The group "Van Cats" was returning to the city of Van today. We woke up in the morning, had breakfast and went to Ishaq Pasha's palace. Then we walked around the Bayazet fortress. We took everything we needed for a picnic and went to Lake Van to swim, barbecue and drink whatever we want. And in the evening, after we bought up, we went to a restaurant to receive well-deserved medals! All who ascended the summit got their due. We're going home tomorrow. At the same time, we are finishing the season in Ararat and I am also returning home!

 Ur-raa!  The group "Van cats" ascended on the summit of  Mount Ararat. Today was a beautiful weather and we quickly climbed to the highest point! At the top we took out a bottle of "Ararat" and tasted it well! We started thinking that the name of our band could be changed. The group did not ascend in full, but everyone is happy.  In the evening we continued tasting different types of alcohol!

Greetings to all from the slopes of Ararat! Today, the group "Van cats" continued to acclimatize. We had breakfast and went out to 4200. It was very hot again today. We walked, drank a lot of water and tried not to hurry. Admired the views, filmed them. We reached the assault camp in 4 hours, then two hours down and came to the base camp. There was even a hot shower in the camp.  We ate, bathed and began to relax. In the evening there was a delicious barbecue dinner and now a full rest.

The group "Van Cats" from the slopes of the sacred Mount Ararat.  I'm not a cat myself, but they chose the name, so they chose it. Today we saw Ararat for the first time and immediately went up to the first camp at 3200. We were tormented by terrible heat all day, but we stubbornly went up. However, almost at the base camp, we were offered to get to the first camp by car. And part of the group took advantage of this offer. But it won't affect acclimatization, so it's not a big deal. In the evening we had a delicious meal and checked the state of health. Everyone feels good, some participants have even higher oxygen than me! Tomorrow we will go to acclimatization for 4200. The weather promises to be hot again!

Ararat is in touch! It's been a long day. We went up to the assault camp, spent the night there, and at two o'clock in the morning went out to climb. We had the safest possible team: two guides and two participants. As a result, having split up, everyone reached the top at their own pace. Then there was a descent to the assault camp, where we rested a little, packed up and went to the base camp. Tonight we will spend the night at the base camp.

 Ararat is in touch, we continue our ascent. Today we went out for acclimatization. Our small group feels confident. We go well, admire the views, chat. We came to the assault camp, rested and went down. At the base camp, they cooked a ram and set a table for us outside. So we had a barbecue in nature. In the evening, as usual, we chatted before going to bed. There was also a group of Iranians in the camp. They added a lot of color, tried to teach us Iranian, but we didn't succeed. Tomorrow we go to a group camp and then to the top.

Hooray! Ararat let us in and let us go! Today at 7 am the whole team was standing on the top of Ararat!!! Despite the fact that it was not easy for everyone, but we got there quickly enough - in 5 hours! The weather pleased us, at first there was a light wind, and when we reached the top it ended and it gave us more time for a photo on the top. True, there were a lot of people, but this is a small problem. On the descent, the weather got a little worse, but it didn't change our mood. We were very tired during the ascent, so we descended slowly and carefully. As it turned out, not in vain. A member of the German team fell and injured his head while we were there. In the evening we went down to the base camp. We're spending the night here today, and tomorrow we're going to the hotel.

 Ararat is in touch. Today we went up to the assault camp. We were walking at a good pace, even faster than yesterday.  At night we go out to climb. Not everyone, alas, feels well, but we are preparing for the ascent. In the evening we watched a beautiful sunset. The weather promises to be good! We drove the crampons, packed up, went to bed to go to the summit at night. We plan to leave at 2 a.m.

Ararat is in touch, we continue climbing. The program of the new group has begun. We gathered in the city of Van, spent the night in a hotel and moved to Dogubayazit. We drove along a picturesque road along the lake to the mountains. We changed the car, got to the horses and then walked for 4 hours to the base camp, where we had a delicious lunch and rested. In the evening we admired the lights of the city and now we are resting before tomorrow's acclimatization rotation. And we are thinking about the name of the group.

Our group - on summit of Ararat, we went all right! The mountain let go and let go down. The weather was great: the sun, almost no wind. The road was not easy, but we mastered the ascent. Alas, not all of them. But ten people were standing on top of the mountain. Now everyone has gone down to the hotel, we are resting. Part of the group goes further by car to Russia, and tomorrow we will go to Akhtamar Island. And this is the end of our journey. 

