Last activity: 02/07/2013, 11:21
Russia Moscow
Achievement: Master of Sports of the USSR
Age: 52
Additional Information:
Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering, 41 years old, professional mountaineer. Mountaineering instructor, mountain guide, high-altitude cameraman. Chairman of the coaching council of the Moscow Mountaineering and Climbing Federation.
Chairman of the Moscow Ice Climbing Committee.
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Ice Climbing Committee.
Full member of the Russian Geographical Society.
Initiator and leader of several well-known projects, such as:
"7 peaks", "Land Rover on Elbrus".
He has been involved in climbing and organizing expeditions and competitions for 28 years. For the last 19 years - professionally.
Made more than 150 ascents of varying difficulty.
About 50 of them are 5-6 ktr.
He climbed in the mountains of Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, France, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, USA, Argentina, Indonesia, Tanzania, Nepal, Tibet, Crimea (Ukraine), Guinea, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand.
Made more than 50 winter and summer ascents of Elbrus as a guide.
Significant ascents over the past 20 years
2010 - Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2009 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Vinson Massif (4897m) and to South Pole.
2008 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Carstens Pyramid (4884m), Indonesia.
Leader of a successful expedition to Vinson Massif (4897m), Antarctica.
2007 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Vinson Massif (4897m), Antarctica.
Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2006 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Vinson Massif (4897m), Antarctica.
Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2005 - Leader of a successful expedition to the Vinson Massif (4897m), Antarctica.
Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
2004 - Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
Leader of a new successful expedition to Aconcagua (6967m), Argentina.
Leader of the expedition to Kosciuszko (2228m) and Cook Peak (3800m), Australia and New Zealand.
2003 - Leader of a new successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
Leader of a successful expedition to Ararat (5137m), Türkiye
2001-2002 Rock and ice ascents in Europe and Africa. Filming in the Russian Extreme program. The beginning of the creation of the 7 Summits Club
2001 - Coach of the Moscow National Team - Champions of Russia.
2000 - Leader of a successful expedition to Everest (8848m), China, Tibet.
1999 - Leader of the ascent to Cho Oyu (8201m), China, Tibet - 3rd place at the Russian Championship
Leader of the ascent to Kyukyurtlya (4600m) along route 6B k.t. - 3rd place at the Russian Championship.
1998 - Climbing Khan Tengri peak (7010m).
Moscow champion in ice climbing (speed),
3rd place at the Russian Ice Climbing Championship (speed),
First winter ascent of the mountain. Aksu (5400m), 6A k.t. - Silver medals at the Russian Championship in the winter class.
1997 - Leader of the winter ascent to Mt. Ushba (4700m), route 6A, class.
Absolute champion of Moscow in ice climbing (speed, difficulty).
Member of the expedition to Mount Lhotse Middle (8411m).
Leader of the climbing part of the successful ascent of Elbrus in a Land Rover car.
1996 - Leader of the ascent to Aconcagua (6970m), South America, Argentina.
1995 - Leader of the ascent to Mount Kilimanjaro (5900m), Tanzania, Africa. It was passed new route on Breach Wall.
Leader of the winter climb to Mont Blanc (4810m), Chamonix, France.
The leader of the first Russian ascent to the “Carstens Pyramid” (4800m), Fr. Papua New Guinea.
Leader of the ascent of El Capitan, Yosemite, USA, along the route The Nose.
1994 - Start of the “7 Summits” project. Leader of a successful expedition to Mount McKinley (6100m), USA, Alaska.
1993 - participant in the expedition to Mount Everest (8848m), Nepal, up to an altitude of 8000m.
1992 - 1994 - professional mountain guide at the travel agency "Pilgrim". Led about 10 groups of the company “REI” (USA) on Elbrus (5642m).
Led 3 groups from Germany and Austria at Korzhenevskaya village (7105m) and Communism village (7495m).
Prepared the first Slovak expedition to the North Pole, horseback treks for “REI” in the Caucasus.
1991 - USSR Champion in the winter class - Svobodnaya Korea (6A k.t.)
Silver medalist of the Armed Forces Championship in the high-altitude technical class - Engelsa village, 6510m (6B class)
Everest tested his strength for a long time, conquering only on the fifth attempt. He never stops at what he has achieved, and has dozens of other conquered peaks behind him. He is the only one, he is Alexander Abramov.
