The melting glacier on Elbrus has revealed one of the secrets of the Great Patriotic War. The melting glacier on Elbrus has revealed one of the secrets of the times of the Great Patriotic War. Cable car on Elbrus

Attractions

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The area in Kabardino-Balkaria, in the central part of the Caucasus Range, called the Elbrus region, has been attracting travelers from all over the world for centuries. The reasons for the widespread mountain pilgrimage are the unique opportunities of the region. Elbrus region - real paradise for adherents active recreation: in summer you can practice mountaineering and rock climbing, and ski areas Elbrus is open to visitors all year round. In addition, the cleanest mountain air, favorable climate (at least 300 sunny days a year!), availability large quantity mineral springs make the Elbrus region a kind of health resort, welcoming everyone who wants to recover from ailments and restore strength. The mountainous region never ceases to amaze connoisseurs of the beauty of pristine nature. It is no coincidence that the Caucasian peaks became a favorite theme in the works of outstanding Russian artists - A. Kuindzhi, V. Vereshchagin, N. Roerich, P. Kochalovsky and many others. Contemplation of magnificent landscapes inspires, gives wide scope for creativity, and unity with nature calms and, at the same time, charges with incredible energy. Every guest popular resort you will find something to your liking here. However, no matter what purpose tourists come to the Elbrus region, no one simply has the right to ignore its main attractions, which, without a doubt, can be called natural wonders.

Gray-haired giant Caucasus Mountains- Elbrus is famous throughout the world for its majestic beauty, scale and features geological structure, history of conquest, and today perfectly equipped ski slopes. Part of the collection highest mountains continents Elbrus is the most high point Russia and Europe. Huge mountain range volcanic origin has two distinct peaks - Eastern (5621 m) and Western (5642 m), which is why Elbrus is often called double-headed. By the way, the mountain has quite a few names, more than ten.

The designation of a peak known since ancient times can be found among many peoples. The most common and official one - Elbrus - is supposedly of Iranian origin and is translated as “brilliant (sparkling) mountain”: it refers to its snow cover shining in the sun. In the Balkar language, “Elbrus-tau” means “a mountain around which the wind swirls,” which is also true. Due to the uneven degree of heating of the slopes and surrounding gorges, air masses move around the volcano and winds blow.

From above, gray-haired Elbrus looks like a huge white star: 23 large glaciers, separated from each other by rocky ribs, extend from the peak in all directions, like rays. The maximum length of glaciers is 6–9 km, and the area they occupy is about 135 sq. km. The thickness of the snow cover on Elbrus is stable even in summer. Today, to find yourself in the kingdom of winter, you can use gondola or vintage pendulum lifts. Parallel to the cable cars, there are long trails for skiers and snowboarders.

Elbrus has been known as an object of mass mountaineering since the 30s of the last century. In the new millennium, the number of people wishing to storm the peak not only did not decrease, but also increased considerably. But even those who don’t get to the very top, but end up at one of the cable car stations, will be able to fully enjoy the stunning views and get an unforgettable experience.

The longest gorge in the Central Caucasus, Baksan, leads to the majestic Elbrus. For many tourists, the path to this unusual and surprising beautiful place starts from Nalchik. The distance from the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria to the village of Terskol, which is located in the upper reaches of the gorge, near Elbrus, is about 130 km.

An asphalt road passes through the Baksan Gorge - the highest mountain route in the republic. High and steep rocky slopes hang over the road on one side, and on the other side the Baksan River rushes noisily, giving its name to the famous mountain valley. All along the way, in the bends of the gorge, which sometimes narrows and sometimes diverges widely, the peaks of Elbrus, Donguz-Orun and other peaks towering above it are visible.

By deviating from the main route, you can get into picturesque side gorges. The gorges Adyr-Su, Adyl-Su, Irik, Itkol are known for their extraordinary beauty. On the approach to Adyl-Su, outside the town of Tyrnyauz, the pine forest of the Baksan Gorge begins, covering its bottom and slopes. Having risen to a height of 2300 m and somewhat bypassed Elbrus, the gorge ends up in the Azau Glade, where, “bumping” into the powerful foot of the two-headed patriarch of the Caucasus Mountains, it breaks into numerous but short branches and gets lost in the mountains.

Mount Cheget, located near Elbrus, is completely different, but no less attractive. The harsh and solemn beauty of the gray-haired giant is contrasted here with a surprisingly diverse relief, organically combined with the successive bright colors of nature. In summer on Cheget you can see the spectacular pale pink flowers of the evergreen shrub - Caucasian rhododendron, the leathery leaves of which cover the slopes of the mountain. Flowering meadows gradually turn into rocks with sparse vegetation.

At the foot of the mountain lies Chegetskaya Polyana - a unique tourist complex, where there are hotels, cafes, restaurants, ski equipment rentals, a market and souvenir shops.

