Elbrus maximum height. The volcano is just dormant. Mystery of the name of the mountain

The highest peak in Russia belongs to mountain system Caucasus mountains. This is the two-headed Elbrus, located on the border of two Caucasian republics - Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria. The most high mountain Russia has a height of 5642 meters. Some researchers have awarded her the title of the highest in Europe, but this is not entirely true. Alpine Mont Blanc (4807) is really inferior in height to Elbrus. But Elbrus is located north of the Main Caucasian ridge along the border between Europe and Asia. The lateral ridge, to which Mount Elbrus belongs, definitely belongs to Asia.

Mount Elbrus - photo

The first mention of the highest peak of Russia in historical literature can be found in the "Book of Victories". In the descriptions of Tamerlane's military campaigns, there is information that the "great lame man" climbed Elbrus in order to pray there.

On top of Elbrus

Mount Elbrus - photo

The Caucasus also attracted conquerors at a later time. During the Great Patriotic War big interest to the Elbrus region was shown by the German special service "Ahnenerbe", which was engaged in research paranormal activity and occult powers. During the battle for the Caucasus, a special group of mountain shooters of the Edelweiss division was allocated, which in 1942 installed German flags on both peaks of Elbrus. Soviet troops removed them in February 1943, and the battle for the Shelter of Eleven went down in history as the highest mountain battle of the Second World War. Until now, frozen bodies of the dead and various ammunition are found in the Caucasian glaciers.

Elbrus- This dormant volcano with two peaks. They are interconnected by a saddle at an altitude of approximately 5300 meters. The lower peak, which has a height of 5621 meters, is considered by geologists to be younger in age. It retained a clear crater and the shape of a regular cone. The older peak of Mount Elbrus, lying to the trap, has been substantially destroyed.

Two peaks of Elbrus - photo

The greatest peak of the Caucasus last time erupted around 50 AD. This does not allow us to call the volcano extinct, since volcanoes that have not erupted in the memory of mankind are called such. Volcanologists prefer to call it dormant and believe that the peaks of its activity occurred at periods of 30, 100 and 220 thousand years ago. The structure of volcanic ash, cooled lava and tuff, arranged in layers, is also characteristic.

Mount Elbrus - photo

The slopes of Elbrus, relatively gentle at the bottom, above the mark of 4000 meters acquire a steepness of up to 35 degrees. Climbing is easier to carry out from the east or south, since in the north and western slope there are a lot of steep sections with height differences up to 700 meters.

Climbing route to Elbrus

All the Caucasus is characterized by altitudinal zonality, expressed in the alternation natural areas while ascending from the bottom to the top. On Elbrus, the snow line is located at an altitude of 3500 meters. Alpine meadows end here and above there are only rocks, snow and glaciers. Since the snow does not melt above this line, the mountain constantly has a snow-white cap, which allows us to call it Little Antarctica. This hat is clearly visible in the photo of Mount Elbrus.

Mount Elbrus - photo

The total area of glaciers is 135 square kilometers. Among the largest are Big and Small Azau, as well as Terskop. They serve as the basis of the nutrition of the Caucasus, including the Kuban. Numerous tongues of glaciers descend into the valleys, where they melt, leaving deposits.
The first documented ascent to the eastern, more low top took place in 1829. Kabardian Kilar Khashirov, who served as a guide for the Russian expedition, climbed it on July 22.

The height of Mount Elbrus was a great irritant for climbers, and in 1874 the highest point of the Caucasus was conquered by the team of Florence Grove. A simple hunter Ahiya Sottaev became a true champion in ascents. He was not only the first to visit both peaks, but also made nine ascents, the last at a more than venerable age. At that time, he was 121 years old!

Elbrus is popular tourist area. The volcanic heat produced hot mineral springs. Their temperature reaches 60 degrees. Bathing in the springs is used in the prevention and treatment of many types of diseases.

