Elbrus conditions
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What is the air temperature on Elbrus depending on altitude?
On a hot summer day, when the sun scorches the fields and steppes of the Stavropol Krai, and the slopes of the mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria are covered with mist, the snow-white crown of the Caucasus invariably reigns in the sky - the double-headed dome of Mount Elbrus. Snow cover does not leave these sky-high heights even in the hottest months of summer.
Looking at the snow shining in the distance, many people wonder how cold is it at these heights? For an ordinary person, this question is quite rhetorical, with a slight tinge of romanticism - after all, for normal people everything goes according their daily plan - in the summer they suffer from the heat, and in the winter they shudder from the cold.
But for those who are attracted by mountain peaks, for those who plan to expand their horizons up to the snows of Mount Elbrus, this question has the greatest practical importance.
In order to choose the right set of clothes and shoes, draw up a tactical plan, and assess the seriousness of the climb, you need to study carefully all the peculiarities of the temperature regime at the altitudes and understand within what limits the weather and air temperature can change.
The climate in the mountains is significantly different from the climate on the plain - it is influenced by factors that are unusual for us, such as altitude above sea level, high solar activity, proximity of glaciers, etc. In the Caucasus Mountains at the altitudes of more than 3,500 m, a zone of eternal ice begins - grass does not grow at this altitude, and powerful glaciers are practically not subject to seasonal changes in air temperature.
If we talk about the European summer season - June - September, then for climbing Mount Elbrus you should focus on the following temperature conditions:
a night temperature of 0˚С degrees (“zero isotherm”) under normal weather conditions corresponds to an altitude of approximately 3500 – 3800 meters.
Daytime air temperatures at the same altitude can rise up to +20˚С.
When calculating the further temperature regime along the ascent route, you should keep in mind the conditional rule - every 100 meters of altitude, the air temperature drops down by 0.5-0.8˚С. Accordingly, at the altitude of the Pastukhov rocks (4800 m), the night temperature can be in the range of -6 -8˚С, and at the summit - approximately -10˚С.
But this is only in theory. In practice, the air temperature can vary within very wide limits while climbing Mount Elbrus - depending on the general weather conditions. In bad weather, in the conditions of a cyclone and low atmospheric pressure, the air temperature at all altitudes increases significantly.
But this warming does not provide an advantage for climbing, since rising temperature is usually accompanied by strong winds and snowfalls. And vice versa - the most favorable conditions for ascent of Mount Elbrus are low air temperature and high atmospheric pressure (anticyclone). These conditions correspond to periods of stable clear weather, lack of precipitation and wind.
The graph below shows the data on the decrease in the air temperature as you gain altitude while climbing Mount Elbrus. For the calculation, the average temperature decrease for every 100 m was used - -0.6°C.
In addition, the actual air temperature in the mountains does not always correspond to how it feels at our usual altitudes. Unfortunately, accidents on the alpine climbing routes are not uncommon as, at a relatively safe and comfortable air temperature, climbers suffer or die from hypothermia.
This is due, first of all, to the fact that our subjective feeling of cold depends not only on the air temperature. But, to a greater extent, it depends on the accompanying objective and subjective factors - wind strength, humidity, physical fatigue and even the emotional state. Under unfavorable circumstances, you may find yourself in a situation when even a conventionally comfortable air temperature of +10 will be low enough to create a danger to life.
Russia Alpinist Federation statistics on mortality in the mountains and the number of novice climbers among those frozen in the mountains indicate that the cold factor and the likelihood of dying from hypothermia are underestimated especially by the beginners.
There was a case when, during rescue operations in Crimea, the author of this text observed signs of serious hypothermia in the victims of the climbing accident, while the air temperature did not drop below +12. High humidity, moderate wind and general physical exhaustion of the group of climbers who suffered an accident almost led to tragedy. By the time when our rescue team arrived, some members of the injured group were so frozen that they could no longer move independently.
When drawing up a tactical plan for the Mount Elbrus ascent, one should take into account the factor of the dependence of the subjective sensation of air temperature on the combination of the actual temperature and the wind strength. This dependence gives a rough idea of how our sensation of cold can change.
However, in reality there are additional factors that can greatly influence our feelings. This relationship is called the Chill Factor - it is a graph that allows you to get a general idea of how dangerous combinations of low temperatures and strong winds can be. For example, with an air temperature of -1˚C and a wind speed of 27 km/h (light wind), the Chill Factor is -12˚C, which would approximately correspond to our feeling of temperature on exposed skin. And at a temperature of -20˚С and a wind of 27 km/h, the subjective feeling of cold can correspond to a temperature of -38˚С which definitely requires special clothes and survival skills.
Practical recommendations for climbers, taking into account the information presented above, will be that when preparing for an ascent, one should take the issue of selecting gear and equipment as responsibly as possible. General tips on choosing clothes and shoes are outlined in the corresponding article in this section.
Here it is necessary to add that when climbing Mount Elbrus, you should not only be warmly dressed, but should be prepared for temperature changes within a very wide range, both below and above the zero.
Finally, just one practical example. Experienced climbers always take a light down jacket with them in reserve, even if the air temperature is comfortable enough for climbing in a light set of clothes. However, the alpine experience suggests that even with a slight increase of wind, if there is a slowdown in the pace of whole group, the need to take breaks and wait for those lagging behind, serious insulation of a set of clothes may be required.
The author of the texts and photographs Alex Trubachev
Your professional mountain guide for Mount Elbrus and other mountain climbing routes in Caucasus
MCS EDIT 2024