|
Click
the
pictures
below
to
enlarge:
|
(prologue)
Slowly
the
surrounding
hills
turn
into
mountains
while
the
rain
plunges
down
from
heaven.
"IIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!"
is
the
desperate
sound
our
windscreen
wiper
makes
during
its
fierce
attempt
to
move
from
left
to
right.
Finally
it
succeeds
in
making
the
road
visible
for
about
half
a
second.
About
5
seconds
later
it
manages
it
again
while
the
heaven
itself
seems
to
fall
from
the
sky.
Our
driver
races
with
undiminished
speed
across
the
little
mountain
roads,
not
being
inconvenienced
by
any
sign
of
fear
of
oncoming
cars
and
steep
abysses.
Just
before
this
shower
started
we
missed
a
Russian
lorry
driver
-who
did
not
mind
the
meaning
of
the
stripes
that
divide
the
roads
into
two
halves-
by
an
inch
and
I
am
seriously
starting
to
wonder
if
we
ever
going
to
see
Mt
Elbrus
at
all.
The
'summit'
of
Asia,
Everest,
is
known
for
the
fact
that
10%
of
summiteers
does
not
make
it
back
down
alive;
would
the
people
who
only
want
to
get
near
the
'summit'
of
Europe
face
the
same
odds?
To
the
Summit
of
Europe
The
report
of
a
14-day
trip
to
the
Caucasus,
to
climb
Mt
Elbrus:
the
highest
point
of
Europe
and
therefore
one
of
the
'7
summits'.
Main
players:
Niall
from
Johannesburg,
Gleb,
Nickolai
and
Natascha
from
Moscow,
Saskia
&
Harry
from
Amsterdam.
Amsterdam,
26th
July
1999
We
get
up
at
6
in
our
brand
new
house,
find
our
way
through
the
piles
of
boxes,
pull
the
door
shut
behind
us
and
leave
for
Schiphol
airport.
We
moved
5
days
ago
and
already
we
are
leaving
our
latest
gain
for
two
weeks
to
find
another
highpoint:
Mt
Elbrus
with
5642m
the
highest
mountain
of
Europe.
We
had
no
time
to
prepare
for
this
trip
-as
usual
-
and
have
no
idea
what
the
current
value
of
the
Russian
Ruble
is.
There's
no
official
exchange
rate
in
the
newspapers
and
the
banks
in
Amsterdam
also
had
no
idea.
When
even
the
airport
bank
has
no
clue
we
just
enter
our
plane,
armed
with
a
bunch
of
US
dollars
(7summits
currency…).
After
a
nice
flight
of
a
few
hours
we
land
at
'Sheremetyevo
international
airport
Moscow'
where
we
are
introduced
to
the
afterpains
of
good
old
communism:
out
of
20
available
booths
only
2
are
being
used
to
check
our
passports
-while
about
30
people
are
walking
around
very
busy
doing
nothing-
and
we
have
to
wait
45
minutes
to
get
our
first
stamps
of
the
season.
When
you
want
to
visit
Russia
(and
there
are
many
excuses
to
do
so)
you
will
need
a
visa;
in
the
Netherlands
we
had
to
pick
this
up
at
the
Consulate
in
The
Hague.
But
the
moment
you
enter
the
dark
little
room
your
enthusiasm
will
be
killed
by
annoyance:
long
waiting
lines
without
any
clear
order,
no
directions
on
what
forms
to
fill
out
and
a
few
people
working
who
don't
seem
to
enjoy
it.
So
we
were
warned
about
the
bureaucracy
before
coming
here,
but
once
we
get
in
the
country
it's
quite
different:
during
the
rest
of
the
trip
we
find
out
that
the
average
Russian
is
much
nicer
than
their
fellow
countrymen
in
The
Netherlands
of
at
the
airport.
After
the
check
we
collect
our
luggage
and
break
our
way
through
a
hundreds
of
Russian,
mostly
illegal
cabdrivers,
who
try
to
whisper
us
into
their
old
cars
and
their
way
into
our
wallet.
A
few
dozen
people
are
armed
with
little
cardboard
signs
with
the
name
of
a
person
or
a
travel
agency.
Just
when
a
slight
uneasy
felling
is
crawling
under
my
skin,
a
mix
of
uneasiness
and
culture
shock,
I
notice
Gleb,
one
of
the
owners
and
guides
of
Pilgrim
Tours.
I
had
arranged
the
entire
trip
via
Internet
and
email
and
transferred
a
large
sum
of
money
to
an
American
(!)
bank
amount,
modern
or
naïve?
After
we
have
waited
another
hour
and
a
half
we
see
Niall
who
is
wriggling
his
way
through
the
overheated
mass
of
taxi
drivers;
we
had
never
met
him,
but
he
looks
remarkably
like
the
picture
he
emailed
us
a
few
days
ago.