Alpine hotel "Shelter of Eleven"

These places are popular with lovers skiing. They have numerous slopes equipped with ski lifts. On most of them, the season lasts from October to May, but skiing is possible on peaks above 3800 meters. whole year. Lots of lovers extreme sports. They get to the very tops of the mountains with the help of helicopters and descend on skis or snowboards. Often such extreme athletes become the culprits of avalanches.

Shelter "barrels"

The tourist attraction of Elbrus has increased after the Olympics in Sochi. It was used to attract to the region not only Russians, but also foreign tourists and lovers winter views sports. This was partly successful, and Mount Elbrus for foreigners is now associated not only with the highest point in Russia, but also with high-quality ski slopes.

Thus, the height of Mount Elbrus, which is more than five and a half kilometers, can become not only a part of geographical statistics, but also a starting point for the development of an entire region.

Views from the top of Elbrus

They say that Prometheus was chained to one of the rocks of this particular mountain because he gave fire to people. It was here, according to Homer, that Jason went for the Golden Fleece. And there are also legends that it was Elbrus that turned out to be the first piece of Earth that Noah met after the Flood, and his ship literally hit the top and split it.

The Elbrus stratovolcano is located at some distance from the Greater Caucasus Range (20 km to the north) and is the highest point in Russia. Since there is no clearly defined border between Asia and Europe, many believe that it is the highest mountain peak European continent, the height of which is 5642 meters.

Elbrus formed a little differently than the rest Caucasian mountains, of which it is a part: they appeared earlier, about 5 million years ago, and have a folded character. And the volcano was formed later, about 1 million years ago, as a result of complex and lengthy geological processes: first, the western peak appeared, and then, on the eastern side of the side crater, a second cone began to form. Nowadays, the volcano is not active, but it cannot be called extinct either: manifestations of volcanic activity are still observed here.

What Elbrus looks like

The nature here is diverse: mountain meadows, rare plants and animals coniferous forests, stormy rivers leave no one indifferent, and some time ago a national park"Prielbrusye", and therefore it is impossible to hunt, cut down forests, or engage in construction here.

At the foot of Elbrus there are a huge number of extremely beautiful gorges, and with north side there is the famous tract Dzhyly-Su with mineral thermal springs and beautiful waterfalls from 20 to 40 meters high, among which the Sultan waterfall located in the upper reaches of the Malka River stands out.

On the slope of the mountain, at an altitude of about three hundred meters, there is a huge ice lake Jikaugenköz. In its middle part rises resembling medieval castle Kalitsky Peak, whose height exceeds 3.5 km, where there is a platform with cult sanctuaries, which were created from large stones.

The volcano itself looks like this:

Elbrus has two peaks, each of which is two volcanoes independent of each other, connected by a saddle, the height of which is 5.3 km. The distance between the peaks is about three kilometers;
The eastern, younger cone is somewhat lower than the western one, and its height is 5621 m. It has a clearly defined crater, 200 meters in diameter and about 80 m deep;
The height of the western peak of the almost extinct volcano is 5642 meters, the diameter of the crater is 600 meters, the depth is 300 m, and the upper part of the volcano is partially destroyed;
The slopes of the mountain are mostly gentle, but closer to the top, starting from the mark of 4 thousand km, the angle of inclination increases to 35 degrees;
On the northern and western sides of Elbrus there is a huge number of sheer cliffs about 700 meters high;
Starting from a height of 3.5 km, the volcano is covered with stones and glaciers, in total there are about 70 glaciers on Elbrus, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich exceeds 130 km². The water flowing down from the Elbrus glaciers creates three main streams that feed the main rivers of this region - Baksan, Kuban and Malka;
The surface of the volcano, free from glaciers, is covered with loose rocks;
Snow cover on the top of Elbrus lies throughout the whole year.

On the northern slope of the mountain, at an altitude of about 3 km, there is the Birjal lava tract with a huge amount of remnants of melted sand, which, under the influence of precipitation, weathering, soil erosion, collapsed and created numerous heaps of bizarre shapes that formed grottoes and caves. They hang over each other, forming bridges, arches, consoles and, diverging in different directions, acquire different bizarre shapes.

