Mount Elbrus
World 7 Summits

Elevation :
5642m (18,880 ft)

Difficulty :
Beginner to Intermediate

Duration :
12 Days

Location :
Caucasus Range, Russia

Mount Elbrus is the highest summit in Europe that makes it a very popular climbing destination for both experienced and amateur climbers. Its relative easiness is another reason why so many people attempt to climb Elbrus, in good weather conditions and with the right gear any normal person can do it, the technical part of the climb is not difficult. Though don’t think it’s just a simple walk up the mountain, in fact, every year a couple of people die climbing Elbrus, the main reasons; bad weather, poor visibility, lack of acclimatization.

It is not recommended for inexperienced people to climb Elbrus without a guide, but if you’ve done some high altitude hikes/climbs before, do proper acclimatization and use the right gear it’s absolutely doable. We hope our Climbing Mount Elbrus guide will help you to make the right decision and to prepare for conquering this amazing mountain. 

Due to the northern location of Mt. Elbrus at the high altitude, the amount of oxygen in the air is even less than at the same altitudes more south. We can confirm it 100% it was more difficult to breathe than for example hiking in the Andes, trekking to Everest Base Camp, or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

It has two peaks; the east summit (5621m) and the west summit (5642m), the main climbing route (the south route) goes to the west summit.

Different climbing routes

There are four routes, two main: South and North. The South route (from Azau village) is the easiest and the most popular, it’s where all the cable cars and barrels are. If you have no experience and want to go without a guide it’s the best option. You’ll need 3-5 days to climb. We did this route and still, it was challenging enough and worked out cheaper for us (the fastest route) since we rented some gear.

The North route is the historical one the first climber to Elbrus went this way. There are no roads and cable cars it means you’ll have to walk all the way from 2550m (base camp) carrying all your stuff. The good thing about this route there are few people. We’d recommend taking this route if you go with an experienced guide or you’re an experienced climber or if you’ve done Elbrus before. You’ll need 6-8 days.

The other two; from the west and east side both are quite wild with very few people, with no infrastructure. The West route starts from Polyana Dzhily-Su (2670m). The East route starts from Elbrus village. For climbing these routes you have to be quite experienced and in good shape.

Best months to climb Mt. Elbrus

• July and the first half of August is the best season for climbing with the sunniest days and the warmest temperatures.
• In June you still get colder days and a lot of snow even at lower altitudes (3500-3800m).
• The second half of August (when we did the climb) can be quite unpredictable; strong wind, snowfalls, rain etc.

World’s Seven Summits