All news: July 2023

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

News of the Elbrus region. The group "From dreams to Reality" continues to acclimatize. Today (July 12) we climbed the Pastukhov Rocks.  And we experienced all the charm and severity of the mountain climate. The first third of the route was in fairly comfortable conditions, and the weather was normal until 12 o'clock. But when we went above the rock ridges, the wind and snow became our companions to the very top of the rocks.  But, no matter what, we have achieved our goals for the day.  Tomorrow we plan to rest and prepare for the ascent.

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Sergey Avtomonov reports from Turkey:

  Today we went to acclimatize to the assault camp 4200. Not everyone could make it, but we fought! It turned out to be not quite an easy walk for half of the group. Today it became clear how we will go to the top!  We lost one participant who decided to stop climbing and go down to the hotel. Everyone else reached the camp. Not quite fresh, but they got there. Then we went down, and everyone felt much better. A hot shower and lunch were waiting for us at the camp. And it helped to pass into yourself! We plan to get some sleep and go up to spend the night in the assault camp. The weather favors us, we hope it will continue to be the same!

News from Iran from our mini-team. Congratulations to Alexander and Anatoly on the SUMMIT! On July 10, 2023, the team stood on top of the highest volcano in Asia - Damavand (5671 m). According to Alexander: "... and there's not much to tell. In a good way! That is, everything took place exactly in accordance with the program. Expectations were met, the 7 Summits Club company is on top (with us!)".

Svetlana Kotlyar, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Pakistan:

 Greetings to all from Ascole! Today our team left the hospitable Skardu. Early in the morning we left for Ascole, a village at an altitude of 3000 m. Here we are housed in large comfortable tents, we also have a personal kitchen and dining room. The conditions are excellent! Here, as at a campsite, there are many climbers from different countries.

The members of our group feel great, we will soon have dinner and relax after a long move. Tomorrow is the first day of trekking. We have to walk 20 km to the Jola Camp. The guides of the group are Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin.

Nikita Slotin, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Kyrgyzstan:

Greetings to all from the first camp of Lenin Peak from the group "Everything is going according to plan"! The weather whispers - go to the mountain! Well, we went - to acclimatize we climbed to the peak of Yukhin 5100. After lunch, we played cards, read books, slept, rested. We also have a generator "dead" in the camp, but this is not a hindrance for us, and the evening disco will take place! Ice climbing classes are planned for tomorrow.

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

July 11th. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2! Today was an eventful day.  First, finally, the weather has improved. The sun came out (although it was snowing all night, which was not in the forecast).

Secondly, we held a meeting of the leaders of all the expeditions to K2 about the joint hanging of the fixed ropes. We agreed to join our efforts. So according to the general plan, a joint team of route workers will start above Camp 2 on July 14.

Thirdly, our first group of trekkers arrived in the evening. We thought they would be completely exhausted after so many transitions in the rain and snow. And they turned out to be cheerful. We arranged a joint buffet and dancing. Many were previously familiar with joint expeditions. And some people have just met. Uncle Vitya (Viktor Volodin) brought a rare copy of moonshine of his own production. Dasha brought us the most long-awaited - coffee and a little tequila.

Tomorrow we go up  for three nights. Trekkers will most likely go towards the Gondogora La pass in the hope that it will be opened (the weather has improved after all).

Svetlana Kotlyar, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Pakistan:

  Greetings to all from Skardu! Today our team had a very busy day! We decided not to waste time waiting for permits, and after breakfast we went by jeep to Deosai National Park!  We spent two hours on the road, which turned out to be very picturesque: alpine lakes, gorges – stunningly beautiful nature!

Deosai is the second highest high-altitude plateau in the world after the Tibetan one. It is located at an altitude of more than 4000 m at the junction of the Karakoram and the Western Himalayas. From the 4000 m mark, as acclimatization, we walked a little higher, up to 4200.