Volcano activity

It is believed that over the entire period of its existence, the active volcano showed volcanic activity about four times, and the age of the most ancient volcanic rocks of this mountain is about three million years.

The volcano showed the greatest volcanic activity about 225 thousand years ago, then its activity gradually subsided, and the last time it erupted about two thousand years ago (according to scientists, it was about 50 AD). Despite the fact that this eruption was not recorded anywhere, lava flows of this period up to 24 km and 260 km long were found on the mountain. sq. volcanic debris, which indicates that the emissions were quite strong.

Although the volcano does not remind of itself already extremely long time, volcanologists consider it not extinct, but dormant (active), since it demonstrates active external and internal activity - this is primarily manifested in the release of sulfuric acid and chloride gases on the eastern slopes, as well as in the presence of world-famous mineral thermal springs"Hot Narzan", the temperature of which reaches +52 ° C and + 60 ° C (apparently, the magma chamber of the volcano is located at a depth of 6-7 km from the earth's surface).

Many scientists agree that the volcano is unlikely to wake up in the next two or three centuries.

Some scientists believe that Elbrus may well become more active already in this century (though not earlier than in fifty years), arguing their conclusions not only by the manifestation of fumarole activity by the volcano, but also because of the colony of green mosses found on the western peak of the mountain. The soil temperature in this place was +21ºС, while the temperature indicators environment showed minus temperature (-20º C).

Elbrus weather

Not everyone who starts climbing Elbrus will be able to conquer it, especially if he decides to do it in the off-season - in spring or autumn. Closer to the top, even well-trained climbers can be stopped not only by severe cold, but also by terrifying force, knocking down wind, gusts of which reach 100 km / h.

The most stubborn can, despite the bad weather, reach a height of 4 thousand km, but such weather will stop anyone - snow, storm and temperatures of minus thirty degrees, in these conditions it is extremely life-threatening to climb up.

Since warm and humid Mediterranean and Black Sea cyclones meet cold Antarctic cyclones near Elbrus, the climate of Elbrus is extremely changeable: summer heat quickly replaces severe cold, and clouds can cover an entire mountain in a few minutes, hide absolutely all landmarks - and the traveler will have to rely only on his instincts .

Humid air currents coming from the Black Sea cause numerous precipitations on Elbrus, mainly in the form of snow, which on high altitude can fall out both at minus and at positive temperature indicators. Most of the precipitation falls here in summer and winter, which is why the most favorable time for climbing is November, when a constant dense snow cover is established, and winter.

The most dangerous period for climbing the volcano is the spring or autumn months: the weather at this time is bad and unstable, and the temperature on the peaks can drop to -50 degrees Celsius even in May. So, a few years ago, a group of twelve climbers made an attempt to climb the volcano at the end of spring. But due to a sharp deterioration in the weather and loss of visibility, the climbers got lost, and then completely froze to death - only one person could go down.

Elbrus rescue station

To avoid similar situations, on Elbrus, it was decided to create a rescue shelter - work began in 2007 and was completed five years later. The construction was not easy, because it was necessary to deliver materials and fastening systems to a huge height, which was done using a helicopter. The first opening of the shelter took place in 2010, but a month later a hurricane completely destroyed the building.

Taking into account the need for such a structure, it was decided to restore the shelter, but make it smaller and more wind-resistant - and by August 2012, on the saddle of Elbrus (5300 above sea level), the highest one was erected European continent rescue shelter.

Once upon a time Elbrus was active volcano, and is now listed in the group of the largest extinct volcanoes on the planet. The height of Elbrus is 5642 meters

The scientific study of Elbrus by Russian researchers began in the 19th century. In 1913, astronomer Academician V.K. Vishnevsky was the first to accurately determine the location and height of Elbrus. In 1829 Elbrus was visited by the first Russian scientific expedition. It included the famous Russian academician Lenz, the botanist Meyer, the architect of Pyatigorsk Bernardazzi and others. The expedition was accompanied by the head of the Caucasian line, General Emmanuel, with a detachment of 1000 Cossacks. The detachment stopped at the northern foot of Elbrus at an altitude of 2400 meters. The general did not go further, preferring to observe the actions of scientists through a telescope. An inscription was carved on the stones in the camp site: "1829 from July 8 to July 11, the camp was under the command of General Cavalier Emmanuel."

