All news: February 2012

The votes—nearly 72,000 of them—are in, and we're pleased to announce that Sano Babu Sunuwar and Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa are the 2012 People's Choice Adventurers of the Year. Their Ultimate Descent expedition to climb Everest, paraglide down, and paddle to the sea truly embodies the spirit of adventure. With borrowed gear and a bare-bones budget, there were no corporate sponsors nor social media campaigns, just the essentials for adventure—vision, creativity, and friendship.

The Ultimate Descent: Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa and Sano Babu Sunuwar

Two Nepalis complete a mission to launch a paraglider from Mount Everest’s summit and kayak the Ganges to the Indian Ocean.

When Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa first saw paragliders arrive in the Himalaya, he dreamed of flying above the massive peaks of his home—the Khumbu region. After his third successful summit guiding trip on Everest, he viewed paragliding as a simpler, faster, and more graceful way of descending through the peak’s perilous slopes.

In October of 2010, Lakpa borrowed a paraglider, got a few pointers, and launched from a hillside above his home. He promptly crashed into a tree. With his paraglider wing badly damaged, Lakpa set out for the town of Pokhara, considered to be the gathering spot for paragliders, to seek repairs and find a mentor. He ran into Sano Babu Sunuwar, whom Lakpa had met years earlier on Island Peak. Babu repaired the glider and the two men hatched the plan for the Ultimate Descent.

They would climb to the world’s highest point, launch a paraglider and fly for as long as possible, bicycle to a point where streams gathered into rivers, kayak across the Nepali border into India, and paddle the Ganges River all the way to the Indian Ocean. It would be an unprecedented first, but it was the overall combination of sports, audacity, and friendship that drew the duo to the idea. Babu, 28, had no climbing experience. Lakpa, 39, had never kayaked and didn’t even know how to swim.

In April of 2011, the duo had borrowed gear, slapped a basic plan together, and began their ascent of Everest. On May 21, they became the third party to launch a paraglider from the summit and set a new world record of 8,865 meters for free flight in the process. On the Kosi River’s Class V rapids, Babu got caught recirculating in a massive whirlpool in their two-man kayak, while Lakpa floated down river. Once they reached the Ganges, they paddled flatwater through unfamiliar country. They were robbed at knifepoint and had to live off fruit trees. After 850 kilometers, Lakpa and Babu reached the Bay of Bengal. On June 27, they became the first people to complete the descent from Everest’s summit to the Indian Ocean.

“When we arrived on the beach, we were frightened. We were surrounded by giant red scorpions,” says Babu. Later after showing pictures to friends, he would learn that these “scorpions” were in fact harmless crabs.

The Ultimate Descent team earned recognition from the international paragliding community, and the Nepali press hailed them as national heroes. Western adventurers admired their spunk, simplicity, and bare-bones budget. There were no social media campaigns, corporate sponsors, or expedition websites, just the essential ingredients for adventure—vision, creativity, and friendship.

—Fitz Cahall

THE INTERVIEW

Adventure: Babu, as a kayaker and paraglider, what was the most difficult part of the journey?

Sano Babu Sunuwar: On Everest I felt a great deal of discomfort. It was hard to breathe. Lakpa told me, “You are Sherpa. Be strong.” I am not a climber, but this was a great dream of mine to climb Mount Everest. Lakpa had done this many times. He helped me a great deal.

A: What was the most intimidating part of the journey?

Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa: The bugs. The ants. All animals—so active. Insects—so active. They are also busy. People so active. In the mountains, all creatures move slowly. In India, all the animals and the people move so fast. They are not still. I did not like the bugs. When we reached the ocean and took the kayaks to shore, the beach was covered in giant red scorpions. I was scared then, but we learned later that they were crabs and harmless. I also had a hard time breathing in the low elevation.

A: While the flight from Mount Everest might be the most eye-popping part of your adventure, it sounds like the Ganges and India were also difficult?

SBS: Sometimes whole villages would come down. We were robbed. They came with knives. We protected the camera, but gave them money. They left, but we paddled very fast. We could hear them coming with a motorboat. We found an island with tall grasses and hid. We slept in the kayaks the whole night.

LTS: We ate fruit from the trees, but the water was bad. We were not used to seeing dead bodies. In Nepal, we burn our dead. In India, they are put in the river. We would see two or three bodies a day.

A: For each of you, was there a favorite part of the journey?