Of his 53 years, Alexander Abramov has been professional mountaineering for 36 years. By his own admission, he spent a total of more than 10 years of his life directly in the mountains. Catching him on the plain, and especially in Moscow, is a huge success. We recorded this interview over several days, when Alexander had free minutes between training sessions for the next group, which he was preparing to climb Everest.
PERFECT: Alexander, the list of your sporting achievements is truly impressive: multiple medalist of the championships of the USSR, Russia, Moscow and even Ukraine, master of sports, multiple conqueror of Everest... But your relationship with the highest point on the planet was, to put it mildly, not easy. Do you remember how hard he tried to submit to you?
A.A.:
Everest and I really had our eye on each other for quite some time. In 1991, I became the champion of the USSR and received the title of master of sports. In 1992, I was first invited to join the Russian team that was preparing to climb Everest. They don’t think about such proposals for a long time, because Everest is the peak of any climber’s career. The selection was tough: out of 19 candidates, only 5 people ended up making it to the team. However, that year I never climbed Everest, mainly due to insufficiently deep acquaintance with the specifics of the Himalayas.
My next expedition to the Himalayas was already in 1997, and in it I acted as a cameraman. I was 100% convinced that after 5 years, when I had become fairly mature and gained experience, Chomolungma would definitely submit to me, but I was frankly unlucky with the weather, and besides, a tragic incident occurred with the leader of the expedition.
I made my next attempt to conquer Everest in 1999, organizing an expedition in which I myself acted as a guide. Our goal then was not Chomolungma, but the sixth highest mountain peak world - Cho Oyu (8188 meters above sea level). We went very successfully (the whole team came), and this gave us strength and confidence that Everest will definitely be conquered next year.
In 2000, we quickly found sponsorship money, organized an expedition, but made a mistake with the weather, and we also had absolutely useless Sherpas. As a result, out of three climbing attempts, only one was successful, when one of the members of our expedition finally conquered Everest, but again it was not me.
The next attempt to climb took place in 2003, when I led the first commercial expedition in our country, which went to Everest with my own money. To say that it was hard is to say nothing. We had to save on almost everything except safety. We set up all the intermediate camps ourselves, carried things ourselves (again, no luck with the Sherpas). That year, 3 out of 12 people reached the summit, and again I was not among them.
And in 2004, Everest finally decided to give up. On the fifth try. Over the next 13 years, I climbed the highest peak of the world 7 more times and conquered the highest mountain peaks of all continents, including Antarctica - as they say in our circles, I entered the club of conquerors of the seven peaks.
PERFECT: To be honest, it’s just a fantastic story for an engineer by training who has been destined to solder boards all his life.
A.A.:
Yes, according to my diploma, I am no less than an engineer-electrophysicist, I graduated from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, but I worked in my specialty for 2 years and 2 months, after which I went to the mountains with a scandal and never returned.
PERFECT: If we leave professional athletes out of the equation, who is most drawn to the mountains?
A.A.:
As a rule, these are men who have already achieved a certain position in society, aged 40 or so.
The issue of financial support for their family has long been resolved. Almost everyone has a stable business. The children are almost grown up. An apartment has been purchased, a dacha has been built, traveling abroad is not a problem. The problem is to find a point on the map where you have not been before. So what should such a person do?
Build another country house, buy a fifth car, have another child? All this, of course, is not bad, but it has already happened. And at some point the thought comes that it’s worth trying something completely new. That is why successful and respectable people suddenly begin to get involved in parachuting, participate in rallies and go to the mountains.
PERFECT: If we talk about climbing Everest not as a sporting achievement, but as a commercial service, how much could such an extreme experience cost?
A.A.:
The price range is very wide. You can find an offer for 15 thousand dollars, and for 50, and for 100. The only difference is that the first product is addressed to professional athletes who are ready to pay for a minimum set of services, doing most of the work themselves, the second - to experienced climbers who they are no less willing to pay extra for comfort, and the third is addressed to climbers with 2-3 years of experience, who, however, wanted to safely conquer highest point planets.
PERFECT: Probably the most inconvenient question of all is that in the mountains, by and large, it’s every man for himself. The slopes of Everest, the further you go, the more they resemble a cemetery. Why do climbers often pass by people who are dying or in difficult situations? Is it an inability to help or an unwillingness to expose oneself to additional risk?
