All news: 2012

Greetings from Tokyo! Yesterday, the entire group gathered in Tokyo. And today we went to the foot of Mount Fuji. Yesterday, we went sightseeing in Tokyo. It is very hot, the temperature 32, humidity 95%. Tonight we're going to go to the top of Mount Fuji. Hello from Japan from Marina ! Good-bye!

Our guide Victor Bobok reports from the slopes of Lenin Peak. Today at 2:00 p.m. the full group reached the summit of Lenin Peak. Now they go down. Everything is OK!

Dima Ermakov from Moskvin's glade:  Today we went down from a height of 5800 to rest. Under the plan, we will have three days off, that is, today, tomorrow and after tomorrow. I think our choice is very good. Now it snows, even in base camp. The bad weather. We are pleased that we fulfilled the plan of acclimatization. And we can rest and in bad weather.

 Today we celebrate the birthday of Vladimir Danilov, who turned 50 yesterday. So we are fine, everybody feels fine. We went to sauna, now we are clean as a pig. Hello!

So, our team made not only traverse but a real “cross” of Elbrus! To be honest, before the ascent, we had doubts. That was the fact that it was necessary to carry heavy backpacks. And quite a large length of the route. But most importantly was the weather. Forecast for next 4 days was bad. Constant snowfalls. The whole evening before climbing, rain pouring on barrels. However, at 3 a.m. the rain stopped. And even the stars appeared in the sky. As early as 7 a.m., our “top five” reached the saddle. And at 8:30 we were at the top of the Western Summit. Hooray! It's cold. But the traditional picture of the flag and with a golf club made! Tired, we are running down. Along the way we welcome our friends from the group of "classic." At the head turned an idea - there is still Eastern Summit. And we must go at it with heavy backpacks?? May be not climb it. In the end, it is our whim. The program does not include it..

But no one said this aloud. We drank tea, shouldered the rucksacks and went up to the Eastern Peak. Now we are six. We were joined by guide from Nothern Elbrus region Andrew Berezin. Wind increased. And it blows almost all the time in the face. We put on masks, those who have. And at last, the edge of the crater. A little more and - the Eastern summit. Almost all cameras were frozen. We start a descent on North. Weather deteriorates very quickly. Snow, a blizzard. Distant thunder. We try to go as quickly as possible. The forces were at the end. Good, that the storm is aside. At 3.30 p.m. we were in the camp at 3600. Compote. We meet old friends. It's great. And it's great that we have carried out our plan.

In the cross-traverse were:

Kyrill Muraviev

Vitaly Simonovic

Sergey Dmitriev

Mark Hornell

Andrei Berezin

Ludmila Korobeshko

The group of Igor Kaliayev had made a trip from Ararat mountains to Istambul

Alex Lonchinsky sends a message from the foothills ofMont Blanc. "Today, I said good by to my group, which is leaving on July 21. We worked according to our plan. We conducted our acclimatization training on walking in the snow on the slopes of Aiguille du Midi. Then we went up to the Tête Rousse. The next day, we had a early exit to safely cross "the couloir of death."

And here we are at the Gouter Hut, a rest before an early start at 2:00 am. They promised good weather, but a strong wind was blowing. But we still went out. In a good pace, we reached the refuge of Vallot were there to relax. At this time the wind increased. Unfortunately, we were unable to overcome in such a windy conditions the summit ridge. I had to turn back.

All groups turn back, we decide to go down, too. On the same day we went down to Chamonix. 20th of July we went for a walk on the Mer de Glace. Very beautiful place with views of the Petit Dru famous face. Mont Blanc was all in the clouds...

All people are in good health, good mood. There remains a small residue due to the fact that they could not reach the top. Good-bye!

After breakfast we went out on the slopes of the peak Petrovsky, past the cemetery of climbers and paragliders, and paying tribute to thos brave and selfless people. Ahead was a steep grassy slopes and talus. We were able to gain a height of 400 meters in 2 hours, in a good pace without shortness of breath and other signs of lack of acclimatization. We went up into several smaller peaks in a scree ridge. Above 4000m the weather turned bad. The descent took place without incident under the falling snow, but at an acceptable visibility. Everything goes according to plans and with absolutely right acclimatization.

With regards to our family and friends!

