All news: December 2025

News from Chile. Alexey Lonchinsky and Andrey Berezin departed from snowy winters in Russia for hot and sunny Chile, specifically to Ojos del Salado in the Atacama Desert. After two days of flying, we arrived at our final destination, Copiapo. We rented a pickup truck and drove to the ocean coast. We'll celebrate the New Year here. In early January, we'll be welcoming the Ojos del Salado expedition members. Guides Andrey Berezin and Alexey Lonchinsky.

Greetings from the slopes of Aconcagua! Today, our super group ascended to our comfortable base camp at Plaza de Mulas (4,300m). We covered our route at a good pace at 7 hours and 30 minutes, which speaks about our member's good physical fitness. Tomorrow is a rest day, after which we will begin our altitude acclimatization. Group guides are Dmitry Semenov and Georgy Bushuev.

Antarctica in touch. Today, our group departed for Union Glacier. The flight was comfortable and pleasant, and we even received food. Upon arrival, we were met by snow trucks and given a briefing on the camp and its internal rules. We then had fun as best we could, as the weather prevented us from flying straight to Vinson Base Camp. We're expecting our flight tomorrow.

Guides: Artem Rostovtsev and Alexander Dorozhukov.

Greetings from sunny Argentina! Today, our super group completed an acclimatization rotation from Camp Confluencia toward the South Face of Aconcagua. We climbed in direction of Plaza Francia, reaching 4,000 meters. The weather and the group's condition are excellent, as confirmed by a medical check. Tomorrow we'll be heading to our base camp, Plaza de Mulas (4,300 meters). The guides Dmitry Semenov and Georgy Bushuev.

The 7 Summits Club team sends greetings from Punta Arenas! The Vinson expedition is almost underway! Today, the entire team checked in their gear, received their departure tickets, attended a briefing, and chatted with members of the other teams. We're all excitedly awaiting confirmation of departure for tomorrow morning.

The summit of Kilimanjaro! Happy New Year! May new heights be reached!! A fiery greeting from the roof of Africa – majestic Kilimanjaro! The mountain has welcomed us and released us. Our super family stood at the summit of Kilimanjaro in full force on December 28, 2025.

After wild sunrises, euphoria, fiery dances, and passionate greetings from the summit, the team began its descent and is now outside the Kilimanjaro National Park. It's a little (or even a lot) sad that it's all behind us, and a little envious of the lucky ones who still have so much ahead of them!

But there are still many summits in the world! It's time to take stock of the year and make new plans! Happy New Year to everyone, and warm greetings from Tanzania!

Group guide Sergey Larin.

Greetings from sunny Argentina! Today, our super group trekked from the entrance to Aconcagua National Park, where we checked our permits, to Confluencia Camp (3,300m). We completed this stage at a good pace in 2 hours 40 minutes, and the group is in excellent condition. Group guides were Dmitry Semenov and Georgy Bushuev.

The 7 Summits Club guide Sergey Larin reports from Tanzania:
Today at 9:00 a.m., the entire 7 Summits Club "Super Family" team reached the summit of Kilimanjaro. We are now descending to Camp Kosovo. Details later, and congratulations later. All is well. By!

Greetings from sunny Argentina! Today, our super group left the hospitable city of Mendoza, and three hours later, we arrived at the entrance to Aconcagua National Park. We'll spend the night here and begin our trek to the summit tomorrow. Today, we also visited the Inca Bridge, a natural landmark. Guides for the group are Georgy Bushuev and Dmitry Semenov.

The 7 Summits Club guide Valery Myasoedov sends the following from Argentina:

Greetings from Mendoza! The "Otkryvashka" group successfully completed their mission and opened the mountain for the next groups this season. The well-deserved award ceremony, accompanied by delicious wine and a Tomahawk steak, took place at our favorite restaurant, La Lucia. Believe me, the contrast between the thrill of pushing yourself to the limit on the mountain and the steak in Mendoza is what we go to Aconcagua for.

Congratulations to Angelina Angelova, the first of our big Antarctic season, on her successful ascent of Antarctica's highest peak, Vinson Massif!

The remaining participants are now en route to the world's southernmost city, Punta Arena. In a few days, our team, led by 7 Summits Club guides Artem Rostovtsev and Alexander Dorozhukov, is scheduled to fly to Antarctica. This time, 20 people, under their guidance, will ascend Vinson Massif, Sidley Massif, and ski to the South Pole!

Greetings from sunny Argentina! Our group assembled today, gear was checked, and organizational matters were resolved. Tomorrow, we head to the Aconcagua National Park area, where our trek to the summit will begin. Wish us luck and stay tuned! Group guides: Georgy Bushuev and Dmitry Semenov.

Greetings from PA (Punta Arenas)! We're continuing preparations for the Antarctic expedition. People are slowly arriving. Shopping, tents—there's a flurry of activity, everyone's busy with their own tasks. Today we dropped off all our food and gear for shipment. For two days, nothing worked, as the Christmas holidays came completely unexpectedly. So, we're working full steam ahead!

 Guides: Artem Rostovtsev and Alexander Dorozhukov.

And our unique Irma, who oversees all the bookings and organization.

The 7 Summits Club  Guide Sergey Larin reports from Tanzania:
December 26. Everything is going according to plan. We leave Baranko Camp at 8:15 AM, over the so-called wall. The slope is actually about 30 degrees. As usual at this time of year, the weather was fine in the morning. The forecast called for rain after lunch until evening. It started as we sat down to lunch in the tent at Karanga Camp. After lunch, the rain stopped! On the way to Barafu Camp (4,600 m), a rain front from below constantly threatened us, but a high-pressure system over Kili kept it at bay. A light rain began as we climbed into our tents at Barafu Camp at 6:00 PM. I won't comment further to avoid jinxing the situation. We have two days of significant precipitation ahead of us.
I forgot to add: the "Super Family" group is on the VIP program. For five people, we have 37 "staff," or service personnel. That includes everyone: guides, cooks, and porters.

