Posted: Sep 08, 2005 10:34 am EST
Mingma Gelu Sherpa (25 years old and 4 time Everest summiter) became the first Sherpa climber to summit Elbrus, the highest peak on the European continent at (5642 m), on July 19th, according to Alexander Abramov.

Mingma was ‘Sirdar’, and part of the summit team of Seven Summits Club on Everest in spring of 2005. After the expedition he paid a visit to his former climbing-mates at the Caucasus mountain. Then leader Alexander Abramov became Mingma’s host and guide on Elbrus slopes.

Among friends

Gelu Sherpa climbed with Alex Abramov and Ludmila, along with Alexander Fedorovsky. At their arrival on the summit, other climbers happily stood in line on the summit to take his summit picture with the Nepali visitor. Everest-team member Nikolay Cherny made a long trip to greet Mingma at the mountain refuge on Elbrus’ route. All managed to create a warm, friendly atmosphere, despite the strong wind and -15ºC during the climb.

First to summit, but not to try

Mingma, according to Abramov, is the first Sherpa to summit Elbrus, but not the first to try. 42 years ago Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (the first Everest summiteer along with Hillary) attempted Elbrus in March, 1963, during a visit to the then USSR. Bad weather prevented Tenzing from reaching the summit, and his visit was too short for a second bid.

This time, Mingma stayed an entire month in the Caucasus range, plenty of time to ensure his goal. Moreover, once he summited the first time, the Sherpa planned to climb again, this time aiming to break a speed record on that peak. However, there’s been no further news on the additional ascent from the Nepali sherpa.

Leaving too fast to speed climb

Mingma will be missing a great chance to test his speed-climbing skills and compare them to other climbers from different countries: next September 15th the Elbrus Speed Race will take place, with contestants from around the world.

Next spring 2006 Alexander Abramov, Nikolay Cherny and Mingma Gelu are leading a new expedition to Everest. This spring (2005) a large number of climbers from 7Summits-Club team (co-organized by Alex Abramov and Harry Kikstra) summited Everest through the north side, including Mingma and Cherny. The expedition provided news on an almost daily basis: From the sad death of one team member, to the Maoist bomb attack suffered by Alex and one of his guides, Harry Kikstra’s close call on descent from the summit, and a great deal of information on other teams and BC events.

Elbrus belongs to the Caucasus (or Kavkaz meaning 'more than mountains'), mountain range. This mighty range links the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, and creates the natural boundary between Russia and the southern states of Azerbaydzhan, Georgia, and Armenia. Mt. Elbrus, the pinnacle of this 700-mile stretch, has long been a distinguished climbing center for the European and Russian climbing communities. Elbrus can easily be seen from most of the high passes in the area and is a traditional climb for those looking to ascend above 18,500ft.

Ancient people of the region called the mountain Strobilus and believed it to be the location where Prometheus was chained. Also called Elborus, the origin of the name is unknown (source of background information: AAI)

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