Scott Kress is an accomplished mountaineer, keynote speaker and President of both Summit Training and Frontier Team Building.

Summit Training has worked with hundreds of Fortune 500 hundred companies over the past 12 years to develop and deliver experiential training programs across North America and overseas.

For 10 years Frontier Team Building has helped guide teams to a new frontier of effectiveness through innovative team building programs.

For years we tried to determine how to create high performance teams. We read dozens of extremely complex models that presented countless steps, but the complexity of these models always ended in confusion and frustration. We knew there had to be an easier way.

We created the Deliberate Team Development model to provide a simple and effective framework to achieve the end goal you are looking for as a team. This model consists of three steps; Vision, Action, and Reflection.

Vision: As Stephen Covey writes, begin with the end in mind. In the formation of a team you should know your end goal. You want to determine success factors such a business goals, but before these can be achieved you need to determine team dynamic goals. You must identify what high performance is for your team in relation to your business and your company culture. It is not enough just to say you will be a good team, you must discuss and determine what high performance is in relation to leadership, team interaction, communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, etc… This vision will provide you with a measuring stick to know if you are being who you said you would be as a team. Without the clear identification of the end goal you are really just doing things and hoping for the best. Be deliberate in your team formation.

Action: Without specifically applied action a vision is useless. Once you have your vision in place you must determine specific actions that will bring this vision to life. How do you live your definition of high performance communication? How will you deal with conflict in a positive manner? Be deliberate in this phase and the benefit will be huge down the road.

Reflection: As a leader and as a team retrospection is critical. Sometimes we lose our way in the fogy complexity of reality and sometimes the landscape changes under our feet. Without dedicated reflection time these changes may go un-noticed leading your team toward an impending downfall. Take time as a leader and as a team to reflect upon your team, your actions, your results and your vision and course correct when necessary. Fine tune your sails as you navigate the seas of business and you will sail a much truer and faster course.

Russia is amazingly rich in history and culture and is thus extremely interesting to explore. I did not make it to St. Petersburg, but have been told it is a must see. Perhaps I will explore more and use a trip to Sochi to see the 2012 Olympics as my excuse.

Climbing any big mountain always includes many unknowns. The team dynamics, the weather, the snow conditions and even the local culture, political climate and economy come into play. This is the excitement of exploration and adventure.

Once again we were successful in building a high performance team and this helped to create our success on the mountain and enhance our overall enjoyment of the trip.

Check back here regularly to read more about my thoughts on team development and leadership. This concludes my Elbrus reports.

After a good sleep I woke at 7am to finish packing and have breakfast before our 8:30am departure from Cheget to Minerakyne Vody for our flight back to Moscow. The drive was uneventful, but we were glad we had Oksana with us when we got to the airport. I have traveled all around the world and feel pretty confident that I can navigate most countries airports, but Russia is a whole different animal. Nobody speaks any English and it is a very confusing and chaotic system (at least it seems so to me). With Oksana’s help we got through initial security and checked in our bags and got our boarding passes. The Mineralyne Vody airport has a very strict 20 kilo per person policy and they add all bags in a group together plus your carry on. For normal travel this may not be an issue, but with a big duffel bag full of mountaineering equipment we had no hope of meeting the 20 kilo limit. We were 36 kilos over as a group and had to pay1800 Rubles (about $65). Once we paid we moved on to security to get into the boarding lounge.

We were soon called for our flight and boarded the plane. The plane was of a similar vintage to our last one, but this one was slightly newer and not quite as run down. Take off was smooth and the flight went quickly as I dozed off and on. The landing was also smooth and we were soon taxiing towards the gate.

As I looked out the window I saw that our plane was following a car with flashing lights on top. It seemed odd to have an escort, but I just assumed it was normal for the very busy Moscow airport. Our plane was guided to and stopped at an out of the way space away from the other parked planes. I thought we were just in a holding pattern waiting for a gate to open. Then a fuel truck came up to our plane and it appeared that they were fueling the plane which seemed a little odd to me as we were not at a gate and nobody had yet deplaned (I later figured out they were removing all the fuel from the plane for reasons which will become clear as my story continues). After the fuel truck left we seemed to sit on the tarmac forever. It was very hot in the plane as the air conditioning did not work. The thermometer on my watch registered 95f. We sat and sat and nothing was happening and no announcement was made. People were getting over heated and agitated. The flight staff said that we were stuck in traffic and would move soon.

Then I looked out the window and saw that our plane was being surrounded by police in flack jackets. There was also a media crew filming our plane and a reporter was talking to the camera. None of us had any idea what was going on and the flight staff continued to play dumb. It got hotter and hotter in the plane and water was passed out. The lady in front of us was apparently having difficulty breathing, but I think she was just being melodramatic. The steward brought her an oxygen bottle and a mask, but like much of the plane it did not work. People started to yell at the flight staff and the atmosphere was very electric. I felt that it could have erupted into a very ugly scene at any moment.

