All news: November 2011

Since 2001, each two years, in September, specially collected group rises on the highest summit of the Alpes to measure actual height of Mont Blanc. For a long time already, it is clear that it constantly changes. The configuration of a snow cap changes, exact coordinates of the highest point change. This year 14 persons took part in measurements, they worked in the region of the top from September, 9 till September, 11th. As a result of complex measurements with use GPS they have received the following result: 4810,44 meters.

In 2009 the height was 4810,45 meters. The tallest heights has been registered in 2007 - 4810,90 meters.

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New features to be installed at the Aiguille du Midi top station

We reported back in the spring that the Aiguille du Midi was to undergo some fancy new changes in the coming year, including a Blackpool Tower style glass floor.

Plans have since been finalised and work is due to start this autumn (although given that it is already mid-November they might want to get a wriggle on...).

As well as general refurbishments of the stairwells, walkways and waiting areas there will be a number of exciting new features including:

•Natural ice cave - an educational exhibition space embedded in the southern slope of the Aile Mont-Blanc in which visitors will be able to learn how glacier climbing has evolved over the course of history up to the present day. Sound and light displays will bring the ice sculptures to life! (May open later than the rest of the new development as it will depend on the rate at which the thickness of the ice and snow re-establishes itself after the construction of the central piton's new covered gallery.)

•The highest museum in the world - the museum will be at an altitude of 3777m and will pay tribute to the many mountaineers and adventurers who have begun their expeditions at the Aiguille du Midi. Expect tales of Alpine derring-do and photos of people from yesteryear in vintage Sunday dress scaling icy peaks with no more than a tweed jacket to fend off the sub-zero conditions.

•Glass floor - a vertigo-inducing glass box will be integrated into the structure of the building and suspended over a void to give you an opportunity to enjoy the view from a dramatic and dizzying new perspective.

•Covered viewing platform - tall bay windows and extra seating will allow visitors to enjoy the spectacular landscape in comfort.

•Covered terrace at the summit - it's hard to enjoy the view at 3842m when it's blowing a gale, raining, snowing or biting cold, so there will be a sheltered panoramic area on part of the summit terrace with wide bay windows that will enable visitors to gaze at the view even in bad weather.

•Galleried walkway - a complete circuit around the central piton with a gallery connecting the Rebuffat Terrace and the Aile Mont Blanc; easy walking and accessible to people with reduced mobility.

At a height of 3842m and with 360° views of the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, the Aiguille du Midi is already one of Frances' most popular tourist attractions and is the starting point for many a mountain expedition. It was recently revamped with a sleek new lift station and visitor centre, so the impending developments are part of a long-term project by the Compagnie du Mont Blanc to enhance the site for both sightseers and mountaineers. The renovations are expected to last 3 years, the cable car and much of the existing structure will remain open throughout this time.

Choice in the Death Couloir on the Mont Blanc classic route

You can familiarize personally with the arrangement plan of the couloir here.

https://7vershin.ru/media/file/4/18065.pdf

Association Petzl on the basis of detailed studying of all questions connected with safety of overcoming « Death Couloir».

Petzl insistently advises to construct in this dangerous place of "Nepalese type» the bridge. Under it all rockfalls will fly by and to pass away all avalanches.

Yesterday the climbers group of our 7 Summits Club expedition under leadership of guides Ludmila Korobeshko and Denis Savelyev has climbed the top of Kilimandzharo and has gone down in hotel. Almost all members have reached the highest point. Going downwards was record on time, it has ended safely only after midnight.

According blogs of our Norwegian colleagues and Victor's short message, the group left on a route. More than week they have spent on the basis of Union Glacier. And before the delay for a week was in in Punta Arenas. At first, the weather was bad, then malfunction of the plane, then – emergency flight to Vinson. Backlog from the schedule makes almost half-month. The commands which have left on a route earlier, is successful moving on Amundsen and Scott ways. Our expedition only begins the program. Within two days the group has been transfered from the Union Gleacier on the glacier of Axel Hejberg, to the foot of Peak of Nansen, the ascension on which is a part of the obligatory program of the Norwegian anniversary. Our well trained group started quickly forward, covering up to 25 km a day. High tempo for heavy loaded people.

