Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering, 38 years old, professional mountaineer. Mountaineering instructor, mountain guide, high-altitude cameraman. Chairman of the coaching council of the Moscow Mountaineering and Climbing Federation. Chairman of the Moscow Ice Climbing Committee. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Ice Climbing Committee. Full member of the Russian Geographical Society. Initiator and leader of several well-known projects, such as: “7 Summits”, “Land Rover on Elbrus”. He has been involved in climbing and organizing expeditions and competitions for 20 years. The last 10 years - professionally. Made more than 150 ascents of varying difficulty. About 50 of them are 5-6 ktr.
Significant ascents of the last 10 years:
1991
- USSR Champion in winter class - Svobodnaya Korea (6A class)
1991
- Silver medalist Armed Forces Championship in high-altitude technical class - Engelsa village, 6510m (6B class)
1992 - 1994
- professional mountain guide at the travel agency "Pilgrim". Led about 10 groups of the company "REI" (USA) on Elbrus (5642m). Led 3 groups from Germany and Austria at Korzhenevskaya village (7105m) and Communism village (7495m). Prepared the first Slovak expedition to the North Pole, horseback riding trips for "REI" in the Caucasus.
1993
- participant of the expedition to Mount Everest (8848m), Nepal, up to an altitude of 8000m.
1994
- Beginning of the "7 Summits" project. Leader of a successful expedition to Mount McKinley (6100m), USA, Alaska.
1995
- Leader of the ascent to Mount Kilimanjaro (5900m), Tanzania, Africa. A new route to Breach Wall has been completed.
- Leader of the winter ascent to Mont Blanc (4810m), Chamonix, France.
- Leader of the first Russian ascent to the “Carstens Pyramid” (4800m), Fr. Papua New Guinea.
- Leader of the ascent of El Capitan, Yosemite, USA, along the route The Nose.
1996
- Leader of the ascent to Aconcagua (6970m), South America, Argentina.
1997
- Leader of the winter ascent to Mt. Ushba (4700m), route 6A k.t.
- Absolute champion Moscow ice climbing (speed, difficulty).
- Participant of the expedition to Lhotse Middle (8411m).
- Leader of the mountaineering part of the successful ascent of Elbrus in a Land Rover.
1998
- Climbing Khan Tengri peak (7010m).
- Moscow champion in ice climbing (speed),
- 3rd place at the Russian Ice Climbing Championship (speed),
- First winter ascent of the mountain. Aksu (5400m), 6A k.t. - Silver medals at the Russian Championship in the winter class.
1999
- Leader of the ascent to Cho Oyu (8201m), China, Tibet - 3rd place at the Russian Championship
- Leader of the ascent to Kyukyurtlya (4600m) along route 6B k.t. - 3rd place at the Russian Championship.
2000
- Leader of a successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2001
- Coach of the Moscow National Team (headed by Lastochkin) - Champions of Russia.
He climbed in the mountains of Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, France, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, USA, Argentina, Indonesia, Tanzania, Nepal, Tibet, Crimea (Ukraine), Guinea, Alaska.
Bidzina Gudzhabidze
Born in 1960, mining engineer-geologist, mountain guide, rescuer, trainer, snow leopard. Married, four children. In the mountains since 1979. He made ascents in the Caucasus, the Pamirs, the Tien Shan, the Alps, the Himalayas, Alaska, etc. He was the captain of the ZAKVO (Transcaucasian Military District) team, coach of the same team, multiple champion and prize-winner of the Allied Armed Forces Championships. He took part in rescue operations in the mountains, worked in areas of natural disasters and ethnic conflicts (Earthquake in Armenia, in Georgia, Ethnic conflicts in Georgia - in the rescue service of the Red Cross). He is the author of several films (cinematographer), which were awarded high awards and prizes in Moscow international festival mountain films. Hobby - photography.
