Congratulations are in order to my friend Alan Arnette this morning, as he has knocked off yet another of the Seven Summits. In an audio dispatch this morning Alan announced that he had successfully reached the top of Mt. Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe. This is the fourth successful expedition in Alan's 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer's project.
Located in the Western Caucasus Mountains in Russia, Elbrus stands 5642 meters (18,510 ft) in height. It is a popular climbing destination in Eastern Europe, and is considered one of the more moderately challenging climbs in the Seven Summits. That said, Alan reports that it took his team about seven and a half hours to reach the summit, from High Camp, today, although he sounded in great spirits and good health when he phoned in his dispatch.
Alan has now added Elbrus to his list of successful summits, joining Vinson in Antarctica, Aconcagua in South America, and Everest in Asia. Back in July he attempted to climb Denali, the tallest peak in North America, but was eventually forced to give up the climb due to persistently bad weather. Next up, he'll head to Africa in September to climb Kilimanjaro.
The 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer's is a very important and personal project for Alan, who lost his mother to that awful disease a few years back. He is climbing to raise awareness of Alzheimer's as well as money to fund research with the Cure Alzheimer's Fund. A great cause for sure, and a great way to help the process.