After three hours on the ground the doors were finally opened up and a blast of cool air (85f) rushed into the plane. After a further wait of about 30 minutes, we were let off the plane. As we walked towards the door of the plane the flight staff stood by the door thanking everyone and saying they hoped they had a good flight. This is standard procedure, but the passengers were having none of it. Many shouted insults back and stormed off the plane. The big issue is that we were never told why we were being held and there was obviously an issue. Not a single announcement had been made by the captain or anyone else in authority.

As I descended the stairs to the tarmac I saw for the first time the seriousness of the situation. There were dozens of police cars and what appeared to be Special Forces military vehicles around as well as half a dozen ambulances. I was left wondering what all the fuss was about. Since we could not speak Russian and nobody else around us seemed to know what was going on we just kept walking towards the waiting shuttle bus. At least it was over and we could get to our hotel in Moscow and go out for dinner.

We drove away from the plane towards the terminal and were soon disembarking and walking through a door being held open for us. As we walked down the stairs we walked into a cafeteria and found all the exit doors locked and guarded by soldiers. We quickly realized that we were not going anywhere fast, but still did not know why.

Slowly through bits and pieces here and there we learned what had happened. Well at least parts of it. Apparently there was an attempted high jacking of our plane. It happened in the front of the plane and since we were at the back we did not see or hear anything. All I know is that a person the police are calling a “terrorist” attempted to high jack the plane at some point as we were flying towards Moscow. I am not sure what happened next, but one story tells that the terrorist was subdued by passengers and a plain clothes security officer. The other goes that the terrorist was overpowered by Special Forces soldiers dressed as medical staff after the plane landed. Regardless of what actually happened the terrorist was captured and handcuffed and led off the plane to an awaiting squad car.

It is amazing that not a word of what was happening up front had filtered to the back of the plane. We were oblivious to a potentially very dangerous and scary situation.

Once in the cafeteria it was waiting time. English speaking staff was assigned to us, but they knew little and were saying even less. After a couple of hours food was served and the military arrived to start to interview everyone. We were told we would be here all night. We filled out an eye witness report and photo copied our passports, Russian Visas, and boarding passes and then waited to be interviewed by an army officer through an interpreter.

At first all seemed to be going well. The process appeared to be moving even though nobody had spoken to us yet. The non-smoking cafeteria quickly became smoke filled as the nicotine starved passengers lit up (it seems that 80% or more of the Russian population smokes). The bathroom in particular became extremely hazardous to the non-smoker. For some reason it was felt that the bathroom was the best place to smoke and the small confined space soon became dense with smoke. Going to the bathroom was akin to sticking your head in a chimney with a roaring leaf fire belching smoke in your face. A deep breath was required before entering and not for the normal bathroom reasons.

Interpreters soon found their way to us and the process began with the two Brazilians (Gilberto and Humberto) as they had the earliest flight home and needed to get going soon if they were to make their plane. It was a difficult process as the questions needed to be translated from Russian, into English and then into Portuguese and then back again. I set the timer on my watch to see how long this interview was going to take as we would need to repeat it for each of the seven of us.

Two more interpreters were produced and the process started with another one of us. I figured that this could not take long as none of us had seen or heard anything. How wrong I would be proven to be.

Not too long after the interview began the military soldiers who were conducting the interviews began to chain smoke to match the 150 other chain smokers around us. It became extremely uncomfortable to breathe.

Every now and then the interpreters would get up and walk away and the soldiers would do the same. We watched on in amused and slightly frustrated silence. Then I noticed that the interpreters had disappeared and had not returned. Nobody could speak English and our repeated questions went unanswered. Eventually an airport media photographer approached us and in halting English said that he would try to help us out. He did not know where our original interpreters had gone.

Although his intentions were great his English was poor and the interview process ground to an unbelievably slow speed. The Russian officer would ask a question and the photographer would try to put it into English at which point a long conversation would ensue in Russian. Eventually he would say “date of birth” or “nationality”. This would then be translated into Portuguese for the Brazilians and then the process would rebound back again. The funny thing was that most of the initial questions could be answered by the passport in the soldier’s hand. The most ridiculous question I heard was “can you tell me what flight you were on and where you were flying from and to”. As far as I could tell we had all been on the same plane from and to the same location and this is why we were being held. Very quickly the process turned into a comedy of epic proportions, but it lacked any real humour.

Members of our team started to get extremely frustrated with the slow process. Nobody seemed to know what was going on and the soldiers stood around discussing the situation and the questions, personnel and process seemed to be in an ever changing state, the only thing that did not change was the rotund soldier interviewing the Brazilians. We nicknamed him “John Candy” due to his striking resemblance to the late Canadian actor and his comedic ability. When asked what they saw the Brazilians responded “nothing”. Mr. Candy would then write for 10-15 minutes, tearing up several sheets of paper and start again. This continued for almost three hours when things seemed to be wrapping up. We thought that at least two of our team had been finished. The soldier stacked his 30 page report and started all over again with the second Brazilian. In all this time he had only questioned one person.