Altitude climbs:
P. K. Marx, 1984
Lenin Peak, 1987
Peak of the Revolution, 1988
Korzhenevskaya Peak, 1990 1991 (twice)
Peak of Communism, 1990 (twice)
Engels Peak, 1991
Khan Tengri, 1993 (three times, race 15 hours), 1997 (twice), 2002 (twice)
Mustag-ata 1994 (twice)
Dhaulagiri, 1995
McKinley, 1996
Manaslu, Himalaya. (Unsuccessful expedition), 1998
Everest, from the south, 1999
Lhotse Ch. 2000
Pobeda Peak, 1997, 2002 (twice)
(16 seven-thousanders, 3 eight-thousanders)
He has made numerous technical ascents of the 5th and 6th categories in different areas of the world.
Pushkarev Vladimir Alexandrovich
Noyabrsk
Email [email protected]
Year of birth: 02/22/1973 Married, two children.
Climbing:
1999 Lenin Peak (head of Dokukin, Tashkent)
2000 Lenin Peak
2001 McKinley (team members Viktor Bobok, Oleg Solovey, Valera Moiseenko, Irina Vyalenkova)
2002 Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Island peak (6189)
Goal Climb Everest (8848) ( common goal seven peaks). Interests and hobbies Video shooting, photography. Participant of the mountain film festival "Vertical" in the amateur category: 1. "7134" (2001) 2. Climbing Denali (2002). Awarded for best direction and musical design. Directed by E. Kuzin.
Moskalev Dmitry
1st sports category in mountaineering, 40 years. A student of the MAI Alpclub. Mountaineering instructor. Made more than 100 ascents of varying difficulty.
Significant ascents in recent years:
1998 - Climbing Mount McKinley (6194m), USA, Alaska, to an altitude of 6000m.
1999 - Climbing Mount McKinley (6194m), USA, Alaska.
2000 - participant in the expedition to Mount Lhotse (8516m), Nepal, up to an altitude of 7200m.
2001 - Climbing Khan Tengri peak (6995m).
2002 - Climbing Shisha-pangma (8013m), China, Tibet
He climbed in the mountains of France, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, USA, Nepal, Tibet, Crimea (Ukraine), Alaska. Job: General Director of "MONT-Distribution" Hobbies: family, guitar, skiing.
Sergey Larin
39 years old, engineer, businessman. Candidate Master of Sports, mountaineering instructor.
Best climbs:
- Lenin Peak, 7135m, Pamir;
- V. McKinley, 6194m, Alaska, 1994;
- Korzhenevskaya peak, 7105m, Pamir, 1996;
- V. Aconcagua, 6960m, from the east, Cordillera, 1996;
- Khan Tengri peak, 6995m, Tien Shan, 1998;
Parachuting: master of sports, instructor; 1000 jumps.
Vasily Elagin
50 years old, engineer, businessman. Honored Master of Sports, mountaineering instructor.
Best climbs:
Large walls:
- Ushba S peak, 4710m, along the NE wall, VI, 5.10, A3, Caucasus;
- Cold Wall peak, 5979m, along the bastions of the left part of the C wall, VI, 5.10, A4, Pamir;
- Sabah peak, 5300m, along the right buttress of Wall VI, 5.10, A4, Pamir;
- Aksu S peak, 5217m, along the SE ridge, VI,5.9,A3, Pamir;
- Korzhenevskaya peak, 7105m along the South wall, VI,5.8,A3, Pamir;
- Peak Communism, 7495m along the South wall, VI,5.9,A2, Pamir;
- Khan Tengri peak, 6995m along the C wall, VI, 5.8 A1, Tien Shan;
- V. Petit Dru, 3733m, VI, Alps, 1996;
Altitude climbs:
- Lenin Peak, 7135m, Pamir;
- V. Kanchenjunga Ch., 8586, first ascent from the south, VI, Sikkim, 1989;
- V. Kanchenjunga, 8586m, traverse of peaks from S to W, first ascent, VI, Sikkim, 1989;
- V. Annapurna Gla., 8091m, (first ascent of the South wall up to 7200m, VI,5.8,A2), Nepal, 1991;
- V. Cho Oyu, 8201m, Tibet, 1999
Yuri Soifer
CMS in mountaineering, 44 years old, MAI alpclub, Moscow
Significant altitude climbs:
· Korzhenevskaya peak, 7105 m
· Lenin Peak, 7134 m
· Peak Communism, 7495 m
· Khan Tengri peak, 6995 m
· McKinley, 6194 m (1999)
· Lhotse, 8516 m (2000, up to 6800 m)
· Shisha-Pangma, 8013 m (2002)
Job: Technical Director at Aerosoft Hobby: Climbing Everest Dream: To make children, parents (and generally everyone I can reach) happy.
