All news: 2023

Guide and director of the 7 Summits Club Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Pakistan:

July 6. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2!

Yesterday we came very tired after going to C1, so we slept without hind legs. Woke up covered with snow, barely dug out. The snow continued until lunch. Then it stopped a little and avalanches began to descend from K2 and Broad Peak. In the half hour that the snow stopped, the most hardened managed to wash in the shower.

In the morning, before breakfast, Kotlyar and I did exercises and brewed the last half-pack of coffee - we have to pamper ourselves with something. We enjoyed a cup of coffee with croissants. Instead of French croissants, we have Pakistani azoki.

Before lunch, we gave interviews on the results of yesterday's release. The RD studio team does not let you relax - they constantly take everything off. Today, even my morning yoga was filmed with a hidden camera. They also plan to take pictures of what each participant does in his free time in his tent. And how Louis (a high-altitude operator) draws pictures at an altitude of 5000.  By the way, Louis is not only an operator, but also a cool climber. He climbed K2 and other 8000. He worked a lot with Carlos Soria as a partner and high-altitude operator.

Dmitry Semenov, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from the Elbrus region:

Greetings from the slopes of snow-white Elbrus! Today was an important and responsible day for us.  Our group "Vertical" has made its first ascent to a serious height, and this is the top of the Pastukhov Rocks - 4700m. The weather was accompanied by a successful ascent, we walked at a good pace and the reward for this was wonderful views. Tomorrow we have a rest and a night out to storm the summit.

In the mountains to the stars can be reached by hand. Mountains fulfill dreams! Our climbing night started at 04:20, we started from the Base Camp at an altitude of 4200 meters.

The full moon illuminated the mountain peak of Demavend. Everyone was in anticipation and expectation. The weather favored us and our group "Deniski" went out to storm.

After completing one third of the climb, our team divided into two groups: fast and active, and measured and calm. 

The way to the top of the first group took 8 hours. The second group stood at the top of the Demavend at 12:50. Total: On July 4, 2023, the Deniski team of the 7 Summits Club in full force ascended to the summit of Demavend (5671m), the highest volcano in Asia!  The ascent was 100% successful!

Tired, but happy, we went down to the Base Camp at 17:00. There we were waiting for a hot delicious soup from our super chefs.  It is noteworthy that on the day of our ascent, Demavend Day is celebrated in Iran and in the evening we heard an ancient legend from our local guide Hamid and admired the fireworks.

Guides Valery Myasoedov, Evgeny Fedyunin, Olya Startseva.

Salaam from the group "Me and my young team" from Ascole!  Today we went to the alpine settlement of Askole at an altitude of 3300m. The journey was not fast — more than 6 hours on off-road vehicles on a serpentine through rivers. There are few places where you can get such an experience!

 The road ran along the Valley of the Shigar River. Dust and stones were replaced by a riot of green color. You drive along the serpentine, all around are sheer cliffs, rocks and the dirty Shigar River ... and roses from nowhere ... and then green oases of firs, apple trees and apricot trees.

Ascole is a place where civilization has not reached. In addition to well-equipped camps for climbers, the simple life of the Pakistani people flows here.

By the way, the people here are incredibly colorful. Men and children are happy to allow themselves to be photographed, but not women. Women hide and ask to pass by. We have set up our first tent camp and are preparing for tomorrow's march to Jola Camp. The transfer from Ascole to Jola Camp will take 6-7 hours, 17-18 km.  It's too early to say, but so far trekking to K2 can compete in beauty with trekking to the Everest Base Camp.

P.S. The GenKa2 climbing team is looking forward to us at the Base Camp, which is very nice!

Most likely, today we are the last day with a stable Internet. Wish us good luck and stay tuned!

Viktor Volodin and Daria Sivova are in touch.

Guide and director of the 7 Summits Club Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Pakistan:

July 4 and 5th. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Yesterday we went to acclimatization in ABC. We walked briskly through the icefall 2 hours from Base camp. We ate and went to bed early.

