How to prepare for climbing Elbrus

Every season we climb Elbrus with people who had never been to the mountains that spring. Most of them reach the summit. The difference between those standing at 5,642 and those turning around at the Pastukhov Rocks is almost always the same — the 2–3 months of preparation before the trip.

What kind of shape you actually need

Summit day is 8–12 hours of continuous work: leaving around 2 a.m., gaining more than 1,000 vertical metres, then a long descent. All of it at an altitude where there is a third less oxygen than at sea level.

You don't need gym records here. You need endurance — the ability to work monotonously for many hours at a slow pace. You don't have to be a marathon runner: if you can comfortably run 5–7 km or walk 15–20 km in a day, the base is already there.

A 12-week training plan

The scheme we give our participants. It is designed for someone starting "from the couch"; if you already train, start from month two.

Weeks 1–4: base

• 3 cardio sessions a week, 40–60 minutes: running at a conversational pace, cycling, swimming or brisk uphill walking.
• 1 long walk at the weekend — 10 km or more, ideally on rough terrain.
• 2 short strength blocks for legs and back: squats, lunges, planks.

Weeks 5–8: volume

• Cardio extends to 60–90 minutes; make one session intervals (stair climbing, for example).
• The long walk grows to 15–20 km — add a 5–7 kg backpack.
• If you can, do a two-day hike with an overnight stop.

Weeks 9–12: specificity

• The key workout — walking uphill or up stairs with an 8–10 kg pack, 1.5–2 hours.
• Cut the load 10–14 days before departure: you want to arrive at the mountain rested, not wrecked by training.

Acclimatization is half the battle

Even perfect fitness does not cancel altitude: the body needs time to adapt. That is why our 11-day program follows the "climb high — sleep low" principle: Terskol Peak (3,100), Cheget (3,500), Priut 11 (4,100), the Pastukhov Rocks (4,700) — and only then the summit push.

Cutting this schedule short is the surest way not to make it. "Elbrus in 5 days" programs only work for people who have recently been to altitude.

Altitude sickness: what is normal and what is not

A mild headache in the evening, reduced appetite, shallow sleep at 3,500–4,000 — a normal first-days reaction that passes. Growing pain that a tablet doesn't relieve, vomiting, loss of coordination — a reason to tell your guide immediately: you don't climb higher with that, you descend.

Guides monitor the group daily, carrying a pulse oximeter, a blood-pressure monitor and medication. Hiding symptoms "so they don't take me off the mountain" is the worst thing you can do. Honesty with your guide is what safety is.

Typical beginner mistakes

• Arriving unprepared and hoping willpower will do it. Willpower runs out at 5,200.
• Alcohol during acclimatization — even "a hundred grams to sleep" measurably worsens adaptation.
• Going too fast in the first hour of the summit push. Walk slowly enough to hold a conversation.
• Saving money on glasses and sunscreen: snow blindness and a burnt face are the most common "souvenirs".
• New boots that were never broken in before the trip.

What next

If you would rather not prepare alone — we run an online training program with a coach and a doctor: a blood-test check-up, an individual plan and weekly control; 50% of the fee is credited towards one of our expeditions.

Pack your gear using our list, choose your route — south or north — and come climb. Dates and prices are on the program pages: Elbrus from the South and Elbrus from the North.