Having started the ascent, the expedition, after spending the night at an altitude of 3000 meters, continued to climb. Part of the expedition reached only a height of 4800 meters. Here, the St. George cross and the number 1829 were carved on the stones. This inscription was discovered in 1949 by a group of Soviet climbers of the Nauka society. Way forward only Lenz, two Cossacks and two Kabardian guides continued. Lenz and Cossack Lysenkov managed to reach the saddle, it was impossible to go further, as the snow had softened greatly. Only one Kabardian, Killar, went higher. He managed to reach the summit, as his body was better adapted to mountain conditions and he went out earlier on hard snow. Emmanuel saw Killar through a spyglass near the eastern summit. The scientists welcomed the guide who returned in the evening as the first climber to Elbrus. To commemorate the work of the expedition and reaching the summit, two cast-iron boards were cast with an inscription describing this event, which were later installed in Pyatigorsk near Diana's grotto and are currently stored in the museum. Pictured is the entrance to Diana's Grotto

According to one version, the name Elbrus comes from Iranian Aitibares - "high Mountain", more likely - Iranian "sparkling, brilliant" (like Elburs in Iran). The Georgian name Yalbuz is from the Turkic yal - "storm" and buz - "ice". The Armenian Alberis is probably a phonetic variant of the Georgian name, but the possibility of a connection with the common Indo-European base, to which the toponym "Alps" goes back, is not ruled out. According to another version, Elbrus is translated from the Karachay-Balkarian language as follows: El is a village, people, state; Bur is twist, gate, is one root with the word Buran; Us it means character, behavior, disposition. Having the habit of creating a snowstorm or a volcano that twisted, turned back the villages, the people. Now Elbrus is an extinct volcano, but local residents Karachay-Balkarians in the people's memory have preserved the times when Elbrus was still an active volcano.

Elbrus height- 5642 meters. Few volcanic mountains the globe surpass Elbrus in height. Only the extinct volcano Aconcagua (6960 m) and the active fire-breathing mountain Lyullyaillaco (6723 m), located in South America, exceed Elbrus by a little more than one kilometer. The Greatest Volcano Africa, Kilimanjaro is almost equal to Elbrus, surpassing it only by 253 meters, the same can be said about largest volcano North America Orisaba (5700 m), surpassing Elbrus by 58 meters. Among the mountains of Asia, Elbrus is the highest volcanic peak, following it, Mount Damavend is inferior to Elbrus in height by 38 meters

Elbrus, like many other volcanoes, is divided into two parts: a pedestal of rocks, and an earthen cone formed as a result of eruptions. The pedestal of Elbrus reaches approximately 3700 meters. This means that the "growth" of Elbrus due to its eruptions is approximately 2000 meters.
The largest cone in height among all volcanoes has Klyuchevskaya Sopka. The bulk cone of this volcano reaches 4572 meters and exceeds the Elbrus cone by almost three kilometers.

The outlines of the two-headed blue or pink - depending on the lighting - Elbrus cone are well known to Stavropol residents. Elbrus is visible from all, even the most northern points of the region, where the horizon is not obstructed by other, closer elevations. Interest in Elbrus among Stavropol residents is also explained by the fact that the waters of its glaciers feed the most big rivers of our region - the beauty of the Kuban and the stormy Terek

Elbrus - classical volcanic mountain. In its vast cone, poured during numerous eruptions, the history of the volcano seems to be recorded; it is successfully read by Soviet geologists in layers of lava, ash and volcanic tuff