The height of Cheget is about 3700 m. Anyone can be at an altitude of 3050 m. There are chairlifts in the first and second stages, and a rope tow in the third. The ascent takes about 20 minutes. The speed of the lifts is low, which makes it possible to admire stunning views.

On the second stage of the cable car, at an altitude of 2719 m, there is the cafe “Ai” and observation deck, from where a magnificent panorama opens. Here you can see the Baksan Gorge, the winding Baksan River, the village of Terskol and the peaks of the Main Caucasus Range - Elbrus, Donguz-Orun, Nakra-tau, Big and Small Kogutai.

Cheget is one of the most famous ski resorts, and the peak is especially popular among freeriders. Fans of off-piste skiing are attracted by the steep slopes and complex and varied terrain. However, in addition to the difficulties, the potential danger, including the likelihood of avalanches, should not be underestimated. For extreme sports enthusiasts, when skiing outside the marked trails, we recommend using the services of experienced instructors. You can ride on Cheget from the end of November to May. During the warm season, trekking and cycling are popular here.

The section of the valley of the Khasaut River from its confluence with the Malka River to its tributary Ketmas, where 17 springs emerge from the bowels of the earth, is the “Narzan Valley”. Located at an altitude of about 1000 m, in the Rocky Range area, the picturesque valley is characterized by a warm climate and an abundance of sunny days. In winter it rarely drops below - 2 °C, and in summer the air temperature does not exceed + 26 °C.

Along with the mild climate, the healing waters of its Narzan springs have a beneficial effect on the well-being of visitors to the valley. Mineral springs refer to carbon dioxide-containing springs, having a hydrocarbonate, chloride, sodium-calcium composition. The water is highly carbonated, and its temperature is + 10.4 °C. Due to the high level of iron content, the water flow and the surrounding area are colored orange-rusty.

The “Valley of Narzans” is surrounded by mountains covered with diverse vegetation: northern slopes Pine, birch, maple, oak grow, and the southern slopes are covered with lush grass. The subalpine meadows of the mountain plateau, rising above the valley, delight the eye with the bright colors of large flowers.

From the hills surrounding this area there are views beautiful views to Elbrus. Not far from the “Narzan Valley” there are beautiful waterfalls mountain rivers - Malki, Khasaut, Mushty.

A unique natural monument, known far beyond the borders of Kabardino-Balkaria, is the Chegem Waterfalls. Visitors to the gorge of the same name, located east of the Baksan gorge, closer to Nalchik, will be able to enjoy the beauty of cascading mountain streams.

Various waterfalls flow from the walls of the Chegem Gorge, flowing into the stormy Chegem River. The group includes three large waterfall and numerous thin flowing streams. The biggest and powerful waterfall received the name Adai-Su after the river on which it is located. Its height is 30 m. Another giant trench with water, but of a different shape and less powerful, is a waterfall on a tributary of the Chegem - Sakal-Tup. An unforgettable sight is the Main Chegem Waterfall, formed on the Kayaarty River. It consists of several small cascades falling from a height of 50–60 m and water jets oozing from rock crevices above. Water splashes sparkle in the sun with a rainbow shine.

The Chegem waterfalls are no less picturesque in winter, when their waters freeze and form numerous ice columns, turning the rock wall into a real work of art. The place amazes everyone with its pristine beauty and grandeur.

Another miracle of nature - Blue Lakes, located in the Cherek Gorge, in the valley of the Cherek-Balkarian River. There are five lakes in total: Lower and four Upper - Western, Eastern, Secret and Sukhoe. According to their genesis, reservoirs are classified as karst, that is, they are holes in the rock filled with water. Moreover, each of them has its own characteristic features and unique appearance.

The most picturesque is considered the Lower Blue Lake - Tserik-Kel. Its area is slightly more than 1.5 hectares, but in depth (reaches 368 m) the Kabardino-Balkarian lake is one of the ten most deep lakes Russia. The lake really has a mysterious color that changes depending on the weather - from sky blue to turquoise, as well as a constant water temperature (+ 9 °C). These amazing facts are explained by the fact that the karst reservoir is fed by mineral springs, the waters of which are saturated with hydrogen sulfide. water surface It fascinates with its serenity; it seems that the lake has frozen. There is a diving center on the shore of Tserik-Kel.

The Upper Blue Lakes are interesting in their own way. East and West have a depth of 17–18 m and are connected to each other; both lakes are rich in fish. Grass carp, carp, and trout are found here. Not easy to notice Secret lake, located in deep depression and surrounded by dense forest. The most inaccessible is the Dry Lake (Kel-Ketchchen), which is located at the bottom of a huge deep canyon with steep walls 177 m high. The depth of the modern reservoir is only 5–7 m, which depends on precipitation. It is known that previously the hole was completely filled with water, but one day “the lake flowed away” (this is how “Kel-Ketchchen” is translated from the Balkar language).

The Baksan River, whose name translates as “flooding,” originates from the glaciers of Elbrus. A stormy stream rushes mountain river along the Baksan Gorge and flows into the Malka - a large left tributary of the Terek. It is almost impossible to cross the fast-moving Baksan.