Last activity: 02/07/2013, 11:21
Russia, Moscow
Achievement: Master of Sports of the USSR
Age: 52
Additional information:
Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering, 41 years old, professional mountaineer. Mountaineering instructor, mountain guide, high-altitude cameraman. Chairman of the coaching council of the Moscow Mountaineering and Climbing Federation.
Chairman of the Moscow Ice Climbing Committee.
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Ice Climbing Committee.
Full member of the Russian Geographical Society.
Initiator and leader of several well-known projects, such as:
"7 peaks", "Land Rover on Elbrus".
He has been involved in climbing and organizing expeditions and competitions for 28 years. For the last 19 years - professionally.
Made more than 150 ascents of varying difficulty.
About 50 of them are 5-6 ktr.
He climbed in the mountains of Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, France, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, USA, Argentina, Indonesia, Tanzania, Nepal, Tibet, Crimea (Ukraine), Guinea, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand.
Made more than 50 winter and summer ascents of Elbrus as a guide.
Significant ascents over the past 20 years
2010 - Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2009 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Vinson Massif (4897m) and the South Pole.
2008 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Carstens Pyramid (4884m), Indonesia.
Leader of a successful expedition to Vinson Massif (4897m), Antarctica.
2007 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Vinson Massif (4897m), Antarctica.
Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2006 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Vinson Massif (4897m), Antarctica.
Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2005 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Vinson Massif (4897m), Antarctica.
Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2004 - Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
Leader of a new successful expedition to Aconcagua (6967m), Argentina.
Leader of the expedition to Kosciuszko (2228m) and Cook Peak (3800m), Australia and New Zealand.
2003 - Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
Leader of a successful expedition to Ararat (5137m), Türkiye
2001-2002 Rock and ice ascents in Europe and Africa. Filming in the Russian Extreme program. The beginning of the creation of the 7 Summits Club
2001 - Coach of the Moscow National Team - Champions of Russia.
2000 - Leader of a successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
1999 - Leader of the ascent to Cho Oyu (8201m), China, Tibet - 3rd place at the Russian Championship
Leader of the ascent to Kyukyurtlya (4600m) along route 6B k.t. - 3rd place at the Russian Championship.
1998 - Climbing Khan Tengri peak (7010m).
Moscow champion in ice climbing (speed),
3rd place at the Russian Ice Climbing Championship (speed),
First winter ascent of the mountain. Aksu (5400m), 6A k.t. - Silver medals at the Russian Championship in the winter class.
1997 - Leader of the winter ascent to Mt. Ushba (4700m), route 6A k.t.
Absolute champion of Moscow in ice climbing (speed, difficulty).
Member of the expedition to Mount Lhotse Middle (8411m).
Leader of the climbing part of the successful ascent of Elbrus in a Land Rover car.
1996 - Leader of the ascent to Aconcagua (6970m), South America, Argentina.
1995 - Leader of the ascent to Mount Kilimanjaro (5900m), Tanzania, Africa. A new route to Breach Wall has been completed.
Leader of the winter climb to Mont Blanc (4810m), Chamonix, France.
The leader of the first Russian ascent to the “Carstens Pyramid” (4800m), Fr. Papua New Guinea.
Leader of the ascent of El Capitan, Yosemite, USA, along the route The Nose.