It started snowing immediately in the evening. By midnight, we were specifically swept up. At 3 we woke up, had breakfast and at 4 in the morning went up in a complete blizzard. With each rope, the slope increased. I had to trail - 10-15 cm of fresh snow fell. Small avalanches were coming down the slope. After 8 a.m. we got out to Camp 1 at an altitude of 6100. There are 6-7 tents stuck here with difficulty. The wind increased almost to a hurricane. So we gratefully stumbled into the empty tents that the Sherpas allowed us to enter. We sat for half an hour, drank tea. We discussed the further ascent to Camp 2. To which our Sherpas shouted with one voice that it was extremely dangerous and it was necessary to go down while the force and the weather allowed.

As a result, we were dumped down into the ABC and then into the Base Camp. The snow never stopped. More precisely, it ended only on the approaches to the base. Here a snowman named Genka was waiting for us for lunch, carefully sculpted by our film crew to our delight.

Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow we rest.

Photos by Arno Ter-Saakov

Today, the team of the 7 Summits Club GenKa2 in full force climbed to the ABC camp (altitude -5300 m). They will spend the night there.  Everything is fine, everyone feels good.

Tomorrow all participants, together with the Sherpas, will move up early in the morning. And at 12:00 they will begin the descent, each from the height that he will take.

Photos by RD Studio (from puja):

Natalia Marinkevich, a guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from the Elbrus region:

Natalia Marinkevich's group "Snow-fish" together with Andrey Berezin's group "Victoria-Pobeda" spent the first day on the slopes of Elbrus. We have worked out the technique of self-arrest, including when breaking down upside down. Classes were held on steep slopes at an altitude of 4000. We also trained the technique of traversing in crampons and with an ice axe.

All participants feel well. Comfortable accommodation and delicious food 4 times a day pleasantly delight future climbers!

The group "Me and my young team" from Skardu are in touch! We got the permits! Hurray! Tomorrow morning we will start to Askole by jeeps. And the day after tomorrow — we have a transfer to Jola Camp.

Unfortunately, most likely tomorrow is the last day when we will have a stable connection. According to the plan, we should arrive at the K2 Base Camp on July 11.

And what happened today? To be honest, it's even good that we stayed in Skardu for another day, because today we visited the Deosai National Park.  Deosai, or the Shadow of a Giant, is the second highest high—altitude plateau in the world, 4300m. Acclimatization was successful! The climb is 2000 meters. In a word, we are well done!

We will not paint for a long time about the beauty of this place. Photos  will say everything for themselves!

Daria Sivova and Viktor Volodin are in touch!

The news is lightning from Iran. The group "Deniski" ascended today in full force the summit of the volcano of Asia - Demavend (567 m). We went up in two subgroups. Now everyone is already in the base camp at 4150 m, recovering from the assault. Tomorrow descent to Tehran. Details follow.

Guides Evgeny Fedyunin, Valery Myasoyedov, Olga Startseva.

Salaam from Skardu!

There is a team name! We are “Me and my young team”! We say hello from hot Skardu!

It's time to tell us what's going on. So, the second day we spend at the starting point of all mountain expeditions - Skardu at an altitude of about 2500m. Today we have not received the promised permits, and we are looking forward to them tomorrow. As the locals say, Inshallah!

   Today is an amazing day! We are celebrating the birthday of the soul of our company — Artem Kolomiets! Artem, we sincerely congratulate you and wish you more travels, your sense of humor and positivity will warm us all the trip!

   Another day and there will be no places left in Skardu that we have not visited. In the morning we went to the Kuchara lakes. And in the evening, Cold Desert was waiting for us, the Cold Desert in jeeps, incredible dunes and the most beautiful sunset. We felt like the heroes of the movie Mad Max. After, we made a short trek to secret waterfalls and apricot trees.