Igor Pohvalin, Andrew Filkov, Alexander Morozov, Lilia Boguchara and Victor Bobok.(guide of the 7 Summits Club)

Today, our new team, all six members and two guides, ascended the western peak of Elbrus. At 11 o'clock in the morning. In perfect weather.

We could not make a traverse of Mount Elbrus, as one member fell ill. But now we are already at the refuge, healthy, contented and happy.

Hello! This is Alexander Abramov from Pastukhov Rocks. Our climb was over, all members of our team, "RTSoft" reached the summit of Elbrus. The main part of the team has risen at 8.30 a.m., Moscow time. Then, a part of team descends back into the Terskol with two guides. The second part of the team, too, with two guides, went to the north, that is, on the other side of Elbrus. As it was planned. In addition, the two participants, with a guide made the "cross ofMount Elbrus." That is, they have climbed additionally on top of theEastern Elbrus. In general, we are fine. In two days the team will meet again in the city of Kislovodsk. Then they will fly away home. Good-bye!

We congratulate climbers, congratulate employees and owners of the firm "RTSoft" with the 20th anniversary! The team, according to its representatives, going up toMount Elbrus, is very strong. Good luck in everything!

The part of our group turned to the North for a traverse

The concert began July 13 at 13 p.m. on the Rocks Pastukhova, at an altitude of 4800 meters or a little higher .. With great difficulty the parties have raised 60 kilograms of equipment, two snowcat brought up the audience, among whom were members of the group of 7 Summits Club. The concert was, as they say, "with a bang!" In an atmosphere of general euphoria. Weather contributed to the successful performances. One and a half hours bards sang it together, one by one. Eugene Kruten shot everything on camera, so we'll wait for the video. Arthur Gladyshev , the main engine of the event, sends gratitude to Alexander Abramov and all 7 Summits Club for the help.

The following year, the concert will take place at the top ofMount Elbrus.

The whole group of 7 Summits Club today, climbedMont Blancvia the normal route through the Aiguille du Gouter. All 9 members and 3 guides (Victor Bobok, Dennis Saveliev and Alexei Lonchinsky) reached the summit and descended safely to the refuge. Now they are at Tete Rousse, tomorrow they will go down in Chamonix.

At the same time on the opposite slope ofMont Blancterrible catastrophe occurred, one of the worst in the history of mountaineering. On the slope of Mont Maudit, where the route goes "Three Mont Blanc route" an avalanche swept away a large group of climbers. It happened at 5-25 a.m. The exact number of victims will be more refined. Search works underway. At the moment, it found that killed 9 people. They are climbers from Spain, Britain, Germany and Switzerland.

This is Alexander Abramov. Now late in the evening, and a concert in the Elbrus region still continues. Today, our team has climbed to the top of Cheget. It was a very useful walk in the foggy weather. In the evening the participants of the song festival came fromMoscow. Right in the office of the 7 Summits Club, right on the street, we had a concert, and then dancing, and dancing. Now the concert goes on, has already begun the first hour of the night. We are all in excellent mood. Tomorrow we'll go to the Shelter Eleven. And by the way, the bards will climb with us. The concert will continue. Good-bye!

This is Ivan Dusharin from Team Alpari. We’re currently working on Mount McKinley.

I wanted to describe one of our most difficult days of climbing, where we had to make it from 3,200 meters to 4,200 meters – a whole kilometer vertically. We were expecting snow today, so we were pretty excited when we woke up and didn’t see any. Then we started to wonder how we would manage to carry all of our stuff up.

We knew that this would be one of our most difficult climbs, pitting us against a really steep incline. On this part ofDenali, most climbers ditch their sleds and carry their equipment on their shoulders.

Usually this stretch takes a couple of days, but we decided to try to make it all the way in one go. We loaded up two sleds and headed upwards. It wasn’t easy. We had to crawl on all fours, fighting tooth and nail the whole way up. It took us 8 grueling hours to make it to rangers’ camp at 4,200 meters, but we managed to cut a couple of days out of our expedition. Along the way, we passed a number of teams that had started out before we did. I think the only reason we were able to make the climb was that we were well acclimatized to the altitude after Everest.