A.A.:
I will speak exclusively for myself. Let's simulate the situation. I am leading a group of 10 people to the summit, each of whom has been preparing for this ascent for 3 years. We are perfectly equipped, we have oxygen, trusted Sherpas, and suddenly on the route we meet a poor fellow, with practically nothing, who decided to conquer Everest alone, relatively speaking, in slippers, and is now resting on a rock, realizing that he has no There was no strength or opportunity left to either reach the top or go down. I understand the situation he is in, but can I tell the people I am leading that, guys, now we are all carrying this poor fellow down together, because he had neither the mind nor the money to properly prepare for the ascent, Shall we get up ourselves sometime later? Of course no. The only thing I can do and will definitely do is try to help a climber in a difficult situation on the way back.
PERFECT: Who does Everest love more, men or women? And how do you feel about the fact that women, just like men, risk their lives and conquer eight-thousanders?
A.A.:
It’s better to ask Lyudmila Korobeshko, who during her mountaineering life has conquered more than 70 of the world’s highest peaks, including Everest. Grief, by and large, does not care who climbs it. The main thing is: a strong person or a weak person, hardy or not, stress-resistant or prone to panic attacks. From my own experience I can say that sometimes women are stronger than men. Not girls, but women. It would seem that it’s incredibly difficult, the men are already full, they’re out of breath, they’re walking with all their strength, but she’s still holding on just fine. I ask how it is, it’s hard... And she answers: “It was hard to give birth, but now it’s bearable”...
Massandra is a Mecca of winemaking for extraordinary people, passionate about their work, who have achieved many heights in their life’s journey. This time the guest of Massandra was the legendary Alexander Abramov, a climber who conquered Everest 6 times and made more than 150 ascents of varying difficulty in dozens of countries around the world. Alexander is a full member of the Russian Geographical Society, initiator and leader of several well-known projects, such as “7 Summits”, “Land Rover on Elbrus”. He has been involved in climbing and organizing expeditions and competitions for more than 30 years. Thanks to Abramov, Everest and other peaks were discovered by dozens of mountaineering enthusiasts, among them the famous tennis player Marat Safin and Massandra’s devoted friend, the famous oncologist Igor Pokhvalin. Let us recall that on May 30, 2005, on the highest peak of the world, Everest (Chomolungma), at 8.20 Beijing time, along with the flags of Victory, Ukraine and Crimea, Igor raised the Massandra pennant.
Alexander Abramov came to Massandra with his wife Lyudmila Korobeshko and son Denis. Lyudmila Korobeshko is also a professional climber, she has conquered 70 of the world's largest peaks, and is the only woman in Russia to climb Everest twice. Denis is studying alpine skiing, rock climbing and recently visited Elbrus.
The journey into the history of Massandra for the mountaineering family began from the very heart of the enterprise - the famous cellars for aging wines. The guests were especially impressed by the scale of all the structures and the fact that the tunnels were cut into the rock. They start underground at the base of the cliff and go deeper until the thickness of the rock above the tunnel reaches 53 meters. Exhaust shafts at the end of each tunnel facilitate constant air exchange. Such a large layer of soil above the tunnels creates a constant temperature of 14-15 degrees. That is why wine here can be stored for centuries. It turned out that the rocks are conquered not only by climbers, but also by winemakers! Climbers climb the highest peaks for educational and sporting purposes, but winemakers thriftily take advantage of nature’s hospitality and store it under powerful vaults. rocks the most valuable thing is your wines.
The guests visited the Massandra Wine Museum with interest and were invited to a tasting. The vintage wines presented at the tasting were varied and represented a wide range of flavors. Alexander and Lyudmila admitted that they liked all the presented samples without exception, but they also identified their favorites. Alexander preferred the dessert Kokur Surozh for its sunny shades of color, bouquet and taste, and Lyudmila liked Bastardo with its softness and spicy, coffee-chocolate tone.
The meeting was a breeze! In parting, the winemakers and climbers wished each other new interesting projects and surmountable heights.