The plateau is known all over the world for its rich flora and fauna. And we were lucky enough to meet a huge groundhog here today!

After the walk, we refreshed ourselves and drove back to Skardu, where another member of the group, Valdis Pelsh, was waiting for us. He will be walking with us to the K2 base camp for the filming of the film "The High Altitude  Gene-2". We listened to his fascinating stories all evening!

In the evening, joyful news came — we received permits! Now the whole team is assembled and tomorrow early in the morning we will start in Ascole!

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Sergey Avtomonov reports from Turkey:

Greetings to all from the slopes of the sacred mountain! Today we finally gathered together in the city of Dogubayazit. We collected all the remaining things, distributed souvenirs, waited out the downpour and moved to the slope! While we were walking, the rain started several times, we got a little wet. But then the sun came out and dried us out. About four o'clock we arrived at the camp. We settled in tents, had lunch and rested.  In the evening we had a little wine and are trying to agree on the name of the group. There is no final decision yet. Tomorrow we will go to the assault camp for acclimatization. The weather is promised to be good, so they should not get wet. 

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Dasha Sivova reports from Pakistan: July 10th.  News of the 7 Summits Club group "Me and my young team".  We're at base camp! The GenKa2 group welcomed us very warmly, they gave us a real holiday!

Daria Sivova and Super-guide Viktor Volodin.

Nikita Slotin, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Kyrgyzstan:

 Greetings to all from the first camp of Lenin Peak from the group "Everything is going according to plan"! This is where our ascent really begins. Today was a good five-hour walk from the base camp. A little tired, but everyone is happy. The northern slope of the mountain and the peak of 7134 opened in all its glory. Today is the first night at 4300, we are waiting for interesting dreams. Tomorrow, according to the weather and the condition of the participants, we will continue our acclimatization.

 Alexander Dorojukov, the Guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from the Elbrus region:

 The group "Franciacorta" today completed its program by climbing the summit of Elbrus. The weather was very borderline, the wind and snow did not leave us alone all the way. It poured in a couple of days very well, but, as they say, we still got into a small weather "window". Before this day and after it, the weather was not promised at all. We tried our best. And half of the group reached the top.

Hello everyone from Pakistan! Guides Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin are in touch!  Today was not an easy day for us. We met the participants of our program at Islamabad airport early in the morning.  Since the morning, heavy rain has been falling in the city, we were warned that if the rain does not stop, we may not fly to Skardu. An alternative option, to spend two more days on the road by car after a tedious flight, was not even considered.

We decided together that it couldn't rain forever and went to the waiting room. After a couple of hours, the sky brightened, our flight was delayed, but we still managed to fly to Skardu! We are sure that this flight will be remembered by the participants for a long time: our fellow travelers from Pakistan cheerfully sang local songs throughout the flight, accompanying the singing with cheerful dances, and at this time stunning views of Karakorum opened behind the porthole!

Skardu is the former capital of Baltistan, it is one of the tourist centers in Northern Pakistan. Now there are quite a lot of travelers, tourists and climbers from all over the world. When we arrived at the hotel, a hot lunch was already waiting for us. After settling in and having a little rest, we went to Cold Desert — a high-altitude desert near Skardu.

Very beautiful location! Here at sunset you can ride with the breeze on jeeps or horses!

Having received our dose of adrenaline, we returned to the hotel, where our Pakistani friends treated us to a delicious barbecue! Tomorrow we plan to visit the Deosai Plateau, walk around the local market and get permits.

Super-Guide of the 7 Summits Club Valery Myasoedov reports from Tajikistan:

Greetings from Tajikistan! The first group in the history of the 8000 Club gathered in Dushanbe to pave the way to one of the most popular summits of the Soviet Union, Korzhenevskaya Peak, 7105 m and Peak Communism, 7495 m, now called Ismoil Somoni Peak. The city greeted us with an unbearable heat of +39, even the Tehran heat seemed cooler. In this program, the helicopter drop-off to Moskvin's Glade, to the Base Camp for both Summits, occurs several times a season, with enviable irregularity.  Therefore, we can say that we were lucky, right now, at night, we are heading to the village of Jirgital, located 200 km from Dushanbe, and early in the morning we fly to the Base Camp.

