Heading for Kazbek, or an unparalleled mountaineering expedition nears its end

A mountaineering expedition involving the ascent of eight peaks in Europe and Asia is drawing to a close.
As Day.Az reports, to logically complete the planned route, the Azerbaijani mountaineers have only Kazbek (5033) left to climb, which will bring the expedition to a spectacular finish. All the more so since the expedition, dedicated to the 85th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev, has no parallel not only in the history of Azerbaijani mountaineering but in international mountaineering as well.

A few days ago, the expedition, led by the head of the Republican Mountaineering Club Saridan Mursagulov, climbed Elbrus. Despite difficult weather conditions, the climbers managed to reach the summit, and the ascent once again proved the simple mountaineering truth that there are no easy peaks. Even before departure, Mursagulov kept stressing that every mountain has its own degree of difficulty, but Elbrus and Kazbek would stand apart on the expedition, as above three thousand meters they are covered in continuous ice. "Elbrus is considered one of the most capricious peaks, and climbing it depends on the weather. However, there are no easy peaks to climb; every mountain has its own difficulty coefficient," S.Mursagulov emphasized. During the ascent, local climbers and guides also joined the Azerbaijani mountaineers.

Notably, the expedition began with the ascent of Heydar Zirvesi (3763), after which the mountaineers conquered six more peaks – Sabalan (4811) in Iran, Agri Dag (5165), Greece's Olympus (2917), Mont Blanc (4807), the Tatras (2665) in Slovakia, and Elbrus (5642), and now Kazbek (5033) is next. The total route of the expedition is 11.647 kilometers and passes through Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Ukraine, Russia and Georgia. So over fifty-four days the team is carrying out a rather difficult mission in which physical endurance comes to the fore.

Speaking about the project, S.Mursagulov noted that the number of peaks was by no means chosen at random. "As is well known, one of the symbols of Azerbaijan is the eight-pointed star, hence the number of peaks we plan to conquer. At the moment various preparatory work is underway, and the composition of the team going on the expedition is being determined. During the expedition, mountaineers from other countries joined us, so it will receive international status. A bas-relief of Heydar Aliyev will be installed on each of the peaks," S.Mursagulov noted.

He also stressed that the choice of peaks was not random either, given that Sabalan, Agri Dag and Kazbek are located in countries neighboring Azerbaijan. Mont Blanc is considered one of the highest peaks in Europe, while the Tatras are the highest mountain range in the central part of the continent. And the ascent of Olympus had special significance, since the Olympic Games are being held in Beijing this year.

Day.Az