Tempers started to flare and upon questioning we were told that each person would need to be interviewed individually. Our initial interpreters returned and told us that their boss was not happy with their level of interpretation ability and they were no longer allowed to assist us. This once again was quite comical as the photographer who was acting as the official interpreter had a far poorer command of the English language that the two people that were no longer allowed to work with us. This was quickly turning into a gong show of epic proportions.

Ryan had been speaking with the American Embassy to try to get us some help, but when the Embassy called the airport they were told that there was no incident and that no passengers were being held. Instead of sending someone down to investigate the Embassy just said good luck and keep in touch if we required any further assistance. A few hours later when Ryan called again they were closed for the day and the emergency line went unanswered.

With the philosophy that “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” we started to demand from anyone we thought was in some position of authority that something happen to get us moving. The soldiers became frustrated with our demands as they could not understand us and we could not understand them. It appeared to work as the two interpreters who were told they were not good enough were now told to get to work and clear us through the interview process.

To make a very long story slightly shorter, I will say that eventually we were all interviewed and cleared of any suspicion in the terrorist plot. It was an extremely frustratingly slow process and seemed to be flawed at every point. We were each made to write out a statement that we wanted no further involvement in the case, that we had been treated well and that we had freely and happily answered questions all night.

Ultimately I have no idea of what really happened. I was told that it was all a mistake and that it was just a drunk passenger, but that seemed unlikely with the massive police and military presence. I was also told that a man somehow got a gun onto the plane (I think this is unlikely) and had attempted to get into the cockpit. I do think much of this is true, with the exception of the gun, and that a security officer and several passengers quickly and bloodily dealt with the terrorist. But your guess is as good as mine.

After almost 14 hours in detention the frustration level was extremely high and we were still not done. Tempers were starting to flare and the officials started to realize they needed to get this over with before they had an international incident on their hands. We were offered free transportation and accommodation to placate us. It sufficed to quench some of the anger, but the best move was just to let us go. We were almost the last passengers to be released. The one group left after us was the only other non-Russian speaking group.

A group of Chinese climbers who had summited Elbrus the day before us had spent their time sleeping, watching movies on their computer, taking pictures, and playing video games. I felt sorry for them as only one member of their group spoke English and he would need to translate for each and every one of his team; Russian to English, to Chinese and back again for hours on end. I could only hope for them that the soldiers had learned something through their experience with us and that the interview process would now go faster, but I am doubtful.

Eventually our team, minus Gilberto and Umberto who had left to catch their plane to Brazil, met in the airport with Nikolai our Russian logistics provider and flanked by a security guard who had been charged with looking after us. It was good to be out of the chaos, but unfortunately this incident had ended our trip and we no longer had time for souvenir shopping or one last team dinner. We split into the night and started our long journeys home.

Nothing was open in town, but the air was cool and fresh and the sun shining off the mountains was mesmerizing. After a short walk I went back to the hotel to join the rest of the team for breakfast. This day would be filled with wandering and exploring, eating and drinking.

After a late breakfast we walked to a location about 15 minutes away that we were told had a fishing pond and for 1000 Rubles (about $35) you could fish all day and they would cook what you caught for you to eat. This sounded like fun until we arrived. It was quite a beautiful location with the river running through the property and a combination or Swiss and Mongolian architecture. Then we saw the fishing pond. Someone had decided that the natural water colour was not very appealing so they had coloured the water a bright turquoise blue with some form of dye. We could see the fish swimming through the water, but the thought of catching them and eating them faded quickly.

We decided to leave the fishing pond for another time and continued our walk up the valley to the town of Terksol where we found a small café and had coffee, ice cream and beer. Terksol is a charming little town and I’m sure is quite lively in the winter months with the ski season in full swing.

We walked back to Cheget via a beautiful trail through the Pine forest at the side of the raging glacial fed river. Once back in Cheget we spent the rest of the day eating, drinking, resting and talking.

I got up and went outside to get some fresh air. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. The wind was a little stronger than the day before, but it was warm and sunny. It looked like a perfect summit day, but ultimately I think our summit day was better. We did not have the same views the climbers would have today, but we did not need to deal with the heat and sun radiation that the climbers would today.

Breakfast was at 8am. None of us were very hungry. I think we were all waiting to eat until we got back to the town of Cheget. Tatiana had made porridge, but there were no takers. She seemed a little miffed that her efforts to make breakfast were not appreciated, but I’m sure she understood where our thoughts were at.