July 6 team led by Luda Pershina completed their program in Cuzco. July 5 group had an interesting day - we visited Machu Picchu, the sacred city of the Incas, where we spent about 5 hours. Our representatives, Margarita and Olesia, have climbed the Huayna Picchu peak. Then we had lunch in Aguas Calientes and by the train on the narrow gauge went back to Cuzco. In the morning of 6 July Gusakovsky family departed to continue their journey into the jungle. And I studied with Olesia neighborhood of Cuzco. We visited an Indian village, and admired the night streets of the city of the Incas. Now we walk in Lima waiting for the flight home. Hello to everyone! Luba Pershina

Weather just not allowed to do that. We returned to Tbilisi. Everebody feels normal. The weather, unfortunately, is bad again. All, I think, we are pleased with the results, everyone understands that it was impossible to climb in those weather conditions. See you in Moscow ! Hello! Dmitry Ermakov.

It is Alexander Abramov from Elbrus. Yesterday, about 12 o'clock in the afternoon, our team was on top of Mount Elbrus. More exactly in the 10-40 a.m., they tell me. That means even faster. In perfect weather. Climbed to the top: a guide Alexander Abramov, ........... from Morocco, Cecil Seriylav from Belgium, as well as Russian citizens Maksim Loginov and Michael Yarin. The ascent took place in a good mood. In a good pace. No one frostbitten. Everything went down happy. Also, we were able to celebrate this event and to celebrate the birthday of our chef cook, Anna, wife of Danila. That’s all, good bye! Tomorrow the team members fly home.

Russia Today Published: 05 July, 2012, 16:55

The Skyrunning World Series event on Europe’s highest peak, Mount Elbrus, turned into a battle between the extreme sport trendsetters Italy’s Marco de Gasperi and Luis Hernandez of Spain.

­When it comes to sport, human beings can perform wonders at sea level. But, at above two and a half thousand meters, altitude sickness becomes an issue – and a good tip to avoid it is to climb up slowly.

But this advice is not for the skyrunners, who gathered on the slopes of Europe's highest mountain, in Russia’s Caucasus.

Running in the mountains has been a pastime for thousands of years, but probably very few did it for fun.

Italian Marino Giacometti established skyrunning as a sport in the early 1990s, while his compatriot, forest ranger Marco de Gasperi, is one of its best athletes.

The opening race of this season’s World Series began on the icy slopes of Elbrus, and will end in Spain in November.

Italian de Gasperi was the quickest in the Vertical Kilometer event where athletes run up a height of one thousand meters, with the overall length of the course not exceeding five kilometers.

The 35-year-old beat Luis Hernandez of Spain by a minute, and set a new record in the three thousand meters sector.

However, it was the 35-year-old Spaniard, who claimed revenge, in style, by being the first to touch the peak in the SkyRace.

The runners started from 2,300 meters, aiming to reach the top at a height of 5,642 meters.

It usually takes around nine hours to do it, but Hernandez stopped the clock in less than four hours.

“I used to compete in cross-country skiing and biathlon,” Hernandez said. “As there is little snow in Spain we had to climb high up into the mountains. And I did it quickly. I've always enjoyed the mountains and looking at the scenery. So after quitting biathlon there was no question for me about what to do next.”

Since the first man reached the summit, almost a hundred and fifty years ago, thousands of mountaineers have reached the top. For some, it remains a long-term and tough achievement.

But for those who run above the clouds, it appears to be nothing more than just another challenging, but enjoyable, jog.

July 4, 2012. BERNEWS
Part time Bermuda resident John “JBL” Layfield recently attempted to climb Europe’s highest mountain, with the aim to plant both a WWE and Bermuda flag at the summit.
Mr Layfield, best known as a former WWE professional wrestler, entrepreneur and host of the Fox Business Network’s “Cashin’ In” programme, helped found the charitable Beyond Rugby Bermuda organization to benefit children on the island.

Recently honoured for his work in Bermuda, Mr Layfield’s latest effort is the “Seven Summits Bermuda Challenge” in which the 45-year-old athlete will be attempting to plant a Bermuda flag on the top of the highest peak of every continent in an effort to raise money for kids in Bermuda through the Family Centre.
He started out trying to climb the highest mountain in Europe — Mount Elbrus located in Russia — however had to turn back right before reaching the summit due to weather conditions creating a safety hazard.