Baksan is one of the longest rivers in Kabardino-Balkaria and the most big river, flowing from Elbrus. Its length is 173 km. In the upper reaches, at every kilometer of its path, the Baksan descends 65–70 meters, then the current slows down. Along its entire length, the river is replenished by numerous tributaries. The reservoir is fed by glaciers, snow and underground springs.

Already in the 1930s, the Baksan hydroelectric power station, one of the oldest hydroelectric power stations in the country, was built on the river. In the vicinity of Baksan there are mountaineering camps, national park"Elbrus region", observatory. Along the river are the cities of Tyrnyauz, Baksan, and Prokhladny.

Every traveler passing along the road through the Baksan Gorge to the foot of Elbrus will not only see, but also hear Baksan perfectly. The river makes a lot of noise, overcomes rapids and rifts, turning over huge stones.

Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, is an extinct volcano and consists of two peaks. The Western peak has a height of 5642 m, the Eastern peak - 5621 m. The distance between the peaks is approximately 3 km.

Elbrus is one of the Seven Summits - seven highest peaks seven parts of the world.

Terskol

Terskol is a village in the Elbrus region of Kabardino-Balkaria, part of the rural settlement of Elbrus.

The village was built for the residence of service personnel in the Elbrus region recreational area. This is the main one ski center the former USSR and present-day Russia. In the center of the village there is a control and rescue service, which is one of the most powerful services in the structure of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The Terskol tourist center is located in the village - it belongs to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Row travel companies carry out regular bus services "Moscow-Terskol-Moscow".

Regular bus tourist and excursion flights are also organized from Nalchik (133 km) and Pyatigorsk (155 km) and other cities.

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Polyana Azau

Glade Azau is the highest inhabited point in the Elbrus region. It is located at an altitude of 2300 meters between the slopes of Elbrus and the village of Terskol.

Azau is not only the name of the clearing, but also the famous Elbrus glacier. There are many versions of the translation of this word. The first option says that Azau is translated as “a place where there are no people.” And the second variation sounds like “a place where mountains are rarely crossed.” In any case, both meanings of this name are ungodly outdated. People often come here to visit the mountains, go to walking tours or just relax in nature.

You will not be able to drive further than this clearing. Here, resting against Elbrus, the asphalt road ends, which runs through the Baksan Gorge. Already at the entrance to Azau, along the road, there are dozens of hotels and tourist centers. In the clearing itself, they are lined up along the perimeter, forming a square in the center. Cafes, kebab shops and restaurants are neatly located between the hotels. Naturally, there are rental points for climbing and sports equipment. So you can safely leave all the bulky gear at home.

Coordinates: 43.38509000,42.49638700

The Baksan Gorge is one of the most famous not only in Kabardino-Balkaria, but throughout the Central Caucasus. According to statistics, purely travelers who come here annually are two to three times more than the total population of Kabardino-Balkaria. There are two reasons for this popularity. Firstly, the Baksan Gorge is the road to the foot of Elbrus and Cheget. Secondly, this is an incredibly beautiful and unusual place.

The gorge is named after the Baksan River, which begins with the glaciers of Elbrus and flows into Malka, a tributary of the Terek. This is the largest river flowing from Elbrus. The river accompanies the traveler along the entire length of the road, makes noise, rolls over numerous rapids, turning over huge blocks of stone. You can’t even swim in it, it’s almost impossible to even cross.

Mount Cheget

Chege"t - Caucasus mountain with a height of 3769.3 m near Elbrus, popular place tourism and ski center. Located in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic of the Russian Federation.

On Mount Cheget in at the moment There are 4 lifts and three lines. On the first stage there are double-chair and single-chair lifts, on the second - single-chair, and on the third - rope tow (passes are not valid on it, skiing is for an additional fee). The speed of the lifts is low, queues are a common occurrence.

Opens from Cheget beautiful view to the Baksan Gorge, the village of Terskol, the double-headed Elbrus on one side and to Donguz-Orun, Kogutai and Nakru on the other.

On the slope of Mount Cheget in the second stage, at an altitude of 2719 m, there is a cafe “Ai” and a convenient observation deck. The main hotels built in recent years in the Cheget meadow offer a decent level of service, but in snowy years it is necessary to take into account that only two - “Cheget” and “Ozone” - are safe in the event of an avalanche.

Baksan River

Baksa"n is a river in the North Caucasus in Kabardino-Balkaria, the right tributary of the Malka (Terek basin). The length of the river is 173 km, the area of ​​its drainage basin is 6800 km².

Baksan originates from glaciers in the Elbrus region. In the upper reaches of the Baksan and its tributaries there are the mountaineering camps Baksan, Dzhan-Tugan, Elbrus and others, the Elbrus National Park, and the Terskol Observatory.

The food is glacial, snow and underground.

