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The Mount Elbrus ski area is located on Europe's highest mountain
and was traditionally the preferred ski retreat of the Soviet elite.
It was also a high altitude training area for Russian athletes and
astronauts, but is now a popular domestic destination for the
Russian nouveau riche and international skiers, climbers and
snowboarders looking for new areas to explore. It is particularly
suited to snowboarders and ski-mountaineers. The region is not so
well accessible as the Alps and offers many off-piste skiing
opportunities.
This area is one of the largest holiday destinations in southern
Russia and a popular resort for families in search of spectacular
mountain scenery and excellent year-round skiing in the winter. The
ski lifts are mostly situated in the region around the Baksan
Valley, at the head of which is Mount Elbrus. Low cost heliskiing
has made this area a natural drawn for off-piste enthusiasts and
snowboarders.
Cable cars
Vertical Drop: 2,000m/6,560' (lift served)
Top Elevation: 3,800m/12,500' (lift served)
Lifts: 3
Marked Runs: 35 km (22 miles)
Snowcat Skiing: Yes, offering 4,000m + vertical drop
On Mount Elbrus the lifts are cheap ($2 per lift) and a ski cat tow
to 4700 metres in winter and 5100 metres in summer is offered as an
alternative when fixed lifts are not operational. This opens up
impressive off-piste options for the skier and snowboarder. They are
generally less populated than in the more common Alpine resorts,
with an average of 500 skiers on the slopes daily.
The fixed lifts in the region serve some 35 km (22 miles) of marked
and groomed trails, with the majority being on Mount Elbrus and on
Mount Cheget. The Elbrus cable car is a full 2500m in length and
ascends from the "Azau" village to "Stary Krugozor" over an initial
650m. and then to the "Mir" station (another 500m rise). The final
section of chair lifts rise to the top "Gara Bashi" station, a
further 250 m altitude rise. The length of the ski run from Gara
Bashi is 2km back down to Azau.
The Cheget cable car base station is located in the village of
Cheget and rises steeply for 1500m to two separate stations. Slopes
here offer steeper vertical drops and impressive off-piste skiing
with widely spaced birch forests at the base. The length of the ski
run back down to Cheget is 1.5 km. Many people find the queues
shorter on Cheget with more terrain and shorter lines to ski.
HELISKIING ELBRUS
LOCAL ACCOMMODATION
There are many hotels in the villages of Terskol and Cheget
which serve the tourist market, as well as two mountain huts on Mt
Elbrus. There's also a small market of local Caucasian traders in
the villages. The three star Hotel Cheget has a medical and massage
service, lifts, restaurants, bars, cafes and a cinema, as well as a
skating rink in the winter, sport areas, a sauna, TV lounge, a pool
table a ski-store and a rental shop on site. The hotel has an
underground car park and rooms have a shower, toilet, radio and
fridge. There is also an internet café.
A number of the smaller chalets offer more cosy accommodation with
double rooms ranging in price and quality, with restaurant
downstairs. Rooms have showers, toilets, fridges and are well
appointed, more in the style of an Alpine chalet. The food is
generally always excellent and very reasonably priced. A breakfast
can cost around 200 roubles and a full dinner around 450 roubles.
Comments
on skiing in the area
"I was amazed by the view and snow conditions. We have boarded
the slopes for 2 weeks starting June 23 and the snow was
perfect!…The lifts didn't stop even once, and towing to 5100m was
available for extra 2$. Everything is very cheap. So is the service.
But all together it was a wonderful experience".
"Elbrus is the wildest place to ski and the best place in the
mountains to drink!!!"
"That's the most magnificent mountain I've ever skied. The best in
the world"
Description of Area and Facts of the Mountain ElbruS
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