1994 - Start of the “7 Summits” project. Leader of a successful expedition to Mount McKinley (6100m), USA, Alaska.
1993 - participant in the expedition to Mount Everest (8848m), Nepal, up to an altitude of 8000m.
1992 - 1994 - professional mountain guide at the travel agency "Pilgrim". Led about 10 groups of the company “REI” (USA) on Elbrus (5642m).
Led 3 groups from Germany and Austria at Korzhenevskaya village (7105m) and Communism village (7495m).
Prepared the first Slovak expedition to the North Pole, horseback treks for “REI” in the Caucasus.
1991 - USSR Champion in the winter class - Svobodnaya Korea (6A k.t.)
Silver medalist of the Armed Forces Championship in the high-altitude technical class - Engelsa village, 6510m (6B class)
Alexander Abramov, climber who conquered Everest 5 times.
Adventure tourism is generally a very complex thing. Here they sell you not services, but an adventure. Because if they say that you have a 4-star hotel and a double room, then at least it will have 4 stars written on it and it will be a double room. And when they tell you “Climbing a mountain while staying in tents”... Yes, there will be tents, but how will they stand - covered with snow or on a rocky ledge... If the ceiling collapses in your hotel room, it will probably be a big scandal. And if your tent is torn apart by a strong wind, it will be a real adventure. And you will sit and sew it up with frozen hands and will not be able to say, “I didn’t pay twenty thousand for this.” On the other hand, tomorrow you will have to get up and walk uphill through the snowstorm, whether you like it or not, because this particular transition on this very day has already been paid for. And tomorrow there will be another one.
I have been participating in the “7 Summits” project for almost 10 years. First, the task was for us, a group of climbers, to climb the highest peak of each continent. Now we go as guides.
I once came up with this formula for myself, although now I’ve begun to doubt it a little: “We go to the mountains so as not to think about the meaning of life.” When you’re getting ready for the mountains, you think: “My, how difficult it is, you need to get ready, so many things haven’t been done yet,” you board the plane, remember some other things... But then you wake up in the morning, look out the window, see the mountains and you think: how good it is that I’m here, and everything that happened before was an ant scamper - I didn’t call someone, I didn’t warn someone, I owe someone some money... Well, it’s okay, it’ll wait. And the mountains are exactly the place where you were supposed to go. Two weeks ago I returned from Antarctica, where I climbed three times with different groups to the Vinson Massif. And only now I have gradually begun to return to normal life.
What I liked about Antarctica is that there is amazing silence there - no sounds, no one around. You are alone, as if in space. Nobody will come to you. Nobody will help. Vast open spaces, pure snow. This unique continent is a world heritage. You understand this and carefully clean up your trash. Because the candy wrapper, abandoned and frozen, will lie here for centuries. There are no germs here and the garbage does not decompose. There is practically no snow in Antarctica - there is no humidity there, moisture does not evaporate. And the snow that is already there is driven by the wind across the continent.
There is also pure ice - blue ice. A huge plane, IL 76, arrives, lands on the ice and cannot stop - it carries for several kilometers, it can turn 360 degrees, the brakes do nothing. Our crew is Russian. And when the plane takes off, it passes over the climbers’ camp at the lowest possible altitude, the pilots turn on the afterburners, and fly over us with a terrible roar - they speak out. And when the plane flies away, we all stand and think: “Yes, if it doesn’t fly back, then everyone who remains here is screwed.” Because we are located in the center of the mainland, the nearest coast is 1000 km away, and everyone has a supply of food for a maximum of a month. In winter it gets cold up to 80 degrees. In the summer, the sun never sets there, but in the morning it’s -20 in the tent. And it’s better not to wake up at all before noon. It's cold all the time. To cope with the cold, you need to eat a very heavy lunch every two hours. It’s such a dog’s life when they kick you out of the house and don’t even let you into the entrance to warm up. People who go there know about it. And they pay 25 thousand dollars for two weeks in Antarctica.