Massandra’s good friend Igor Pokhvalin, conquering another peak, wrote: “When we talk about something significant, unusual and worthy not only of simple mention, but also of designation as an important milestone, we remember Time. Unnoticeable in the successive change of seasons, it becomes a factor determining Human History. Everything truly significant passes the test of its Historicity and is seen only “from a distance.” The finitude of an individual human life, sometimes the premature departure from the world of the living, does not leave much choice in the means of self-realization. So I climbed Jebel Toubkal, the highest Peak Atlas Mountains And North Africa... I drank, like any voluntary wanderer, the Wine of my Motherland. I found familiar shades of Sherry in the smell of Saharan dust and rejoiced at the appropriateness of my wine for a simple feast at the foot of the Mountains.”
I want to believe that at the right moment a sip good wine will quench thirst, restore vigor and give strength to move on in order to “get closer to God, clearing all the scum from our hearts.”
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“I have been working as a guide since 1991. In 27 years I have made a lot of mistakes. Is it true. But I understood the point: a guide is an educator senior group kindergarten. Like a mother hen, she takes care of her charges. After all, it’s more difficult for them than for a guide, for whom the mountains are his home.”
About a sports career.
Sasha, I’m not sure if the younger generation knows, but you took part in the first winter ascent of Aksu in 1996. Please tell us a little about this climb.
Why grumble? Just watch our video “We Live Right” and you will understand everything. This was the first Winter ascent of probably the most difficult wall of the former USSR. Pasha Shabalin was climbing, Ilyas Tukhvatullin was belaying, I was making a movie, everyone was carrying loads. And so 16 days on the north face in winter, on a route where there was not a single platform where two feet could be placed side by side.
You also climbed Kyukurtlyu in the summer of 1999. I have always wondered, is it true that on this wall “you can reach the bolts with your hands, and the slabs where they (the bolts) are driven periodically move”?
They not only move, but also fall down. The rock there is volcanic tuff. Very soft and sometimes scaly. The slabs “hum”, and when you take a bolt, the punch may fail. There are, of course, areas like limestone, but not stronger. In general, I fell in love with Kyukurtlu. First because of the title, then because of Kataev’s book. I was 20 years old and was wondering what this part of Elbrus was with a vertical and negative slope and routes 6B. Out of 3 attempts, the mountain allowed only 1 time. The first time was out of curiosity, and by the way, we then took 3rd place at the Russian Championship out of 16 teams. The second - in winter, and the third, next summer, we went for selfish reasons: to make a winter 6B and make a summer first ascent of 6B in order to close the MSMK. Both attempts turned out to be empty. By the way, I thought about it and it seems to me that there is not a single climber who has climbed Kyukurtlya twice. Nobody wants a second time. Dangerous mountain.
In your personal archive you have winter routes to Free Korea, Ushba, Aksu, an attempt at a winter climb to Kyukurtlya, all six. These were serious challenges of the time.
Is winter climbing still relevant?
For me it makes no difference whether it’s a winter or a summer climb. In general, I prefer winter and high-altitude climbing. I don't like rain, I think it's more dangerous than snow. A wet person freezes quickly, but in winter you are initially prepared for the cold and dry and have good winter equipment. Plus, in winter there are no stones falling down the wall, which is a real thrill, and there are a lot of ice rivers that make it easier to climb to the top. In general, I like winter climbs more than summer ones. That’s why it’s easy for me in Antarctica, easy for me on Everest.
What do you think is the challenge today?
Man and nature do not change. The harsher the nature, the tougher the struggle. And she turns it on. Now in Antarctica our camp has been demolished and destroyed twice. There was a real battle for life. I discovered a lot of new things in myself.
Kyukurtlyu, 1999
About 7 peaks.
Over the course of 15 years, you have formed a real, full-fledged club of interests around the project. Now the company “7 Summits” is not just trademark, but a recognizable brand, and, in general, with a positive perception, which in sociology is called a “brand”. How did you manage to create such a brand?
People can only achieve success in areas they love. Anyone can do business for the sake of money, but a successful business can only be created by loving the field of activity in which your business is developing. How I managed to create a brand, I don’t know. I just love mountaineering, I love the “7 Summits” project, I love taking people to the mountains and organizing trips, and I also love working all the time that I’m not sleeping. By the way, I hate sleeping. One. Joke. This is probably why I have so many associates. My most important ally is Lyuda Korobeshko, wife and mother of our child and director of the 7 Summits Club company. She was inspired by this idea during our first contact. She forgives me everything, and she supports me in everything. Most likely, this is the main reason for success - when you go with the most reliable partner in a relationship.
