2021 MOUNT ELBRUS TRAGEDY: What Happened To Russian Hikers?

Elbrus is the tallest mountain in Europe and Russia. Many people yearn for a challenge and are ready to get away from civilization to conquer the mountain’s highest point –5,642 meters. But only recently, on the 23rd of September 2021, a serious tragedy played out on the slopes of Elbrus...

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[MlaskiMlask]

So 2 guides divided the original group into fast and slow group, and then BOTH guides went with the faster group? Outrageous.

[crazymulgogi]

Having watched a few too many K2, Everest and other mountaineering videos I now suffer from "hypoyoutubia altitudinensis." Symptoms: having the idea that all those adventures take place on a completely different planet, endless fascination and seeing imaginary newspaper headlines such as "Millions of Lives Saved by Not Going on Dangerous Mountain Hike Trips".

[SNOWFLAKEI]

I am from this part of Russia and was following the rescue operation until 2 am on that night. Rescue crew made an absolutely amazing job considering weather conditions. It's a shame they were not alarmed much earlier on the day of the ascent when the group didn't return to the camp on time.
I believe guides lost it completely, and as the result 5 people lost their lives. But what's weird is that the owner of the company was under arrest, not the guides themselves.
PS Mount Elbrus is a magical but very dangerous place

[acul]

Sad story. Inconpetence from the guides. Going to the mountains is not a joke. I come from the alps and you won't believe how many times every weekend the rescue teams have to go save people that underestimate the conditions and their physical abilities.
Great content, by the way.

[banjoist]

It seems that in almost every story of tragic mountain expeditions, the season is "pushed." Either too late in the season or too early. Great video. I really appreciate the real footage and photos. This is the first I've heard of this incident.

[medea]

I wholeheartedly agree with the experienced mountaineer who said that it's one thing for experienced climbers to decide to climb in sketchy weather, but they were paying those guides precisely because they were inexperienced climbers & they _trusted them_ to make safe decisions. It's reprehensible that there were _places of refuge_ that the guides never even tried for.... most peaks don't have snowcat access & fumaroles to bunker down in until rescuers can reach you, so the fact that the guides made no attempt to utilise those back-up options tells me everything I need to know about the 'qualifications' of the guides & the company selling budget climbs. RIP to the victims 🤍

[junkyardflower]

modern cases with footage from snapchat or instagram always hit a little harder, you can view these videos as easily as you could view your own that you took back in september, the chilling difference being that these are the memories of people who aren't here anymore due to unfortunate circumstances. i can only mutter "they were having so much fun" before of course all the shite hit the fan

keep up with the content, its incredible

[blwolz]

Obviously the weather was a factor but the guides were definitely not experienced enough to guide. Such a tragedy people attempt something so dangerous with inadequate guides.

[lesflynn]

Splitting the group and leaving the "slow" group with no so-called professionals is totally unforgiveable. Did all the fatalaties occur in the so called slow group? I'm assuming so.

[pattymullin]

How tragic and avoidable. It is very sad. On a different note, , your videos and narration are absolutely outstanding. If I could only choose a limited number of YT channels to watch, yours would be #1.

[mikepatton]

I'm really glad I happened to find this channel. So many intriguing stories that, as an American, I wouldn't otherwise have heard of.

[samaranix]

Not enough guides is a big problem. That's probably why the slow group was abandoned. If they didn't have enough guides to guide both down they should have gotten people dug in/safe in place and sent a few people for help or just lead the whole group down. They should maybe have all turned back when the first person was affected as that added trouble, lost a guide and they were missing the window for the weather. Letting the members judge going on is pretty reckless too the final decision should be experienced guides. And yah the guides sound under trained too.

[KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking]

23:00 - In Russia, nothing goes down without bribes. I had to pay $300 "security fee" to "ensure" my luggage made it back to the states. My host failed her perfect-score driving test 9 times...until they finally said "stop taking the test and give us $100 already." You don't need experience - all you have to do is _pay._ Once you realize this sobering reality - that everyone, down to pilots, gets their "certificate" this way, the place becomes sad. Now it makes sense, when you see Russian car-crash compilation videos. You don't actually have to know how to drive. You don't actually have to repair your car if you get a ticket.
Buildings don't have fire escapes, sprinklers, extinguishers, or even pull alarms.
It's not that "safety culture" is lacking in Russia - it's that it doesn't exist.
(There are many good, and qualified people out there...you just can't tell who they are by any official documents. You can't trust anything.) There's a lot we take for granted in the West. A lot.

[Stormcrow]

I really like your content mate, I really do. I love your narration and I very much appreciate your efforts on accompanying it with actual footage from the cases you cover. Keep it up, greetings from Greece

[cherylbales]

I totally believe that the guides were at fault. You do not take inexperienced people up a mountain, especially is the weather is reported as getting worse. Bad decisions all the way for profit. I climbed Mt. Whitney (14, 505 ft) twice, once in my 30, then again in my 40's. Always be prepared. It was tough the first time but I had enough gear to endure it.

[crusader.survivor]

I love how you use actual photos of the story and that you state the facts! Thank you!

[davidroberts]

Having climbed all over the world, I find it mind boggling that companies like this one even exist. Incompetence ! I was in Peru on a climb and interrupted my teams climb in order to save a group from Peru filled with inexperienced people and guides. The entire group would have perished without help. It is the Company that is at fault, and perhaps the inexperienced guides as well. Another awesome video!

[coraautumn]

Both the guides were grossly negligent and caused those deaths, heartbreaking so many died unnecessarily

[LuKaZz]

I'm from the Alps so I have quite a bit of experience. It saddens me, whenever I hear about people perishing on the mountains. Many times it's simply, people overestimating their own experience, fitness level and underestimating the mountain, or forest if just hiking. Unexperienced people going with inadequate clothing and gear.

When it comes to those sharks in the climbing industry, from Mount Everest to other locations, for many it's all about the cash. They ignore clear signs of health issues of group members, they take people who don't have the required experience, they might have guides who are not that experienced.

This case was clearly the latter, company cuts corners on safety to save money, accepts people who should be nowhere near such a peak, ignore group members' health, have guides with nowhere enough experience, nor in sufficient numbers.

From the title I thought it was going to be a 411, but it's just greed on one side and overconfidence on the side of the participants. Those who turned back, had a good degree of awareness about their real abilities, condition, situational awareness in bad weather. They lived.

[megami.x]

“She had already conquered Elbrus last year and wanted to try it out in harsher weather conditions“ tf?? WHY would anyone have literally choosing to be in more danger than necessary as a GOAL?