Some pictures from Union Glacier >>>>>>>

Nominees for the national award " Golden Ice Axe of Russia" in 2011. The Expert Group of Russian Mountaineering Federation selected six nominees, contenders for the prize for the best climbing achievement in 2011:

1. Latok III, 6940 m, Pakistan, new route, the team of A. Odintsov

2. Shark Tooth, 1555 m, Greenland, A. Ruchkin - Mikhailov

3. Trango Nameless Tower, 6251 m, Pakistan, new route, the team of V. Volodin

4. Ushba, 4710 m, Georgia, the first winter ascent of Titkin’s route, the team of O. Khvostenko

5. Great Trango Tower, 6286 m, Pakistan, new route, the Russian-Ukrainian women's team

6. Grossvenor, 6376 m, China, new route D. Sushko - D. Paramonov

Now, team captains will select a winner. First, each team will provide presentation of their project, then the vote will choose the winner. Each selected team will have one vote.

Awarding ceremony of the "Golden Ice Axe of Russia” will be held on 3th December. Place is already traditional: Press Center at Luzhniki Stadium, beginning at 7 p.m…

Today, rain fell all day. Our group rose from Mandara Hut to Horombo. Everybody wet, but came to the shelter in a good mood. In the evening all members and guides take a preventive medication. Mainly in the form of whiskey. A guide Denis Saveliev dried stuff on a local, very colorful kitchen. This process is facilitated convergence of Russian and Tanzanian peoples. For tomorrow the weather will be better. It will be a day of acclimatization, with return for overnight to the Horombo camp. The group will go in the area of picturesque cliffs Zebra Rocks and in the afternoon they will rest and prepare for the next step.

This is a joint group of “Bank Plus” (Russia) and "Tsesnabank" (Kazakhstan)

JSC "Bank Plus" begins the conquest of the great peaks of the world. We want to draw attention to the development of a extreme sport among Russians - mountaineering.

Leaders of our bank are professionally engaged in climbing the mountains around the world for many years. We plan to cover these sporting events in the media, to attract interest in the sport a wide audience: to show the colorful mountain scenery of the world, infecting people in the spirit of conquest with elements of primeval nature…

On Thursday, representatives of ALE warned that we should be ready by 6 a.m. Friday. In fact, the departure from Punta Arenas took place around 3 p.m. local time. The adventures began. Our IL-76 and the flight to Antarctica, for beginners, this is a real adventure. Landing, as always, was not soft.

Alas, the first news from the owners, was not good. Axel Heiberg Glacier area, where the group must deliver the following by a smaller plane, is closed by clouds. Again, wait! Now, on the base of Union Glacier. All members are eager to do something, go on skis, walking through the neighborhood. Conditions are excellent, the temperature is about minus ten, around us - magnificent mountains, good snow. And on Sunday evening, representatives of ALE promised flight on Monday.

Before the beginning of the expedition, Victor Bobok gave an interview to the company BASK, which equipment has proved itself very well in our Antarctic expeditions.

The Russian National Climbing Team is ready for their K2 winter ascent. The Russian alpinists are striving to become the world’s first men to complete a winter ascent of K2, the planet’s most challenging and northernmost peak beyond 8,000 metres.

The Russian National Team of climbers will accomplish their endeavour between December 2011 and March 2012 in Pakistan. The alpinists are scheduled to fly out of Moscow to Islamabad on 9th December 2011.

Their kick-off press conference is to take place at 12, Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya, 2nd Floor, Entrance 4, on 5th December 2011.

The ultimate success the climbers are seeking to achieve is of importance not only to them. The Russian National Team’s ascent is essential to the profile of Russian sports and the country at large. The Russian climbers are looking to hoist on top of K2 this winter the national colours of Russia and the official colours of Sochi-2014 Winter Olympics.

http://k2-winterclimb.ru/eng/

Sportsmen:

Alexey Bolotov Yekaterinburg

Vladimir Belous, Irkutsk

Eugene Vinogradsky Yekaterinburg

Nicholas Totmyanin St. Petersburg

Valery Shamalo St. Petersburg

Vitaly Gorelik Novosibirsk

Ilyas Tukhvatullin Podolsk

Andrew Mariev Togliatti

Vadim Popovich Nizhny Tagil

Leaders:

Viktor Kozlov, Moscow leader of the expedition

Nikolay Cherny Moscow head coach of the expedition

Victor Pleskachevsky St. Petersburg Organizing Committee Chairman of the expedition

Subsidiary of:

Sergei Bychkovsky Ekaterinburg expedition doctor

Igor Borisenko Moscow expedition cameraman

Vladimir Moscow Merchants Expedition Photographer

Yuri Dimchuk Moscow correspondent of TV

Sergei Gaidukov Moscow Expedition Photographer

PR Newswire: Mega Tourism Resort Project in North Caucasus Mountains Becomes First Russian Entry to Win a Prestigious International Commercial Real Estate Development MIPIM Award

HONG KONG. /PRNewswire/ -- The development company overseeing construction of a massive system of ski, beach and natural health spa resorts covering 50,000 sq km in the North Caucasus Mountains, stretching 1,200 km from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea and bordering Asia, was named the first Russian winner ever of a renowned MIPIM global real estate competition.

