All news: October 2016

The President of the 7 summits Club Alex Abramov has long sought to complete the programme Grand slam (seven summits plus two poles).

... So it turns out that the short season of traveling to the Pole coincides with a slightly longer, but also strictly limited, to the duration, season of Everest expeditions. And Alex is the head  Everest expeditions each year since 2003. Everest Expedition is  the most important event of the year for the 7 Summits Club, so it stands in the foreground.

 Therefore, in 2017, the leader of the expedition to Everest will join his team later than usual. He will  be a leader of  our program  at the North Pole that ends on April 16th.

 Now there's a real possibility for any person to reach the North Pole in various ways. We know the best, the optimal way.

It is our Last degree ski program.

 The last degree is a really difficult test, a test of endurance, character, struggle with the cold and struggle with the drift, this is a real danger of falling into ocean water in ice-holes and cracks a chance to meet the polar bear.... But the victory will be ours! It has always been, it always should be!

 The last degree route is changing from year to year. In theory it is about 110 km. However, near the Poles, there is always the strong drift that is difficult or even impossible to predict in advance. Therefore, in the process of movement on skis you can just take it back and have to go a greater distance.

 Camp Barneo (Russian: Лагерь Бaрнео) is a private Russian temporary ice base established annually since 2002 on an ice floe relatively close to the North Pole used largely for tourist excursion purposes.

 The first Ice Camp Barneo was established in 2002. Since that time, the camp has been rebuilt from scratch every year because of the constantly drifting Arctic ice. For example, in 2007 Ice Camp Barneo was located at about 89°31.5′N 30°27′W. However, northerly winds caused the Ice Camp to drift towards the southeast at a speed of 0.8 kilometres per hour (0.5 mph).

 The ice camp works under the patronage of the Russian Geographical Society and normally lasts for the month of April.

 Ice Camp Barneo should not be confused with the sequential Soviet/Russian "North Pole" drifting ice stations established by the Russian Academy of Sciences Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI).

 From 2002 to 2016, the starting and final point of all expeditions to Barneo has been Longyearbyen, the capital of the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. The city has necessary facilities including an airport, hotels of different levels, restaurants, a post office, a bank, and a supermarket.

 In 2016, following military exercises by Chechen paratroopers on Barneo, Norway enacted a flight embargo, which it later lifted. As a result, the 2017 event is expected to take place with a base in Russia.

The couple have fulfilled their plan, and for just two days climbed to the highest point of Morocco and North Africa, Jebel Toubkal. The weather was sunny, which made it possible to enjoy the panoramic views during the climb and do a lot of photos.

Now Lyudmila and Mikhail meets a beautiful Moroccan city, the ancient Marrakesh. Tonight, they are scheduled to go back to the hotel on the beach, where you can calmly reflect on everything that happened...

October 29^th  a group led by a guide of the 7 Summits Club Vladimir Kotlyar reached the village of Khare. Here, at an altitude of 4950 meters, the team will hold one day, they will relax and adapt to the altitude. The trek was  on a very beautiful places and they could  made excellent photos. The team, which was named "Tube", is ready for the ascent of Mount Mera Peak.

Almost at the same time four our groups went to Africa to climb the highest peak of the continent. They have different routes, but the main goal is the same - Kilimanjaro! The two groups will work with Russian guides.

  Artem Rostovtsev leads the group, which aims to celebrate the birth of one of the participants at the summit of Kilimanjaro. This is their main goal! They go by the classic route Marangu.

 A group guided by Maxim Balakhovskiy will climb by another popular and also classic route - Machame. Immediately after the descent from the mountain they have to fly to the Serengeti National Park, where they will wait for safaris and hot air ballooning over the savannah.

 Two other individual groups will make the ascent with local guides. They also go by two different routes - Machame and Marangu.