Elbrus arose at the end of the Neogene during the rise of the Caucasus Range. The eruptions of Elbrus probably resembled the eruptions of modern Vesuvius, but differed greater strength. From the craters of the volcano at the beginning of the eruption, powerful clouds of vapors and gases, saturated with black ash, rose many kilometers up, covering the entire sky, turning day into night. The earth shook from powerful underground explosions. The air was torn by incessant lightning and fiery streaks from thousands of volcanic bombs flying out of the vent. Streams of ash mud rushed along the slopes of the mountain, sweeping away vegetation and stones in their path. Each eruption ended with the release of red-hot lava, which quickly solidified on the surface. Layers of ash, lava, stones, layering on each other, expanded the slopes of the volcano, increased its height. The volcano possessed colossal power, its ashes are found in the area of Nalchik, on the slopes of Mount Mashuk, 90 kilometers away from Elbrus. Elbrus probably belongs to the ash deposits found in the north of our region near the city of Novoaleksandrovsk. But the epochs of eruptions were replaced by periods of calm, during which rivers and glaciers vigorously destroyed the volcanic cone, which had been piled up until then, almost to the ground. The volcanic rocks were overlain by thick moraines and river deposits. From the moment of the birth of Elbrus to the present, the periods of erosion and revival of the cone have been repeated up to ten times.

The activity of Elbrus continued in the ice age of the Quaternary period, when people already lived in the Caucasus, and stopped about 2500 years ago. During the onset of ice, its slopes were repeatedly covered with a powerful ice shell; during regular eruptions, they were washed away by stormy water flows. Elbrus eruption sites have been repeatedly moved. Both domes, currently crowning Elbrus, are the youngest. In the southwestern part of the mountain, in the form of rocks of Hotu-Tau-Azau, the remains of the most ancient crater have been preserved. Glaciers originate from here, feeding the Baksan River and the tributaries of the Kuban with water. The eastern and western peaks of Elbrus seem to be embedded in the upper part of the ancient crater. The youngest crater, the eastern peak of the mountain, had to finish the work of Elbrus. It is possible that both cones sometimes worked simultaneously

Geographers of the 16th century considered Elbrus an active volcano. In books and on maps, it was depicted as a fire-breathing mountain, the same is described in many folk legends. Rumors sometimes spread among the inhabitants of the mountains and foothills that Elbrus had begun to operate again or that Elbrus was expected to be revived in the near future. These stories are not justified. Elbrus, perhaps, can be called not an extinct, but a fading volcano. It is sometimes the center of small earthquakes propagating within Ciscaucasia. In the depths of the batholith that used to feed Elbrus, magma cools down, it supplies mineral springs carbon dioxide, turning them into narzans, which are very numerous at the foot of Elbrus. In some places on the slopes of Elbrus, sulfurous gases come out of the cracks, which gives other scientists reason to argue that:

"The results of many years of research ... clearly indicate the activity of volcanic processes proper on Elbrus in the Holocene, including historical time. Elbrus is a modern volcano that is in a state of relative rest. The absence of eruptions over the past millennium cannot be a sign of the end of volcanic activity. The roof of the magma chamber is located, apparently, at a depth of 6 - 7 kilometers from the surface. Based on geological data, we come to the conclusion that the Elbrus volcano is on the ascending branch of development. "

The two-headed giant Elbrus keeps inexhaustible riches in its bowels. At its foot go healing springs: the famous "Narzanov Valley" near the source of the Malka River - the brainchild of Elbrus. This is a future resort, not inferior to Kislovodsk in terms of the number of springs and the quality of narzans. Internal warmth, various minerals of Elbrus are waiting for their use.