  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!

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 group "Masha and the Bears" climbed the summit of Mount Ararat. Not quite a full team, due to bad weather, but Masha has reached the top! Everyone is alive and well, everyone went down to the city, rested after a hard climb and winter weather. On the night of climbing at the top, the forecast did not come true and the wind was up to 50 km per hour, aggravated by snow and lack of visibility. After the descent, we were caught by hail in the assault camp. And then we went down to Dogubayazit. And we spent the night at the hotel. Then we visited the palace of Ishaq Pasha, then we went to the city of Van, swam in the lake and got to the hotel. And in the evening we celebrated the ascent and the end of the program.

Ararat is in touch!  The group "Masha and the Bears" came to the base camp today. In the morning we got up and had breakfast at the hotel. Then three hours by car to the foot of the mountain. Now a new road has started working. The walk has become a little less, the camp is only 7.5 kilometers away.  We walked slowly with a tea break, a little faster than 4 hours. Everyone feels great. On the way, we chatted and looked at the beauty of the Ararat Valley. Tomorrow we will go to the assault camp for acclimatization. There's still snow there, so we dress warmer.

Greetings to all from the glorious city of Van!  Today we arrived in this city, located not far from Ararat. We gathered at the hotel, chatted. We remembered the previous ascents, had dinner together, discussed plans for tomorrow and went to the museum.

News from Ararat! We have climbed the mountain! Everything was fine, the weather was just great: light wind, sunny, not cold. It was still a difficult climb, the stones on the road and the altitude forced the participants to fight. And so everything is fine, we celebrate the victory and return to civilization!

Hello everyone from Ararat! We continue the climbing program. Today we went up for acclimatization to the assault camp 4200. The weather turned out to be excellent, light wind and sunshine. With a great mood, we climbed to the set height, sat, drank tea in the camp and went down to the base camp. We rest and tomorrow we go out to spend the night there, in the assault camp!

News from the slopes of Ararat! Today we started a new climbing program! Today we moved from the city of Van to Ararat. We reached the base camp in 4 hours. We have settled in tents, now we are resting.

Hooray, the summit! Today we have climbed the sacred Mount Ararat! It wasn't the easiest climb, but we were able to do it! Now everyone has gone down to the base camp and is resting.

The program of ascent to Ararat continues. We spent the first night in tents. In the morning we went up to the assault camp for acclimatization. We reached it quickly enough, in three and a half hours.  Tomorrow we go out there already for the summit assault. The weather promises to be good, we hope for beautiful photos.

News from the slopes of the sacred Mount Ararat! Today is the first day of the trip. We reached the town of Dogubayazit and climbed to the base camp in 4 hours! We walked in the heat.  Summer shows how much harder it can be to walk depending on the temperature. But we went up to the camp, had dinner, took a photo of the sunset and are now resting before tomorrow's acclimatization rotation.

News from Ararat, from the top! Yes, we did it - everything went great! Tired, but happy, we moved down to the base camp. We celebrate the victory with shish kebab and cognac Ararat! Climbing was not the easiest, but we did it. And most importantly, everyone came down safe and sound. Tomorrow we will finally descend into civilization.

Everything is calm on the slopes of Ararat. Today we went up to the assault camp for 4200. On the way we met an Armenian group of about 40 people, we will go climbing together at night. In the assault camp, we had lunch, rested, adjusted the crampons and after a delicious dinner, went to the tents to sleep before the summit assault. The weather is promised to be good. We hope for the best, for panoramic views on the ascent.

Today Ararat has shown us its strength! During the day we saw all the manifestations of bad weather: strong wind, snow, hail, rain - but still we climbed to the top in very poor visibility! Then there was a long descent in an ongoing blizzard and without visibility! With difficulty we went down to the upper camp and made a strong-willed decision to go down to the hotel today! Then a few more hours of descent to the first camp, there we took a little breath and another 8 kilometers down, in places in the rain, watching a thunderstorm! But now we have reached Van and are resting in a hotel, not in tents!

Ararat continues to "delight" us with the weather. Today we went up to acclimatize to the base camp. The camp was in complete fog, met us with cold.  We sat for a while, drank tea and went downstairs. Upon returning, it began to rain almost immediately!  The cooks cooked our meat on the fire in the tent! After dinner, we danced a little and went to rest before going to the assault camp for the night!