On the Baksan River there are the cities of Tyrnyauz and Baksan, opposite the confluence with the Malka - the city of Prokhladny.

The waters are used for irrigation (Baksan irrigation system), and the Baksan hydroelectric power station is located on the river.

Cafe Ai

The ascent to Mount Cheget begins from a clearing where numerous hotels and cafes are located. Here is the starting point of the double chair lift, which will take you to the famous cafe “Ai”, which means Moon.

The cafe is located at an altitude of 2750 meters. Its round building, perched on an artificially created site right on the mountainside, has been hospitably welcoming skiers and snowboarders for many years. Built in the 60s, it was the first and, perhaps, the only high-mountain cafe in the USSR. His image, circulated in numerous postcards, photographs and badges, became business card Elbrus region.

This place is truly iconic. The cafe is inextricably linked with bards and original songs. They say that Yuri Vizbor loved to stay in a hut near the Ai cafe. Here the lyrics of his new songs and plots for stories were born. In the 90s, the cafe "Ai" served as a film set for the film "Breakfast with a View of Elbrus" - an adaptation of Vizbor's story of the same name.

They say that this cafe serves the most delicious khychin - flatbread with potatoes and cheese or meat. Co observation deck In a cafe, while enjoying a cup of fragrant tea or aromatic mulled wine on a sunny day, it is pleasant to admire the double-headed peak of Elbrus and the picturesque Baksan Valley stretching into the distance.

Coordinates: 43.24185400,42.50661200

Cable car on Elbrus

Mount Elbrus is extremely loved by skiers from all over the world, and this is no coincidence. Firstly, the mountain is covered with snow and ice 12 months a year, which allows you to ski at any convenient time, not excluding autumn and spring, which is rare. Secondly, the slopes of the mountain are generally gentle, and a total of 15 kilometers of trails are laid on them. The longest is “Old Horizon – Azau” 2500 meters.

The peak of Mount Elbrus is at an altitude of 5,642 meters. Cable car rises to 3,850 meters. And you can also climb to a height of 4,800 meters using snowcats (vehicles on wide tracks).

The lifts on Elbrus consist of three cable car lines. Stage 1: Azau - Krugozor, as the name suggests, runs from Azau station (2,350 meters) to Stary Krugozor station (3000m). There are 2 parallel roads on this section: the old one (“Elbrus 1” is a pendulum type road, travel time is 15 minutes) and the new one (“Elbrus” is a gondola road, travel time is 5 minutes. Bandwidth– 2400 people per hour. There are places to eat and drink tea or coffee at the stations.

2nd stage: Horizon - World. It also consists of an old pendulum road (“Elbrus-2”) and a new gondola road (“Elbrus”). Runs from Stary Krugozor station (3,000 meters) to Mir station (3,500 meters). The travel time of the new gondola is 5 minutes 13 seconds.

3rd stage: road Mir - Gara Bashi. On this section the Elbrus road operates - a cable-chair type. The road starts from Mir station (3,500 meters) and runs to Gara-Bashi station (3,850 meters). This is an old lift that is 1 chair wide.

Coordinates: 43.26661300,42.47859500

Glacier "Seven"

Russia / Kabardino-Balkarija / Elbrus / The Semerka glacier is one of the most picturesque glaciers in the Elbrus region. The glacier got its name "Seven" from its shape, reminiscent of the number "7".

Valley of Narzans

The name of the valley, located in the foothills of the Rocky Range of the Greater Caucasus, speaks for itself. Here in picturesque place Along the Khasaut River, almost 20 sources of mineralized water of the Narzan type come to the surface. Their water belongs to the carbonic bicarbonate-chloride sodium-calcium type with mineralization up to 3.3 g/l and carbon dioxide content up to 2.2 g/l. Heavily carbonated with carbon dioxide.

The Narzan Valley is closed on all sides high ridges. Its peculiar isolation and solitude, of course, affected the local atmosphere. The grandeur and inaccessibility of the mountains, the colorful carpet of subalpine meadows, forests of slender spruce trees, the purest air - such places, as a rule, influence a person in the most favorable way, cleanse, inspire. And here they also improve their health. In addition, Elbrus is visible from here, and this is one of best views famous mountain.

Through the Narzan Valley there is a path to warm mineral spring Djily-Su, located at the foot of Elbrus. From here you can go to the waterfalls on the Khasaut and Musht rivers. Favorable climatic conditions allow you to make hikes and excursions to the Narzan Valley at almost any time of the year. There is also a tourist center of the same name, a cafe and a shop.

Coordinates: 43.81867500,42.73523700

Monument to the first conquerors of Elbrus

If you ever decide to visit the Elbrus region, your path will pass by the monuments to the two first conquerors of Elbrus. Karachay Khilar Khachirov and Balkar Ahiya Sottaev stand opposite each other - as the personification of human courage and bravery.