 Northern Caucasus Resorts Company (NCRC) executives will accept the award, based on innovative, technical, environmental and architectural merits, in the Central & Western Asia Futura category at the annual MIPIM Asia awards ceremony here on Nov. 16. MIPIM, short for Le Marche International des Professionnels d'Immobilier, is the premier world promoter of the international property trade. Eighty entrants from 15 countries are involved in the contest, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia and the UAE.

 "Asia-Pacific investors seeking to diversify outside their domestic markets to mitigate risk and secure higher returns will find great opportunity within our unique plan for developing a sustainable tourism industry in the mountains on our country's southern border with Asia," said NCRC Chairman Akhmed Bilalov. "We expect many also will be attracted to the chance to participate in the first major step in a proposed new national strategy to use public-private initiatives in tourism to spur much-needed economic growth in depressed regions of the Russian Federation."

 Moscow-based NCRC was established last December to drive the massive tourism project, which will create up to 300,000 new jobs. A collaboration with the federal government, the development is part of a long-term strategy to address the economic lag that underlies social tensions in the North Caucasus region. The plan includes industry, agriculture and youth vocational training reform.

 With the explicit support of President Dmitri Medvedev, the federal government initially capitalized the bold undertaking with a $2.0-billion allocation for development of transportation, communications, electrical power and other infrastructure. NCRC is actively pursuing investment from financial institutions and global property developers. The ten-year project is anticipated to require up to $30 billion to complete all phases, including a cluster of five world-class skiing and five modern seaside resorts, as well as an array of health spas that will take advantage of the area's legendary healing mineral and hot springs.

 To facilitate international and domestic investment, the Russian government has designated the entire 50,000-sq-km development area a special economic zone (SEZ). State guarantees will cover up to 70 percent of investments for three to ten years. The state will impose no corporate or transportation taxes for the first ten years, no land taxes for five years and no VAT tax will be applied on equipment imported into the SEZ. The project offers opportunities for foreign companies interested in hospitality, health and wellness, food and beverage, retail, real estate, logistics and warehousing industries.

 "The success of this grand and important project depends on investment being thoroughly diversified and international," said Laurent Vigier, director of European and international affairs for Caisse des Depots et Consignations (CDC). The French state-owned banking group and long-term investor has signed a strategic joint venture with NCRC to provide advanced technical, legal, planning and environmental expertise to support the project. "The current outreach to the Asia-Pacific investment community is a major and critical step toward generating a broad and effective portfolio of investors for the North Caucasus," added M. Vigier, who will join NCRC executives here to present the tourism project.

 About 20 French companies have already expressed interest in investing in ski lifts, hotels, airports, mountain tunnel and other construction projects. The first investment from Asia came Nov. 2 in the form of a joint venture with Korean Western Power Company to build up to five power and heating plants in the region, integrating renewable energy sources from wind and solar generation. The investment is worth approximately $1.0 billion.

 NCRC's skiing resorts, the centerpiece of the overall project and including the tallest peak in Europe, Mt. Elbrus, will open between Dec. 2012 and Dec. 2015, in time for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the neighboring Black Sea coastal town of Sochi. Once completed, the North Caucasus ski cluster will become the world's third-largest ski destination, rivaling famed resorts located in the European Alps and the North American Rockies. With over 2.9 billion people in Russia, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia living within a five-hour flight from the ski resorts, over ten million tourists of various income levels are expected to visit the mountains annually.