SBS: Taking off from the highest point in the world. At first it was really windy, but the wind calmed. When we lifted off we were carried immediately upward.

LTS: The flight. I like to sing while I fly. We were very happy. We were both singing. This was a dream for both of us.

A: The "ultimate descent" earned you some attention both in Nepal and abroad. There was a short film made about your flight. What has it been like to be recognized for your achievement?

SBS: We love getting to share our dream. We came to Europe to show the film at a film festival. We feel a little like movie stars. People wanted to shake our hands. We were very happy to share our story.

LTS: When we got home, we were very excited to share our story not just with Nepal, but all over the world. It felt like a million people. There were a lot of foreigners who came to set records. We weren’t after a record, we just wanted to do all these things, climbing, paragliding, kayaking in one continuous trip

Apa Sherpa, the Nepali climber who has conquered Mount Everest a record 21 times was felicitated with the Guinness World Record. On the 44th day of the Great Himalayan Trail-Climate Smart Celebrity Trek lead by Apa, Guinness World Record Editor-in-chief Mr. Craig Glenday and his team met him and handed over a certificate at a function at Shree Saraswati Higher Secondary School in Gyalthum, Sindhupalchowk. Apa is accompanied by Dawa Stephen Sherpa (two time Mt.Everest Summiteer), Saurabh Dhakal and Sameer Jung Thapa, as part of a campaign to promote tourism and highlight the impact of climate change. The team that plans to walk 1,700 km has covered seven districts and a distance of 590 km so far.

“It feels great to receive this honour as Mr.Glenday himself has traveled this far to hand over the certificate. I feel proud to be identified all over the world,” Sherpa beamed. He further said, interacting with people is altogether a new experience to him and added, "Now onwards I will not climb up to the top of the world but I have been witnessing the hills and people for the last one and half months which has given me ample of opportunities to learn about the communities living in the vicinity of mountains". Hundreds of people attending functions expressed their happiness with the honour bestowed on Sherpa.

On the other hand Mr. Glenday expressed his feeling as “What Sherpa has achieved is unbelievable. He is not just a local hero but hero of the world. He is an inspiration to millions of people. It is a great privilege to hand him the official certificate. “The trip to Nepal has been amazing so far. It feels like I've been here for ever,” he added.

The sherpa from Thame, Solukhumbu; home town of Everest Legend Tenzing Norgay first summited Everest on 1990. Last year on May he conquered Everest for the 21sttime as the climbing leader of Eco Everest Expedition and became eligible for this award. He has shown his effort towards Everest clean up by engaging in Eco Everest Expedition since 2008 and continuing it for four consecutive years. He made his 18th summit in 2008, 19th in 2009 and 20thin 2010 and with Eco Everest Expedition organized by Asian Trekking to raise awareness about the impact of climate change.

February, 23 Ludmilla Korobeshko, Ivan Dusharin and Maxim Shakirov reached the summit of Aconcagua. The climb has been carried out by the route False Polish Traverse. The weather was very bad, it was snowing. But the forecast for the next few days was even worse. So they had to fight to the end. Now everyone is happy. The next day, a group of friends met them in the Plaza de Mulas camp. The first ascent of the project Alpari - Seven Summits in 300 days, is committed.

Alpari: On Top of the World

Alpari has decided to take on a new challenge for the year 2012: planting the Alpari flag atop the tallest mountain on each continent. To accomplish this feat, we have put together a team consisting of three of the finest mountain climbers Russia has to offer. With this project, we are not only looking to expand our presence across the globe, to each of the world’s seven continents, but also to draw some attention to mountain climbing, a sport which has become something of a passion for many within our ranks.

“Mountain climbing as a spiritual journey… record-breaking climbs as a metaphor for achieving greater success in life,” commented Alpari Public Relations Director Valeriy Tarasov. “This is something we can relate to. Alpari is a bona fide leader in the Forex industry. For us, there is no mountain too high.”

Mountain climbing is already somewhat of a tradition here at Alpari. As recently as 2010, a team of our employees took part in an expedition to Africa, planting the Alpari flag on the summit of Kilimanjaro. Not long before that, there was a trip to Mont Blanc. “Climbing mountains is a great tradition for us; one where we must overcome great difficulties, the cold and harsh living conditions. But we always manage,” said Alpari’s Chairman of the Board, Andrey Dashin.