After packing up all our gear we went outside at 9am to meet the snow cat that would take us and our gear to the chair lift at the barrel huts. A little late we heard the snow cat rumbling up the hill only to pass us by and keep going higher. After about 10 minutes we heard the cat coming down hill towards us and we all picked up our bags in anticipation. The cat pulled up and as we began to walk towards it the driver held up his hand to say no. He was not there for us, only Tatiana. We were confused and did not understand why we could not ride the empty cat down, but it was not for us. Oksana called her boss and he checked on where our cat was. Apparently the driver was late and was still on the chair lift making his way to the barrel hut where he would get his cat to come and get us.

While we were waiting for our ride, Humberto decided to play in the snow. He is from Brazil and had never seen snow before. We all watched wondering what he was going to do. After a few moments it became clear that he was going to build a snowman. He carefully crafted the first snow ball for the body and then a second snow ball to for the head. He placed small rocks for the eyes and mouth and small sticks for the arms. For the final touch he took the baseball cap from his head and placed it on the snowman. He stood back and admired his work and then sat beside the snowman, took out his camera and took a self portrait of himself with his first ever snowman.

At that point we heard the faint sound of a snow cat headed up hill. Hoping it was ours we all watched carefully as it crested the hill in front of the hut and cheered as it made the turn towards us. Slowly the cat rumbled towards us and at the last moment made a swift turn and decapitated and then crushed Humberto’s snowman. It was sad and funny at the same time, but we had little time to mourn the loss of the snowman, it was time for us to go.

We threw our bags onto the cat and climbed board. I sat in the cab with the driver as the others sat in the open air. Oksana had her snowboard and chose to ride it down instead of joining us in the cat. That would have been my choice as well if I were given the option.

As we were descending we passed a local ski team out for their morning training runs. They had a slalom course set up and were all dressed in their skin suits and all had Fischer skis (they were obviously at a high level and sponsored). After each run they would pile into a waiting snow cat and make their way up for their next run. It was fun to watch them and I was envious of their chance to ski on this beautiful mountain and on this beautiful day.

Without event we made it to the Barrel Huts and climbed down from the snow cat. We grabbed our bags and walked over to the chair lift for the ride down. With our bags on our laps we rode the chair down to the next level where we rode two separate gondolas to the valley floor. All in all it took us about one hour to descend to the valley floor once our snow cat arrived. Everything had gone smoothly.

As we waited for our van to arrive to take us back to Cheget Ryan bought beer and pop for everyone. It was wonderful to drink the cold and tasty liquid. Even though it had only been a few days since we left the valley floor, they had been full and tiring days and the cold drinks were our reward. We threw our bags into the back of the van and hopped in for the short ride to our hotel.

After checking in it was shower time. Something that is wonderful about Russian showers is that the water pressure is very high and they have never herd of low flow shower heads. With a little environmental guilt I enjoyed my shower immensely.

Now that we were clean it was time to eat. We wandered into town and had great BBQ chicken shish kabobs and potato pancakes and of course more beer. The climb was over and now all we had to do was to wait a couple of days to take our flight back to Moscow. Even though we had finished the climb early we could not go back to Moscow early. Firstly, it is much cooler and nicer in some ways in Cheget than in Moscow, and secondly it is very difficult to change internal flight dates in Russia. It is best just to bide our time in Cheget for a few days.

At the end of the day we all gathered for a celebration dinner. We had pizza and Champagne and for desert we ordered a birthday cake for Oksana. She was surprised and I think she enjoyed her time with our team.

Elbrus Summit

It was very busy in the hut which translated into a lot of noise, but I don’t sleep much before a summit climb anyway. I went to bed about 8pm, but did not really fall asleep until 11pm and even then I woke every 30 minutes or so. I was awake before my alarm went off. We woke at 2:30am. I had packed much of the stuff I would need for the summit climb before I went to bed, so all I had to do was get dressed and put on my boots and go down for breakfast.

Breakfast at 3am before a summit climb it kind of pointless. I am not very hungry, and the excitement of the upcoming climb intensifies this. I had some tea and a slice of bread with jam. Most everyone else was similar to me.

Just before 4am we put on harnesses and crampons and met outside the hut. The interesting thing about climbing Elbrus is that it starts with a snow cat ride; nothing like the roar of a diesel engine and fumes in your face to start a climb. It is not really necessary, but cuts off about 3 hours from the start of the climb. You can choose not to take the cat, but it is hard to refuse when it seems to be the norm. There is lots of climb above it anyway.

We piled into the open back of the cat and hung our packs off the snow blade on the front of the cat. It is about a 15-20 minute ride and we get dropped off at the bottom of Pastukhov Rocks at about 4500m. The ride up is quite steep and we immediately all slid to the back of the seats squishing up against one another. The engine belched black fumes out the exhaust pipe as we climbed higher and higher. We could see the headlamps of many other climbers already on the route above us.

Some climbers, mostly Russians, carry a tent above the rocks and start the climb from there. I think that would be a nice way to do it, but it would be a lot more work on a relatively small climb. Some do it for style and some do it because they do not want to pay for the hut or the snow cat ride. Many options.