 Company representatives will be available for one-on-one meetings with representatives of the financial, business and media communities. To schedule a business session, please contact Pavel Achikyan: +7 916 199-5313 or pavel.achikyan@gmail.com; for media interviews contact Mark D'Anastasio, +1 202 550-1235 or +7 985 999-3855, mdanastasio@emcommunicate.com

 A video of the ski resort cluster project can be viewed at

For additional information about the company visit www.ncrc.ru. A press briefer can be found on the MIPIM Online Media Center site: http://www.mipim.com/en/mipim-asia/press/press-kits-and-releases/

Project "Bank Plus on top!" begins November 23. Teams of "Plus Bank" (Russia) and JSC "Tsesnabank" (Kazakhstan) with guides of 7 Summits Club Ludmila Korobeshko and Denis Saveliev depart on an expedition to the tallest point in Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania).

JSC "Bank Plus" project begins to conquest the highest mountains of the world. Management of the Bank wants to attract attention to the development of mountaineering among the youth.

Bank Plus is an initiator and an official sponsor of the program "High-speed records on the 7th highest peaks of continents". Plus Bank is sponsoring the Captain of Red Fox Asia Team Andrey Puchinin , who entered in 2011 on the Russian national team on skyrunning.

The project "Bank Plus on top!" will be covered on television and print media to attract interest in the adventure sport a wider audience. We want to show the colorful mountain scenery of the world, infecting young audience a spirit of conquest wilderness.

The first in Denmark ... Stina Glavind became the first woman in Denmark, which managed to complete the program "Seven Summits". July 14, 2011 she went to the finishing summit of the list - Carstensz Pyramid. She is 36 years old, grew up and lives on the island of Bornholm, far enough away from the capital. Stina is a manager of Carlsberg, which has helped her in raising funds for trips.

On May 22, 2010. Mount Everest. "It was one of the greatest experiences of my life..."

"The purpose of life, you define yourself. I'm happy to have found a hobby, and I managed to get away from everyday life, from coffee with cream and Dancing with the Stars on TV."

Shawn Dawson: Seven Summits - the seven charitable projects

Shawn Dawson - a successful Canadian businessman. He walked up the steps a business career: starting with restaurants, then retail and real estate, then in the media business. Once, friends invited him to go with them on Mount Kilimanjaro. Traveling to Africa has changed the priorities in life of Canadian. He became closely acquainted with the organization Habitat for Humanity, a charitable group engaged in construction in poor African countries. The idea was born - to climb seven summits for charity. And the seven charitable projects add on to the project climbs. Dawson has created a special fund called the Dream Mountains, to implement their plans.

http://www.dreammountains.com/

Seven Summits program is completed and a positive balance amounted to $ 142.114. This amount has gone to seven charitable projects. But the work continues. Dawson gathers a group of track to the foot of Mount Everest, maybe he will come up with something more interesting.

Dawson completed the program climbing Carstensz, which had reached on May 4, 2011. Finnish climber Atte Miettinen was with his team, one of those who are currently studying Punto Arenas waiting for a flight to Antactica.

For the whole Finland

In fact, Veikka Gustafsson (b. 01/14/1968) represents the whole Finnish climbing. A professional mountain climber, he achieved a lot: 14 eight-thousanders without artificial oxygen, and without permanent partners. Frankly, I do not know what he miss and had climb for the seven summits yet. At least he was at Vinson before..

Veikka – the high-class climber

It is not surprising that Atte Miettinen invited Veikka to joint climbs on top of missing the "seven". Namely: Vinson, Aconcagua, McKinley and Mount Everest.

Atte lives for many years in Dubai with his wife an Englishwoman. His business projects related to information technology, and thus transcend political and geographical boundaries. Miettinen also started with two trips to Mount Kilimanjaro. Then there was Elbrus, attempt to Aconcagua and this year - Carstensz. Despite a decent amount for their own accounts, Atte had found for his project quite good sponsors. Red Bull is among the sponsors - http://sevensummits.fi/

The beginning of a trip of our group had to travel in a period of a long bad weather. Airlift Kathmandu - Lukla was broken, hundreds of passengers were blocked  at airports. The world's leading news agencies reported that. It seemed that all the plans have failed and should concede defeat in the struggle against the Nature. But the climbers of the expedition 7 Summits Club decided to fight. They took the opportunity to fly by helicopter to the settlement situated below Lukla. This option assumes that the part will be walking on two longer. As a result, our guys are not only caught up with the schedule, but could reached  the Everest base camp. They ended the program today, by a successful ascent of the Island Peak.  Heroes season: Andrew Bykanov, Nikolai Kirilov, Andrei  Mangushev and their Sherpa guide Lakpa Passang ...

