Old-timers will probably still remember what the Elbrus-1 pendulum cableway looked like in 1969. It, as before, originates at an altitude of 2350 meters - from the Azau station, and ends at the mark of 3000 meters - the Krugozor station is located here. Today this area is not recognizable.
Not far from the old cableway (pendulum type) with two cabins (each capacity is 20 people), a new gondola operates, equipped with 58 removable cabs (each cab has a capacity of 8 people).
Active Holidays in Elbrus Region
The North Caucasus attracts modern extremals no less than their much more active predecessors who lived in the 20th century. In those days, the mountains were not intended for romantic walks, but served as a kind of "scale" for measuring willpower and endurance.
Elbrus cable cars have made this area much more attractive for lovers of mountain air and selfie lovers. Especially popular is Shelter of the Eleven, the highest mountain hotel located in the southeastern part of Elbrus, at an altitude of 4130 meters above sea level. The height of the peaks of Elbrus (this mountain is an extinct volcano) - 5621 and 5642 meters.
Today, a trip to Elbrus can be made less extreme and more colorful. With the advent of the “route” of multi-tier cable cars, inaccessible peaks became accessible even to unprepared travelers. It all depends on the intentions and plans of climbers, skiers and vacationers.
On the "cable car" - to Elbrus!
The cable cars of Elbrus originate from the glade of Azau, located at an altitude of 2350 meters above sea level. From here, from the glade of Azau, all the hiking routes leading to the top begin.
Glade of Azau is not a deserted corner of nature dusted with snow, but rather a modern tourist center equipped in accordance with the latest progressive developments: here, in addition to rental points for necessary equipment and sports equipment, there are many pharmacies, shops, hotels and cafes.
Even beginners can tame snowboarding or skiing. The main desire! Thanks to instructing experienced mentors, a person who has never before been involved in winter sports can learn how to overcome the descent from the Krugozor station in just one day. This is the name of the first alpine point, for the ascent to which the first cableway in these places was built. Elbrus (photo below) is not yet visible from here. But if you transfer to the car that goes to the next station - Mir, the travelers will finally have a view of Elbrus.
Hotel above the clouds
The highest point of the second stage (from the Krugozor station to the Mir station), launched in 1976, reaches 3,470 meters. The traffic pattern in this section is similar to the previous one: next to the old, pendulum cableway, a new gondola operates. After the completion of the construction of the Great Elbrus Cable Car, the hotel above the clouds (as they informally call the Shelter of Eleven) finally became accessible to tourists of different levels of training, as well as to those who first came to be so high in the mountains.
Two legends are connected with the official name of the hotel - “Shelter of the Eleven”. According to one of them, eleven climbers were once frozen here, who were captured by a snowstorm. According to the second legend, the name was given to the hotel by a local resident when he stayed for the night with his wards - students of a rural school.
The second stage of the "cable car" lay over the icy peaks and melting snow of Mount Elbrus. Did the builders, high-altitude builders, who erected the second stage, suspected that after several decades the cable cars of Elbrus would lift a person even higher?
Final stop - “Gara-Bashi”
Since December 27 of last year, at the services of tourists, climbers and just vacationers who came to see Elbrus, there is a cable car with a height of 3847 meters. Gara-Bashi station and (so far) this cable car is the highest in Europe. Previously, the cable car with a lift to the Aiguille du Midi, the western peak of Mont Blanc, was considered the highest mountain.
The new cableway, according to experts, compares favorably with the French one, as it is suitable for servicing all categories of skiers. The capacity of the cableway Mir-Gara-Bashi is 750 people per hour. More than a billion rubles were allocated for its construction and arrangement. In the foreseeable future, the organizers of the ski resort areas of the Elbrus region plan to simultaneously accept up to 12 thousand fans of winter sports.
Shelter "Barrels"
Of course, the Elbrus cable cars are not designed to take travelers to the very end of the trip. Before climbing to the top, tourists acclimatize, having settled for one day in one of nine six-seater vans, surprisingly similar to barrels. Accustomed to the local climate, travelers will leave the Barrel shelter and rise to the top of the “two-headed dragon”.