No one in Russia has ever completed the world-famous “7 Summits” challenge in under a year. Alpari’s hand-picked team is looking to do just that!

We wish them good luck. And good weather.

February, 23 Ludmilla Korobeshko, Ivan Dusharin and Maxim Shakirov reached the summit of Aconcagua. The climb has been carried out by the route False Polish Traverse. The weather was very bad, it was snowing. But the forecast for the next few days was even worse. So they had to fight to the end. Now everyone is happy. The next day, a group of friends met them in the Plaza de Mulas camp. The first ascent of the project Alpari - Seven Summits in 300 days, is committed.

Alpari: On Top of the World

Alpari has decided to take on a new challenge for the year 2012: planting the Alpari flag atop the tallest mountain on each continent. To accomplish this feat, we have put together a team consisting of three of the finest mountain climbers Russia has to offer. With this project, we are not only looking to expand our presence across the globe, to each of the world’s seven continents, but also to draw some attention to mountain climbing, a sport which has become something of a passion for many within our ranks.

“Mountain climbing as a spiritual journey… record-breaking climbs as a metaphor for achieving greater success in life,” commented Alpari Public Relations Director Valeriy Tarasov. “This is something we can relate to. Alpari is a bona fide leader in the Forex industry. For us, there is no mountain too high.”

Mountain climbing is already somewhat of a tradition here at Alpari. As recently as 2010, a team of our employees took part in an expedition to Africa, planting the Alpari flag on the summit of Kilimanjaro. Not long before that, there was a trip to Mont Blanc. “Climbing mountains is a great tradition for us; one where we must overcome great difficulties, the cold and harsh living conditions. But we always manage,” said Alpari’s Chairman of the Board, Andrey Dashin.

No one in Russia has ever completed the world-famous “7 Summits” challenge in under a year. Alpari’s hand-picked team is looking to do just that!

We wish them good luck. And good weather.

February 22 a group of climbers of the project "Ingushetia on the tops" reached the summit of Aconcagua. We look forward to further cooperation with them to fullfil the next aim of the project -climb Mount Everest.

Summiters of Aconcagua: coach Sergey Bogomolov, guide Vladimir Korenkov, climbers Visa Yusupov, Aznor Hadzhiev, Moussa Hadziev, Leila Albogachieva, Magomed Aushev.

The team at the office of 7 Summits Club before flying to South America

The head of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Yevkurov congratulated the team of climbers on the phone.

Yevkurov thanked the climbers for the fact that the conquest of the top has been dated to 23 February: "You have honored the memory of our ancestors who innocently killed during the deportation of those who defended with honor and protect your homeland."

The head of the region in a telephone conversation, wished success to the climbers, and noted that the country is waiting for the main ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Republic of Ingushetia.

We remind the team of climbers going to hoist the flag of Ingushetia in the world's highest peak Mount Everest to the Day of the Republic of June 4, 2012. Ascent of Aconcagua - the second phase of the project, codenamed " Ingushetia on the tops" January, 25 this year, climbers conquered the first summit on the way to Everest - Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters above sea level, Tanzania).

February 22 a group of guys from the 7 Summits Club were at the top of Mount Aconcagua . Here are the names of climbers: Alexander Kolomiets, Vitaly Kolomiets, Nicholas Ostapov, Andrey Ternavsky, 7 Summits Club Guide - Dmitry Yermakov. One member Maxim has not reached the top quite a bit. The ascent was not easy. Climbers, after reviewing the weather forecast, they decided to go a day earlier than was planned. And to start from the camp Nido de Condores (5500 meters). That is, they had to overcome the drop in the 1,400 meters, and in the distance is about 7-8 miles. Judging by the happy faces, all efforts were not wasted ..

Hi! Ludmila Korobeshko from the expedition "Alpari on Top of the World”. So now, our team stands on the top of Aconcagua. This is a victory, the first one in our project " 7 summits for 300 days". Unfortunately, the weather is very bad. The forecast was better. But nevertheless, despite bad weather, despite heavy snow, we climbed to the top. And now, at about 12:30 local time, we are on the sunmmit. It was not easy, but we are happy. We're shooting video, photos, relax a little bit and then we will start going down. Best regards !