And the evening ended with a festive barbecue and a party in honor of our birthday. Separately about security. Pakistanis are very friendly and welcoming people. Always ready to help, welcome foreigners with great joy and an open heart. Today Pakistan opened up to us from a new side. We look forward to continuing!

Гид Клуба 7 Вершин Евгений Федюнин сообщает из Ирана:

Привет из Ирана! Сегодня у группы "Дениска" простой день, легкий акклиматизационный выход, 300 м над приютом по пути к вершине. Особое внимание уделялось дыхательным упражнениям. Во время привалов наш главный иранский гид Хамид показал ряд приемов для повышения работоспособности легких на высоте. Мы также слушали рассказы о Древней Персии и играли в веселые игры. Наш уважаемый гид Хамид, инструктор IMGA, не только мастер скалолазания, но и отличный организатор. Таких же добрых слов заслуживают наши повара Наргес и Марьон, оба профессионалы высочайшего класса. «Дениски» были приятно удивлены фуршетом, который нам накрыли. А на горячее - жареная форель! Наша любовь взаимна, мы всегда благодарим их от всего сердца и не забываем поздравить с праздником. На день рождения Наргес и нашего гида Париса подарили павловопосадские шали из чистой шерсти. Вот такой день - дыши, вкусно кушай, отдыхай. Завтра - финальный аккорд, рано утром выходим на вершину Дамаванд. Гиды Евгений Федюнин, Валерий Мясоедов, Ольга Старцева.

Guide and director of the 7 Summits Club Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Pakistan:

 3 July. Salam to all from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gen - 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today we had a puja - the consecration of the base  camp and the expedition. We held a joint puja with our friends from the 8K company. A stupa with decorations stood directly opposite K2, which was almost completely opened at that time. At the end of the ceremony, we were tied with kats - white scarves, and Abramov, as the leader, was solemnly put on a Pakistani hat on his head. And they gave us something that almost all the participants of the expedition dreamed about, something that is not in Pakistan, but we really want it in the mountains and in the heat - consecrated beer!!!

After the puja, the film crew and I went to our kitchen to prepare a festive dinner. Kristina made cod liver salad, Ivan made mayonnaise, and I made borscht. The dinner turned out to be quite festive - we also added puja beer and dried fish brought from Russia to the table.

Tomorrow we go up for a rotation with an overnight stay. According to the plan - overnight in ABC (5300m), and then ascent to C1 (5500m) and above, then descent to the base camp.

Fotos of Arno Ter-Saakov

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Natalya Marinkevich reports from the Elbrus region:

The "Khachapuri" group climbs along the beautiful path to Mount Cheget, we acclimatize in the cafe "Ai" with pasties, breathe oxygen-free mountain air, admire Elbrus from a height of 2600.

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Evgeny Fedyunin reports from Iran:

Greetings from Iran!  Today, the Deniski group of the 7 Summits Club leaves civilization for a few days. ahead of the high-altitude acclimatization and climbing the summit of Demavend 5671m.

After spending a night in Larijan, a village with hot springs at the foot of Damavand, in the morning we boarded local jeeps and drove to the parking lot with a mosque 3020m. There we loaded the luggage onto mules and started trekking.  There were noticeably more people on the Mountain. But the second wave of blooming poppies went, the beauty is indescribable.

 We were walking in one group, the first long part, it's definitely not worth rushing! Slight fatigue and everyone is happy! In the evening, we congratulated our participant Anya on her Birthday with a cake (our chefs surprised her with their skill again)! She's thrilled! We invite everyone to Iran!

Your guides are Valery Myasoyedov, Evgeny Fedyunin, Olga Startseva.

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Andrey Berezin reports from the Elbrus region:

News of the Elbrus region. All the members of the group of the 7 Summits Club "We just want to see" climbed the Western peak of Elbrus, 5642 meters. Congratulations to all participants on their ascent, and we wish all new summits!

