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Questions about our tours.

  Our guides have an excellent experience in ice and rock climbing. All of them climbed summits higher then 7000 m. and have a diploma of instructor.
The short curriculum will include the following:
  - Use of personal and technical equipment
  - Glacier travel and roping procedures
  - Belaying techniques on snow and ice (rope management)
  - Self- arrest
  - Crampon techniques.
  - Application of all principal ice axe positions
  - Rappelling (optional)

Note, that it is not really mountain climbing course, but only few expedients to make you more comfortable and have some fun.

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Guides accompany customers and fix ropes (if necessary), provided by Pilgrim Tours.

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Yes, you can hire a porter on summit day or on any  other days. However there is no necessity to do it. Maximum distance to transport your big gear is about 100 m (300 ft). You must carry only your small backpack (water, sweets, warm sweater etc) on the summit day and on the hiking days.

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Yes, you can buy  food (sweets, canned and dry food, tea, coffee) and drinking water. There are many small shops along the valley. Also you can try a kind of local cuisine in a small private restaurants.

Yes, You can rent crampons, down jacket, ski poles, harness, ice axe, sleeping  bag. You must notify us about it beforehand. Visit our Rental Page for full information. 

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Mountain lodge provides meals in the valley. They are not exactly same as Western ones but anyway you can discuss it in a lodge beforehand (through our guide). That is the advantage of mountain lodge over a hotel. Vegetarian possibilities are limited you must be prepared for endless noodles, potatoes, cheese etc. Notify us beforehand. Guides cook meals for clients in the base camp. Generally they just add boiled water to prefabricated dry food..

One guide for a group during hiking days and one guide for every 3 clients on the summit days.

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Starting point of a Standard tour is Moscow airport right upon your arrival in Russia. Accommodation and transfers in Moscow are included. A tour ends at Moscow airport before you go through customs to fly home. If you order a customized (private) tour you can choose any starting point you want. You can join (or leave) a Standard tour group anywhere and we can help you with that but unused services are nonrefundable.

Any healthy person can go. People from 14 to 80 climbed Elbrus  successfully. No need of special training. However ordinary good shape raises you chance to reach the summit. Long-distance race is the most useful training. Ask your physician about diseases restrictions. Many diseases let people climb but you must be sure before you go.

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No. We can provide courses separately but they are not included in our tour itineraries.

Our mountain guides speaks English enough for communication. If you order an excursion a guide will speak very good English. Our representatives in Moscow and in the Caucasus speaks English fluently.

You need acclimatization even if you are experienced climber. Also it is necessary to have some days for weather disasters.

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Well, it is possible for our guide, of course. The possibility for clients depends of their physical pattern, previous experience and weather conditions.

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You have to book by fax or e-mail. We send application form to you (or you can download it from this site). You fill it in, sign and send it to us by fax. Then we send you invoice. After the deposit is wired on our account we send invitation (to obtain Russian visa) and confirmation of booking a tour.

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Yes, you have to get visas before arrival. After settling all dates, conditions and prepayments, we send the formal invitation (confirmation of reservation) to you by fax (advice us your full names, citizenship, date of birth, passport number and your fax number). To obtain visas, you have to bring it with you to Russian Consulate. Generally it takes 1-3 days to get visa (if you do it yourself, not through visa company).
To get to know more about visa regulations, visa support, obtaining visa -  look at our "Russian Visa" page.

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Look at our Equipment and Clothing list. It will give you a general idea about your possible stuff. Absolutely necessary items marked red. Also you can rent equipment from our company.

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We provide invitation if you buy a kind of a tour from us, at least minimal. Invitation means our responsibility (and we are earnest about this) so we need a contact with you there that's why we do not sell invitation without a tour.

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So, in case you feel visiting Koh Samui, this vacation, just access the internet and book your favourite Samui villas. A large number of websites will give you all the information regarding the Koh Samui villas, together with their pictures. write a college paper

There may be some reasons. Some answers and orders takes time to make them clear or set them right. Visa support processing takes up to 3 days and sometimes we must do this work again because of misprints (we do not print visa support letters ourselves). Sometimes (even often) people write us from different email addresses and then check our messages in a wrong mailbox. Sometimes our managers are out of office and can not act same day. And finally your message may be lost somewhere in bureaucratic jungles.  If you have no answer for some days please resend your message again.

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Generally there are 6-12 people in a regular group. Budget and Standard are not groups but just a service in a regular group. There may be 6 people with a standard tour  service and 4 people with a budget tour service in a regular group.

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Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

Questions or problems regarding this web site and our tours should be directed to incoming
, Pilgrim Tours.
Last modified: 19.05.00