Khibiny mountaineering school 2023

At the beginning of March 2023, the 7 Summits Club held a training camp of a Mountaineering school in the Khibiny Mountains, near the city of Kirovsk. Classes and ascents with the group were conducted by the strongest climbers of Russia Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov. During a very intensive program, the participants attended a theoretical course, went through training sessions on rocks and on snowy terrain, and then made two test ascents. By all accounts, the Mountaineering School course was rated excellent. Thanks to the participants, instructors and coordinators Daria Sivova and Svetlana Kotlyar. Special thanks to the participant who prepared and provided us with this video for publication!

Svetlana Kotlyar, Coordinator of the Mountaineering School of the 7 Summits Club in Khibiny:

News of the mountaineering school in Khibiny.  Today, under the leadership of Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov, we successfully climbed on the top of Aikuaivenchorr by the route 2B K.T. (route "Fox")!  The participants passed the main part of the wall at the same time, the leader fixed ropes only on the key section. All this happened under the supervision of our instructors, who monitored safety, guided and encouraged somewhere.

They also worked out important skills of independent decision-making on the route: which scheme to move, where to make stations.

Tonight we will analyze the mistakes made, and tomorrow we will hold a training session on the ice.

Super-guides: Alexey Lonchinsky, Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

Coordinators of the mountainering school: Svetlana Kotlyar, Daria Sivova.

Svetlana Kotlyar, Coordinator of the Mountaineering School of the 7 Summits Club in Khibiny:

Congratulations to all the girls on the International Women's Day! Today our team made a festive ascent to Takhtarvumchorr by two routes of difficulty category 2A: "Iksy" and "Cleft".  We were divided into 2 groups: the first part of the participants made the ascent under the leadership of Alexey Lonchinsky, the second — under the leadership of Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

The first sections of simple climbing moved simultaneously. When the rocks of more difficult categories began, the leader moved first, hung up fixed ropes.  All the participants successfully climbed to the top, and after that they went to the hotel, where a festive dinner in honor of "March 8th" was waiting for us. We congratulated the female half of the group and shared our impressions of today! Tomorrow is the day of theoretical classes, analysis of today's ascent and preparation for the next one.

Supergids: Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

Coordinators of the mountaineering school: Svetlana Kotlyar and Daria Sivova.

Svetlana Kotlyar, Coordinator of the Mountainering School of the 7 Summits Club in Khibiny:

Greetings to all from the Khibiny Prusiki team! Our mountaineering school is in full swing! We continue to learn the basics of mountaineering!

Today was the most eventful day! In the morning we went to rock classes in the "City gap". It is very convenient that here in Kirovsk, all the locations we need are literally within walking distance.  Our instructors Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov told the members about various types of embedded elements: stoppers, eccentrics, friends, hooks, anchors.

We learned to put points on the terrain and assemble stations on our own. They also continued to work out the descent and ascent along the fixed rope. We finished the lesson by teaching self-arrest on the slope with the help of an ice axe.

After dinner, we listened to a very relevant lecture about avalanche danger in the mountains, because the Khibiny is the most avalanche-prone area in our country.

Now we are resting and preparing for tomorrow's climb on route 2A!

Super-guides: Alexey Lonchinsky, Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

Coordinators of the school: Svetlana Kotlyar, Daria Sivova.

Svetlana Kotlyar reports from the Kola Peninsula:

Greetings to all from Kirovsk from the participants of the mountaineering school in Khibiny!  Today, the “Khibinian Prusiki” team made its first ascent on Takhtarvumchorr by route 1B grade through the Geographers Pass.  The route was completed simultaneously in ropes. The weather was pleasing from the very morning: frost and sun!  The members got a lot of emotions and practiced simultaneous movement in ropes and teamwork.

Tomorrow is a rest day according to the plan. In the first half of the day we will conduct theoretical classes. And also — today is an excellent forecast for the Northern lights! We're leaving in an hour to catch it!

Super-guides: Alexey Lonchinsky, Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

Coordinators of the mountaneering school: Svetlana Kotlyar, Daria Sivova.

Svetlana Kotlyar reports from the Kola Peninsula:

Greetings to all from Kirovsk! The program of the mountaineering school in Khibiny started today under the leadership of two "Golden Ice axes of Russia": Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov! Today all our big friendly team from Moscow and St. Petersburg gathered in Kirovsk: 13 participants, 2 instructors and 2 organizers of the program from the 7 Summits Club.

We stayed in comfortable hotels and held a briefing after dinner, where we got acquainted with the participants. Everyone told about themselves, their sports hobbies, mountain experience and expectations from the program. Alexey and Ratmir gave an introductory lecture about equipment and its proper use in the mountains.

Tomorrow morning we will conduct a practical lesson on nodes. After that, we go to the rocks to work on the natural terrain.