After jumping out of the cat, we started our actual climb around 4:20am. It was not very cold (maybe -5c), but there was a strong side wind of about 30-40 kmh that gusted to close to 50-60 kmh at times. This did increase the wind chill a bit, but it still did not seem very cold.

I had on my long underwear bottoms and my gore-tex pants on the bottom and a light Sherpa shirt, my Sherpa softshell jacket, a light insulation layer and my gore-tex jacket on top. I was just about right for comfort and maybe a little hot at times and a little cold at times. Overall I think it was the right choice.

A full moon hung in a cloudless sky making our headlamps almost unnecessary. The snow crunched under our boots as we climber slowly higher. As on every mountain there are groups that are faster and groups that are slower and it takes a few hours for everyone to sort out their position. Many of the fast teams power by us only to be found sitting on the side of the trail 30 minutes later, exhausted from their speed. Others can truly handle the speed all the way to the top and summit well before us.

One team pulled out to pass us and walked beside us for almost 30 minutes making no progress to pass. They wanted to overtake us, but soon realized they were moving at the same speed, and ultimately a little slower, than us. After a long time in the realization of their actual speed they fell back in line behind us.

We moved at a slow, buy deliberate pace. At no point was I out of breath, but it was physically demanding. Just like all climbs however, it is the mental part that is tougher than the physical part. It is tedious to spend hour after hour walking up hill in the cold, and it is physically strenuous and your mind needs to cope with the physical demands of the effort.

The route starts fairly steep and continues at a constant angle for a couple of hours. It is tiring on the legs and feet as there is no change in the terrain necessitating a change in foot position every now and then to relieve tired muscles. We alternate between duck walking, and side stepping right and side stepping left to try to break up the monotony of the repetitive movements.

After about 2 hours we began a very long traverse to the left towards the saddle between the two peaks. This traverse is at the constant angle and seemed to go on forever. We have affectionate named it the “40 mile traverse”. It is not that long, but it feels like it.

The views across the mountains were amazing. I like to walk at the back of the pack and I was constantly stopping to look out across the mountains. The sun was close to coming up and the additional light from the full moon provided an amazing light making the jagged peaks pop in colours of white, black and gray. As the sun rose higher in the sky, shades of red, orange and purple were added to the mix. It was all I could do to stop looking and keep walking. It reminded me why I love the mountains so much. It was cold, silent and beautiful. The wonders of the planet we live on.

After 4.5 hours of steady upward progress we leveled out and came to a stop at the saddle between the West and the East peaks of Elbrus. The West peak is slightly higher by 26m and this would be our ultimate target.

As we were climbing close to the saddle the wind picked up slightly and the clouds dropped right on top of us. Visibility was quickly reduced, but the trail is well trodden and has marking flags every 50m so there is little danger of getting lost.

Looking up the trail I cold see about 60 climbers ahead of us making their way to the top. We made a small cache of gear to leave at the saddle and started up. The trail arched right at this point and is a welcome change to the leftward traverse we had just spent the last several hours on.

At this point we were at 5416m (17,700+ feet) and we were all starting to feel the altitude. Others were also experiencing the same reduction in oxygen and the pace slowed. Due to our slow and steady approach we still had energy, whereas others who had sprinted past us were slowing to a crawl. Our upward movement was slowed by the slower climbers ahead of us. Often they are oblivious or just do not care that they have a huge line of climbers strung out behind them itching to pass. Passing is difficult and exhausting, so patience is necessary to wait until the slower climber pulls off to the side of the trail and allows those behind them to pass.

As we climbed higher the wind picked up a bit more and the clouds became thicker. Visibility dropped to less than 50m and we lost any view of the surrounding mountains that we had earlier in the climb. We crested the traverse after about 1 hour and took a break on a flat spot. Many other climbers were also stopped here as it provided a bit of a wind block and therefore was a slightly warmer and more comfortable place to top. Some climbers were totally spent and were sprawled out across the snow. Some of our team members were also starting to run out of gas and were sitting in the snow staring blankly at the white sky.

It was cold, but not bad at all. At no time did I need to put on an extra layer or my down jacket or heavy mitts. After a short break we were back on our feet and moving again. At this point the trail continues to traverse to the right and we slowly plodded our way upward. A climber in front of us would stop after about 20 steps and sprawl out on the ground in a state of complete exhaustion. As we drew near, he would stagger to his feet and speed ahead for another 20 steps before collapsing once again in the snow. He obviously new little about pacing.

Once we crested this smaller traverse we stopped for a short break. Two of our team members were really feeing the effects of exhaustion and altitude by this point and they were very lethargic and losing their dexterity. We split into two groups with the faster climbers going on ahead with Ryan and the slower climbers moving up with Oksana. We were only about 15-20 minutes from the summit by this point.