Besides
that,
his
length
of
2
meter
also
helps…
Niall
lives
in
South
Africa
and
has
climbed
Aconcagua
last
year
with
my
good
friend
Robert,
who
I
climbed
Mt
Blanc
with.
He
also
scaled
Kilimanjaro
and
therefore
he
will
try
to
climb
his
3rd
of
the
so-called
7
summits
here
in
Russia.
Since
Dick
Bass
climbed
these
mountains,
the
craze
for
collecting
them
has
spread
like
a
virus
though
the
mountaineering
community
and
beyond.
It
also
has
put
Mt
Elbrus
on
the
map,
as
most
people
(still)
think
that
Mt
Blanc
is
the
highest
point
of
Europe.
But
with
it's
4807m
it
actually
is
not
even
in
the
top
10
as
besides
Elbrus
there
are
other
giants
as
well
hidden
in
the
beautiful
but
war-torn
Caucasus.
The
heat
wave
that
has
struck
all
of
Europe
has
also
taken
over
Moscow
(32°C)
and
our
Hotel
Rossia
resembles
more
a
kiln
than
a
hotel.
But
it
is
a
kiln
with
5
restaurants,
a
sauna,
souvenir
shops,
a
hairdresser
and
most
of
all
over
3000
rooms,
so
if
you
want
to
spent
8
years
in
one
hotel
without
spending
one
night
in
the
same
room,
this
is
the
place…
But
it
is
certainly
a
nice
place
to
stay,
as
it
is
adjacent
to
the
Red
Square
and
the
Kremlin
and
not
too
expensive
if
you
eat
somewhere
else.
The
Ruble
exchange
rate
is
not
a
secret
after
all,
you
get
about
25
for
a
dollar
and
this
does
not
change
at
all
in
the
next
few
weeks,
so
it
almost
seems
that
the
financial
markets
have
shifted
to
a
lower
gear
again.
When
exploring
this
enormous
hotel
we
suddenly
bump
into
an
empty
room
with
some
tables
set
for
dining.
After
fruitless
discussions
about
the
meaning
of
the
Russian
menu
we
negotiate
our
way
in
to
a
150-ruble
chef's
surprise
meal.
It
tasted
really
good,
but
when
we
wanted
to
get
the
same
deal
the
next
day,
the
door
was
closed
and
the
receptionist
one
floor
up
denied
there
was
a
restaurant
at
all!?!
There's
plenty
of
western
influence
in
the
center
of
Moscow:
next
to
the
Kremlin
is
a
huge
pop
concert
and
many
thousands
of
barely
dressed
girls
and
tipsy
boys
are
swinging
on
the
beats
of
a
Russian
boyband,
while
in
the
breaks
the
Vengaboys
are
heard
over
Lenin's
tomb…
Moscow,
27th
June
Back
in
the
warm
hotel
we
went
to
bed
exhausted,
but
hear
the
faint
ringing
of
telephones
all
night.
Let's
ask
Niall
if
he
heard
them
as
well.
"
Did
you
hear
all
those
phones
ringing?"
"Yeah,
tell
me
about
it,
every
few
hours
my
phone
rang!"
"Ah,
and
who
was
calling?"
"All
nice
friendly
ladies
who
were
worried
about
me
and
wanted
to
help
me
with
my
loneliness"
After
further
investigation
it
became
apparent
that
the
friendly
Russian
women
had
contacted
not
just
Niall,
but
everybody
in
a
single
room…
seems
that
capitalism
and
marketing
are
commonly
used
nowadays.
The
breakfast
buffet
is
very
good,
after
having
our
little
room
card
registered
in
a
big
book,
we
are
allowed
to
make
our
choice
from
a
full
English
breakfast
including
potatoes,
cornflakes,
sausages,
pancakes
and
a
salad
bar.
To
recover
form
this
and
the
fact
that
8
o'clock
is
quite
early
(our
biological
clocks
were
still
at
6)
we
take
a
little
nap.
But
a
few
hours
later
we
find
ourselves
wandering
on
the
famous
red
square
in
front
of
St
Basil's
cathedral,
probably
the
most
well
known
building
of
Eastern
Europe
and
always
the
background
for
any
news
report
from
Moscow.
The
legend
says
that
Ivan
the
Terrible
had
the
eyes
of
the
architects
Barma
and
Postnik
taken
out
right
after
finishing
it
so
they
would
never
make
anything
more
beautiful…
We
try
to
get
a
coke
in
a
bar
that
is
disfigured
by
a
giant
replica
of
the
Eiffel
tower
('
for
all
your
Bar
Mitzvah's')
but
have
to
be
patient
as
there
are
3
other
clients
and
the
waiter
seems
to
be
quite
tensed
en
looks
like
he
is
going
to
flee
the
scene.
