Having climbed Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro, the next affordable peak in the Seven Summits is Elbrus. At 5,642m it ranks a lowly fifth in the list but should not be underestimated.

After an overnight flight from Heathrow to Moscow and a second flight to Piatigorsk, we arrived at the InTourist Hotel feeling rather jaded. The city is very pleasant with lots of open spaces and friendly. My introduction to Russia and Russians was a pleasant one. Being a weekend, it was not possible to change Euros at a bank, but there was an ATM at the hotel which allowed 5,000 Roubles to be withdrawn each day. At the time of writing (August 2019) that was worth around sixty pounds. So, tip 1: don't bother with Dollars or Euros, just take a Debit Card. The weather was superb, blue skies and hot enough for Shorts and T-Shirts. We lunched at a local restaurant which was pleasant, the staff doing their best to accommodate us. Our guide, Alex helped with translations. The afternoon was spent doing a kit inspection with our Team Leader Stuart who went through his kit and confirmed we had everything. Repeated promises of 'it's in the bedroom' echoed with almost every item of kit by someone, mostly me as I'd only bought the specialist kit (axe, crampons, boots etc) and left most of my clothing and standard stuff in the room. Out again in the evening for a huge banquet left us so stuffed we wondered how we would walk back to the hotel!

The following morning after breakfast we loaded up the kit van which then set off for Base Camp. Tip 2: You won't see any of that kit until you arrive at Base Camp, so anything you need for the walk in stays with you. The trip from Piatigorsk takes around 4 hours on ever deteriorating roads. Our driver kindly stopped at a small supermarket on the way for us to buy food and drink for the journey.

As we headed into the foothills of Elbrus we saw ever closing views of the mountain becoming more and more impressive as we got closer. A photo stop was called where we took turns posing for photos.

Eventually we arrived at a bridge which signified the start of the walk in. The road continues for some way and in fact the kit van drove all the way to Base Camp, but walking from here would introduce us to the altitude more gradually which is no bad thing. We were already at 2,000m, with Base Camp at 2,560m it promised to be a good first day. Still warm enough for Shorts and T-Shirts, the walk in took around 2 1/4 hours through pleasant countryside and at one point, a huge campsite full of Russians, presumably on a get-away-from-it-all holiday. There were some stiff climbs, short-lived, but leg testing all the same, but mostly easy going walking.

Base Camp was big, divided into many sections. Our section had a few bunk style huts and a central social and dining area. It is very basic - there are showers but not all the time. Toilets are 'long drop' style with no lighting. Food was very good with good choices and there was a bar, selling soft drinks, Lager and Vodka for the stout hearted.

The following day we took an acclimatisation walk up to Stone Mushrooms, a 10km round trip with a maximum altitude of 3,200m. Once there we ate our snacks, played on the mushrooms and stared up at Elbrus, 2,000m above. Following the maxim of climbing high and sleeping low we returned to Base Camp and enjoyed some serious relaxing before the move up to Top Camp the next day.

The trek to Top Camp is 7km and gains another 500m taking around four hours to complete. Top Camp is a different world. Several small clusters of tents and huts are spread out around the rocky moraine. Ours seemed to be the furthest away and took some careful climbing around the large and small boulders littering the area, tiring legs and testing concentration until we finally arrived at our small village. Accomodation is in huts where each person has a small 'pod' with a central area. Big enough to store gear and still lie out in comfort, it was pleasant and quite warm. Meals at Top Camp were very repetitive with porridge the standard breakfast, plus cheese and salami. Lunch was mostly soup followed by flavoured rice and the evening meal generally a rice or pasta based meal. I did find my appetite not being what it is at home, but for me, loss of appetite at altitude is perfectly normal.

In total, we had six nights at Top Camp, the first day climbing onto the Glacier and up to Lenz Rocks at 4,600m where we did some Ice Axe practise, and another day over to the West Ridge at just over 4,000m. The good weather we had enjoyed on the walk in had abandoned us and we had three aborted Summit attempts, none of which got us even onto the Glacier! Eventually, we ran out of time and had to descend. Everyone was very disappointed to be leaving without a single serious attempt on the summit, but the Russian Guides and our Team Leader had our safety as their primary concern. We had experienced Elbrus' weather on the West Ridge walk where we got caught in a Thunderstorm with Lightning a real threat - some reporting their hair standing on end! Descent was rapid with frequent stops to lie low to avoid potential strikes - a nerve wracking time!

Back at Base Camp, we had our party anyway, with plenty of wine, beer and stronger drinks flowing freely. There were some ragged looking climbers on the walk out to the pick up point the following morning. Our pick up was at the tented campsite so quite a short walk out. Back in Piatigorsk we dined out at a restaurant called 'Tesla' which was awesome. The following day we all travelled back to the airport, some flying directly home, others extending their holiday with a Moscow stopover and others off on another leg of a world tour.

The trip had been extremely well organised, everything was where it had to be, when it had to be there. No-one can control the weather and we all had to accept that the summit was not to be. On the other hand, no one got injured or suffered from any altitude related issues although I personally did suffer from peripheral edema which manifests itself in facial swelling. It is common for me, having suffered it several times before I am used to it. The Top Camp Doctor suggested I take Diamox but I am one of those people who avoids taking any medication unless absolutely necessary, which it wasn't, so I didn't. Returning to low altitude cured the problem quickly and my stunning good looks soon returned.

Many people have asked me if I will go back for another attempt. My answer has been the same each time; maybe, but it has now gone to the bottom of the bucket list - there are too many other places I want to visit.

Farewell Russia for now.