Summiting Mt. Elbrus, Russia.
Summiting Mt. Elbrus, Europe’s tallest peak is not just a physical challenge but also a test to the mental strength and will power. Following is a personal account of one of our veteran trekkers, Monika Agarwal who summitted this mighty peak in extremely challenging conditions. Battling cold, wind, steep climb, exhaustion and fear.
Enjoy the read…
Day 1 – in Terskol as I catch my first glimpse of the Mt. Elbrus, I sat there contemplating …..
It looks difficult… – Yes, it does.
Can I do it? – Yes, I can.
Am I ready? – Yes, every minute of the workout back home made me get ready for this.
Will the mountains be kind to me? – Yes, they sure will push my boundaries but they will make me grow & evolve.
Can I trust my body? – Yes , I have built it with love, care & reverence. It will stand by me.
Do I have enough support system? – Yes, I completely trust Samir (Mt. Everest summiteer leading our group of 10 climbers) to lead us all, the fellow climbers are all very inspiring and I am blessed to be doing this with Ritu (my sister), Tisha (Ritu”s daughter) & Eshika (my daughter).
Do I really need to do it? – Yes, look at the amazing journey ahead, each moment to cherish & love & surrender.
Why am I doing this? – I love the mountains. Looking at these mountains gives me butterflies in my stomach, climbing the summit will give me a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, peace & growth.
Can I go back home and sleep? – Yes, but after climbing the summit, not before that 😊
You got this girl, just go ahead one step at a time, one breath at a time. Forget your fears and do your best. Surrender to the universe in all its majesty and have faith. Nothing can stop you… 😊
Day 2 – First steep climb of 1000 meter elevation to Mt. Cheget with our Russian main guide Nikolai – his strict discipline made me uncomfortable and scared, he wanted us to walk at a steady pace with short breaks only after each 45 min. I was used to frolicking with Indian/Nepali/African guides who would let me stop at whim and eat a chocolate. Here I could sip water also only after 45 min. It felt like I was in a boot camp, I so resisted it. But then I know growth only happens once you move out of comfort zone so there I was, trying my best to follow Nikolai’s instructions. The highlight of the day was the lovely wild flowers in the valley all around us, different colors, sizes – all so pretty. The beautiful scenery all around me made every bit of the climb worth the effort.
Day 3 – Another climb of 1000 meter elevation to the observatory & waterfall but the incline was lesser so the 17 km hike seemed like an easy day. The workouts back home in India had been effective. I was carrying a 10 kg backpack continuously for 2 days without any backache so the planks & other exercises had definitely strengthened my back & core.
Day 4 – Moving luggage in gondola and snow cat to Barrel huts at 3800 meter, with amazing views of Mt. Elbrus…incredible feeling. The small acclimatization hike of 3 hours seemed ok and made me comfortable using the crampons and snow boots.
Day 5 – 1000 meter elevation to Pastukhov Rocks…I was tired completely and not sure if I had prepared enough for the summit….The climb down was scary, I kept slipping and falling, I became slow with the entire group ahead of me, only Eshika giving me company and the Russian guide Oksana. Oksana told me if I walked like that I would take 2 days to come down the summit. I was hurt and asked her to go ahead and not wait for me as I don’t work well under pressure. Plus I was here to enjoy the mountains and not run a race. As soon as I got back to the Barrel hut I told Samir I don’t want to do the climb with Nicolai or Oksana (both were senior guides but too rude & unsupportive for me). I was fine with the junior guide Daniel who didn’t know English but was caring & considerate. Samir of course had been very encouraging , caring, humble, motivating, basically a true leader. I understood that day more clearly then ever that a leader’s gentle presence, guidance and nudge in the right direction is enough for a self motivated person. External pressure is mostly detrimental.
Day 6 – Training Day. Nikolai was teaching us – how to self arrest with ice axe. We were supposed to fall from a steep slope and stop ourselves from falling further using the ice axe. My mind was screaming – why should I fall purposely, what if I can’t stop myself. Anyway with Nikolai around one could just do what he said and not object. After doing it twice I was ok but still worried if I would be able to do it on the summit day if required. I wished I had gone for an advanced training for mountaineering in India before attempting this technical summit. So I realised fear creeps in if you are unprepared. Since my physical fitness had improved, I hadn’t been fearful on this trek till now. Not even once did I fear that I would fall on the slope. Walking on the slopes was challenging but I felt all along that I could do it. Even when I wasn’t good at self arrest, I was clear that I wasn’t going to fall so it was ok to not know self arrest. Another huge confidence came from Samir being there, I was so sure he was keeping an eye on all of us and will save us in case something happened. Ritu & Tisha decided to not go for the summit and stay back and that unsettled both me & Eshika.