Yes, it costs clients a lot. But at the same time, guides work almost for free. What is it - commerce or charity? It seems to me that only oil can be sold commercially. And when you organize trips, you spend so much effort and time on it that if you were engaged, for example, in trading, you would earn much more during this time. But I do this from the heart, because I like it, it’s a way of life, it’s interesting. True, when you travel as a tourist, this is one thing, but when you work... You work everywhere - in Russia, in America, in Africa, in Antarctica... You take Russians, foreigners. And you begin to understand that it doesn’t matter where you are at the moment. Let's say I fly to Punta Arenas, go to an Internet cafe and continue communicating with my clients who are preparing for Everest. And I realized with horror that I no longer cared which country I lived in.Just a few years ago I was a patriot, and when they asked me why I didn’t go to another country, I answered: “Who needs me there? There are plenty of their own people there, but here is my homeland, here everything is mine. And the rest of the world is foreign to me.” And now I am beginning to understand that any country is both foreign and native, that the whole world is structured the same - everywhere people are trying to survive, earn money, have fun, try to do good to someone or deceive someone... Borders are gradually erased mentality. No, I will not become one of the Americans or Argentines. I will be a stranger everywhere. And in Russia too.
Prepared by Natalya Zyryanova
We meet Alexander Abramov, who we know only from two telephone conversations, in his “7 Summits” office, like old acquaintances (he is such a sociable person, although all climbers are like that!), so we immediately switch to being on a first-name basis. Sasha, the biggest Everest specialist in Russia, has been to the top six times, and has no intention of stopping.
The conversation started about this highest mountain in the world.
- No one else in Russia has climbed Everest...
Been to the top six times. Zhenya Vinogradsky talks about five and a half times. Half is to climb 8,000 (meters - editor's note). I have 14 expeditions to Everest and in each I reached 8,000.
- How did it all begin?
The first time I was taken to Everest was in 1993. There were qualifying camps, January 3 - climbing Elbrus. In winter, Elbrus is a very serious test. In addition, the weather was bad: snow was falling, a strong wind knocked us off our feet. I lay down on the slope, waved my arms and legs - to restore blood circulation. Of the 19 people, five rose. Me included.
- Why didn’t you manage to climb Everest?
Although I had high-altitude experience (Korzhenevskaya Peak, Lenin Peak), it was not sufficient, because seven-thousanders differ from Everest, like ... a Mercedes from a “ten”. We can say that the seven-thousander is a distance of 10 km, and Everest is a marathon, 42 km.
- So what was the mistake?
I was very strong - that was my mistake. I ran throughout the expedition, proving to everyone that I was the strongest, and by the end I really didn’t have enough health. There, by the way, I met Nikolai Cherny, a participant in the Everest-82 expedition. They told us: “You are young! All hope is on you! We are old people, no strength, no health... Grab your things, run upstairs, set up camp! The whole country is proud of you!” And we young people ran up and down like idiots. It ended sadly. I was lying in the base camp with a temperature of 38, and the “old men” were groaning in the tents that we had set up... Then more than half of the expedition climbed in, but I failed. I was very surprised. It’s like... he came, and - time! - I got it in the face! I don’t understand... I thought that this was the end of my high-altitude career - they wouldn’t hire me again.
But two years later, Viktor Kozlov makes a film about Lhotse and takes me on as the main consultant. And this mountain and Everest are neighbors, this is one route that is already familiar to me. I realized that this was a chance to climb Everest. I wanted to take off at the right moment, without any “perm” (permission – editor’s note). I filmed the heroes going to Lhotse, and I myself was carrying twice as much, so I had to secretly lift five oxygen cylinders and other equipment. But bad weather began, no one’s tent flew away, only mine dissolved. I dug all the slopes at 7300. I lost oxygen, one video camera... Maybe that saved me. The Everest idea failed. And the expedition ascended to Lhotse, but the leader, Volodya Bashkirov, died. This season he went to Everest as a guide, rested for two weeks in Kathmandu, but lost acclimatization. He returned to base camp, but bad weather had just begun, and he was unable to recover. He was the last to reach the top, and died on the descent.