Guide and director of the 7 Summits Club Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Pakistan:

July 2. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today, the most conscious participants of our expedition did exercises in the morning, and the film crew recorded all this. It should be noted that sometimes operators break into tents early in the morning and take pictures of how the morning of climbers passes at an altitude of 5000 (okay, not quite like that - they usually knock:)

After breakfast, we all went to ice classes - we refreshed the technique of movement on fixed ropes and descents. Even the operators finally decided to get through! Sasha Kubasov has done this before on Everest, but it was Ivan Vasiliev's debut. And he did a great job.

Before the start of classes, the President of the FAR of Moscow Dmitry Moskalev gave a lecture on the correct technique of movement on fixed ropes. Then the practice began.

Everyone climbed so intensely that at the end of the lessons Sergey Bogomolov's crampons broke down. It's good that there are spare ones. By the way, Sergey is very popular here. Participants from other expeditions approach him and ask for a joint photo.  They ask with a gasp: "Are you the same Russian who has one eight-thousander left to 14?". In the evenings, our entire team gathers around Sergei and enjoys listening to his stories about various cases in the mountains from his extensive biography.

The second most popular in BC K2 is our doctor. Participants from other expeditions began to come to him. After all, Andrei Selivanov is the only doctor in the entire base camp. Today, our entire team was happy to eat what grateful patients brought to the doc. We realized that if anything happens, the doc will feed us!

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Alexander Dorojukov reports from the Elbrus region:

The group "It's fun with us, but it's a shame" sends greetings! Yesterday we reached our goal, it's a pity not everyone. In our cheerful company, a girl Alyona, 16 years old, ascended to the top of Elbrus. Congratulations to the whole team and I wish everyone even more mountains!

Salaam from Skardu! The first trekking group is assembled in Pakistan! It was one of the most beautiful flights. We flew past the majestic eight-thousand-meter of Himalayas and Karakorum. Skardu was greeted with pleasant warm weather. Today we rest and get to know each other better.

Guide and director of the 7 Summits Club Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Pakistan:

All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2!

 Morning exercise, breakfast at 7 o'clock. And at 8.30 we went to acclimatization in ABC (altitude 5300). The weather has worsened. The icefall took place in a blizzard. But when we came out to ABC, the sun also came out. We were already descending in good weather. There was a pleasant surprise waiting for us at the camp - even a few: first compote, and then pizza and a salad of fresh vegetables. And for a snack - dried roach. Here you begin to appreciate the little things. During the day, avalanches were rumbling coming from Broad Peak.

The guides Rostovtsev Artem and Spirin Alexander reports from Georgia:

Midnight greeted us with a clear, starry sky - so you can go! Breakfast, final equipment check. On the way! A chain of glowing lanterns stretched along the slope.   The hospitable Meteostation released us into the embrace of the dark silhouettes of the Caucasus Mountains. In the silence of the night we keep our way to the Gergeti glacier. Peacefully creaking with crampons, we take the first, confident steps along this majestic glacier, in the direction of the Maili Plateau. Here is the long-awaited dawn, our frozen limbs are finally thawing, warmed by the gentle rays of the morning sun.  We traverse a steep slope. We work in ropes.  Safely bypass seraks, continue to move to the saddle. The first harbingers of impending bad weather appear: snow flags on the top, clouds rise and thicken - we have a few hours of weather window left. 

Ahead is the most difficult section to go through and start the descent before the storm.  Everyone tried, but only four managed to stand at the very top.  And then there was a difficult, long and exhausting descent to the Meteostation. At some point it seemed that the mountain did not want to let go ... a strong storm wind, horizontally flying snow that hit the eyes (even under glasses) and swept the trail, visibility close to zero complicated the search for the right path, even had to use navigators to pass safely, the last part of the descent was complicated by deep softened snow on the trail. Wet, tired, but happy, we returned to the Meteostation that had become our home. Hot soup, a warm dry sleeping bag and a sound sleep - this is what we have been dreaming about for the last hours. Your favorite guides are Artem Rostovtsev and Alexander Spirin.