent about an hour on the observation deck, drank our favorite Ginger lemon tea with honey and quickly went down. After lunch it started to hail, but then the weather cleared up and amazing mountain views opened up near our lodge!

Saturation of all participants is normal, tomorrow we go higher — forward and up!

 The head of the Everest expedition of the 8000 Club Viktor Volodin reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the 8000 CLUB team "We are just tourists!"! Today we moved from Phakding to Namche Bazaar, gaining 800 m in height. The weather is great, the views are beautiful: wild cherry blossoms, the purest mountain rivers and slopes dotted with bright rhododendrons! We are glad that there are not so many people on the trek yet.

At a fairly brisk pace, we reached Namche in 5 hours. Before approaching the city, we saw a Himalayan pheasant in the forest, which is one of the symbols of Nepal. We considered this meeting a good sign! Before dinner, we walked around the neighborhood and visited the cafe "Sherpa Barista" with delicious coffee and desserts — today we deserved it. According to the acclimatization program, we will spend 2 days in Namche, tomorrow we will walk a little higher.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Today the 8000 CLUB team "We are just tourists!" visited all the main attractions of colorful Kathmandu!  After breakfast, we went to the most sacred place in the capital of Nepal — the Buddhist temple complex Bodnath, in the center of which there is a stupa founded in the V century. It is the main symbol of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal.

Then we visited Pashupatinath, a Hindu temple complex located on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River. This temple is known for its cremations, which are carried out here, on special pedestals.

Closer to lunch, we got to Svayambunath, where we received a blessing to climb Mount Everest from local monks. This place offers a beautiful view of the whole city!

On the way to Thamel, we stopped at the central Durbar square.

Over dinner, we discussed plans for tomorrow. At 2.00 am we will start at the airport and go to meet the highest mountains of our planet!

The season of climbing the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania  Giluwe  will begin very soon! This is an integral and most exotic part of the Seven Volcanoes program.  As usual, the 7 Summits Club tries to improve the service on its regular routes from year to year.  This year we are setting up our full-fledged base camp on Giluwe with large comfortable tents.  The first group of 6 participants starts on April 9.  And on May 1, our unique climbing program will begin immediately on the Giluve volcano and Wilhelm Peak — the highest mountain in the country! There are 10 participants in the team.  Boris Egorov, the super-guide of the 7 Summits Club, will work with both groups.

Follow our news from exotic Papua New Guinea!

At the beginning of March 2023, the 7 Summits Club held a training camp of a Mountaineering school in the Khibiny Mountains, near the city of Kirovsk. Classes and ascents with the group were conducted by the strongest climbers of Russia Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov. During a very intensive program, the participants attended a theoretical course, went through training sessions on rocks and on snowy terrain, and then made two test ascents. By all accounts, the Mountaineering School course was rated excellent. Thanks to the participants, instructors and coordinators Daria Sivova and Svetlana Kotlyar. Special thanks to the participant who prepared and provided us with this video for publication!

Svetlana Kotlyar, Coordinator of the Mountaineering School of the 7 Summits Club in Khibiny:

News of the mountaineering school in Khibiny.  Today, under the leadership of Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov, we successfully climbed on the top of Aikuaivenchorr by the route 2B K.T. (route "Fox")!  The participants passed the main part of the wall at the same time, the leader fixed ropes only on the key section. All this happened under the supervision of our instructors, who monitored safety, guided and encouraged somewhere.

They also worked out important skills of independent decision-making on the route: which scheme to move, where to make stations.

Tonight we will analyze the mistakes made, and tomorrow we will hold a training session on the ice.

Super-guides: Alexey Lonchinsky, Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

Coordinators of the mountainering school: Svetlana Kotlyar, Daria Sivova.

Svetlana Kotlyar, Coordinator of the Mountaineering School of the 7 Summits Club in Khibiny:

Congratulations to all the girls on the International Women's Day! Today our team made a festive ascent to Takhtarvumchorr by two routes of difficulty category 2A: "Iksy" and "Cleft".  We were divided into 2 groups: the first part of the participants made the ascent under the leadership of Alexey Lonchinsky, the second — under the leadership of Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

The first sections of simple climbing moved simultaneously. When the rocks of more difficult categories began, the leader moved first, hung up fixed ropes.  All the participants successfully climbed to the top, and after that they went to the hotel, where a festive dinner in honor of "March 8th" was waiting for us. We congratulated the female half of the group and shared our impressions of today! Tomorrow is the day of theoretical classes, analysis of today's ascent and preparation for the next one.

Supergids: Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

Coordinators of the mountaineering school: Svetlana Kotlyar and Daria Sivova.

Svetlana Kotlyar, Coordinator of the Mountainering School of the 7 Summits Club in Khibiny:

Greetings to all from the Khibiny Prusiki team! Our mountaineering school is in full swing! We continue to learn the basics of mountaineering!

Today was the most eventful day! In the morning we went to rock classes in the "City gap". It is very convenient that here in Kirovsk, all the locations we need are literally within walking distance.  Our instructors Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov told the members about various types of embedded elements: stoppers, eccentrics, friends, hooks, anchors.