Once we started moving after this short break the terrain flattened out quite a bit. We were now on the summit plateau of the mountain, but had a bit of a walk to get to the final summit bump. Due to the vast size of the summit plateau it was almost like walking in a park in the winter. The path to the top was wide and flat with only a small incline.

I’m not sure if it was the altitude or just the fact that we were almost at the top, but I started to feel quite tired at this point. I stopped several times to get my breath, but continued to move at a good pace. After about 10-15 minutes of walking a definite peak started to materialize from the clouds. The final few steps to the summit ramp up steeply and then I was on the top. Ryan and four of us made it in the first wave at 11am; 6.5 hours after we had started.

The top of Elbrus is about 20×20 feet and relatively flat. At the absolute highest point there is a rock that almost appears if it were put there on purpose. The rock is covered with flags and other things people have left behind to mark their summit including a 20lb kettle bell. We took a few photos standing by the rock, but there was no view whatsoever. Visibility was 75-feet at best.

Only about 10 minutes after we arrived on the summit the rest of our team came up with Oksana. They had done an amazing job considering their current condition. Reaching the summit provided a jolt of energy and we all took many, many summit photos and high fives and hugs marked our success..

We spent maybe 30 minutes on the summit. It was very windy, but it was not cold. Eventually we decided it was time to start down. Walking across the plateau was easy, but as we turned the corner and started down we began a steep and potentially dangerous downward traverse. Ryan and Oksana short roped our two most tired team members for additional safety, but the snow was quite soft and the going was relatively easy.

The visibility at this point dropped to almost nothing and continued that was for the next couple of hours. If the team got separated by more than 20 feet they disappeared into the white. I was leading the descent and I was glad the trail was heavily used and that there were marking flags every 50m. The descent to the saddle seemed to take forever, but in reality it was only about 30 minutes. Once at the saddle we located out cache and took a break.

The next phase of our descent was the 40 mile traverse and even going down it seemed long. By this point we had taken packs from the two suffering climbers on our team and Ryan had one and I had the other. We were moving really slow, but losing altitude well. Eventually we split with Oksana and the faster climbers heading down, and Ryan staying with the last two members of our team.

As we got close to the Pastukhov Rocks the snow stopped, the wind dropped, and the clouds rose once again providing us with a view of the mountains and where we were going. Looking back up hill the mountain was still socked in with clouds and very low visibility.

We could see the hut and it appeared painfully far away, but the only way to get there was to put one foot in front of the other. As we dropped in altitude the sun took hold of the air and the temperature rose dramatically. I stripped off everything but my base layer top and unzipped the legs on my gore-tex pants as far as I could and I was still hot. I switched from my winter hat to my sun hat and pulled my buff up over my face to prevent a severe sun burn. With the heat the snow became thick and deep and my boots sunk 6-12 inches with every step. It was like walking in mashed potatoes. Other climbers were also around us and we all stumbled towards the hut like zombies in a bad horror movie. As we descended however, the richness of the air began to revive us and the final steps to the hut were long, but enjoyable.

We made it back to the hut around 2:30pm giving us a 10 hour day. Elbrus may not be overly technical in nature, but it is far from a walk in the park. Overall it was a great climb and I have now made it to the top of six of the seven summits.

Once inside the hut I went upstairs and stripped off my summit clothing and then made my way downstairs to the dining area. Several of us sat at the dining table and drank juice to quench a huge thirst and then Tatiana served the most delicious pasta and fried chicken. The chicken was greasy and salty and that was exactly what we were craving.

After some food and drink we went back upstairs for some rest. I was not able to sleep although I felt I should have been able to. I was working on very little sleep over the last 36 hours and had just expended a huge amount of energy and yet sleep would not come. I laid in bed for a while listening to music and then got up and went outside to get some fresh air. Far too soon it was dinner time and I did my best to eat, but I was still full from lunch. Another climbing team had left us a large bottle of water and I drank almost a liter. It felt and tasted so good to drink water that had not been boiled and or tasted of iodine.

Todd and I played cards for a while after dinner as we were still not tired. A Russian boy of about 6 or 7 sat and watched us play. He sat beside me and would smile and laugh every time I picked up a good card. He was rooting for me and we had fun together even though not a word was spoken.

It was then time for bed. It had been a long and successful day. Our team enjoyed 100% success and for some of our team members it was their first real mountain climb. We were a great team and Ryan was a great leader as always.

Rest days can be long as there is not much to do. No TV, no radio and no power. Books, cards, conversation, iPod, and staring into space are your basic choices. There is also the additional weight of the upcoming summit on your mind.

After breakfast we played Gin Rummy and Euchre until lunch and after lunch Ryan called us together for a knot workshop. On Elbrus there is not much rope work required as most of not all of the route is climbed un-roped, but the rope workshop would be a review of the knots we might need for those who have used them before and new information for those who had not used them before. It was also a way to kill a couple of hours as a team.

At the same time we reviewed clothing needs and logistics for the summit climb. The plan will be to wake at 2:30am, have breakfast at 3:00am and depart for the summit at 4:00am. That should get us to the top around 10:00-11:00am.

The weather today was a little cooler, but seems to be clearing. There was a light wind and the mountain was veiled in cloud most of the day. I am feeling well and acclimatized and everyone else is the same. There are a few small stomach issues in the group, but this is normal at altitude and in the less than sanitary conditions of the hut. Nothing that should stop us however.

Elbrus is a huge Russian tourist destination and people come to hike, ski, and sight see. They take the gondola and chair-lift up to the barrel huts just as we did and then they board a snow cat for the ride as high as 4600m. The snow cats rumble up and down the hill all day long and there is the constant roar of diesel engines in the air. We were up before the cats started for the day and were glad of the peace and quiet. As it turned out it would be a pretty quiet day for much of the day. Because the visibility was so low the tourist traffic was slow today.

The eight of us slowly marched up the hill and stopped for a break a little higher than the previous day. The snow and wind intensified so we zipped up our jackets and cinched down our hoods and kept climbing.

Our boots crunched into the frozen ground as we made our way about 20 minutes past Pastukhova Rocks. The snow and wind picked up even more so we decided that this would be out high point for the day. I switched from glacier glasses to goggles and put on my winter hat in preparation for the descent.

We stopped at about 4200m where it was a little warmer and the wind was less intense. We put on our crampons and Ryan gave us a brief crampon workshop. For me it was fun to get back into my crampons and stomp around, but for others it was a totally new experience.

After 20 minutes of playing in our crampons we once again started down. About six inches of heavy wet snow had fallen since we headed out this morning. It would be a fun ski, yet a little heavy.

After walking down for a bit, Ryan stopped us for an ice axe workshop just like we had done with the crampons. Once again, some of us had lots of experience with ice axes, and some had none and were holding an ice axe for the very first time.

While we were playing with our ice axes a snow cat slowly rumbled it’s way up the mountain with a full load of tourists and climbers. They were heading for the snow cat high point of Pastukhova rocks, but they did not make it. The snow was so heavy, wet and deep that the snow cat repeatedly got stuck and could make no progress up hill. After countless tries on different lines the cat eventually gave up and turned around to go back to where it had started. There would be no more snow cat rides this day. This translated into peace and quiet for us.

We arrived back to the hut around 1pm just in time for a lunch of pasta and a beef patty. More people have moved into the hut and we no longer have the second floor all to ourselves. It was nice while it lasted, but it was a luxury. Not much else happened for the rest of the night. We had dinner at 7pm and Todd, Paul, Al and I played Gin Rummy for a while before going to bed around 930. There is no power in the hut, so once it gets dark most people go to bed pretty soon thereafter. Many people are also getting ready for an early morning summit start so they go to bed even earlier.

After a great night in the Azau Hut we had a huge breakfast of eggs, bread, cheese, and salami. We then packed up and hit the trail at 9:30am. Hitting the trail is walking to the gondola for a 10 minute ride to Mir Station at 3470m.

When we got to the gondola we met Tatiana our cook. She brought with her a number of boxes containing all our expedition food for the time we will spend at the Diesel Hut. We helped her carry the boxes of food from the first gondola that we had ridden up the day before to the next gondola that would take us higher.

There was one group at the gondola when we arrived and they took the first car up. As we stood there waiting I was watching the next car descend to the station to take us up. Suddenly a huge, and not good, noise erupted from the control room. At the same time the cables above my head started to wine and shake violently. The cable had stopped suddenly and when I looked at the gondola it was rocking violently. The cables snapped back and forth and I ran to get out of the way fearing they may snap and cut me in half.

After about 30 seconds everything calmed down and all seemed alright except the fact that the gondola was no longer moving. Oksana’s cell phone rang. It was another guide who was in the car that had left before us. He said that everyone was ok, but that everyone had been thrown down when the car stopped suddenly. I would not have wanted to be in that car. Good for us they were there first.

As the car sat unmoving for 10 minutes we began to fear that we may need to walk up to the next station. We then learned that the stoppage was due to a power failure. After about 30 minutes the power came back on and the car began to slowly move back towards us. The operator ran it up and down a few times and then had one of his staff get in for a trial run to make sure no lines had broken or gotten crossed in the sudden stop. Eventually it was deemed safe and we boarded for the 20 minute ride up to the next station.

Once at Mir we unloaded and walked over and got in line for the single person chair lift. This is a very old and rickety appearing contraption. We loaded food boxes and big bags onto the chairs and then one-by-one we boarded with our back packs in our laps. I pulled a small safety bar across my lap, but it would not go all the way or latch because my back pack was in the way. I felt it was safe enough, but it would never be allowed in North America. It was a fun ride and others were coming down from a summit climb or a night at the huts. They too were laden with their packs as they descended.