Day 7 – We started for the summit at 1 am in snow cat, started climbing at around 2 am from Pastukhov Rocks, a few steps in the dark and suddenly a person (a girl from another group) fell down the slope. We were taught self arrest with ice axe but our ice axe was tied to our bags and we had poles in our hands. Knowing that I will not be able to self arrest if I fell, I resolved to be careful and walk focusing on each step and nothing else. I was just looking at two steps in front of me and walking. It was truly walking (climbing!) meditation. I was placing each step on the steep incline as if my life depended on it. One wrong step, I would tumble down the slope, not sure if I would be able to stop myself and someone could save me. Why get into that situation. Walk carefully – my mind ordered and my feet followed. I was feeling thirsty ,
I had 2 flasks filled with warm water in my bag but could not stop & drink as Nikolai would not give a break before 45 min. So the best option was to moist my mouth with saliva, something I learned and did continuously during the 45 min. When we stopped for the short break, Eshika said she had been doing the same. And that made us both laugh. We kept on climbing like this for 3 hours or so and then after a stop Samir asked me to go ahead of the group and I started doing my own thing. Walking 10 steps and stopping to take 10 breaths. Nikolai walked hurriedly towards me and shouted – you walk fast and you stop, you will die on these mountains. You have to walk slow & continuously, I didn’t like his words nor his tone of voice, but something inside me said, just listen to him, he is the boss here. If he is asking me to walk slow then so be it. I kept on walking slowly till we reached the saddle point (halfway of the summit). Nikolai again came up to me, saw my eyes and said – “I don’t think you can do the summit, let me talk to Samir about it and you can go back”. Hearing that I had no reaction. My mind said I can do the summit; whatever others might think about me. I thought if Samir asks me to go back I will reason it out with him. But Samir did not talk to me and neither did I say anything to him. I continued the climb though 2 people from our group went back. So now there were only 6 of us attempting the summit. 4 boys, Eshika & me. Eshika & me thought we will fall behind the group as the boys were way faster than us. The climb now was steeper, we had ice axe in one hand, pole in another and were harnessed to the rope as well. So though the incline was steep (60 % or so), we were walking on a literal snow wall, there was no way, only the previous climbers’ steps in a line so we could only keep 1 feet after the other and not two together but for me the fear disappeared as we were tied to the rope.
I felt the climb was much easier. I was thanking my new treadmill which helped me prepare with 40 % incline walking. Our entire team of 6 climbers now was walking at the same pace and that too gave me the confidence that I was doing well. I had expected myself to be way ….wayyyy behind the boys. A few hours of climbing on the snow wall and we were so close to the summit. We rested for some time and then…we summitted.
As soon as I reached the summit Nikolai hugged me …and I knew in that moment…he had not expected me to summit, he wanted me to go back because he felt I could not do it and when I did it , he was genuinely happy. For me, it didn’t matter what he thought, it didn’t matter that he thought I was not good enough. I knew I could summit and I trusted myself. I knew the universe was supporting me with Samir being there, silent and not taking the lead but being there when required.
The climb down – I had no clue of how difficult it was. Till Samir called out to Kundan (a strong climber with a heart of gold) and made our group of 4. Later on Samir told us that Nikolai had said he was not sure if the ladies could go down the rope way and Samir had told him, he will take care of us. So we 4 were harnessed to each other – Kundan followed by Eshika, me and Samir and we were harnessed to the fixed rope on the mountain as well. Eshika fell twice, but luckily on the track and not the slope. The rest 3 of us standing like rock, the rope pulling us down but we were managing to keep tight, so she managed to pull herself and get up with the support of the ropes. She realized that Samir couldn’t come to pick her up, he was doing his best by keeping the rope strong and not letting me fall with pressure from Eshika s rope….or the 4 of us would have crashed down the slope. Slowly & carefully, we came down to the saddle point and suddenly life seemed easy. The rest of the climb down was doable…till we saw the snow cat again. Just a 100 meter away from the snow cat and I couldn’t walk at all. Samir came up and supported me. I kept on falling, made him also fall once and I was like…what’s happened to me. Exhaustion had kicked in…The body was tired and the mind too…was giving away. Anyway somehow Samir pulled me up to the snow cat…and the climb ended. With a lot of memories and a realization that mountains (or the universe) are kind to you only if you are confident, humble and grateful for all the support you have. And I had plenty of support from Samir, Eshika, Kundan, Ritu and even Nikolai. 🙂
I absolutely love the mountains and I am ready for more treks, more climbs and more adventure in the future.
Written by – Monika Agarwal