The official date of the conquest of Elbrus is considered to be 1829, when an expedition was organized led by the head of the Caucasian fortified line, General G.A. Emmanuel. The expedition was scientific in nature. It consisted of more than 20 people. Elbrus was conquered at the cost of great effort: many participants showed signs of altitude sickness, which could lead to death, and therefore, at an altitude of 4270 m, it was decided to go down.

Karachai resident Hillar Khachirov continued the ascent alone.

On July 10, 1829, he was the first to set foot on the top of Elbrus, strengthened a pole on it, surrounded it with stones and, as evidence, left his hat. The news of the first ascent of Elbrus spread across many countries.

The most popular attractions in the Elbrus region with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose best places to visit famous places Elbrus region on our website.

Located opposite Elbrus, the Donguz-Orun massif is widely known both in our country and in the West. The foot of the massif is easily accessible - just an hour and a half walk from the Cheget hotel.

The “witching”, most difficult slope of Donguz-Orun, which turns purple-pink at sunset, attracts and at the same time repels the strongest climbers, is the northern wall. A huge ice fault in the entire wall in the shape of the number “7” hangs with its two seracs over the Baksan Gorge, giving the massif a special outline. This wall was first climbed in 1957 by a duo from Svaneti, M. Khergiani - I. Kakhiani.

The legend says (not those stupid fairy tales that second-rate climbers who have gone through “thrill and water” tell gullible girls in order to win their attention, about a black climber, about the Elbrus Maiden, not what the paparazzi, thirsty for cheap sensations, thirsty for blood, want to hear) . A legend that is passed down from mouth to mouth by the chosen ones, for whom there is no life on the plain... Who cannot (or cannot yet) go to boring work every day and “trade flowers for a taler apiece” (Baron Munchausen), who, falling asleep every night in the mountains in a dream, they see the same mountains, silent, white!

So, the legend says: a long time ago, one person skied down the “Seven” icefall on the huge one and a half kilometer northern face of Donguz-Orun. Someone says that it was Japanese, someone says - Pole or Italian.... One instructor at the Terskol hotel in the Elbrus region, surrounded by skiers, told how it was HE who did it, and already in the dark (and almost a lot once). “I’m driving, I can’t see anything,” he says, “suddenly I’m flying! I’m flying! I jumped off, I’m going again (Ah!).” Now I can definitely tell him to his face in simple Russian dialect, which is spoken by the entire male and part of the female population of Russia: “P.....!”

For the second year now, French snowboarders have been coming to ride from our mountains by helicopter to the Elbrus region and click their tongues as they stare at the Donguz wall. But we said the Russian mantra: “Fuck you! The Russians should be the first to do this.” And so people gathered around this idea so that “the fairy tale becomes reality!”

The ideal scenario is to land on the top of Donguz by helicopter, drop off a video and photo operator on the top of neighboring Nakra and start skiing from the very top along the snow-ice wall to the “seven” and then along the seven to the base. This is the maximum program. A helicopter is simply necessary, since your legs should not be “clogged” by many hours of approaching and climbing the wall - this is clear to any skier. The whole difficulty of this descent lies in the fact that there is no room for error - there is no smooth rollout below, but only a rocky vertical and ice drops. If you fall, you are unlikely to be able to stay on the wall.

There is no money for a helicopter (as one would expect) yet. But it was not so easy to give up the dream! Therefore, we make a decision - the minimum program is reconnaissance. Climb the “seven”, assess the state of the terrain, the possibility of descent, objectively dangerous places, take photos and videos. And the main thing is not to lose anyone while doing all this.

So, our entire risky company consists of two people taking photos and videos and two “artists” - my brother performs the part on skis Alexander Kopylov, and on a snowboard - Mikhailov Vitalik, who ended up with us quite by accident, literally jumping on the bandwagon of the “train” leaving for adventure, asking us: “Take me with you.” He still did not understand what he had run into and, perhaps, on the wall he regretted it more than a dozen times and made himself a hundred vows that if he came down alive... he would never, never take part in such events again.

But in fact, this guy turned out to be a real Flint!!! His training took place already on the wall while climbing up in real “combat” conditions and was concise and simple. “These are “crampons” for climbing on ice,” my brother calmly explains, “they are put on boots, and if they jump off, a person can fall and fly into oblivion... (And, believe me, there is somewhere to fly.)

This is a zhumar for climbing a fixed rope" - the training continues - "if it jumps out, the person flies away... This is a helmet - when shouting “stone” you need to have time to dodge it, even if you have to jump into a crack to do this - it’s far on the rope you won’t fly away - 5-10 meters, no more... It’s better not to look down - the height and depth under your feet reach a kilometer and this has a bad effect on the psyche. When an avalanche descends from the wall, you have ten to twenty seconds to make a decision... Do you understand everything? Then let's go..."

There is silence all around. Not a single alarming sound. Only the rhythmic hits of the first one on the ice, heavy breathing and occasional shouts of command: “Ready! Got it! Let’s go!”