7 Summits, hello ! Dmitry Yermakov from the base camp Plaza de Mulas in Argentina. Today a team of heroes came down here in the base camp after a successful ascent. The weather turned bad, even at the base camp it is snowing. Therefore, we rejoice that we have chosen the right tactics. We were climbed in the beautiful weather, yesterday was absolutely zero wind, solar, visibility million per million. And now it snows even here. Hello! Dmitry Yermakov.

Dmitry Yermakov rang almost from the summit of Aconcagua. One hour before, his team started to descent from the summit. His clients asked to name their as heroes of Ukraine. That's right, today was a very hard day. According to the plan they will climb tomorrow, but the forecast was good only for today. So they decided to start from 5500 meters, from the camp Nido de Condores. And they have managed to climb to the top. Six climbers and guide Dmitriy Yermakov.

Ludmila Korobeshko, Ivan Dusharin and Maksim Shakirov from Expedition “Alpari - Seven Summits in 300 days”, on this day climbed to the Cholera camp at an altitude of 6000 meters. They plan to climb tomorrow. At noon, they met a group of Sergei Bogomolov, the team of project "Ingushetia on the tops of the world." They all descended from the summit. All members, all seven persons were on the top.

Constantin Tsybunov a head of the group Extreme Planet (Planet Fitness Company), sent a historical photograph. February 20, 2012 14:00 Planet Extreme Team at the top of Aconcagua 6962 m.

9 people led by the guide of 7 Summits Club Victor Bobok. February 21 the team went down to the camp Plaza de Mulos.

Planet Extreme is a team of fitness professionals and amateurs, it's an image project of company Planet Fitness. We have 10 years. We invent and organize extreme fitness journey around the world. Now we carry more than 10 trips per year. We visited over 45 countries and made 70 trips.

From 12 to February 16, 2012 the 7 Summits Club team went to climb Mount Kenya. Our team: Denis Saveliev – as a guide of 7 Summits Club, Vyacheslav Adrov, Roman Gretzky.

The ascent took place in the so-called blitz scheme (up to 3 days from bottom to top). Another day was spent on the descent and transfer to the airport. Acclimatization to anyone was not required because all participants participated in various other climbs shortly before the trip to Kenya .

Denis Saveliev and Roman Gretzky climbed to the highest point of Mount Kenya - the peak of Batian graded 4-route using ropes and safety equipment. Meanwhile, Vyacheslav Adrov made the ascent to the peak of the Lenana, the next summit of the array that is relatively easy. By a trekking route with a local guide.

Today, February 20th, our team

Alpari - On Top of the World went down for a very short rest at Base Camp Plaza Argentina in 4200. February, 17 we went to the first assault camp at 4900. Drop of 700 meters we have overcome in less than three hours. In the evening a strong wind blew, the night turned into a hurricane. We just kept the tent by our bodies.

Morning of February 18 we changed the plan. Hurricane. We spent the second night in 4900.

February 19th the wind slackened, and we went out in the second camp at 5500. Now we have a rest in the base camp. Plan the following: 21.02 to go straight to 5500, 22.02 in 6000. 23.02 to try clinb the summit of Aconcagua.

Health and mood of the team is excellent. Hello!

Traditional meeting of friends of 7 Summits Club will be held March 15 at 20:00. The place is the same: store "Activny Otdykh" on the Great Pereiaslav Street, Building 7. We will tell you about our achievements over the past few months. Let's try to highlight the most interesting and significant record of our many trips. We also formally introduce our expedition to Everest and wish the participants good luck.

But the main event will be the performance on the evening of the great Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov, who takes part of our expedition to the highest peak in the world.

Dmitry Yermakovs’ group descended to the base camp. All is okay. They have a rest before going on the climb.

Here, there is also a team of climbers from Ingushetia. Her head coach Sergei Bogomolov informs: "Good day! All, all is in order. We are working according to plan, completed acclimatization. Good wishes to the people of the republic! Best regards, Sergey Bogomolov. "

The group guide Vladimir Korenkov, climbers Visa Yusupov, Aznor Hajiyev, Moussa Hadzi, Leila Albogachiev, Magomed Aushev are ready to go to the climb.

To climb all 21 peaks is my new goal. The “seven summits” I completed 2007. After climbing some of the “second seven summits” and some of the “third seven summits” I noticed that there is simply no uniform list regarding the ranking of the peaks. Therefore, parallel to the climbing, I started a DGPS Surveying project of all controversial discussed peaks. Following table should be considered as PRELIMINARY.

http://skyrunning.at/en

Hello. This is Maxim Shakirov from the Alpari: On Top of the World expedition.