Speaking after his recent trip, Mr Layfield said: “I had three goals in trying to climb the highest mountain in Europe, 18,511 feet high Mt Elbrus. I wanted to raise money for the kids I work with daily in Bermuda (Beyond Rugby Bermuda), I wanted to plant a WWE and Bermudian flag on the summit and I wanted to not die. I accomplished two out of the three.

“I’m 45 years old and have had a broken back, four knee surgeries and two herniated discs-so I knew this would not be easy. But, we tell our kids daily that everyone has problems, it’s what you do with what you have that matters. I wasn’t just raising money for the kids; I was doing my best to set an example. We all have mountains to climb, mine ahead of me were just literal.”
Mr Layfield trained for over half a year for Mt Elbrus, and had gotten to where he would do a stair master up to three hours straight. He and his team flew to Moscow, and made their way to the Baksan Valley which is located just north of Georgia and next to Chechnya.

After arriving Mr Layfield saw they took two climbs from base camp and the second to over 15,000 feet to finish their acclimatization. “The second climb was about eight hours and though hurting I made the climbs in good form, I felt great about summit day,” said Mr Layfield.
The actual day arrived, and the team set off in their quest to reach the top of the mountain. ”After climbing for 7 ½ hours we were at the beginning on the “saddle’ between the mountain’s two peaks. I can’t describe the effort these 7-½ hours took to climb,” said Mr Layfield.
“We stopped for lunch and I discovered that my lunch had somehow been squished and ruined. However, we were only about 1,000 feet from the summit-though that 1,000 feet would take 4-5 hours. It looked so close.

“Vladimir had gotten concerned by the weather and was warning us we might have to turn back but now he was adamant. He told us, correctly, that if we continued that we would be caught up by what turned out to be a huge storm. I did not want to turn back, at all.
“We were so close and I had worked so hard, to turn back now was something that didn’t even seem realistic. The summit was so close you could almost touch it.

“Chris reluctantly had agreed with Vladimir. Chris is a mountain veteran who hated to give up on the summit, I was climbing for my kids and the thought of turning back was so hard to digest. However, we finally all agreed that we ran the risk of being stuck on the mountain if we continued. And, my third goal of not dying would have been put in jeopardy.

“I just sat there for some time looking at the summit and thinking of the support that the WWE had given me and the greater goal of helping kids that need it. It was one of the saddest moments of my life,” Mr Layfield continued.

“We turned back. Chris and I both were totally out of gas. Climbing down is almost as hard as climbing up; the snow had softened so we sank into the snow on most steps. At one point we sat down and slid down part of the mountain. Vladimir was helping me so much; Chris’ guide Albert was helping him as well. I don’t ever remember being that spent.

“At one point Vladimir had me take off my crampons and harness and we slid roped together down the mountain with Vladimir behind me to help put on the brakes as we got too fast.
“We made it down at 2pm, half a day after we started. The storm was now setting in and Vladimir was right in his warning and advice. There is a good chance that we could have been in dire trouble if we had continued; we could have easily been stuck on the mountain.

“The storm has closed the mountain and so there is no hope of another summit attempt-I will have to return next summer. My lips bled badly this morning (from exposure) as I tried to brush my teeth and my blisters are so bad I can’t wear shoes, but everything I have wrong is temporary and I just had the wildest week of my life and loved every second of it.
“I did get a great pic with the WWE and flag at over 17,000 feet and got a pic with the Bermuda flag for my kids (and to say thanks to the government there for the support they give our program and to our partner The Family Center).

“I have Kilimanjaro scheduled next in September. My feet will be better than and I will have a couple more months of training and the experience of being at altitude. I plan on making the mountain and then it’s to South America and then to Antarctica all by January. I have Mt Everest scheduled for spring of 2014.

“I tell my kids you can only control what you can control and you can’t worry about what you can’t. I can’t control the weather, but the mountain didn’t break me, so I’m getting geared up for round two. I still plan on making the Seven Summits but realize now why only a few hundred people have ever done it, these are world-class mountains.

“Most importantly I have my WWE and Bermudian flag all packed and ready to go to Africa for round two. We are only just beginning,” finished Mr Layfield.

Our group Luda, Ivam and Max were landing in Talkeetna yesterday. We are waiting for them in Moscow !