Mount Elbrus

Europe's highest peak — a sleeping volcano

Elbrus is the highest mountain in Europe — 5,642 m, 800 m taller than Mont Blanc in the Alps! It's two-headed: it has two summits. Elbrus is actually a volcano — it erupted 2,000 years ago and is still only sleeping; there are hot springs on its slopes. The summit is covered by 22 glaciers. Climbers sleep in the 'Priyut 11' hut and set off for the top at night.

Elbrus (5,642 m west summit, 5,621 m east) is a dormant stratovolcano in the Greater Caucasus and the highest point of Europe and Russia (one of the 'Seven Summits'). Its last eruption was around AD 50; a magma chamber lies beneath it and 60 °C springs bubble on its slopes. 22 glaciers covering 145 km² feed the Baksan and Kuban rivers; the glaciers have shrunk 15% since the 1990s. Kilar Khashirov climbed the east summit in 1829 and a British expedition the west in 1874. Technically easy, but weather and altitude kill 15–30 people a year. In 1942 German mountain troops planted a flag on the summit. For the ancient Greeks it was the mountain where Prometheus was chained. Its cable car reaches 3,847 m — the highest in Europe.

Fun facts

• Elbrus is a volcano — it erupted 2,000 years ago and is still sleeping.
• Elbrus is 800 m taller than Mont Blanc, yet many think the Alps are the highest.
• In Greek myth, Prometheus was chained to this very mountain.