We
enter
the
Kremlin;
the
huge
space
with
it's
many
Cathedrals,
the
governmental
buildings
and
the
"Armory"
museum.
Most
Russian
citizens
will
never
see
this
from
up
close
because
of
the
steep
entrance
fees:
200rubles
each
+
30
rubles
for
the
photo
permit
(!)
and
another
280
rubles
for
the
museum
and
another
40
for
the
photo
permit
for
the
museum
(sigh…).
But
it
very
beautiful,
from
the
gold
domes
of
the
cathedrals
to
the
biggest
caliber
canon
(890mm),
never
used
though.
Just
a
few
meters
further
on
we
see
the
world's
biggest
bell;
unfortunately
a
piece
came
off
when
the
great
fire
of
1737
was
extinguished.
A
smart
Russian
turned
it
in
to
a
wishing
well
(covered
by
wire-netting)
and
now
you
can
get
a
better
life
for
just
a
few
pennies.
That
life
will
be
much
shorter
if
you
dare
to
leave
the
sidewalk
by
the
way,
as
your
heart
will
miss
quite
a
few
beats
by
being
scared
back
onto
it
by
the
loud
whistles
of
the
many
guards.
Of
course
they
have
to
be
careful
as
Boris
Jeltsin
is
somewhere
in
these
buildings
(the
Kremlin
Bar?).
It
is
still
over
30
degrees
out
here
and
we
are
glad
to
find
some
shade
in
the
museum.
It
is
filled
with
weapons,
jewelry,
fairytale
coaches
Faberge
eggs
and
historical
wardrobes,
very
nice
and
quite
impressive.
We
conclude
our
Kremlin
tour
with
a
walk
through
the
gardens
en
decide
to
be
real
tourists
and
walk
to
the
nearby
Arbat
street.
This
is
probably
the
most
western
street
in
Russia,
filled
with
restaurants
(including
a
'MakDonalds'),
souvenir
stalls
crammed
with
Matruschka
puppets.
Their
popularity
is
something
that
amazes
the
Russians
still,
as
originally
they
are
from
Japan,
not
Russia.
We
go
for
some
Russian
food
and
score
4
pita
breads
with
Shoarma
(Niall
took
2).
The
warm
weather
is
tiring
and
slowly
we
walk
through
deserted
little
streets
towards
a
large
cathedral
situated
on
the
banks
of
the
Moskva
river
which
had
been
used
as
a
bathing
place
recently,
but
now
it
is
being
restored
to
it's
original
condition
and
function.
We
try
out
the
Iridium
phone
Niall
brought
and
it
works
perfectly
while
we
doze
away
on
a
quiet
park
bench.
"What's
that?"
Niall
looks
suspicious
at
the
little
plastic
bag
filled
with
liquorice
I
take
out
of
my
pocket.
"It's
'drop',
typical
Dutch
candy,
but
every
foreigner
I
ever
offered
it
to
immediately
spat
it
out
with
a
distorted
face!"
"I
will
try
some…..
hmmmm,
nice!"
And
so
Niall
proves
the
historic
connection
between
the
Dutch
and
South
Africa
on
a
hot
sunny
day
in
the
center
of
Moscow
by
being
the
first
foreigner
to
like
drop…
The
heat
of
the
last
few
days
releases
itself
in
a
sudden
thunderstorm
and
large
drops
of
cool
rain
surprise
us
before
we
reach
the
hotel.
As
'our'
restaurant
never
existed
and
the
other
in-house
facilities
are
extremely
pricey
we
try
to
get
some
food
elsewhere.
Just
a
block
north
east
of
the
hotel
is
a
little
bar
where
after
some
gesturing
we
are
treated
with
a
selection
of
Russian
tapas
and
a
good
glass
of
beer!
A
quick
walk
to
Red
Square
for
some
pix
and
a
call
to
Robert,
our
friend
who
couldn't
make
it,
finish
off
our
evening
as
we
have
to
get
ready
for
an
early
rise
for
our
departure
to
the
Caucasus!
Moscow,
Monday
28th
June
Niall
has
had
quite
some
calls
from
girlfriends
to
be
last
night
and
is
looking
tired
when
he
appears
at
the
breakfast
buffet.
After
a
good
meal
I
help
him
separate
his
huge
bags
into
two
piles:
useful
and
too
heavy.
Our
transport
is
waiting
outside
the
hotel
and
we
meet
the
other
climbers
that
will
be
traveling
with
us
to
the
mountains:
4
Americans
that
have
booked
the
fully
organized
trip
to
climb
Elbrus;
Nate
and
Daniel
are
two
young
boys
who
will
be
attempting
the
summit
of
Europe
with
Nate's
father;
the
4th
person,
Phil,
is
a
true
summit
collector:
in
his
forties
and
already
climbed
4
other
continental
highpoints,
including
Antarctica's
Mt
Vinson.