News from the slopes of Ararat! Today we moved out of the hotel in the city of Van towards Ararat! With excellent views, we reached the foot, went on foot to the base camp. By the middle of the way we were caught in the rain. We were lucky and for some time we waited out the downpour in a tent with the Kurds.  There we were offered tea and a light snack of cheese and tortillas. As soon as the rain stopped, we went out to the camp.  But we didn't have time to reach the camp without rain. Not far from it, snow and rain began to fall and we finally got to the camp, frozen and soaked! It was difficult, but we managed! Tomorrow we go out for acclimatization to the assault camp and hope for the favor of the weather!

 Today we climbed on the top of Mount Ararat with a full team! The weather was far from the best, but we gathered all our strength and ascended! Now we have gone down to the base camp to rest and realize what happened to us! Tomorrow we go down to civilization.

Today we went to the assault camp for acclimatization.  There was sun, snow and fog, though without rain.  The weather in general was not pleasant, but the forecast promises good conditions for the next few days. Tomorrow we will move to the assault camp already for summit climbing. It feels like all the participants are in good enough shape to go to the top. Let's hope for good weather and great views on the ascent!

Greetings to all from the slopes of the holy Mount Ararat.  We've had a long day today. First we left the city of Van and drove along the shore of the lake of the same name towards the city of Dogubayazit. Then we changed the car there.  Another 30 minutes on a dirt road and the first ascent in our program began, in the form of a move to the base camp. We reached it  in an average pace - of 4 hours. Everyone feels good. Tomorrow we continue acclimatization and go to the upper camp at 4100.

 Elena Titova traveled according to the program of the Gornyashka (Mountain fever) project, climbing with local guides.

Guides: Sergey Avtomonov, Denis Abramov and Alex Abramov.

Sergey Avtomonov, guide of the 7 Summits Club from Turkey:  Hello to all from Ararat from our group! Today we went up to the first camp. The climb was difficult, but interesting.  We managed to watch a sandstorm near Dogubayazit.  And then we saw a beautiful sunset already on the way, in front of the camp. Guides of the 7 Summits Club Sergey Avtomonov, Alexander Abramov and Denis Abramov work with the group.

The results of Fyodorov Konyukhov's expedition on Ararat. A team of friends and relatives of Fyodor Konyukhov was assembled in the amount of 20 people. The goal is to climb the legendary biblical peak of Ararat (5165 m) and have a good time. Results: the ascent was completed by all participants, on August 19, 2021 at 9.00 the team stood on the top of Ararat with a full team. We started the assault in three groups to climb later all together, which was done. The time for sincere conversations, memories of past expeditions and discussion of new plans flies by unnoticed. It is very likely that the next goal of the team will be the highest volcano in Asia - Demavend in Iran.

Now we are returning to Van to sum up the results, reward the participants for their perfect ascent and celebrate this event.

See you on mountains! Guides Alexander Abramov, Sergey Avtomonov, Anastasia Kuznetsova.

News from Ararat, Turkey. The team of Fyodor Konyukhov, led by the guides of the 7 Summits Club, Alexander Abramov and Sergey Avtomonov, climbed to the high-altitude camp at 4200 m. All participants feel well, we are preparing for the assault. According to the forecast, the wind will increase closer to the night. Wish us good luck!

News from the expedition of the 7 Summits Club on Ararat. A group of friends of Fyodor Konyukhov passed high-altitude acclimatization today. We climbed approximately to the height of Little Ararat (3925 m), but did not go up to the assault camp to save our strength for the summit climb. In the evening, there was a chic Kurdish dinner and sincere conversations. Tomorrow we are going up to the assault camp. Guides Alexander Abramov, Sergey Avtomonov, Anastasia Kuznetsova.

We are waiting for the group tomorrow!

And yes, the Bosphorus and Istanbul from a bird's-eye view (and even higher) are also very good! A city of contrasts, east/west, a mixture of cultures and civilizations. This is a separate topic.

 For the first time we went to land in Van, flying through the city itself. We even saw the hotel where we are now located. They usually come in from the other side. It's also an interesting experience.

It was not easy to choose a few of the best works, they are all of high quality.  See here what we have chosen, and here you can see the gallery in full, all 145 images.