The top of the wall seems to be painted gold - the sun has already illuminated the tops of the ice cap, which hangs over us and crowns this entire huge wall, and we will be in the shadow for a long time.

All night long, ice fell down the wall with a roar, reflecting in our minds the only question: “Where?” The glacier, which forms the famous figure "7" at a great distance, on closer inspection turns out to be steep and torn, so that very often you have to climb in earnest on the front teeth of crampons.

In the background, Elbrus literally floats in space, the green meadows at its foot are reminiscent of summer, around us is a kingdom of snow and ice, and above us is still an endless one and a half kilometer wall, along which we must climb and descend alive.

There is ice all around - very little snow. The cracks are so deep that you involuntarily remember your mother. This year in the Caucasus turned out to be snowless - the result is obvious: in June the condition of late August is on the wall. Snow bridges over cracks are weak or non-existent. How I hate these bridges. So many friends died on them.

Everything looks different here on the wall. Ice faults hang over, taking on simply terrifying proportions. They seemed to freeze for a while behind our backs, giving us one last chance to get out of here as quickly as possible.

The slope of the “seven” at the upper crossroads, although smooth, is clearly avalanche dangerous. In the very corner at the top break of the “seven” the glacier turned out to be terribly torn, forming a crack in which my fevered imagination easily hid the entire high-rise building of Moscow State University. The soggy, deep wet snow sticks to the crampons and, making it difficult to move upward, seems to say, warning: “Don’t go further - it’s dangerous.” There is no need to joke with avalanches, I know this first hand.

I mentally calculate the options of “where to run” if this entire slope below us suddenly comes to life and goes into the kilometer-long abyss of the wall. And above us hangs the upper serac (ice fault) of the “seven” and the ice summit “cap”. Yesterday, just here in the center of the wall from above, an avalanche hit so hard that each of us probably thought: “It’s good that we’re not there.” From above, all this snow and ice chaos flew to the bed of the “seven” for ten to fifteen seconds. This is the time that each of us now has in reserve, if suddenly all this ice colossus collapses above us. If suddenly...

According to the plan provided to us by the mountain, in about two hours the shelling of snow and ice avalanches will begin, and maybe earlier, and we will say: “Mom, give birth to me back!” if we're still on the wall.

After the first few falls, which sober the mind and set it up for a rapid descent instead of a long ascent, Sanya rolls out and beautifully rushes past me, either against the backdrop of Elbrus, or against the backdrop of the wall, rushing over the bend of the slope.

There is no time for repeated video takes here. Gena takes a video, I take a photo, quickly changing lenses - I want to embrace the immensity. During short stops, when cameramen rappel past the performers to the next shooting point, there is an opportunity to rest and catch your breath.

We pass a chute, at the end of which Sanya, probably tired of rappelling, completely unhooked from the rope, rushed down uncontrollably, knocking down and collapsing a small cornice along the way, flying a couple of meters along with it, but managed to stay on his feet and continue moving through a labyrinth of cracks.

Entering the next turn, I “squeeze” my legs as much as I can so as not to fly into a crack and drops. From time to time I see someone’s round eyes, which are immediately covered by the viewfinder of a video camera or photo camera. I no longer have the strength to drive around the rocks sticking out of the ice. I can feel the shavings being scraped off my skis, each worth half a hundred bucks. Suddenly I remembered the phrase - “I don’t like it when iron hits glass...”

Everything is simpler than ever: stay on your feet - stay alive! The rest is details.

I barely reach the avalanche escape and go to the left, from where I simply rappel down - we have very little safe time left on the wall."

A little more - and victory! We'll take our legs and skis away from here. All this time the wall was silent, probably speechless from our impudence, or seeking the moment to cover us in one fell swoop. Then she just stared at us and came to her senses only at the very last moment, realizing that these insolent people were already leaving her with impunity.

The roar came unexpectedly and instantly filled everything around, transmitting the vibration of a collapse across the surface of the ice on which we were standing. It was literally a rope (distance in mountaineering is measured not in meters, but in ropes and hours of walking) to the end of the wall.

We hear its growing rumble above, but we cannot understand where and where to run? Now, judging by the sound, it’s already very close and finally, a little to the side of us, this whole stream splashed out from a huge crack-rankluft running vertically down along a triangular rock mass and flew away like a huge serpent Gorynych from a children’s fairy tale, spewing out of its mouth not fire, and stones and ice. One cubic meter of ice weighs about a ton. It’s hard to say how many tens or hundreds of tons flew past us at that moment.

They let us through. We're safe. The mountain allowed us to leave.

Performed the part on skis Alexander Kopylov, on a snowboard – Vitalik Mikhailov, security - Gennady Melnikov. Photo shooting - Vladimir Kopylov(left behind the scenes).

