List of equipment and clothing for climbing Elbrus

In good weather, you can go to Elbrus in a tracksuit and sneakers (though with crampons). Skyrunners (guys who can run to the top in 3 hours) do just that. But an ordinary person needs 12-14 hours for climbing Elbrus (including descent). During this time, the best weather will inevitably deteriorate, or rather change in the most dramatic way, several times.

In order to survive bad weather on Elbrus, a space suit with its own boiler room would probably be a good idea:) But we don’t have spacesuits, and therefore there is a need for a huge amount of clothing to protect us from the cold (up to -30), hurricane winds, ultraviolet radiation and our own sweat.

Bivouac:

Basic backpack

on the one hand, for a comfortable stay in the cold highlands we will need quite a lot of junk, so the backpack must be roomy - about 80 liters. On the other hand, you will most likely have to carry this same backpack with you to the summit as an assault backpack, and there the extra kilos (meaning the weight of the backpack itself) will be of no use. Therefore, if your main backpack is very large and heavy (like the 90-liter Tatonka Bison, or the DEUTER Aircontact PRO 70 + 15 whose dead weight is close to 3.5 kg), then you can think about taking an additional smaller assault backpack with you.

Assault backpack

As I already wrote, it is not necessary to take it. In the assault backpack you will have to wear (for acclimatization trips and for the summit assault) approximately the following list of things: a warm puffer jacket, a thermos with tea, warm self-release pants, spare mittens, a spare hat, a ski mask, an ice ax (on the outside), a walkie-talkie (on the outside on the shoulder strap), a camera, a seat, GPS (if available), a personal mini-first aid kit, a lightweight snack, sunscreen. On certain sections of the route we will take ice axes in our hands, and fold the trekking poles and attach them to the backpack - check whether it has suitable fastening straps.

Travel mat

We have to spend 4 or 5 nights at an altitude of 3740 meters (Northern Shelter). At night there is guaranteed to be a minus temperature, there will be snow around us, and possibly under us (depending on what space we take for tents). This means that an ordinary “Izhevsk” rug will not be enough for a comfortable and safe sleep. An inflatable mat or a thick (about 2cm) mattress like the Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest Solar (I use this one myself) is more suitable here. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, then just take two Izhevsk rugs.

Sleeping bag

To climb Elbrus you need a winter sleeping bag (comfort temperature -10). More precisely, you will need a warm winter sleeping bag to maintain good health, which is so necessary for a successful ascent. In conditions of lack of oxygen (those 3740m), you will want warmth and comfort, so if you have a choice, preference should be given to a warmer, rather than a lighter, option. For a “comfort temperature” of -10, the typical weight of a synthetic sleeping bag will be 2 - 2.5 kg, and about 1.1 kg for a down sleeping bag.

Tent

Most climbers have their own tents. For the most part, these are completely ordinary tourist kopecks, weighing about 3.5 kg. We don’t need an excess of tents (it’s warmer to sleep together), so we will take only a portion of the tents available to the participants to the Caucasus. The main selection criteria are wind resistance (determined by the design and material of the arches), capacity (more is better) and the presence of a snow skirt. When filling out the participant form, be sure to indicate the company and model of your existing tent. If you don't have your own tent, don't worry - there will be a place for you.

Shoes

Sneakers

Sneakers serve three purposes. We will wear them on the train, but in good weather, you can walk in them from the start of the route all the way to the Northern Shelter. We will wear sneakers in the evening after acclimatization trips, so that the main boots can be ventilated and dry. It turns out that this piece of equipment is important (I’m talking about sneakers), and it must be reliable and tested. And also light, quick-drying, with good lacing.

Boots

To climb Elbrus, of course, it would be nice to have real climbing boots - double ones (with a separate inner boot), with an insulating layer of foam or Thinsulate, with a good welt for crampons. Personally, my ideal in this regard is "ZAMBERLAN 6000 DENALI". But such boots are usually exorbitantly expensive (from $500 to $1,000).

Are there cheaper options? You can buy or rent inexpensive plastic boots. The best option is Scarpa Vega. Such “plastics” can be bought for $340 or rented for 30 hryvnia per day. But the condition of rental bots is usually extremely depressing - you have to go through many pairs before you find a set that is not completely “killed”.

If you have good hiking boots (high, full leather, without unnecessary seams, with a still “living” membrane, quite rigid), then you can adapt them for climbing with the help of insulated shoe covers that cover the entire boot, along with the sole (see below).

