From Russia with Love

Scott, Aaron and Alexis arrived safely in Moscow and spent a day there sightseeing and making final preparations for the flight to Mineralnye Vody and ground transport to the Caucasus Mountains.

Fortunately their bags arrived safely as well.

Scott enjoyed a nice meal of salmon upon their arrival.

On their first full day in Moscow, they toured the city after some morning coffee.

And rode on one of the steepest escalators...

Stretching it out before entering Red Square in the center of Moscow

Admiring a 200-ton bell at the Kremlin...

Sampling more coffee - at Basco Cafe in the Kremlin...

Back at the airport again the next morning (7/1 in Russia) - flying to Mineralnye Vody, gateway to Mt. Elbrus! From there they will have a 3-hour van ride to Baksan Valley (village of Azau). 

2014 Mt. Elbrus Expedition

On the quest to summit the highest point on each continent (the "Seven Summits"), Scott flew to Russia last Saturday (June 28) with climbing partners Aaron & Alexis Saari.  They did training climbs on Mt. Hood and another on Mt. Rainier a few weeks ago to prepare for the trip.

Located just inside the border of Russia in the Caucasus Mountain range, Mt. Elbrus is officially the tallest point in Europe.  It lies on the southern border of Russia just a few miles from Georgia.  Mt. Elbrus is an extinct volcano, its crater filled with snow and ice. The mountain has two summits: the Western summit, which is the taller of the two at ~18,510 ft., and the Eastern summit, which is ~18,442 ft. tall. The area between the two summits is called a saddle and lies at 17,769 ft.

Refer to the posted itinerary to see the planned schedule for their climb of Mt. Elbrus.

Here's a photo of the expedition team at PDX just before their departure.  They have arrived safely in Moscow and have one more day in Moscow before their flight to Mineralnye Vody and transport to Mt. Elbrus.