- Heart?
The heart is the last thing to fail. Edema of the lungs and brain begins, and tissues gain moisture. The heart removes this moisture, but cannot cope. There is also kidney failure, the liver and spleen may fail. Man is a very complex mechanism. Where it's thin, that's where it breaks. If a person has weak vision, it can fail. Altitude can trigger asthma, epilepsy, ulcers...
- But Bashkirov is an experienced man...
This year was his fifth eight-thousander Lhotse! The body couldn't stand it. Then Volodya... I never saw him without a bottle of beer! Although high-altitude climbers are a specific type of climber, many will not miss an excuse to drink. There are a lot of smokers - they smoke in packs! But there are gods on the mountain! The explanation is quite reasonable. Their body has a constant oxygen deficiency and is trained to cope with it. They may even be people who are oxygen deprived! Just as a fish swims in water, so a mountain climber climbs the mountains. I notice for myself that I feel better in the mountains than below. Maybe it has something to do with the training. But I’m sure that height tolerance is more genetic.
- Third expedition...
After Lhotse, I realized that things wouldn’t work like that - I had to make my own expedition. And in 2000 I succeeded, I had already started the “7 Summits” project and was quite well known as an organizer. I was so confident in myself, but to my great surprise, only one participant climbed Everest, and by accident. We got into bad weather.
- How lucky was that dude?
He was sick throughout the expedition. While we were setting up camp, he was lying down and being treated. And when all the teams went and returned with nothing, he: “I’ll try!” I climbed to the upper camp and, as I said: “At two o’clock in the morning I felt the wind die down, and I went...” At half past two I was at the top, on the descent, however, everything was covered in clouds, but I got there.
- How far did you rise from the assault camp?
We didn’t even get to this camp! Besides, I had a toothache. Indeed, where it’s thin, that’s where it breaks.
- Expedition No. 4...
After the third I think: to hell with this Everest! And in 2002, Sergei Semenovich Zon-Zam, the head of the AlpIndustry company, invited me to become his director. And I proposed to create the project “AlpIndustry Adventure Team”. The first program was made based on my previous trips: Kilimanjaro and so on. And in 2003, we managed to find climbers who paid for an expedition to Everest. The composition is the strongest: out of 12 people there are nine MCs. I thought I’d definitely climb this time! But we had three Sherpas, one got sick, the second didn’t report... In general, we have to go up, but half the camps are gone. There are only five oxygen cylinders upstairs, but 25 are needed. But I took it all on myself, I take the first one strong team, trudged upstairs. We get caught in bad weather and... we go down. How a curse hangs over me! But again two participants climbed (although three climbed - one was blinded and frozen). That is, by mountaineering standards, the expedition was very successful, the flag is at the top!
In 2004, I again organized an expedition. The situation is strange. Clients: “Have you been to Everest yourself?” "No". Although there have already been four attempts. And now it’s clear that I simply have to climb. And it worked! And then I started making expeditions to Everest every year, it became my profession.
- But the second time you rose only in 2007...
In 2005, on the way to the Tibetan border, Maoists mistakenly threw a grenade into our car. And I have shrapnel in both legs. They take him to the hospital by helicopter. A week later he returned to the team. I even climbed to 8300, but there was insufficient acclimatization - I was asked to leave the oxygen and go down.
In 2006, I didn’t climb because one participant died - there was no time for climbing. The man went to the top, came down, spent the night at 7500, in the morning he was woken up, he could not stand on his feet, they put him on his feet with medication. He walked 10 meters, fell and died. Stayed there. On Everest, those who die below 7,000 can be lowered, but those above cannot. And then, starting in 2007, I climbed to the top on all expeditions.
At the top, the roof can be completely demolished from lack of oxygen. Have you ever had such conditions? And how to deal with this?