Insulated shoe covers

Usually everyone confuses gaiters (starting at the ankle and going to the knee) and shoe covers (including the sole). Here we will talk specifically about shoe covers, and with a layer of insulation inside (the same Thinsulate or Polar). Such shoe covers not only make the boot much warmer, they absorb external moisture and protect the shoe itself from getting wet. And drying a shoe cover is much easier than a boot. Since we will be using them mainly with crampons, we don’t have to worry about the shoe covers slipping on the ice or rubbing against the crust. Here are several models of insulated shoe covers available in our area:

• Shoe covers Expedition from Travel-Extreme. Price - 300 hryvnia (1200 rubles). I use these myself. To make it hold better, I sewed additional ties.
• Fabric shoe covers + Polara shoe covers from Fram Equipment. Price - 144 hryvnia + 132 hryvnia. (1200 rubles).
• Shoe covers Red Fox. Price - 2145 rubles (approximately 530 hryvnia).
• Shoe covers LEGGINS THL from BASK. Price - 3190 rubles (approximately 800 hryvnia).

Chemical finger warmers

If we encounter really terrible frosts, then we can warm up our feet in boots using disposable chemical heating pads. They are flat or sticky like a Band-Aid. Before going on an assault, you glue them directly to your socks and your feet are safe for the next 6 hours. Those. Enough for the road to the top, and for the way back it wouldn’t hurt to grab a couple of spare sets. A pair of heating pads costs only 11 hryvnia (44 rubles). There are similar hand warmers - I recommend them.

Regular gaiters

Needed by those who buy boots that do not require insulation. Gaiters will protect boots and trouser legs from snow and dirt.

Cloth

Thermal underwear

After reaching an altitude of 3700 meters, we will be wearing thermal underwear (top and bottom) constantly - day and night. Therefore, it should be as comfortable and functional as possible. Don’t take ultra-thin “summer” thermal underwear - it doesn’t warm up at all, don’t take thick thermal underwear a la “winter fishing” - it doesn’t dry at all. We need some kind of middle option. The manufacturer is not important. Material: synthetic or merino wool. No cotton!

Down jacket

A powder coat is a must in high mountains. This is the only way, at the moment, to radically insulate yourself (in the evening, at a rest stop, while on belay). Even 4 polars and 8 ski jackets cannot replace it. The point is that you will need to insulate yourself quickly and without removing anything. So you were walking, sweating, and decided to rest - you immediately take out a down jacket from your assault backpack and put it on right over your “running” jacket. Without this, you will inevitably start to freeze, you will have to stomp on, depriving yourself of normal rest.

And if the wind picks up at the top, then we’ll put on our powder coats without any breaks. Another way to use a puff is to insulate a sleeping bag. No, you don’t need to climb into a sleeping bag wearing a jacket - this is an ineffective tactic. It will be much warmer if you simply cover yourself with a jacket - inside the sleeping bag or on top of it, depending on the availability of space.

Now about the requirements for the product. Naturally, the jacket must have a hood. Purely theoretically, the puff may not be down - on padding pad, Thinsulate, Primaloft. But “synthetics” weigh 2 times more than “down”, which is similar in warmth, i.e. 1.6 kg instead of 800 grams (the weight of a typical down jacket), and takes up much more space. Do you need it?

Storm jacket

This is the main running jacket. Its main task is to protect from wind, secondary tasks are protection from precipitation and thermal insulation. To combat the wind you need: windproof fabric (regular membrane, softshell, windstopper, avisent, dense varieties of Pertex), a high-quality hood (deep, with drawstrings), a windproof strip with zippers. During the assault day, this jacket most likely will not be removed, so it is important that it “breathes” normally (otherwise you will sweat and freeze), all sorts of ventilation zippers and windows are welcome. Some people use ski jackets as windbreakers, but in my opinion they have a major drawback - they are relatively difficult to dry (the lining will inevitably get wet from sweat).

Raincoat

In the afternoon it usually snows or rains on Elbrus. It is better to take a raincoat (poncho) with you, even if your storm jacket is made of a good membrane.

Fleece jacket

Classic fleece (polar, sweatshirt) with a zipper - some kind of Polartec 200 or 300 (this is such a fabric). Preferably with pockets - then you can store spare batteries in them so that they don’t run out in the cold. Like thermal underwear, fleece will practically not be removed at the top of the route.