As it often happens, the schedule of departures to Antarctica isn't maintained. A departure of expedition SYDPOLEN AMUNDSEN-JUBILEUM 2011 have postponed and it is clear that for a long time. Cargo flight will be the first by turns. It delivers to the Union Glacier a heavy bulldozer for runway alignment. Members of expedition, including Victor Bobok and Igor Grishkov have gone for some days to national park Paine, to feet of fantastic towers of Torres, to glaciers running directly in the sea. The delay will take into question possibility of achievement of a pole in a holiday on December, 14th. The group has spent one night in a mountain hut and next day was already in Punta Arenas (on the average 5 hours' journey).

 On Saturday evening there was a meeting with the well-known climbers  Simone Moro and Denis Urubko. It is the program The Speaker Series organized by The North Face in cooperation with the company of Jeep. In their plans to conduct such lectures with film demonstrations in the largest climbing centers of Europe: Turin, Barcelona, Munich, London, Moscow. It is pleasant that our capital has got to such list. The North  Face has the right to be proud of the work, I mean the first winter ascension on Gasherbrum II….

Climbing is freedom !

Film Trailer

Amazing journeys always have a start and an end, watch what it took Moro, Urubko
and Richards to make history with the over 8000m winter summit of GII in Karakorum

GRAND PRIZE 2011 BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL

COLD

Producer / Director: Anson Fogel

Forge Motion Pictures (USA)

Experience Gasherbrum II in the middle of a deep, dark winter, as seen from the raw, honest perspective of alpinist and photographer Cory Richards. The film deftly captures the interweaving of pain, doubt, and fear — and reveals a harrowing descent that amplifies the isolation and exposure.

“ First, we want to congratulate all the filmmakers. It’s very competitive out there and you should know that if you’re in this Festival you’re already a winner. Jurying is a tough task. I’m sure it comes as no surprise that there’s been a lot of discussion and debate throughout the week. When it came to the grand prize we all agreed. We are awed by this film: its sensitivity, humility, great storytelling and technical achievement.”

— 2011 Jury member Jacki Ochs

Well-known climber from the Southern Tirol, a guide and the head of climbing school Hans Kammerlander (born 1956) finishes a series of trips on cities of Austria and Germany. Public lectures and performances come to an end usually with conversations with journalists. On a traditional question on plans, the traditional answer follows: I am going to Antarctica to finish the program of "Seven Second Summits” . To made it, Kammerlander should climb only one, but really hard mount of Tyree. The second summit of Antarctica has only two successful expeditions and seven climbers on the top ….

The group of the 7 Summits Club has passed 9 days of trekking with day drop up to 2500 м, passes with altitude above 4000м. We have visited recently found out ancient constructions of Incas (cities, a fortresses, terraces on slopes for agricultural needs). It was sometimes difficult. Yesterday a long-awaited visiting of Machu Picchu has taken place. All the day long has been devoted to excursions on the city as well as independent survey. The most active memberss have visited "sun gate" - a construction in the east from Machu Pikchu over whom it is possible to observe rising the sun, being in a city. In the evening all group has gone to Cuzco by railways along the river Urubamba.

For the remained 2 days we have planned excursions on ancient capital of Incas - to a city of Cuzco, and sightseeng in Lima.

"Hi, Here are our photos from the Orizaba climb. Today we got to Mexico. Sports program has ended. Now we are waiting for the solid cultural and others program"

Olga Rumiantseva

4th of November a new expedition 7 Summits Club to the Himalayas has started. The aim - Island

Peak (6130 m), one of the most beautiful trekking peaks in Nepal. Lukla due the bad weather had been closed for several days. So our team rented a helicopter and flew not to Lukla, but to Karikole. Two days' journey to Lukla guys ran for one. Now the group is already in Tyangboche (3800 m) and is moving ahead of schedule.

The team:

Andrew Bykanov 
Nikolay Kirilov
Andrew Mangushev

Guide - Sherpa Lakpa Passang

On November 7 of a 7 Summits Club team climbed the highest volcano in Mexico and all North America, Orizaba (5700m): All our members reached the summit.

So we met a holiday, which was once a day on November 7. By the way, Mexico - a country of the first victorious socialist revolution. In general, everyone is happy and healthy. Best regards !

We congratulate all the members of the expedition:

Vladislav Lachkarev

Olesya Lelyushkina

Roman Lerner

Sergei Pikkat-Ordynsky

Igor Pokhvalin

Olga Rumyantseva