Elbrus has a harsh climate, which makes it related to the Arctic region. The average temperature of the warmest month is -1.4°. There is a lot of precipitation on Elbrus, two or three times more than on the Stavropol plains, but they fall only in the form of snow. On Elbrusskaya meteorological station at an altitude of 4250 meters, for three years of observation, no rain was ever recorded. Elbrus is sometimes compared to a piece of ice 6 kilometers in size, abandoned far to the south from the Arctic regions. Naturally, warm air masses coming from Atlantic Ocean, meeting this obstacle, rising and cooling, they are forced to give up part of their moisture to the slopes on the approaches to this mountain. As a result, Elbrus changes the weather in vast areas of neighboring regions, which is noted by the sign of local residents: "When Elbrus puts on a cloudy hat on a clear day, there will be bad weather." Most cold month on Elbrus - February. The average air temperature in February is 15° lower than in Stavropol. In the warmest month, in July, average temperature air is approximately equal to December temperatures in the Stavropol Territory, and the highest daily temperature in this month reaches only eight degrees Celsius. August is the most best month for climbing Elbrus, at this time the snow melts, all the cracks in the ice open, even where they are usually not visible.

The glory of Elbrus as the highest and the most beautiful mountain The Caucasus has been going on since time immemorial. Even before our era, Herodotus wrote about him. The peoples of the Caucasus and the Middle East have songs and legends about Elbrus. A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov, many Caucasian poets dedicated inspired lines to him.

Conquered giant
…In the depths of your gorges
The ax will rattle.
And an iron shovel
Into the stone chest
Mining copper and gold
embed terrible way.
The caravans are already passing by
Through those rocks
Where only mists were rushing
Yes, king eagles.

M.Yu. Lermontov.

Because of its symbolic meaning as highest point In Europe, Elbrus became the scene of a fierce confrontation during the Great Patriotic War, in which units of the German mountain division "Edelweiss" participated. During the Battle for the Caucasus on August 21, 1942, after the occupation mountain bases"Krugozor" and "Shelter of Eleven" Hitler's Alpine shooters managed to install Nazi banners on the western peak of Elbrus. By the middle of the winter of 1942-1943, the fascist troops were driven off the slopes of Elbrus, and on February 13 and 17, 1943, Soviet climbers climbed the western and eastern peaks of Elbrus, respectively, where red flags were hoisted.

The entire infrastructure is mainly concentrated on the southern slopes of Elbrus, where there is a pendulum and chairlift leading to a height of 3750 meters to the Bochki shelter, which consists of twelve six-seater insulated residential trailers and a kitchen. Currently, this is the main starting point for those climbing Elbrus. Below is a map of the cable car

At an altitude of 4200 m is the most mountain hotel"Shelter of Eleven", burned down at the end of the 20th century, on the basis of the boiler room of which in given time a new building was rebuilt, also actively used by climbers. Pastukhov rocks are located at an altitude of 4700 m. Above them is an ice field (in winter) and an oblique ledge. Further, the route to the Western peak passes through the saddle. From the saddle, the peaks rise to a height of about 500 m.

More detailed map-scheme of Elbrus and Elbrus (click on the map to enlarge)

In this photo, Elbrus is captured from a bird's eye view

Since 2007, work has been underway to build a rescue shelter (“Station EG 5300”) on the saddle of the mountain (height 5300 m). The shelter will be a hemisphere of a geodesic dome with a diameter of 6.7 m, installed on a gabion foundation. In 2008, a reconnaissance of the area was carried out, base camp, the design of the shelter began. In 2009, the structures of the dome were made, construction work began: gabions were erected by the expedition members, the elements of the dome were transported to the construction site (including using a helicopter). Completion of construction is planned for 2010

On the north side, the infrastructure is poorly developed, and is represented by several huts on one of the moraines (at an altitude of about 3800 m), which are used by tourists and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Usually given point used for climbing the Eastern Peak, the path to which passes through the Lenz rocks (from 4600 to 5200 m), serving as a good guide for all climbers

Giant's Snowcap
And in their circle there is a two-headed colossus.
In a crown of shining ice,
Elbrus is huge, majestic
White in the blue sky.

A.S. Pushkin.

In 2008, Elbrus was recognized as one of the seven wonders of Russia, according to the voting results.

Mount Elbrus is located between the republics of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria. The top of the mountain is double, the western one has a height of 5642m, and the eastern one - 5621m.

