Mt. Elbrus, Russia 18,510′, 5642m July 20 – 30, 2010

Mt. Elbrus is the highest mountain in the European continent making it one of the highly sought after Seven Summits.  This year Kurt Wedberg returns to Mt. Elbrus on a private trip with long time good friends of SMI John Rogitz and Bill Simon.  John is a veteran of Aconcagua and many climbs in the Sierra.  Bill reached the summit of Kilimanjaro in February and has climbed Mt. Whitney and Mt. Rainier plus has many climbs on Mt. Baldy in Southern California under his belt.

Bill and Kurt arrived in St. Petersburg on July 20 and spent July 21 touring parts of the city, the Hermitage Museum, and the Peterhof Palace.  John arrived this afternoon.  Everybody’s luggage made it intact and the team is ready to fly to Mineralnye Vody on July 22 where they will drive to the Baksan Valley and begin acclimatization hikes.  Stay tuned for updates as the days progress.

Here are a few highlights from a day or touring this historical and fascinating city: