Russia (bbabo.net), - Correspondents delivered the historical popular science magazine "Rodina" to one of the highest mountain shelters in the country, LeapRus, located on the southern slope of Elbrus at an altitude of almost four thousand meters. In April, when the first climbers arrive here, over a cup of tea in the living room they will be able to read a lot of interesting materials, including about the Dyatlov Pass and Star City.
LeapRus serves as a base for acclimatization before storming the main peak of Europe. Getting here in the dead of winter was not easy. The shelter is mothballed until April, when the climbing season begins, but it was still opened for us. Krasnodar branch correspondent Ekaterina Kovalevskaya, photojournalist Vladimir Anosov and driver Andrey Kubay set out on the road.
First, we had to climb the cable car from the Azau glade (the foot of the highest mountain in Europe) to the Garabashi station, opened in 2015 at an altitude of 3847 meters (it is the highest mountain in the country). Not all skiers and snowboarders climb it, because in winter the temperature here sometimes drops below minus 30 degrees, a strong wind often blows, furiously throwing snow in the face.
A "small" problem awaited us at "Garabashi" - all the snowcats (caterpillar snow tractors used on the ski slopes, with a special snow plow) froze. Luckily, one of them did start, and we drove up, kicking up waves of snow in front of us.
The shelter consists of several modules - two residential cabins, a spacious lounge-cafe and a technical block with bathrooms. The residential modules and the living room have huge panoramic windows offering stunning views of the Main Caucasian Range. A chef prepares for climbers in the kitchen. According to local employees, they prefer high-calorie food, and take soda and chocolate bars with nuts for climbing to quickly restore strength. We left several issues of Rodina magazine in the living room, so that the climbers could spend their evenings with benefit and interest after hard hikes. We hope they enjoy our surprise.
bbabo.Net