Light trousers

Regular hiking pants. In these pants you will ride in public transport and walk the first half of the route. They will be under self-resets (see below) during the ascent to Elbrus.

Self-resetting pants

Warm pants with a zipper along the entire length of the leg. Self-resetpers can be put on and taken off without unlacing your boots - a very useful feature in unpredictable mountains. Usually during the start (at night) the legs are dressed to the maximum - thermal underwear, running trousers, self-resets. Then, as the sun rises, we will take off the excess, and at the top we will put everything back on - so as not to cool down while we take pictures. Self-resetters can be with or without suspenders, membrane (most of these in stores) or regular, with Thinsulate insulation (Fram Equipment has a good model). Membrane ones are waterproof and heavier, while thinsulate membranes are warmer and lighter.

If you don’t have self-resetters, but you have regular ski pants, then you can take them too. But then changing clothes will become a chore, and you will have to weigh everything very carefully before the start (wear 2 layers of pants or 3).

Socks

You need at least 3 pairs of warm socks, and the same number of regular ones. Warm socks can be either wool (grandmother's knit) or synthetic. Polar or fleece socks are especially good - they are very warm, light and dry instantly. Be sure to get a separate pair of socks for sleeping - they should be loose and not restrict blood circulation.

Warm hat

Hat made of fleece, polar or windstopper (not blown by the wind). It should be compact enough so as not to interfere with putting on numerous hoods. It is advisable to have a spare hat.

Windproof mask or balaclava

A balaclava is needed to prevent your face from getting frostbitten in the wind and to at least slightly warm and humidify the high-mountain air (we will breathe like locomotives). It is advisable that the lower part of the mask (the one near the mouth) is made not of fleece, but of neoprene with perforations. Otherwise it will become too wet. Do not buy a balaclava in the form of a closed balaclava with a tightly sewn “muzzle”. To free your mouth or ventilate your face a little, such a mask will have to be removed completely, and at the same time your sweaty head will freeze. It seems to me more practical to use windproof masks in which the “muzzle” can be easily moved down or even unhooked (with Velcro). Sometimes a regular buff is used as a balaclava.

Fleece gloves

When climbing, gloves should be worn almost constantly. Learn to tie your shoelaces, adjust your trekking poles, take pictures of the Yeti, and wipe your glasses without taking off your gloves. It will be very difficult to warm up frozen fingers (remember chemical heating pads?). Sew small elastic loops to the gloves and put them (the loops) on your hand - this way the gloves won’t get lost. A spare pair of gloves in your backpack won't hurt either.

Top mittens

To warm your hands, gloves alone will not be enough. You also need large and warm (down or padding) mittens that you will wear over the gloves. It is important that the internal space of the mitten is common, without separate “houses” for each finger. When your fingers can come together, it's easier for them to stay warm. It will be possible to throw large chemical heating pads inside these mittens - they should definitely be enough for the 15 hours it usually takes to climb. You also need to attach long elastic bands (almost suspenders) to the tops so that you don’t have to worry about losing your mittens when you constantly put them on and take them off.

Clothes for the train and approaches.

A T-shirt, shorts, a cap in which you will feel comfortable on the train and walk normally (i.e. without sweating) on ​​the approaches to the high-altitude camp.

Equipment

Sunglasses

Needed to protect the eyes from ultraviolet radiation in good weather. If we are lucky and it is sunny on Elbrus, then the ultraviolet flux on the snow will be such that it will be possible to go blind in 20 minutes. Therefore, the glasses should not be from a street store, but from a reliable store. The degree of protection (glasses have such a parameter) should be at least 3, and preferably 4. Glasses should fit tightly to the face, without leaving large gaps on the bottom and sides.

Ski mask

Needed to protect the eyes from ultraviolet radiation and cold wind in bad weather. In a snowstorm or frost, wearing a mask is much more comfortable than wearing glasses - your eyes don’t freeze, your eyes don’t water, your eyelids don’t freeze, and snow doesn’t get in your eyes. It's a little inconvenient to take pictures, but these are minor things. The main thing is not to remove the mask every five minutes. Put it on once, warm it up with your warmth, and wear it for several hours without taking it off. The ski mask must have a “double lens”, otherwise the glasses will fog up. The color of the filter is preferably yellow, without excessive darkening, since in a snowstorm it will be dark anyway.