He
had
been
to
Everest
as
well,
but
had
to
abandon
his
summit
attempt
at
8000m
because
of
altitude
disease.
Their
guides
will
be
Gleb
and
Natascha;
our
summit
guide
Nickolai
will
join
us
later.
Our
van
takes
us
to
Vnukovo
airport
where
we
arrive
in
time
thanks
to
the
wide
Russian
highways.
To
avoid
both
theft
and
damage
we
are
advised
to
have
our
bags
wrapped
in
huge
sheets
of
thick
paper,
which
are
tied
up
with
thin
ropes!
Even
though
Niall
left
quite
a
lot
of
stuff
at
the
Hotel
he
still
has
to
pay
a
few
hundred
rubles
for
the
excess
weight.
An
airport
shuttle
takes
us
to
the
Tupolev
34
from
Mineralnye
Vody
Airlines,
where
all
of
a
sudden
a
no
photo
policy
seems
to
be
in
order
as
angry,
shouting
faces
appear
the
moment
I
take
my
camera
out
of
my
case.
Well
I
guess
then
it
has
to
be
a
secret
hipshot…
MV
Airlines
has
little
appreciation
for
the
'funfactor'
of
flying
as
becomes
painfully
clear
the
moment
we
are
having
some
drinks
served.
When
the
stewardess
asks
me
what
I
want
to
drink
I
answer
with
a
smile
and
"
A
Fanta
please!"
After
a
sigh
and
a
glance
at
the
ceiling
she
looks
at
me
angrily
and
asks
impatiently:
"Mineral
water
or
cola?"
The
choice
of
lunch
that's
served
is
not
too
wide
either,
but
the
only
choice,
a
lonely
sandwich
with
beef
tastes
good;
vegetarianism
is
probably
considered
a
luxury
here.
After
a
nice
2hour
flight
and
a
bumpy
landing
we
touch
ground
in
the
also
hot-aired
Mineralnye
Vody
where
we
are
being
torpedoed
by
groups
of
taxi
drivers
and
beggars.
They
know
that
any
westerner
coming
here
has
enough
money
for
a
Gore-Tex
jacket
and
therefore
more
than
enough
for
feeding
their
children…
We
try
to
stay
friendly
but
this
is
not
appreciated;
even
a
dropped
water
bottle
is
snatched
away,
drunk
half
empty
in
seconds
and
refused
to
return.
We
have
had
it
with
these
people
and
decide
to
enter
our
waiting
van
even
though
it
is
hot
inside.
Inside
we
find
5
people
waiting
already;
it
seems
to
be
normal
here
that
any
person
wanting
to
hitch
a
ride
just
enters
a
waiting
car
-it
will
ride
anyway-
but
our
guide
Gleb
is
relentless
and
has
everybody
who
did
not
pay
exit
the
vehicle.
As
it
is
not
possible
to
transfer
fuel
for
our
stoves
on
the
plane
our
bottles
are
still
empty
and
we
have
to
find
a
pump
nearby
as
Gleb
tells
us
that
the
gas
in
the
mountains
is
of
poor
quality.
Niall
and
I
empty
a
1.5
liter
bottle
of
mineral
water
each
within
minutes
and
amaze
the
curious
pump
attendant
by
asking
him
to
refill
it
with
their
best
gas:
octane
92.
This
will
turn
out
to
be
not
quite
what
we
expect
fuel
to
be,
especially
the
special
colored
effects
when
burning
are
bonus,
but
hey,
what
can
you
expect
for
$0.10
per
liter?
Slowly
the
surrounding
hills
turn
into
mountains
while
the
rain
plunges
down
from
heaven.
"IIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!"
is
the
desperate
sound
our
windscreen
wiper
makes
during
its
fierce
attempt
to
move
from
left
to
right.
Finally
it
succeeds
in
making
the
road
visible
for
about
half
a
second.
About
5
seconds
later
it
manages
it
again
while
the
heaven
itself
seems
to
fall
from
the
sky.
Our
driver
races
with
undiminished
speed
across
the
little
mountain
roads,
not
being
inconvenienced
by
any
sign
of
fear
of
oncoming
cars
and
steep
abysses.
Just
before
this
shower
started
we
missed
a
Russian
lorry
driver
-who
did
not
mind
the
meaning
of
the
stripes
that
divide
the
roads
into
two
halves-
by
an
inch
and
I
am
seriously
starting
to
wonder
if
we
ever
going
to
see
Mt
Elbrus
at
all.
The
'summit'
of
Asia,
Everest,
is
known
for
the
fact
that
10%
of
summiteers
does
not
make
it
back
down
alive;
would
the
people
who
only
want
to
get
near
the
'summit'
of
Europe
face
the
same
odds?
|
