Just a donkey ride?

In the California of my youth it was popular to have the donkey ride guy at your Birthday party. He would back four or five animals out of his trailer and they would immediately start following each other's tail. There were no harnesses or saddles or big metal turnstile. They just fell into place and started pacing out a big dusty circle, all the while silently bearing the indignity with sad Pat Paulson faces.

From the earlier description of Elbrus, with as many as one hundred climbers moving up the mountain on busy summer days, I'm already getting a picture that's mindful of those donkeys. Sure, it is the high summit for Europe, but is it such a big deal? It seems like lots of people climb it and lots probably make it to the top. So where is the adventure, the danger, the challenge?

First of all, Mt Elbrus is tall. Compared to the better known European summits The Eiger (13,025ft), The Matterhorn (14,692ft), or Mont Blanc (15,771), Elbrus (18,481ft) is singularly monumental. That altitude means thin air, cold temperatures, and nasty weather. I'll talk about each of those in this blog. The sum total of these and other considerations is illustrated in this 2005 account;

On May 9, nine people died and two more disappeared on their way down from the peak of Elbrus. Sixty rescuers, including volunteers, took part in the search, and so far, some 389 journalists have written about it. Approximately 30 people die every year in the mountains of Russia; of them, ten or so die on Elbrus. This time Elbrus has gathered its annual norm in one serving. […]