My employees are ready to follow me and tolerate my constant changes in course. No one leaves our company; no one ever leaves. People are probably interested. Many club members follow me. They probably like the idea of the “7 Summits” and the mountaineering lifestyle. And everyone likes the “movement”, the constant “movement” that the “7 Peaks Club” arranges.
Alexander Abramov with his wife Lyudmila Korobeshko
How many club members are there now?
According to documents, more than 5,000.
In general, the company was immediately conceived as a mountaineering club. Not an office, not a travel agency, but a club. And this probably also contributes to success. We consider everyone who has made at least one ascent with us members of the club. According to documents, there are more than 5,000 such people over the past 10 years. I just thought that we are probably the most representative mountaineering club in Russia. There are also club members who haven’t come with us (yet), but they like the idea and the atmosphere. Meeting of the “7 Peaks Club”.
Now from club life: every Thursday there are lectures at the club about travel, equipment, medicine, meetings with famous people. Every Tuesday and Wednesday – training at the DDS climbing wall, Tuesday – climbing and Wednesday – technical training. We do mining school in Crimea and started in Italy and Austria. Every 3-4 months we organize themed evenings, which attract up to 200 people. We make films, you saw the acclaimed “The Height Gene,” and we publish books. Now a new book is being prepared - “7 peaks in Russian”. We started issuing medals for climbing each of the 7 peaks and people wear them with pride. About 1000 people climb with us every year, many 2-3 times a year. Climbing in Crimea
What is the company's annual turnover? If this is not classified information.
Anyone who is interested will definitely find out.
What is happening to the Russian market? Is it growing?
Of course, at a crazy pace, for example, over the last year our number of participants has increased by 1.5 times. This is despite the fact that the number of new companies and guides is constantly growing. Of course, to begin with, they simply rip all the programs from our site and have lower prices, and that’s all. I even find software errors on websites that I fixed long ago. We monitor the market every day, look for new solutions, and do not stand still. The market is growing, and if you grow with the market, then you stand still. You must grow faster than the market, stay ahead of it, be on the cutting edge and create New Product. 5 years ago I came up with the name: “Blitz Tour (to Elbrus).” Now it's just a common name. We started the “7 Volcanoes” project, through which guides now guide climbers. Now we have created new project– “7 Super Mountains”. If anyone is interested, take a look at the “7 Summits” website. I guarantee that in 2-3 years many people will have this project. But by this time, we will come up with something interesting.
What is the super-goal of the “7 Summits Club” project? How do you envision the future of the company?
There is no goal. Like a climber has no goal. The 7 peaks are an endless series of climbs, events, “parties”, this is life in the “7 peaks” style. I am sure: if I die, the company will die. This is a normal process. Our main task is to live, to live interestingly and to the fullest, and to infect others with such a life.
Well, why, climbers have goals.
Maybe this is your super goal: to create a company that will develop and operate successfully after you? Or form a market for high-quality services in active recreation, setting the highest quality bar, and thereby pushing the boundaries?
I'm interested in staying ahead of the services market. Create new programs that have not been mastered by anyone. We have just landed the first Falcon* (approx. – private jet) in Antarctica. Now everyone will fly. Or now we’re doing a bar at Everest Base Camp. In our 12 meter tent. We'll put it right in the center of the base camp. And a massage. Nobody does this. Now we have started issuing medals for climbing each of the 7 peaks.
After climbing in Crimea
About the guides.
Imagine, a mountain climber in the prime of his life, MSMK, having the “Salvation in the Mountains” Badge, multiple champion of Russia, owner of 3 Golden Ice Axes, climbs 7c+, climbed 8000 without oxygen 5 times. Do you think that such a qualified person can be immediately issued a mountain guide certificate?
Of course not. Good athlete and good guide most often the antipodes. There is equality in sports groups, everyone must be equally prepared. And even though this is a team, each team member can ensure safety independently. Therefore, athletes and novice guides often do not understand their task at all. They begin to compete with clients, swearing that God sent weak participants to attack his firebrand. As a result, the guide is not happy with the participants. Participants do not climb and are unhappy with the guide. I have been working as a guide since 1991. In 27 years I have made a lot of mistakes. Is it true. But I understood the point: the guide is the teacher of the senior group of the kindergarten. Like a mother hen, she takes care of her charges. After all, it’s more difficult for them than for a guide, for whom the mountains are his home.