The 7 Summits Club guide Valery Myasoedov reports from Argentina:

 Greetings from Argentina! The "Otkryvashka" group made the first ascent of Aconcagua this season today. And we did it in a record time of 7 hours and 45 minutes! The weather gave us a chance, and we took it. I can't recall a time in my career when there was no wind on the traverse. It's worth noting that we were the first to reach the summit on this festive day, having cleared a path for the climbers following us along the way. We've made a start, and we wish all our other groups successful ascents this season!

The 7 Summits Club presented Nikolai Cherny with a branded black fleece jacket. Our guest turned 87 on December 5th. His visit was more related to the upcoming Annapurna expedition as part of the "High Altitude Gene 3" project. It was interesting and informative to hear the ascent story and the route taken by the wisest of Russian climbers.

 On October 24, 1991, the first two Russians, Nikolai Cherny and Sergey Arsentyev, reached the summit of Annapurna. They climbed a route similar to the one used today. It is sometimes called the "Dutch" route, but it is more likely a variant of the route taken by a team from the Netherlands in 1977. Nikolai Cherny spent the final day and a half ascending with supplemental oxygen, of which he had only one cylinder. Arsentyev, however, climbed without it. And so, Black had to lead the way through the deep snow. It turns out they had a very high bivouac, at around 8,000 meters.

 From the interview: Which of the eight-thousanders was the most difficult for you?

 Probably Annapurna from the north. There were only four climbers on the expedition: the leader, an American woman whom Arsentyev later married, and Arsentyev and I – two members, in a double team. There was no one else. It was the most athletic expedition, semi-alpine style: no one, nothing – wonderful! No crowds.

 Judging by the following text, Nikolai Dmitrievich was the first to reach the summit.

The summit itself looks like a snow cornice curving south. Sergey approaches. We find two Polish coins on a ledge of snow – that means the Poles were here yesterday, their expedition was working the Bonnington route**... We admire the panorama for a long time. Sergei poses on the ridge, smoking a Camel and Winston cigarette – hoping to make a name for himself in advertising. It was 10 a.m. on October 24th.

... Our small expedition, the only successful one on the north face of Annapurna in the fall of 1991, had ended. 

** On October 21st, three Poles reached the summit: Krzysztof Wielicki, Ryszard Pawlowski, and Bohdan Stefko. And the next day, Wanda Rutkiewicz summited alone. Her teammates themselves questioned her summit bid, but later they accepted it. Their team had climbed a variation of Bonnington's 1970 route. The same was true for a group of Moscow climbers who summited Annapurna on October 26th. They included Vladimir Bashkirov, Sergei Isaev, Nikolai Obikhod, and Nikolai Petrov.

High Gene Chronicle 3! The tenth member of the Annapurna expedition, Alexey, has arrived at the 7 Summits Club office. That means the core team is already complete. We're still accepting applications, though, only for the waiting list—just in case any of the first ten are unable to participate. To submit your application, please email us at info@7vershin.ru.

Applications will be accepted until the end of tomorrow, December 26th.

This will be the third and final film in the legendary " High Gene" trilogy. If you'd like to be a part of it, now's the time to submit your request. You still have a chance!

Christmas news from the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Greetings to everyone and sincere Christmas greetings from the "Super Family" team and guide Sergey Larin! We wish everyone renewed light and clarity on the path! Our guys enjoyed the start of the high-altitude trek, loved the service, everyone is happy and satisfied! We wish the same for you!

The team spent the night at 3,800 meters, at Shira Camp, and today the guys will trek through Lava Tower to one of the most beautiful camps on the mountain, through a picturesque valley with scattered rocks and senecias – Barranco (3,900 meters). There they will spend the night with views of the savannah and the glowing night sky of Moshi.

With you, guide Sergey Larin and the Super Family team.

Sergey Larin, 7 Summits Club super guide, reports from Tanzania:
Greetings from Tanzania! This time we started from Arusha, not the usual village of Machame. Therefore, the transfer to the national park gates took a couple of hours longer. After completing all the formalities, we weren't able to set out until 12:00 PM.
At the entrance, local rangers decided to thoroughly inspect everything. According to Kilimanjaro National Park regulations, drones, plastic bottles, and alcohol are prohibited. This time, they paid more attention to plastic bottles. For water on Kilimanjaro, we usually use reusable flasks or a hydration system in our backpack.
Our team arrived at Machame Camp at 2,800 meters around 6:00 PM, right on schedule. The weather has been favorable so far; despite brief showers and a muddy road, we walked comfortably. During the rainy season, it's best to wear trekking boots for trekking and the approaches to the assault camp. While sneakers are easier to walk in, you can scoop up water in them. The temperature was comfortable for trekking (around 22 degrees Celsius), with a complete lack of wind and soft sunlight, diffused through the heather.
The team is cheerful and in fighting spirit! Ready for further adventures!
To be continued...

Greetings from Punta Arenas! A group of 7 Summits Club guides arrived here yesterday to prepare equipment, purchase food, and organize all other matters for the Antarctic expedition. Today, we are purchasing food, preparing equipment, and getting ready to welcome our participants.

Antarctic guides: Artem Rostovtsev and Alexander Dorozhukov.

And our unique Irma, who oversees all reservations and organizes group meetings.