PHOTOS by Artem Rostovtsev

Hello! This is Alexander Abramov from Papua Province, from the 7 Summits Club expedition to the Pyramid of Carstensz. This morning the weather was beautiful, which is very rare in these parts of the World. We were ready to start, but it turned out that the porters did not want to go. And they had a very long meeting, it was all due to our yesterday's meeting with the armed guerrillas.

 The porters were afraid to go out, but, nevertheless, at ten o'clock still started to collect things. We have lost time, so we had to go the whole day again. We got to the fourth camp very late, in darkness. This is the last camp before the base camp, tomorrow we will have a sufficiently long march climbing about one kilometer, partly over rocks.  And we must come to the base camp.

 Today we have a remarkable event. Today Evgeniy Kravt is 41. He put the bottle of whiskey, very good quality. And on the occasion, our Indonesian cooks and guides made cake, chocolate cake.

 Now the rain continues to pour. Everything is as usual, and by the morning rain subsides. We hope that this tradition will continue, and we will be able to start early in the morning.

 So far, all are good. Everybody is happy....

Hello! Alexander Abramov from Papua. We are fine, all alive and healthy. Constantly pouring rain. We now come to the third camp, there is still a camp 4 and the base camp. Then we will climb up the mountain.

One moment overshadowed today our travel. We were stopped by some local people with machine guns and pistols. They demanded money from us. We gave all that we could - it is about 1500 dollars. And we were released, thank God. Things could have been much worse, probably. But the expedition continues ... everything is good, in general, nothing bad has not happened yet. Okay ... well, all are alive and well and  have good appetite at all.

All good-bye!

Svetlana Nuzhum, 7 Summits Club guide, program track to the base camp of Mount Everest:

Namaste! We have come to Tengboche (3870 m). Yesterday, as planned, we went to the "Everest View" hotel and Khumjung. The weather is wonderful, cloudless sky. We enjoy views of Everest and  it lures. The team feels great. Tomorrow we go to Pheriche…

The desire to climb Everest could be understand for almost everybody, that is,  for all normal people. There are a proven way to prepare: to ask the advice of the most important experts. And the best is not just to ask for advice, but go together in the mountains, to gain experience and learn from an experienced comrade necessary knowledge. Next summer we invite you to take part in a unique event - an expedition to Lenin Peak led by the most experienced climber on Everest in Russia, head of the 13 expeditions to the highest peak of the world,  master of sports Alexander Abramov.

The 7 Summits Club president seven times was up at the highest point of Mount Everest. Expedition to Lenin Peak under his guidance specifically planned as a stage of preparation for the ascent to Everest. Do not miss this rare opportunity!

Lenin Peak (Avicenna) - majestic mountain and valuable in itself. It cannot be underestimated, which, however, applies to any mountain. So prepare seriously: Train your body and mind, pick equipment, read literature etc…

Expedition to Lenin Peak under the leadership of Alexander Abramov

PROGRAM (in Russian)

We will also continue the implementation of our standard of climbing to Lenin Peak program under the guidance of our friends, the best guides of the Central Asian republics

PROGRAM (in Russian)

Hello! There is Alexander Abramov, the Pyramid of Carstensz. Yesterday we finally went into these terrible, wet jungle and moved in it until evening in the pouring rain. Torrential rain it is a rain that just breaks through not only jackets or coats, but also tents, where we spend the night. Dirt, of course, to the knee. The guys really did not expect this. And their surprise has no limit. All the time asking how long it will last? Yes, this dirt will continue to the base camp Carstensz Pyramid. Today we could not get the camp 2 and stopped in the intermediate camp.

 In the morning we started with the desire to reach the camp 2, but within an hour we came to a place where they were to pass the bridge.  The bridge appeared crushed, destroyed. And so for about two hours our Papuans made for us a new bridge. They cut down a tree, threw it into the water, pulled the rope. And we walked along the tree through which poured rage whitewater, belayed by  a rope...