Everything’s going according to plan for us. I wouldn’t really say that we are all in perfect health, but things are pretty upbeat. We have been overwhelmed both by the beauty of the night sky and by the people who live and work here. Let me hand off the phone to the head honcho here, our team captain Lyudmila.

Ludmila:

About our mood… We’re feeling great. Here’s a little bit about where we are at this point. We’re currently at 3,200 meters, in Casa de Piedra, and we’re heading to base camp at 4,200 meters.

Hi to everyone out there who’s following us!

http://www.alpari-life.ru/en

Hello! Denis Saveliev from Kenya. Today I and Roman Gretzky climbed Mount Kenya summit Batian, by a route of IV category of difficulty. The ascent to the summit lasted 7 hours and 4 hours we went down. Meanwhile, Vyacheslav Adrov ascended the peak of Lenana. In general, our expedition came to an end and tonight we all take the plane. See you soon!

Today we are staying in the first camp on our way to the peak. Pampa de Lenas is about three kilometers above sea level. Overall, we have already hiked about 20 kilometers from the entrance of Aconcagua Park through the valley of Punta de Vacas.

The views are incredible. This route is more picturesque than the classic route through Plaza de Mulas. There are fewer people and everything is greener and more beautiful. During the evening we sit with the gauchos, who drive the mules. We cook meat and bake potatoes. We still have about 20 kilometers to go before we get to the next camp.

Ludmila Korobeshko

And now a little bit of Argentinian culture:

Gauchos are part of an ethnic group originating in the 16-17 century. Gauchos were often the progeny of Spaniards and native women from Argentina and Uruguay. Originally, they led a nomadic lifestyle, living off of contraband, theft and the resale of cattle. Near the end of the 18th century, they took to commercial cattle ranching and began to hire themselves out as cattle herders.

http://www.alpari-life.ru/en

Hello from Argentina! Four our groups two days ago landed in Mendoza, that is almost entirely occupied by it. Someone came before. Someone later. Everyone was very fun to everyone. Evening, 25 people sat in a restaurant. The next day the team "Planet Fitness" flew in from Bolivia.

Yesterday, four buses were carrying members of the Seven Summits Club in Penitentes. A caravan of mules left in the morning today in the direction of the Plaza de Mulos with our things. Group of "Bolivians" from Planet Fitness with Victor Bobok was put into a helicopter. The remaining members went on foot toward the confluence camp.

February, 9 Ludmila Korobeshko flew to Argentina. The next day she was followed by Ivan Dusharin and Maxim Shakirov. So practical implementation of the program "Alpari on top of the world" begins. The 7 Summits Club not only delegated to the program our director, but we take all organization and logistics. Alpari project can enter their place in the general history of the program Seven Summits. Here is a list of World and National records that our team can beat on success of the event:

1. Fastest collective (more than two people).

2. First all Seven by not classic routes.

3. First all Seven Summits by traverses.

4. The fastest female for the Seven Summits. At the moment the record is 360 days (Annabelle Bond, United Kingdom - Hong Kong)

5. The first TWICE of the 7 Summits for woman by Ludmila Korobeshko

All of them, of course records will be valid for Russia (Europe and CIS ....)

Actually it will be an absolute national record of speed for 7 summits.

And national age record for Ivan Dusharin - 65 years.

In Mendoza

Project Alpari: On Top of the World

Alpari has decided to take on a new challenge for the year 2012: planting the Alpari flag atop the tallest mountain on each continent. To accomplish this feat, we have put together a team consisting of three of the experienced mountain climbers from Russia has to offer. With this project, we are not only looking to expand our presence across the globe, to each of the world’s seven continents, but also to draw some attention to mountain climbing, a sport which has become something of a passion for many within our ranks.

“Mountain climbing as a spiritual journey… record-breaking climbs as a metaphor for achieving greater success in life,” commented Alpari Public Relations Director Dmitriy Tarasov. “This is something we can relate to. Alpari is a bona fide leader in the Forex industry. For us, there is no mountain too high.”

Mountain climbing is already somewhat of a tradition here at Alpari. As recently as 2010, a team of our employees took part in an expedition to Africa, planting the Alpari flag on the summit of Kilimanjaro. Not long before that, there was a trip to Mont Blanc. “Climbing mountains is a great tradition for us; one where we must overcome great difficulties, the cold and harsh living conditions. But we always manage,” said Alpari’s Chairman of the Board, Andrey Dashin.

