Climbing mountains is one thing, but racing up them is something completely different. The Elbrus Race is for some seriously hardcore climbers. If you’ve never heard of it before, you should google it, but here are some of the highlights. 

The race to climb Elbrus goes back to soviet training program. It was used in preparation for expeditions in the Himalayas as far back as 1982. Winning the race was a prestigious thing. 

Then in 2005, the old soviet race was brought back as an international race. Mountaineers from around the world now gather yearly to see who is the fastest mountaineer in the world. Last year 35 climbers competed. 

This year’s International Elbrus Race is going to be held September 20-23. There will be  three categories of climbers: tourism, classic, and extreme. Climbers have to be 18 years old and either have lots of climbing experience, or be admitted by the judges. 

Wow! What a bigger-than-life goal this race must be for the competitors. I’ve been up Elbrus and I can tell you it’s not walk in the park. You can get frost bite, you have to face howling winds, and we even had to deal with white out conditions. I was completely exhausted when we finally reached the summit, and that was at a normal pace. 

Take a look at the video below to see the race route. It’s amazing.

Racing up Elbrus certainly isn’t a goal of mine, but maybe it strikes your fancy. I’d just like to watch. Too bad it’s not going to be on television.