There's no way to fight! In 2004 I climbed to the top, I’m going down, there’s still half a tank left. Life is wonderful, the altitude is 8,300. But I hear: “No one has oxygen? The man feels bad." "I have! Here's the balloon! I give it, walk for about five minutes and... sit down. And continuous torment begins: you walk one rope 50 meters and sit down. Power is turned off. Then my consciousness began to float. It seems to me that there are three of us going: me, the director and “the one who puts pressure on the glasses.”
The mask is pressing, but it seems that it is him. “You promised not to push!” “I try, but it doesn’t work!” Then I see it as if in reality: we descend to 7900, climb into the tent. Me: “Should we eat?” They: “No! Let's sleep! I'm thirsty. And I still had a problem - the lid of the thermos froze (the frost was minus 30), I couldn’t open it and left the thermos on top.
And without water, you can die because the blood is too thick. The heart cannot drive jelly! The hallucinations continue. I climb into the bag, it’s cold. “Let’s zip up the sleeping bag!” They: “No need!” In the morning we wake up.
Me: “I should have some tea!” "No! Let's go down!" This is how I talk to these fairy-tale characters. My friend Dima Moskalev also talked to his legs. At 7900 he woke up and talked as if it were two people. Discusses what shoes to wear.
- The last one. How much does it cost to climb Everest now?
$55,000 per person. It used to be much cheaper because they saved on Sherpas and oxygen. In 2003 there were three Sherpas for twelve people, now there are twelve. Previously there were three oxygen cylinders per person, now there are six. In general, all these cheap expeditions ended badly. Only lucky people climbed to the top. Now it’s much more comfortable (bathhouse, TV, Internet) and with a huge guarantee of getting up and staying alive.
- Previously, climbers went to Everest, now: pay and go?
Those who have no experience will not climb Everest with me! If they really want it, I’ll give them a dozen addresses of companies that will take them. But we are preparing people for Everest - there is a program of six to ten ascents with our guides.
Everest tested his strength for a long time, conquering only on the fifth attempt. He never stops at what he has achieved, and has dozens of other conquered peaks behind him. He is the only one, he is Alexander Abramov.
Of his 53 years, Alexander Abramov has been professional mountaineering for 36 years. By his own admission, he spent a total of more than 10 years of his life directly in the mountains. Catching him on the plain, and especially in Moscow, is a huge success. We recorded this interview over several days, when Alexander had free minutes between training sessions for the next group, which he was preparing to climb Everest.
PERFECT: Alexander, the list of your sporting achievements is truly impressive: multiple medalist of the championships of the USSR, Russia, Moscow and even Ukraine, master of sports, multiple conqueror of Everest... But your relationship with the highest point on the planet was, to put it mildly, not easy. Do you remember how hard he tried to submit to you?
A.A.:
Everest and I really had our eye on each other for quite some time. In 1991, I became the champion of the USSR and received the title of master of sports. In 1992 I was first invited to Russian team, who was preparing to climb Everest. They don’t think about such proposals for a long time, because Everest is the peak of any climber’s career. The selection was tough: out of 19 candidates, only 5 people ended up making it to the team. However, that year I never climbed Everest, mainly due to insufficiently deep acquaintance with the specifics of the Himalayas.
My next expedition to the Himalayas was already in 1997, and in it I acted as a cameraman. I was 100% convinced that after 5 years, when I had become fairly mature and gained experience, Chomolungma would definitely submit to me, but I was frankly unlucky with the weather, and besides, a tragic incident occurred with the leader of the expedition.
I made my next attempt to conquer Everest in 1999, organizing an expedition in which I myself acted as a guide. Our goal then was not Chomolungma, but the sixth highest mountain peak in the world - Cho Oyu (8188 meters above sea level). We went very successfully (the whole team came), and this gave us strength and confidence that we will definitely conquer Everest next year.
In 2000, we quickly found sponsorship money, organized an expedition, but made a mistake with the weather, and we also had absolutely useless Sherpas. As a result, out of three attempts to climb, only one was successful, when one of the members of our expedition finally conquered Everest, but again it was not me.
