Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano and the highest peak in the Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. During ancient times, Mount Elbrus was known as Strobilus and it was believed to be the location where Zeus had Prometheus chained to a rock. Its western summit reaches a height of 5,642 m (18,510 ft), while the eastern summit stands at 5,595 m (18,356 ft). The summit offers breathtaking views of the Caucasus Mountains and the impressive tributary valley systems.
Elbrus falls on the European side of the great tectonic rift running through the Caucasus that separates Europe from Asia. The Elbrus region, known as the pearl of the north Caucasus, has already been chosen as the reserve location for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The Caucasus always inspired poets like Pushkin (he was exiled here in 1820, where he wrote his famous poems Prisoner of the Caucasus and The Fountain of Bakhchisarai), Mikhail Lermontov (whose early romantic poetry was stirred by the beauty of the mountains, before he too died young from a bullet in a duel) as well as Tolstoy’s novels The Cossacks and Hadji Murad.
Mount Elbrus is not technically difficult to climb; it is good premier ascent for aspiring climbers who wish to test their skills at increasing altitude, that is why it attracts many visitors every year.
Thanks, the photographs are stunning. It is an area I would like to visit. Wonder what the local tourist infra structure is like?