So, it's all over now. The ritual “seven” shaved on the short-cropped back of my brother’s head, which we later used as a map of the entire event, showing: “Here we started our descent, we got here” – had already begun to grow over, erasing the details in my memory. But the main thing is that the legend that someone once skied here (or maybe not here) has become a reality. Yes, it was cool there - in every sense of the word! But today we are starting to discuss how to surprise the world next year

P.S. All this happened in June 1998. We were all five years younger and happier then. The friends just laughed - they were alive, after a while - some of them would die later. And only the faithful dog Chateau, sitting with us then on a huge stone at the foot of Donguz, sadly looked over our heads towards the Sky, Elbrus and our Future.

All these years I have been going to the top of Elbrus as if I were going to work, and the Chateau has been looking at us, the living, from Heaven for more than a year, repeating the question that five years ago remained unanswered for all of us - “The dream is gone!! ! How to live further? I don’t know...

Anyone who has been to the Elbrus region, even on an excursion from Mineralnye Vody, probably took the cable car
to Mount Cheget up to 3050 m, and saw, in addition to Elbrus, the mesmerizing dark wall of Mount Donguzorun
with the Semyorka glacier, so named for its contours. Donguzorun, 4454 m high (on the map), -
The 24th peak of the list of “100 peaks of the Caucasus”, and I suggest looking at it not only
from a classical perspective, but also from Georgia, and from the Yusenga valley, and from Kogutai...

1. When you drive up the road in the Baksan Gorge, in the area of ​​the village of Verkhniy Baksan, a view of the snow-white ice cap of Donguzorun opens up.

2. Winter view from Upper Baksan. For some, this is the view from the window of their house...

3. View from the chair of the cable car on Cheget, the first stage. The northern wall of Donguzorun (on the left) and Nakra (more precisely, Nakratau, 4277 m) is opening up better and better.

4. Classic look. Wall of Donguzorun and Nakra. The name Donguzorun comes from the name of the lake that can be seen below on the right, it is called Donguzorun-Kol. At one time, Orthodox Svans lived here, who, unlike the Muslim Balkars, do not have a ban on breeding pigs. That is why the Balkars called the lake Donguzorun-Kol - “the lake around which pigs were bred.” The name of the peak Nakratau on the right is translated as “cut, smooth peak”, due to its characteristic contours. Below you can see the huge Northern Donguzorun glacier, almost completely hidden by a cover of stone fragments. The thickness of the cover does not allow the ice underneath to melt much in the summer, and therefore the glacier has retained the shape and volume it had centuries ago, in colder times. Other glaciers in the Caucasus have since "sank", leaving ridges of coastal moraines. On the wall itself you can see an amazing hanging glacier in the shape of the number 7 with a dash.


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5. Donguz and Nakra in pre-storm clouds. By the way, a thunderstorm in the mountains is scary! But these giants don’t care.

6. A photo taken more than 10 years ago using an ancient point-and-shoot camera. But I don’t have another one that conveys the colors of the pre-dawn wall of Donguzorun. By the way, the height difference of the wall is about 2 kilometers!

7. That is, from the glacier to the peaks you can put four Ostankino towers. Whoever saw this tower in Moscow, standing next to it, imagine three more on top of it, and it’s all granite and ice! A huge wall.

8. View from the slope of the Western peak of Elbrus. Dots of people are visible walking along the “oblique shelf” to the saddle of Elbrus, and in the distance: on the left is the two-horned Ushba (No. 8 in the rating), in the center are Donguzorun and Nakratau. The picture (again, sorry for the quality, 10 years ago) also shows the upcoming peaks of the rating - two Kogutay triangles, the Svaneti ridge headed by Laila, the sharp Tsalgmyl peak.

9. View from the Terskol glacier area. Below, among the pine forests of Baksan, is the 10-story Terskol tourist center, the center of alpine skiing in the Elbrus region. In the distance rises the wall of Donguzorun and Nakra. Considering the visual perspective, get a sense of scale! And on the left are two pyramids of the Kogutays, about which there is a song by Vizbor, but more on that later.

10. Winter. Sunset at Donguzorun. The ice cap at its top is about 50 meters thick!

Those. The ice there is as thick as the height of a house like this:

11. View from the slope of Elbrus in May. Dawn on the cloudy Donguzorun.

12. View from the slopes of Mount Itkol, June (i.e. it’s still spring in the mountains). It can be seen that the Wall, of course, is not vertical. But there are 50 degrees there.

13. One of the landscapes that I saw once in my life. A huge thundercloud beyond Donguzorun, in Svaneti, was illuminated by the setting sun. View from the slope of the gigantic Elbrus, from an altitude of about 4200 m.

14. Night sky of the Caucasus. On the left are Donguz and Nakra. The closer slopes of Cheget are illuminated by the electric lights of Terskol and Azau in the depths of the Baksan gorge, and the red glow on the right is the illumination of the villages of Svaneti in Georgia.

15. Dawn, view from the rise to the Suakkalar pass.

16. Above the cloud-covered Baksan valley.

17. Night, mountains in moonlight(on the left is Kogutai, on the right is Donguzorun and Nakratau), and the village of Terskol (see photo 9, where it is barely visible) is in the light of electric lights.