The next attempt to climb took place in 2003, when I led the first commercial expedition in our country, which went to Everest with my own money. To say that it was hard is to say nothing. We had to save on almost everything except safety. We set up all the intermediate camps ourselves, carried things ourselves (again, no luck with the Sherpas). That year, 3 out of 12 people reached the summit, and again I was not among them.
And in 2004, Everest finally decided to give up. On the fifth try. Over the next 13 years, I climbed the highest peak of the world 7 more times and conquered the highest mountain peaks of all continents, including Antarctica - as they say in our circles, I entered the club of conquerors of the seven peaks.
PERFECT: To be honest, it’s just a fantastic story for an engineer by training who has been destined to solder boards all his life.
A.A.:
Yes, according to my diploma, I am no less than an engineer-electrophysicist, I graduated from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, but I worked in my specialty for 2 years and 2 months, after which I went to the mountains with a scandal and never returned.
PERFECT: If we leave professional athletes out of the equation, who is most drawn to the mountains?
A.A.:
As a rule, these are men who have already achieved a certain position in society, aged 40 or so.
The issue of financial support for their family has long been resolved. Almost everyone has a stable business. The children are almost grown up. An apartment has been purchased, a dacha has been built, traveling abroad is not a problem. The problem is to find a point on the map where you have not been before. So what should such a person do?
Build another one country house, buy a fifth car, have another child? All this, of course, is not bad, but it has already happened. And at some point the thought comes that it’s worth trying something completely new. This is why successful and respectable people suddenly begin to get carried away parachuting, participate in a rally and go to the mountains.
PERFECT: If we talk about climbing Everest not as a sporting achievement, but what about a commercial service, how much could such an extreme experience cost?
A.A.:
The price range is very wide. You can find an offer for 15 thousand dollars, and for 50, and for 100. The only difference is that the first product is addressed professional athletes who are ready to pay for a minimum set of services, doing most of the work themselves, the second - for experienced climbers, who are nevertheless willing to pay extra for comfort, and the third - is addressed to climbers with 2-3 years of experience, who, however, wanted to safely conquer highest point planets.
PERFECT: Probably the most inconvenient question of all is that in the mountains, by and large, it’s every man for himself. The slopes of Everest, the further you go, the more they resemble a cemetery. Why do climbers often pass by people who are dying or in difficult situations? Is it an inability to help or an unwillingness to expose oneself to additional risk?
A.A.:
I will speak exclusively for myself. Let's simulate the situation. I am leading a group of 10 people to the top, each of whom has been preparing for this ascent for 3 years. We are perfectly equipped, we have oxygen, trusted Sherpas, and suddenly on the route we meet a poor fellow, with practically nothing, who decided to conquer Everest alone, relatively speaking, in slippers, and is now resting on a rock, realizing that he has no There was no strength or opportunity left to either reach the top or go down. I understand the situation he is in, but can I tell the people I am leading that, guys, now we are all carrying this poor fellow down together, because he had neither the mind nor the money to properly prepare for the ascent, Shall we get up ourselves sometime later? Of course not. The only thing I can do and will definitely do is try to help a climber in a difficult situation on the way back.
PERFECT: Who does Everest love more, men or women? And how do you feel about the fact that women, just like men, risk their lives and conquer eight-thousanders?
A.A.:
It’s better to ask Lyudmila Korobeshko, who during her mountaineering life has conquered more than 70 of the world’s highest peaks, including Everest. Grief, by and large, does not care who climbs it. Main: strong man or weak, resilient or not, stress-resistant or prone to panic attacks. From my own experience I can say that sometimes women are stronger than men. Not girls, but women. It would seem that it’s incredibly difficult, the men are already full, they’re out of breath, they’re walking with all their strength, but she’s still holding on just fine. I ask how it is, it’s hard... And she answers: “It was hard to give birth, but now it’s bearable”...