Trekking poles

They really make life easier when climbing. At a height we will be so lethargic and helpless that we will need support in life - so as not to stumble on the ice, so as not to be blown away by the wind, so as to rest our feet and rest. Black Diamond makes the best trekking poles - they have the best section locking mechanism. All other poles will be very difficult to adjust in the cold.

Classic ice ax

A regular straight ice ax 60 or 70 centimeters long. Preferably with a lanyard, preferably not completely blunt. Check in advance whether the assault backpack has a mount for an ice ax. To transport an ice ax on a train, a protective beak cover (or an empty bottle with a cutout) would be a good idea.

Cats

Soft or semi-soft, it doesn’t matter - we won’t climb on vertical ice. The main thing is that the crampons match your boots and do not conflict with your shoe covers. If you take rental ones (that is, terribly stupid ones), then it is advisable to first sharpen them at home (or on the train). Of course, there will be a file on the hike, but will you have the time and energy?

Safety system

We only need the lower harness (system). It is important that it is adjustable, since due to the use of numerous layers of clothing, the circumference of your waist and hips can change significantly throughout the day.

Personal first aid kit

Sunscreen

Choose a cream with the maximum “protection factor” SPF (50 and above). It is better that the tube is not too large - then you will not be tempted to leave it in the tent. Yes - the cream should always be with you, even on a cloudy day, even when we start in the middle of the night. During the climb, we will spend a lot of time on the snow, from which the sun's rays are well reflected and, as a result, those places that the sun usually does not reach (eyelids, lips, nostrils, behind the ears) completely “burn out.” This is not a sea tan, everything is serious here - 15 minutes without cream or mask is enough for the skin to start peeling off in patches after 2 days.

Sunscreen lipstick

You may not have realized it, but chapstick with SPF exists. Moreover, you will need to buy it:) And most importantly, do not be shy about smearing your lips with it regularly. For many guys, this prospect will seem dubious, but believe me, it's better than rags of skin on your lips.

Buff or gauze mask

Sun cream is not a panacea - it is constantly worn off, washed off later and blown away by the wind:) Therefore, it is better to hide your face under a cloth as much as possible. While it's cold, you can wear a fleece or neoprene windproof mask. But when it gets hot and the oxygen concentration drops, you really want to breathe more freely. Then you can cover your face with a thinner buff, or make a classic mountaineering mask from gauze. It's just a large piece of folded gauze with slits for the eyes. The top edge is tucked under the hat, the bottom edge is tucked into the collar, and in the middle it is pressed against the glasses.

Diakarb

Diacarb (acetazolamide) are truly magical tablets that everyone should have (at least 1 blister per person). In order to prevent acute mountain sickness, it is suggested to eat 0.5 tablets 2 times a day. Read this article about the miner carefully.

Individual mini first aid kit

The instructor will have a large group first aid kit, but each participant must also take "personal ammunition" with them. Taking into account the specifics of this hike, among other things, there should be vitamins and your favorite headache remedy.

Other

Thermos

The ascent will last more than half a day. And all this time, the only source of water (and heat) for you will be a thermos. The thermos must be metal - a glass one will definitely break. Recommended volume - 1 liter. It is better if there are no buttons or other moving elements on the thermos cap - such things inevitably freeze and jam at the most inopportune moment. Chinese thermoses are no worse than expensive branded ones. You just need to check it before starting - a good thermos remains cold after you pour boiling water inside.

Flashlight

We go out to climb at night - it’s impossible without a photodiode headlamp. Since the weather is expected to be cool, you should also take a spare set of batteries.

Walkie Talkie

At a certain stage of the ascent, the group will inevitably begin to stretch along the slope and the intervals between general gatherings will increase. How to tell the instructor that you need help, how to ask him about plans for a holiday dinner? You won't be able to scream - that would require too much strength. Therefore, a walkie-talkie is needed. Ideally, each climber should have a walkie-talkie. Constant communication within the group is the main guarantor of security. The “head on your shoulders,” which usually performs this role, may not work well in conditions of lack of oxygen.

Money and documents

In order not to waste time early in the morning searching for a working exchange office in Kislovodsk, it is better to come to the Caucasus immediately with rubles. And with cash - many ATMs here only accept “local” cards.

It is better for citizens of Ukraine to travel not with a civil passport, but with a “foreign passport”

All sorts of little things

Spoon, mug, bowl, camera, player, guitar, toilet paper, toothbrush, trash bag, cake, carrot for the snowman on top:)

Alcohol is not allowed. Categorically. All ceremonial events only after returning to Kislovodsk.