18. Lake Donguzorun-Kel is dammed by the slopes of Mount Cheget on the left and the lateral moraine of the Northern Donguzorun glacier on the right (by the way, the moraine is already overgrown with bushes). The color of the lake is due to the finest sand suspension in it. And in the distance is the already familiar Donguzorun wall with the Semyorka glacier. The peaks are hidden by clouds. July 2014.

19. Photo from 10 years ago. More snow on the wall. The lake is still the same.

20. Nakratau in fresh summer snow, view from the wonderful pine forest of Baksan. ( Again I admire Baksan like a fairy tale" (listen))

21. This was the only way to glue the panorama together. But this is a unique view, from the Interkosmos peak from the bridge between Donguzorun and Kogutai. Visible are the northern wall of Nakra (on the right), the ice faults of the Donguz “cap” in the center, and the hanging glaciers on the main ridge of the Donguzorun massif (to the left of center). It looked incredible in person! The panorama is clickable.

22. Northern wall of Nakratau, fragment of the Semyorka glacier.

23. Nakratau with approach. At the top there is a huge snow cornice. A hanging glacier descends from the Semerka Pass.

24. North-eastern wall of Donguzorun. Powerful hanging glaciers are visible, from where ice collapses often occur, causing loud avalanches. Photo 2, by the way, has approximately the same angle, only at a 30-kilometer distance.

25. In the Yusenga valley, the right tributary of the Baksan. You can only get here with a pass to the border zone. But what a view! Here, behind the blooming rhododendron, the huge rock and ice massif Donguzorun rises in the distance:

26. A shallow but picturesque lake in a pocket of lateral moraines of the Yusengi and Eastern Donguzorun glaciers. The purest water! In the distance is the Donguzorun massif. And on the right is the completely inconspicuous Big Kogutai.

27. Let's move from Kabardino-Balkaria to Georgia, Svaneti region. View from under the Kursantov Pass in the Shkheldinsky massif to the Donguzorun boulder (right), to the left the Dolra glacier and the Dolra-Khevay peak.

28. Bigger.

29. From the south, from the side of the grandiose Northern Kvish glacier, Svaneti. On the left is Nakratau, on the right is Western, Central and Eastern Donguzorun.

30. Nakratau is larger. The flat shape of the top can be guessed. See photo 19, for example, - there it is clearly on the opposite side.

Avalanche knowledge, route selection skills, avalanche rescue training, and most importantly, a head on your shoulders are essential for a freerider and mountaineer.

Place.

The photo was taken in June 2015, so there is no snow on the glacier. But you can clearly see the relief and the ice outcropping along the edge of which the avalanche broke off.

Russia, Caucasus, Elbrus region, Cheget ski area, Semerka glacier tongue.

The height above sea level is 2400 meters, the exposure of the slope is eastern.

Link to KMZ file for Google Earth

Date.

Weather.

On the day of the incident, the wind was moderately strong from the west, the temperature was -5 C, cloudy, and visibility was poor at times.

The overall avalanche danger is significant.

Incident.

A group of 10 people took a ski tour to Lake Donguz-orun, and on the way back moved down the tongue of the Semerka glacier. Movement on skins and snowshoes down the slope along the edge of rocks protruding from the snow. Later it turned out that the protruding stones mark the beginning of a steep ice slope, which ends with the Semerka glacier.

The leader, having traversed near the stones, descended along the ridge until it flattened out and, below the moraine bank blocking the trough, traversed into the couloir, where he was waiting for the group. The rest of the participants at this time took turns approaching the leveling.

An avalanche came from under the feet of the eighth participant, reaching the leader and dragging him about 100 meters. The depth of the leader’s burial is 70-90 cm. The victim himself climbed to the surface within 20 seconds. Losses: one ski.

Errors.

Off-piste skiing in conditions of significant avalanche danger and poor visibility. Underestimating the danger of a given terrain is when the leader moves in front of a group that continues to move.

Avalanche.

The white line is the group's path.

The red line is the avalanche separation line.

The mark is the location of the victim at the time of the avalanche.

Size D3, lift line length 200 meters, thickness from 50 to 150 cm. Avalanche path length - 400 meters.

The weak layer is deep frost in old snow near the ice surface.

Most of the avalanche snow was delayed and stopped above the transverse moraine ridge; only a small part of the avalanche continued to move and reached the victim. The speed of movement and mixing of snow in the avalanche were quite small, the density of the snow was also very low - which is why the leader was able to free himself.

Rescue work.

All group members had the necessary avalanche equipment and knew how to use it.

After the avalanche, having made sure that there was no danger of a secondary avalanche, a search for equipment was organized. Two ski poles, one ski and a boot tip removed by the avalanche were found.

The victim climbed down in snowshoes.

The group descended before dark.

P.S. Unfortunately, this season a snowboarder has already disappeared in an avalanche on the slopes of Terskol Peak. Be careful, take care of yourself!