Russia: Don’t give in to the stereotypes

I was fortunate enough to take a trip of a lifetime last summer when I traveled to Russia and trekked Mount Elbrus, one of the Seven Summits. For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Seven Summits are the tallest peaks on every continent with Elbrus being the highest peak in Europe. The best part about my experience was that I did it on a whim. A last minute decision, fully supported by my wife I might add, by a man with zero prior mountaineering experience. I was a rookie by every stretch of the meaning.

I prepped myself for the culture shock, bracing myself for rejection and uneasiness in light of the West’s recent sanctions against Russia as a result of the Crimea annexation. Looking back, its unfortunate how I let the media shape my opinion of an entire country. What I found was a wonderful country, rich with tradition and…regular people. Yep, regular people, just like you and me. Full of life and laughter. Some rich, some poor. Tall, short. You get the point.

In our Elbrus climbing group we had a 50-year old ex-Russian special forces member on our team. He was like any veteran, with tall tales of combat and a strong belief in his duty to serve his country. He was an incredibly gentle man and I respected his grit and determination as we fought our way through inclement weather to reach Europe’s peak. Successfully summiting Mount Elbrus was by far the hardest physical and emotional challenge of my life. It took every ounce of my strength, will and determination to make it up that mountain and I am proud to have spent those moments of my life in Russia.

If you get the chance, please don’t let others opinions deter you from enjoying this historical country. Sure, Russia has its problems and is a little rough around the edges but keep in mind they are still an emerging economy, struggling to find their way post-communism. There is still a significant divide between rich and poor, but like most emerging markets have a growing middle class. They are a proud country. An artistic country. A beautiful country. Please enjoy some of my pictures of my trip.

Our view from the bus on the way to base camp. It was just a beautiful ride.

One of many picturesque waterfalls we walked past.

This is base camp. Waking up to that view...I could do that everyday for the rest of my life.

Notice how the peaks are covered in 'clouds'. This was a constant on our trip. Rain, heavy winds, snow...that mountain was constantly overclouded which made climbing very dangerous and difficult.

Notice the slight hint of a path up the mountain? That was soon to be our path up the mountain. It was about a 7 hour trek from the bottom of that path to where the clouds started.

One of my favourite pictures

This gives you an idea of the slope and incline of the mountain. Not an easy task!!

My absolute favourite picture of the trip. Unfortunately, i cannot take credit for this picture. It was one of our team members. A dutch guy named Sebastian. This shot is a beauty.

I hope you enjoyed some of the pictures. Are you planning on taking a trip to Russia? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments below!

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