So ... I finally booked the tour with Pilgrim after lots of good advice from you SP'ers, so first of all thanks for that.

Anyone that's in the Caucasus at that time or even on the mountain or maybe even touring with Pilgrim; it would be great to hear from you. Also any advice for a complete amateur on conditions, gear, bribery, weather, training, or anything else relevant or just chat is welcome.

I am intending to do the whole thing in 8 days MinVody - MinVody, with a couple of days in Moscow after that, since I'm a bit restricted with work. Plus I have spent much longer on similar climbs and ending up with long days doing very little once the required daily altitude has been reached, and the rest of the day and night can get boring in all that isolation. I may have some altitude problems in such a short time, but I reckon I can manage that, maybe with meds as a last resort.

My biggest concern is obtaining a visa as a UK national living in Germany, though I have found the consulate and some vague, unofficial looking advice online, but have failed to get any response at all from (lots of) telephone calls and email. So once I get all my docs together I am just going to turn up in the morning and join the queue and hope for the best.

Anyway, busy with preparation, looking forward to the challenge and hoping for luck and weather on summit day.

MD

Only one way of getting it in Belgium: queue. I went there four times before I managed to get in... .

hmmm, I suspect I may have the same problem here in Munich.

would it be useful to get there really early to be at the front of the queue? also do they issue it on the spot or do you have to go back to collect it (and queue again)?

BTW Wouter I replied to your PM some time ago.

MICHAELDAVIES007 wrote:hmmm, I suspect I may have the same problem here in Munich.

would it be useful to get there really early to be at the front of the queue? also do they issue it on the spot or do you have to go back to collect it (and queue again)?

BTW Wouter I replied to your PM some time ago.

I can't tell you how it works in Munich. In Belgium you have to go and queue twice. First time is the most annoying, as over here they only work two days a week and even then only a couple of hours. Getting there early IS the key. Once I was in the line at 10 and I was the first guy standing in the line when they closed the gate in front of me at 12. The second time is easier. Just show up and start waving the paper you got the first time up in the air as soon as someone shows up to let a new group in. Usually, they pick you out quite fast and let you in.

I'm sorry about not replying to your pm. I must have read it some time ago and probably decided to reply when I had more time. Which, these days, doesn't happen that often. I'll try to reply to it tonight.

hey wouter, thanks for the PM, I will get back to you on that once I've got some progress on the visa.

a further question if I may? ... it's proving difficult to determine how much and how to pay the visa fee. were you able to pay at the consulate or were you sent to the bank with a payment order and then have to return to join the queue again?

thanks matey

MICHAELDAVIES007 wrote:hey wouter, thanks for the PM, I will get back to you on that once I've got some progress on the visa.

a further question if I may? ... it's proving difficult to determine how much and how to pay the visa fee. were you able to pay at the consulate or were you sent to the bank with a payment order and then have to return to join the queue again?

thanks matey

They had one of these:

where I went, so I could easily pay it there. They did however not accept cash, I think... . Can't tell you what your fee will be, but mine wasn't too expensive. Otherwise I would remember.

thats useful thanks ... I'm going to turn up early on Friday armed with all I think I need, then I'll let you know how I got on.

If your insurance is good (!), you have the Pilgrim invitation and you get there early enough, you should be fine... . Good luck.

hmmm ... did you buy some stuff specifically? i have comprehensive worldwide health insurance through my employment which i was hoping would be sufficient.

Last year I had to. I had a decent health insurance, but as they didn't have an authorized partnership with a Russian insurance company, it wasn't sufficient. Check the consulate/embassy website for this, it should give you a list of which insurance companies are allowed (it does so for our consulate, so I'm guessing it'll be the same for yours).

This year I also have health insurance through my employer, which I dubbelchecked with the consulate' website. Also, I asked our HR department if they'd sent our employees to Russia with this insurance before. They had. So I'm guessing mine is fine for this year. Dubbelcheck(!) though, I found out the hard way... .

sooo ... collected visa today, really pleased that worked out since it was the one potential show-stopper but i can now focus on planning the trip.

thx again wouter for all the advice, being able to chat to someone who has already been through all this has been immeasurably helpful, you definitely help make this site what it is.

and of course i wish you the best of luck for August...

BTW are you intending to spend anytime in Moscow on your trip, or did you the last time? i only ask because you may have an idea of where to stay, would you recommend any particular district in the city?

MICHAELDAVIES007 wrote:sooo ... collected visa today, really pleased that worked out since it was the one potential show-stopper but i can now focus on planning the trip.

Glad to hear the visa worked out! It can be a bit of a hassle... .

MICHAELDAVIES007 wrote:thx again wouter for all the advice, being able to chat to someone who has already been through all this has been immeasurably helpful, you definitely help make this site what it is.

Thanks

MICHAELDAVIES007 wrote:BTW are you intending to spend anytime in Moscow on your trip, or did you the last time? i only ask because you may have an idea of where to stay, would you recommend any particular district in the city?

Last year we did spend some time in Moscow, but we're not planning to do that again this year. Our focus this year lies completely on making the summit.

Last year we spent four or five days in Moscow. We spent the night at two hostels, the best one being the Godzilla Hostel. We didn't book ahead and payed about € 20 a night for a 10 Bed Dorm Room. The website now says it's $ 16 a night for a 10 Bed Dorm Room though. Most people we ever were in there were with, were four people, so that was ok. It's quiet, clean and the people at the reception speak fluent English (the guy running it actually was from Texas).

From the hostel we walked everywhere (but I like walking). I can't remember all of it just now, but I remember liking the Red Square (at night1 and 2!), the War museum (I liked that one a lot, too bad they don't have any explanation in English, but still very impressive) and a cathedralof some sorts with huge catacombs underneath, but I can't remember the name... . Also, along the river, there's some nice art to be seen by painters who try to sell their work. Kind of reminded me of Paris... .

The metro system is huge and awesome. It does take about a day to figure it out though (not a single sign in English and very little people speaking English). But overall Moscow is a pretty nice place. Felt safe too, especially for such a big city. On the down side, it is pretty expensive.

Hope that helps.

a couple of questions on gear if anyone can help?

* will plastic boots be essential for this expedition?
* down to what temperature rating should my sleeping bag be (-20 C)?

I used plastics, I think its probably best to do so, you can rent them through Pilgrim for a reasonable price. I also climbed in july and it was very cold but had no problems with my feet.

Concerning sleeping bag, are you sleeping in the barrels? The barrels were never really cold when we slept there (don't remember if they were heated?) so I doubt you really a need a serious sleeping bag..

If the highest you'll be sleeping are the barrels, then I'd think -20°C is enough. I slept above the barrels last year in July with a sleeping bag rated to -15°C (long story). I was cold most nights, but in the end it worked out.

I would NOT go up without double plastics. If you are 100 % sure you can dry them every single night in the barrels, I Might consider it. But as a general recommendation, I wouldn't. They are expensive, but you can usually rent them at a "decent price".