A welcome dinner was held at the Iranian cuisine restaurant (again an association with Tehran!), next to the hotel. Delicious, satisfying and in huge quantities, we took the uneaten with us to lunch boxes, it will come in handy on the road! We also managed to congratulate our dear Olga, the manager of Aksai Travel, on her birthday. The next report, I hope, will be written already from the Base Camp on Moskvin's Glade, 4200 m.

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

July 10th. All salaam from Pakistan from the participants of the expedition to K2 "High Altitude Gene 2" or briefly GenKa2!  The weather has improved slightly today. But clouds and gusty winds still prevail. K2 in the clouds in the morning. After breakfast, we rearranged the tents after the snowfall and attended a puja at Gareth Madison. Then we had a bath day

We had burgers for lunch. Last night they brought two beautiful bulls.... Today, as a women's team under the leadership of Kristina, we cooked a great dinner - soup with meat, Potato Crumbs with minced meat and Greek salad.

It is unclear whether it will be possible to get out tomorrow - the weather is still very unstable and the slopes are avalanche-prone…

The heads of the expedition to K2 Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko and the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov are in touch.

Nikita Slotin, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Kyrgyzstan:

Greetings to all from the Lenin Peak base camp from the group "Everything is going according to plan"! In the best traditions of one of our guides, Dmitry, we started the morning with morning exercises and, of course, with coffee. We successfully drove fat marmots and walked along the crest of Petrovsky Peak up to 4000 m. The weather pleases with warmth and sunshine, although it was blowing on the ridge, as always, but not for long! Now we are resting, packing up and preparing for tomorrow's exit to the first camp. They promise the sun! In the evening, there was  a traditional gatherings with a guitar!

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

Hi! The Snow Fishes group has successfully ascended to the top of Mount Elbrus! The weather is great, the mood is super!

Nikita Slotin, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Kyrgyzstan:

Greetings from Kyrgyzstan from the friendly team "Everything is going according to plan"! Today we bought everything we needed, left the hot city of Osh and arrived at the hospitable Achik-Tash base camp under Lenin Peak! The weather greeted us with a light rain. Having had a delicious dinner in the new dining room, having sorted out the plans for tomorrow, we moved to the bar to sing songs! Tomorrow, according to the acclimatization plan, we will climb 4000m to the crest of Petrovsky Peak.

 The guide of the 7 Summits Club Dasha Sivova reports from Pakistan:

The team of the 7 Summits Club "Me and my young team", walking along the trekking route to the base camp K2, successfully reached the camp Goro 2. This is one of the most beautiful tent camps!  There was no rain today. The sun greeted us. Camp Goro 2 is located right on the glacier. All participants are healthy. Everyone is very, very happy. Today we have already seen Gasherbrooms and Broad Peak. We all decided that this trek is the most beautiful and definitely worth it to pass it!

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

 Greetings to the group "Franciacorta", going to Mount Elbrus!  Today we walked on the Pastukhov Rocks.  The weather deteriorated all the way and under the rocks in 5 minutes we were covered with grits and, of course, a thunderstorm. It pinched us a little, but we left without loss.  We are waiting for a good forecast and go out on the summit…

Nikita Slotin, a guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Kyrgyzstan:

The group (as yet untitled) gathered for Lenin Peak today in the resort town of Osh. Today we managed to get acquainted with the bars and restaurants of the city, and of course cool off in the pool under the scorching sun! We changed money, bought SIM cards, checked equipment, got to know each other, who went where, who had what mountain plans. Tomorrow we leave for the base camp, and finally enjoy the coolness of the mountains!