Ahead of the Old New Year on January 13, the Roerich House in Tolyatti hosted a meeting with members of a New Year's expedition to Mount Elbrus, which turned out to be unusually inhospitable to climbers this time around.
Vladimir Shklyaev, Associate Professor of Adaptive Physical Education at Tolyatti State University (TSU), along with students from local universities, shared stories of their adventures.
It is worth reminding our readers that Vladimir Shklyaev is a well-known mountain climber in Tolyatti. Under his leadership, TSU students have completed ascents in the Elbrus region, Mount Belukha in the Altai Mountains, and TSU Peak in the Central Tian Shan. He has led mountain expeditions up to Category 4 difficulty across the Western and Central Caucasus. Furthermore, for over 20 years, he has headed the "Edelweiss" City Center for Children and Youth Tourism and Excursions.
In 2013, Vladimir Shklyaev completed a solo ascent of Lenin Peak (7,134 m)—and he has no intention of stopping there.
His plans include conquering other 7,000-meter peaks, particularly the pyramidal Khan Tengri in the Tian Shan. Yet Elbrus remains one of Shklyaev's favorite peaks. For the sixteenth time, he set off for Elbrus around New Year's with a team of students and alumni, including Alexander Dolgov, Maria Antonova, and Alexey Molyanov. Under Shklyaev's guidance, the team trained on a unique mountaineering simulator developed at the TSU Institute of Physical Culture and Sports.
This time, luck with the weather was not on their side. After two days of acclimatization in the mountaineering camp on Cheget, a furious storm broke out: fierce winds effectively swept away all hopes of continuing the ascent. For the first time in many years, the famous "Priyut 11" (4,130 m), a high-altitude hotel for climbers, was closed.
The New Year's celebration was anything but ordinary for the Tolyatti team: sheltering from the harsh weather at the "Barrel Huts" (Bochki) base at 3,800 m, they welcomed 2015 with fireworks... And they will surely return to Elbrus, perhaps as early as this summer.
By Diana Stukanova