We learned to put points on the terrain and assemble stations on our own. They also continued to work out the descent and ascent along the fixed rope. We finished the lesson by teaching self-arrest on the slope with the help of an ice axe.

After dinner, we listened to a very relevant lecture about avalanche danger in the mountains, because the Khibiny is the most avalanche-prone area in our country.

Now we are resting and preparing for tomorrow's climb on route 2A!

Super-guides: Alexey Lonchinsky, Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

Coordinators of the school: Svetlana Kotlyar, Daria Sivova.

Svetlana Kotlyar reports from the Kola Peninsula:

Greetings to all from Kirovsk from the participants of the mountaineering school in Khibiny!  Today, the “Khibinian Prusiki” team made its first ascent on Takhtarvumchorr by route 1B grade through the Geographers Pass.  The route was completed simultaneously in ropes. The weather was pleasing from the very morning: frost and sun!  The members got a lot of emotions and practiced simultaneous movement in ropes and teamwork.

Tomorrow is a rest day according to the plan. In the first half of the day we will conduct theoretical classes. And also — today is an excellent forecast for the Northern lights! We're leaving in an hour to catch it!

Super-guides: Alexey Lonchinsky, Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

Coordinators of the mountaneering school: Svetlana Kotlyar, Daria Sivova.

Svetlana Kotlyar reports from the Kola Peninsula:

Greetings to all from Kirovsk! The program of the mountaineering school in Khibiny started today under the leadership of two "Golden Ice axes of Russia": Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov! Today all our big friendly team from Moscow and St. Petersburg gathered in Kirovsk: 13 participants, 2 instructors and 2 organizers of the program from the 7 Summits Club.

We stayed in comfortable hotels and held a briefing after dinner, where we got acquainted with the participants. Everyone told about themselves, their sports hobbies, mountain experience and expectations from the program. Alexey and Ratmir gave an introductory lecture about equipment and its proper use in the mountains.

Tomorrow morning we will conduct a practical lesson on nodes. After that, we go to the rocks to work on the natural terrain.

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Svetlana Kotlyar reports from Colombia:

Hola amigos! Greetings to all from Colombia from the team "IGORYASHKI"!

We were out of touch in the jungle for a couple of days, but today we are back in civilization again. Our team split up for a while, some members stayed to relax on the beaches of Santa Marta, and the main part of the group went trekking to the Lost city.

On February 17, we went on the route. On the first day, we drove part of the way on motorbikes and the second half (10 km) walked to the town of Mumake, where we stopped for the night. The route passes through the jungle, through thickets of tall century-old trees. The place of the overnight stay is located on the river bank, and how nice it was to plunge into the cool water after the route! For dinner, we cooked delicious local fish.

On February 18, we woke up early in the morning and after breakfast continued our journey to the Lost city. The lost city of Tyrone was found in the 1970s by tomb robbers, after which it became a real sensation. According to modern scientists, it was founded around 800 AD, i.e. 650 years earlier than the famous Machu Picchu.

There is only one way to get to the city – to climb up the slope by about 1200 stone steps, the ascent of which after climbing the Nevado del Tolima was not easy for us, but we coped. The climb was definitely worth it, all the participants were very impressed!

In three days of trekking, we have covered more than 40 km, and in total for the entire program more than 100. Today we went down to Santa Marta and met with all the team members at a villa near the Caribbean coast. Now we are having dinner and sharing our emotions from our long and eventful trip to Colombia!

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Svetlana Kotlyar reports from Colombia:

Hello everyone from Salento! The team of "Igoryashki" safely descended from the mountains to civilization yesterday! The mountain part of our program ended yesterday. From the farm "La prima verá" from a height of 3800 we went down to the entrance of the National Park "Los nevados". We sat down in our cozy hotel and in the evening the whole team gathered at a huge festive table.

The team is happy! Toasts, congratulations, smiles, loud laughter! Everyone received well-deserved silver medals and certificates for the successful ascent on the Nevado Del Tolima volcano!

Today we are resting and after lunch we fly to Santa Marta, where we will continue our trekking program to the Lost city. Guides of the 7 Summits Club: Alex Abramov, Boris Egorov and Svetlana Kotlyar.

On February 14, the group of the 7 Summits Club "Igoriashki" in full (16 participants and 8 guides) climbed on the summit of the most beautiful volcano in Colombia - Nevada del Tolima (5221 m). The ascent was not easy: strong wind, snow and almost complete lack of visibility. Now the team is preparing for new adventures in this wonderful country.

The guides of the 7 Summits Club Alex Abramov, Boris Egorov and Sveta Kotlyar report from Colombia:

Greetings to all from Colombia from the team of the 7 Summits Club "Igoryashki"! Congratulations to everyone on Valentine's Day! Including all those in love with the mountains! Today at 7 am our full team (16 participants and 8 guides) stood on the top of the most beautiful volcano in Colombia  - Nevada del Tolima (5221)! The ascent was not easy: strong wind, snow and almost complete lack of visibility. But the stronger the emotions from reaching the top! For the four team members, this peak became the first mountain summit in their lives. We went down to the assault camp at 10 a.m., now we are packing our things and preparing to descend to the Prima Vera farm.

 Photos from local guide Juan