We had another beautiful day in the Cheget valley here at the base of Mt Elbrus. We are staying in a lodge at the base of the ski lifts here, and imagining how great the skiing must be around here in the winter time. For now, the series of chairlifts and trams give us great access to the mountains around the valley for hiking and acclimating.
Yesterday we rode two chairlifts up the Cheget ski area to about 9,800 ft, and then hiked up the ridge to 11,300 ft. The views of the valley, the Caucuses, and Mt. Elbrus were beautiful. The weather has been great, with clear blue skies for most of the day and a few afternoon clouds and showers.
This morning we got a jeep ride up a rough road up about 800 ft above the valley on the opposite side from the ski lifts, and then hiked up a beautiful ridge to an old abandoned hut at the base of a glacier on Mt Elbrus. It was a longer hike today, and we all enjoyed the exercise. We went up to about 12,200 ft today, and tomorrow we'll ride up the tram right in front of our hotel and hike up to 14,500 ft for one more acclimatization day before moving up to the huts at just over 12,000 ft.
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