No one in Russia has ever completed the world-famous “7 Summits” challenge in under a year. Alpari’s hand-picked team is looking to do just that!

We wish them good luck. And good weather !

Here’s the plan:

Aconcagua (South America): February 11-28 (18 days)

Kilimanjaro (Africa): March 7-13 (7 days)

Everest (Asia): April 11 – June 8 (59 days)

McKinley (North America): June 20 – July 10 (21 days)

Elbrus (Europe): September 1-7 (7 days)

Kosciuszko (Australia): November 3-7 (5 days)

Mount Vinson (Antarctica): December 1-19 (19 days)

ROUTES

Mount Aconcagua (6,962 m) – Although ascending Aconcagua often seems simple at first, this mountain is susceptible to sudden changes in weather and violent storms.

False Polish Traverse, descent by classic to Plaza de Mulos

Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) – Ernest Hemingway once sang the praises of Kilimanjaro, which promises to be the perhaps the warmest and least inhospitable climb for our team.

Umbwe route, descent by Marangu route

Mount Everest (8,848 m) – Each year, the world’s tallest mountain draws in hundreds of climbers looking to test their personal limits, and each year, many of these climbers end up paying the ultimate price.

New route traverse North Summit (Chagtse) – Main Peak.

Descent to the North Col and ABC camp

For Everest Traverse our team will be strengthened. Currently, Alexander Abramov (as a leader), Ludmila Korobeshko, Ivan Dusharin, Maxim Shakirov and Mingma Gelu plan to take part in the ascent. The route will start from the campsite Changtse on the left moraine of the Rongphu Shar Glacier (Changtse camp - 6000m). From there the group plan to climb to the North (North East) ridge and then to the summit of Changtse 7543 meters. Where exactly they will rise to the North East ridge of Changtsze it will be determined on the spot. There are several options. From the top of Changtsze descent leads by a steepslope via South Ridge on the North Col - 7000m. Then the group will use standard camps on the classic route at 7700 and 8300 meters. From there they will try to climb the main summit of Everest (8848 m). Way back to the North Col and down to the standard camp ABC at 6400 meters.

 From Jan Kielkowski. Mount Everest Massif

Акщь

Mount McKinley (6,194 m) – Known to native Alaskans as Denali (“the great one”), McKinley is the tallest mountain in the world measured base to peak. During the ascent, climbers must confront the bitter cold, an exhaustingly long climb and stringent legal restrictions, including a policy which requires all climbers to carry all of their “waste” back to base camp.

West Rib

Descent by Western Buttress route

Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) – Located in the Caucasus Mountains, Elbrus demands a great deal of focus and discipline from climbers. This guileful inactive volcano often surprises climbers with streaks of brutal winter weather and strong winds.

Traverse from the East (Irik Valley) Eastern Peak - Western Peak

Descent via the Khotiu-Tau Pass

Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m) – Getting to this mountain is difficult, but the view from the top makes the trip worth it.

Route Main Ridge Track from Charlotte Pass

Descent to Thredbo

Mount Vinson (4,897 m) – Our climbers will come face-to-face with ice storms and some of the coldest weather on our planet to reach the highest peak in Antarctica.

Probably Rudi's Runway (Lang 1991) Route

The team

Ludmila Korobeshko

Ludmila was the first woman from Russia to complete the “Seven Summits” challenge and just the third Russian woman to climb Everest. Her resume includes more than 50 successful climbs and a trip to the North Pole. She has been working as a mountain guide/translator and organizing expeditions for more than a decade. She also writes and makes short films.

