So much to do, so little time!

With Deshun and Jan leaving for Russia on Saturday we're in the midst of all those final checks and double checks that are so important before every climbing expedition.   The last of the climbing gear arrived on Monday - crampons and boots (La Sportiva Nupste high altitude graphite boots) ordered from the ever-helpful Palma of Venture for Africa in Cresta Mall AND the Russian visas were issued yesterday!!!  
All the clothing has been branded in 1st for Women's great new logo launched just last week and the outfits look fabulous!
Jan (documentary maker and cameraman) is itching to try out his brand new Sony HDV A1 camera on Mount Elbrus and will, hopefully, be able to send us some footage from the mountain!   After the problems we had with a standard sat phone on the April trek to Everest we have had to look at other options for this Mount Elbrus expedition.   Weather permitting the Thrane Explorer 500 BGan Inmarsat satellite communications system should allow for fax and internet connectivity as well as voice calls.   It is also able to deliver live streaming and we're really looking forward to testing it's capabilities on expedition and, if every goes according to plan, we'll be including up to date expedition footage on this site over the next couple of weeks.

This is Mount Elbrus which, at 5642m high, is the highest mountain in Europe and the 1st expedition in Deshun's "7 Summits" quest.   It's a relatively easy climb but, nonetheless, each climbing season several people die on the mountain due to the unpredictable weather.   Ferocious storms lash the mountain, often without much warning, and the clouds in this pic indicate that stormy weather can be expected for at least 2 days.
Right now we're in a frantic whirl of foreign exchange, piles of mountaineering gear, packing and pre-expedition excitement but keep checking this site because there'll be an Elbrus adventure blog every day.