Elbrus -. The mountain has two peaks, one of which is slightly higher. Scientists believe that in the history of the mountain there were two significant eruptions, and rocks Elbrus, according to research, is about 2 or 3 million years old. Analysis of volcanic ash showed that the first eruption happened about 45 thousand years ago, and the second - about 40 thousand years ago.

Despite the fact that the mountain is very high, climbing it is relatively easy, it does not require exceptional qualifications, as, for example, for, and quite a lot of people are trying to do this. Up to 4 thousand meters, the slopes of the mountain are moderately gentle, but then a serious ascent begins. The steepness of the slopes can reach 35 degrees! Ascents are made to both the Eastern and Western peaks.

How is the ascent

Usually, the ascent starts from the village of Azau, which is located in the upper part of the Beksan valley. Here, tourists spend about a couple of nights to acclimatize to the height and not suffer from mountain sickness - mountain sickness associated with rarefied air and unusual atmospheric pressure.

On the first day, people usually go to the Pastukhov rocks, and on the second day, the ascent itself is scheduled. They leave the camp at about 2 am. First they go to the Pastukhov rocks, and then they reach the saddle of the mountain, where the routes are divided in the direction of the Eastern and Western peaks. a little rest in the saddle - and tourists go further to climb one of the peaks of Elbrus.

History of Elbrus

stunning beauty mountain scenery, as well as the mountain itself - since ancient times, all this served as the reason that people from all over the world came to the Elbrus region. The history of Elbrus climbers is proud of the names of the most worthy climbers, starting from the 19th century. Among them there are both domestic mountain lovers and foreign ones.

The peak of Elbrus's popularity came in the 60s, when mountaineering was especially popular in the USSR. In the Beksan Gorge, the road was even paved, and several climbing and tourist bases were built in the vicinity of the mountain.

Today this place is also popular as ski resort. People make descents from the slopes of Elbrus and Cheget - this is a mountain located nearby, it also belongs to the Greater Caucasus system.

On the territory of the Elbrus region there is a national natural Park, created to preserve the nature of Kabardino-Balkaria. All conditions are created on the territory of the park so that people can have an organized and comfortable rest.

One of the main attractions of the Elbrus region is Mount Elbrus - highest peak Russia and Europe, located north of the Greater Caucasus Range on the border of two republics: Karachay-Cherkess and Kabardino-Balkaria.

Elbrus is a two-peak extinct volcano. The height of the western peak is 5642 m above sea level, the eastern one is 5621 m. They are separated by a saddle - 5300 m. The peaks are located at a distance of about 3 thousand m from each other. The main composition of the rocks is granites, gneisses, diabases and tuffs volcanic origin.

Elbrus with two crater peaks was formed a million years ago during the creation of the Caucasus Range. Huge streams of ash mud rushed along the slopes of Elbrus, which swept away all stones and vegetation in front of them. Layers of lava, ash, stones, layered on top of each other, thereby expanding the slopes of the volcano and increasing its height.

The scientific study of Mount Elbrus began in the 19th century. Russian researchers. The first to determine the exact location and height of the mountain in 1913 was Academician V. Vishnevsky. In 1829, Mount Elbrus was visited by the first Russian scientific expedition, which included the famous Russian academician E. Lenz, Pyatigorsk architect Bernardazzi, botanist E. Meyer, and others. The expedition was accompanied by General G. Emmanuel, head of the Caucasian line. The first successful ascent to the western peak was made by a group of English climbers in 1874, led by F. Grove, A. Sottaev was its participant.

In 2008, Elbrus was recognized as one of the "7 Wonders of Russia". Today, Elbrus is the largest ski mountain in the world, as well as the most promising place for national and international competitions. Basically, the infrastructure is well developed on the southern slopes of Mount Elbrus, where there is a chairlift and a pendulum cable cars, leading to a parking lot called "Bochka" (at an altitude of 3750 m), which consists of 12 insulated six-seater residential trailers with a kitchen.