The first Russian woman to complete the “7 Summits” challenge

The first Russian woman to complete the “7 Summits +1” challenge (the +1 being the Puncak Jaya, or Carstensz Pyramid, in Indonesia)

The third Russian woman to climb Everes

An experienced mountain guide and director of the “7 Summits Club”

14 years of experience climbing mountains and organizing expeditions (9 years professionally)

More than 100 successful ascents across the world

Class A mountain climber, guide, English translator

Has climbed and trekked in the mountains of the Causasus (Russia), France, Peru, the United States, Tibet, Nepal, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Tanzania, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Turkey

Has led more than 20 expeditions to the peak of Elbrus

Ivan Dusharin

Ivan is a world-class mountain climber with more than 300 successful climbs under his belt, including Everest. He is an experienced guide and leads expeditions all around the world. His hobbies include photography and filmmaking. Dusharin is the author of a book “Crossing the Abyss on a Wire”.

http://www.alpari-life.ru/en/alpinisty_vaza/

Maxim Shakirov

Maxim is the man behind “New Year’s on the Summit” as well as a 2014 Olympic Games flag-bearer. He has already planted the Olympic flag atop mountains on five continents, including Mount Everest. He is a journalist, filmmaker, photographer and traveler

“We look to be first in everything we do, both in the mountains and in business.” Alpari

We thought we would go into a little bit more detail about some of the things that went on at the February 8 Alpari: On Top of the World press conference.

Valery Tarasov, Public Relations Director at Alpari opened up the proceedings by drawing parallels between mountain climbing and business. “Striving towards success, towards the top, requires teamwork, overcoming your ego, setting goals and following through on them. These things are all important in achieving your goals and reaching new heights, whether it is in the mountains or in business. We look to be first in everything we do, both in the mountains and in business.”

Everyone taking part in the press conference showed a great deal of enthusiasm for the project, including team captain Lyudmila Korobeshko. “I’d like to thank Alpari for giving us the chance to be a part of this project. I really hope our team manages to set a new world record and complete the 7 Summits challenge in 300 days, taking new and unorthodox routes in the process. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There are a lot of outside factors that come into play in climbing.” Lyudmila also had kind words for her teammates, praising Ivan Dusharin for being one of the “patriarchs of Russian alpinism” and for having a number of difficult climbs on his resume, including K2, widely considered to be among the planet’s most difficult climbs. About Maxim Shakirov, she commented, “He’s not only a great photographer and filmmaker, but also a man who has rung in the New Year atop a mountain more than once.” Ivan Dusharin thanked Alpari for the project, saying that efforts like Alpari: On Top of the World help make the pursuit of mountain climbing “more accessible to people of all sorts. Sometimes this pursuit can turn into your life’s calling. Everyone is working towards their own Everest, whether it be in sport or in life. What’s most important is to set a goal and work towards achieving it.” Maxim thanked Alpari for giving him the chance to film the mountains, the sights he could only dream of capturing on previous climbs.

We asked some of those in attendance what they thought about the project. Here is what they had to say:

Aleksandr Grek (Editor in Chief of National Geographic, Russia): “The 7 Summits challenge is one of the greatest adventures you can experience on the planet. A year is a very short time frame, which makes this twice as interesting. I wish the team good luck. I hope they can pull it out and beat the record, without any losses.”

Alexey Ovchinnikov (Executive Director of the Russian Mountaineering Federation): “I would like to thank Alpari for getting this started. Large-scale projects, unfortunately, are quite rare in Russia. The last time we saw something like this was probably 20 years ago. This is a very serious project, where business is making history in the world of mountain climbing. This is a real challenge, both for the climbers, and for Alpari. I’m sure that with a stellar company like Alpari behind it, this project will succeed.”

Ivan Davidov (Marketing Director at the Expert publishing house, representing Russian Reporter): “This is a bold project with an interesting history behind it. The mountains are a thing of great beauty. Let’s hope we get some amazing footage from the project.”

Andrey Moskalenko (Special Projects Director, Profile magazine): “Our magazine too, has its sights set high, so of course we had to throw our support behind an ambitious project like this.”

Maria Stepnova (Editor in Chief, XXL magazine): “Alpari: On Top of the World is a project for real men. The fact that the team is being led by a woman makes it extra special. The business support for this project also sets it apart, since making it to the peak doesn’t really depend on money. However many millions you may have, none of that matters in the mountains. I hope that this project inspires our readers to be more active, that hearing about the progress of the expedition will get them moving forward.”

There were a lot of questions that came up. How long is this all going to take? What do we plan to do with the footage? Will there be articles about the different places our team will be visiting, about local cultures and traditions? Lyudmila also stirred a great deal of excitement in the room when she hinted that the team might attempt a new route to the peak of Everest. Climbing the world’s tallest mountain is difficult in and of itself, so this news was rather shocking to some of those in attendance.

You can learn more about the project and keep up with the team’s progress on http://www.alpari-life.ru/.