Later in the jungle, we just started to climb on tree roots. You walk through the jungle ... in the air, at the height of half a meter. This endless climbing, endless mud, and we were not able to reach the camp 2 ...

 However, the team does not lose good spirits. Everybody is happy.

Светлана Нужум, гид Клуба 7 Вершин:  Сегодня, преодолев набор высоты в 1000 метров, мы поднялись в Намче-Базар. Конечно, устали, но все довольны и под впечатлением. Особенно от самого высокого подвесного моста. Крик, наверное, было слышно даже в Лукле! Завтра по плану радиальные выходы – на 3900, затем в Кхумджунг, навестить скальп йети.

Группа на входе в национальный парк Сагарматха

There are people who like the comfort of their living room – and then there are people who just can't help but break world records, over and over again. Skydiving and BASE-jump legend Valery Rozov definitely falls into the second category.

A new world record for the Russian legend

On October 5, 2016, after a 21-day expedition on the sixth-highest peak in the world – Mount Cho Oyu on the Chinese/Nepalese border – Rozov stood on the edge of his chosen exit spot at 7,700m and leapt into thin air, breaking his own record from 2013 by 500m.

It was my dream and my goal for the last three years.

Valery Rozov

Climbing Cho Oyu is no small accomplishment on its own, let alone BASE jumping from the top of the south-west wall. The expedition itself wasn’t so easy for the group of climbers.

A recent dump of fresh snow and a few days of very bad weather meant the group were unable to reach the exit spot at the first attempt. They had to wait a full week before being able to make another attempt. But once they saw the weather clearing up and allowe a little time for the snow to melt a bit at the exit spot, it was go time.

 Valery Rozov climbing his way up Mount Cho Oyu in the Himalayas

After 90 seconds of pure freefall, Rozov opened his parachute and kept flying for another two minutes before landing safely on the glacier below, at 6,000 meters above sea level.

For the Russian legend, boundaries are made to be pushed and limits are made to be exceeded: nothing seems to be too much of a challenge for him.

The 51-year-old athlete is no stranger to breaking record with a combination of mountaineering and BASE-jumping. In early May of 2013, he set the previous world record for the highest BASE jump by leaping from an altitude of 7,220m from Changtse in the Everest Massif.

http://www.redbull.com/en/adventure/stories/1331825478086/new-record-highest-base-jump-rozov

Alexander Tishkov, guide of 7 summits Club:

Today we climb up to mount Toubkal. Weather from the start was not on our side. Strong gusts of wind and overcast. But when we got to the top, suddenly everything opened up and we were able to fully enjoy the panoramic views.

Svetlana Nuzhum, a guide of 7 summits Club: Hurray, we in Phading! After a long wait at the airport, in connection with the jam in the airspace Kathmandu, we finally got to Lukla. Despite the delay, we went further in a good mood and pace, and after 3 hours was Phakding. We even went down to the river Dudh-Kosi and some even put legs in the water. Now go to dinner and go to bed – it’s been a long day!

Alex Abramov:

Group took off from Timaka in Sugapa with a delay of 4 hours. In Sugapa we were waited for the crowd of Papuans with spears and bows. However, they met another plane, but we were impressed.

35 motoriders took us and our cargo and took up on a very bad road. Papuans three times stopped us and demanded money. But the policeman who was with us, decided this issue.

We finally got to Suanggama (2000 m), a village consisting of 5 houses. Three of them belong to the headman  and he posted three of his family. And two plank house built by the guides for the reception of expeditions to Carstensz. The houses of the headman  is a round hut with a grass roof. And dirt floors, as at Masai people in Africa. Our two cottages are two barn of rough-hewn boards.

We sleep on the floor and eat under a canopy of grass overlooking the whole village.

At the end of the day we witnessed an ugly scene. Men beat  one of wives of the headman  (third and youngest), she allegedly cheated on him with a white tourist. I think they even wanted to kill her. The Papuans are clearly threatened to our group. Anxious.