This single chair took us to the Barrel Huts at 3800m. We unloaded all our food and carried it over to a waiting snow cat. We loaded our food boxes and big packs onto the cat and hoisted our small packs for the walk up to the Diesel Hut. Oksana and Tatiana would accompany our stuff to the hut as we walked.

In our small packs we carried warm clothing, gore-tex top and bottom, gloves, hat, water and a little food. At the time of departure the weather was beautiful with a bright sunny sky, warm temperatures, and no wind, but we must be prepared for any sudden change in the weather.

The walk to the Diesel Hut today was a little faster than yesterday taking about one hour and fifteen minutes. Upon arrival we entered the hut and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Oksana had secured two private rooms for us and four people will sleep in each. There is a bed platform with a thin and very dirty foam mattress on it. For anyone like me that suffers from mold and dust allergies, this is not the most pleasant pace to sleep.

Once we unpacked, Al, Paul and I sat outside in the sun for a while talking. From our vantage point we could clearly see the two peaks of Elbrus and the tracks of climbers on the route. Peering closer we could see small dots of climbers making their way down from hopefully a successful summit.

It was then lunch time (about 1:30pm). I was still full from the 8 egg breakfast I was served and most everyone else was also pretty full from breakfast. So far there does not seem to be any concern of losing weight on this trip. The food has been excellent and mostly plentiful.

Tatiana had cooked up a small feast of spaghetti, cheese, salami, Russian boiled hot dogs (not very appealing), tomatoes, cucumbers and two big bowels full of cookies and other sweets. It was delicious, but I was soon ready to explode.

During lunch the weather changed into a driving sleet storm. Tatiana needed more water and a group of us volunteered to go get it. She handed us about 20 five liter bottles and we dawned our gore-tex and headed out for water. Ryan and Oksana led the way uphill to a small pool of glacial melt water about ten minutes above our camp. Water was scooped with a cup into the waiting jugs and we made our way back to the hut.

There are several other huts up here besides the Diesel Hut. I am not really sure what they all are, but most were occupied. The hut that we are staying in got its name when the original hut caught fire and burned to the ground about 13 years ago. Our hut was once the generator hut and stored all the diesel fuel to run the generator to power the main hut. Once the main hut burned down the generator and fuel storage containers were removed and it was re-modeled into a climbers hut with sleeping and eating areas for about 50 climbers.

A new hut has been started to replace the destroyed one, but it is only in the initial stages of construction (after 13 years). There is a huge poster that has an artists rendering of what the new hut will look like. The stats indicate it will be quite big and will accommodate up to 250 climbers. At first it seemed odd that it was taking so long to build the new hut, but we were reminded by some locals that many of the officials are corrupt and much of the money slated for the re-build has gone into someone else’s pocked. Therefore, the construction continues in dribs and drabs. The poster indicates a completion date of 2010, but at this rate my guess is it will take at least another five if not more years to complete.

Outside this hut and all around is the accumulated garbage of many years and most likely even decades. Engines, generators, steel cable, wood, huge pieces of metal and endless bags of garbage and empty beer and liquor bottles are everywhere. It is really quite disgusting. Speaking with Oksana we learned that the National Park believes the garbage is the responsibility of the guiding services and the climbers since they use the mountain and the guide services believe it is the responsibility of the National Park since they pay a fee to use the mountain. Nobody will take ownership of the problem and the garbage continues to pile up. To us the solution seems pretty simple. Snow cats run up and down the mountain all day long and could easily haul the garbage away piece by piece. Staff would be necessary to help or even volunteers, but Oksana says there is no movement towards this. Some of the guiding companies are trying to start a clean up, but it has not caught hold as if yet. Hopefully it does one day soon. This is a very beautiful place and it is a shame to have it cluttered and degraded with so much garbage.

After our water trip we headed out to hike up the hill and gain some additional altitude for further acclimatization. The sleet had turned to snow and the clouds had dropped reducing visibility. We put on our gore-tex, cinched on our hoods and headed out into the storm. It was still quite warm and it was fun to walk in the snow. One of our team members from Brazil had never seen snow before and he was loving it. We climbed for about an hour and hit a high point at about 4300m. We sat on the rocks for a short break and watched the snow blow by.

The walk down was fun as we plunged and slid our way back to the hut arriving back about 4:30pm.

Dinner was at 7pm. Tatiana mad us mushroom soup followed with rice and chicken. S always the table also had a big supply of tomatoes, cucumbers, sweets, orange and lemon slices, and tea, coffee and other drinks. Another good meal.

Tomorrow we plan to take another acclimatization climb to Pstukhova Rocks at 4690m. We will also spend some time on our crampons as a refresher for those with experience and for training for the two members of our team who have never had crampons on before.

It is snowing quite heavily right now so it should be a beautiful day with lots of fresh snow. It is now 8pm and there is not much left to do but kill tie before bed. This down-time can sometimes seem long, but it is important for acclimatization and to be well rested for the next days activities.