Catherine made a successful ascent on Orizaba together with our guide Israel:

 The summery – the climb up for 8.5 hours!!!! The descent is 3.5.

Almost no other climbers here, that is  plus, of course, incredible. I'm on the glacier already looked at this beauty and I thought – well, where it is? Where is my snowboard?? The snow quality was perfect! I wish snowbording from the top!

 But overall, a great mountain! Beautiful. We really were lucky with the weather. On Friday there was just a hell here...

 It's definitely harder then Kili and Elbrus...

Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 summits Club, a guide of the expedition: the 21st October, our team gradually gathered in a heavenly corner of the planet, which is called the island of Bali. This is probably one of the best places on Earth. Before hard work it is always required to relax. Here we rested from the hustle and bustle of Moscow, and before the rainy, ruthless Irian Jaya.

 It is difficult to estimate how many lobsters were killed in the bellies of our climbers. The evening of 22th October was illuminated by our noisy departure to the country of Papuans. Everything was checked, loaded and the plane dragged us to the glorious town of Timika in the South of the island of New Guinea...

On 20^th  October at the climbing gym Skala (Rock) city for the first time there was training session of the Mountain school of the 7 Summits Club. Classes were held under the guidance of coach-instructor Egor Dulnev.

Many thanks for the photos to  Roman Reutov, Everest summiter and professional photographer!

Today, Alexander Abramov went to the Papuans. He is the guide of an expedition to the Pyramid Carstensz and President of the 7 Summits Club.

 Alex started a few days earlier the entire group to thoroughly prepare for this difficult expedition.

And the rest of the participants will arrive at the point of collection - Bali - 21 October. And eating seafood and having been filled with the sun, they will go deep into the island of Papua New Guinea adventures. The team gathered this times numerous - 10 PAX.

Yesterday a group of the 7 Summits Club under the guidance of Alexander Tishkov began the journey through Morocco. First, they go to the Sahara desert. The first day, our visitors were acquainted with the traditional culture of the Moroccans.

 On 13 October there was the traditional evening dedicated to the birthday of the company 7 Summits Club. We are very pleased that every year more and more people come to congratulate us, welcome us and each other, coming to see old friends, learn new, learn, eat, drink, rest after work and so on... We think that the vast majority were satisfied and they reluctantly leave the room. However, the room is small, it is what it is. What to do? Don't know yet.

Lyudmila Korobeshko opened the evening, on the rights of the Queen

Alexander Abramov (the King) gave the floor to Sergei Larin, who told how the expedition under his leadership ahead of time rose to the top of Cho Oyu.

Igor and Natalia Smirnova, as members of the expedition, added to the report  emotions and own photos...

The most great time were given to Oscar Konyukhov. The Audience listened to his story with open mouths, and after the guests filled up the lecturer with questions. Buying information on a record flight around the world in a balloon, carried out by Fedor Konyukhov paint, all new bright colors.

Leader and trainer of the program "Altitude" Alexander Yakovenko reported about the great success of this project (five peaks per season).

Vladimir N. Shataev presented a certificate "Snow leopard" another hero of our time - Dmitry Moskalev.

 Artem Rostovtsev spoke briefly about the competition on trailrunning in the Crimea. We are very grateful to him for introducing us to running sports activities:

Well, to the delight of many fans and lovers of the Crimea, we saw the first public performance of our Crimean teachers rock climbing Natalia Kartashova. She, of course, was worried. But performed brilliantly. Many, I am sure, listening to her story on the background of the Crimean types on the screen began to change their plans and to embed them in another visit to the Crimea.

The second speech, Oscar Konyukhov was shorter, but no less interest. This time it was about two new projects of his Father Fyodor. As usual, it should be supercandy: rise above all in a hot air balloon (in the stratosphere) and down below all in the Marianas trench.

As usual after a fun lottery where lucky to even those who've never had much luck, alas the time has come to part...

Until next time, friends !