The difference between an athlete and a guide is like the difference between a race car driver and a taxi driver. The athlete’s task is to reach the finish line first, the guide’s task is to transport passengers from point to point without accidents and, preferably, to disperse them along the way.
You yourself are a cadet at a guide school operating in Russia according to the IFMGA standard. Is there a difference between domestic and international approaches to learning? If so, what is it? Name three main differences.
I do not know the answer. For me, any training is good. Guides need to be trained, this is a fact. This is a separate profession. And it requires professional training. On the other hand, at the School of Guides they only teach techniques for working with clients. But in general, there is no training in the psychology of working with clients. For legal liability. I would add this course as a companion course. And the difference between a school of guides and a school of instructors is very strong. At the School, instructors are taught to work with a group. And in the guide school - individually one on one. These are almost opposite things. And all the teachers at the guide school work where they live, that is, in the mountains. They themselves are surprised when I told them about long expeditions. They say we couldn't do that. I understand that any guide can take you up the mountain, but the quality of service is different for everyone. It’s like you can drive both a broken-down Six and a Mercedes. You'll probably get there, but the quality of life is different.
You said the phrase “there are no bad clients, only bad guides.” Do you really think so?
Well, yes, as they say, there are no ugly women, only a little vodka. All clients are beautiful and if the guide doesn’t like him or her, that’s the guide’s problem. The guide is, first of all, a psychologist, and he must establish contact with the client, and not vice versa. In the end, the person came to rest, and you came to work. He pays you for food and cigarettes. So work, work is not always easy and pleasant. Try to find your pleasure in any activity. I tell all my guides and managers: “do what you want, but the client must leave satisfied.” This is probably the main operating principle of the “7 Peaks Club”.
Your quote from the movie “The Height Gene”: “You bear the responsibility for the decision yourself.” What was the appeal to the client, who decided to continue the climb, despite the manager’s ban. However, if something happens, the responsibility will still remain with the company, since you are officially providing the service (under a contract). Can you advise Russian mountain guides on how to insure themselves and how to act correctly in such situations?
There's no way to insure it. The client must respect you, then he will follow your advice, you must be able to find the right words to convince the person. He must make his own decision. I knew it would go down 100%. But she wanted the decision to be in her hands, and not from the outside. And I gave her this opportunity. That's why she wasn't even offended. If I had known for sure that in that poor condition she would decide to continue climbing, I would have forcibly turned her around. Let her be offended, but she’s alive.
About ethics.
Your quote: “The corpses on the route are a good example and reminder to be more careful on the mountain. What is unacceptable in normal life is considered normal at high altitudes.” How do you personally experience situations on expeditions under the auspices of the “7 Summits” when NA occurs?
I don't cope well with accidents. Once, after the death of two participants on Everest, I wanted to stop driving to Everest altogether. But then I thought that the experience had already been paid so dearly, that if I stopped the expeditions now, an inexperienced person would come and again make the same mistakes as me, and innocent people would die again. I spent the whole year thinking about how to do it (safely), revised all my views on life, read a lot of journalism about accidents on Everest and made many conclusions. Correct. I completely changed the entire style of expeditions to Everest - from cheap and poorly resourced, to expensive, well-equipped with equipment and workers. Now we even provide two Sherpa guides per participant, and there is a doctor. We are the only ones from Tibet who bring their own doctor, and in everything we now provide a higher quality service than other teams. I firmly believe that this helps improve climbing safety and prevent fatalities.
At some point you left the AlpIndustry company and created your own company. Aren't you afraid that someone from your team will also come out and create “7 Peaks 2.0”?
I'm not afraid, but I'm keeping an eye on it. To create a successful company, you need to be a super-specialist in both commercial mountaineering and business. There are few such people. Another thing is private guides who can persuade a client to pay past the cash register and go with him, but this is not business, this is theft. Such guides do not work for me. Regarding the Alpinindustry, in 2002 Sergey Zon-Zam invited me as director of the Alpindustria Tour company. In the very first month, I came up with the idea of creating the Alpindustriya Adventure team, in which we created almost all trips from scratch based on my previous sports experience and trips, that is, I practically created a new company and even probably a new direction in mountaineering in Russia - commercial mountaineering. Of course, this is the great merit of Sergei Zon-Zam, who wanted all this, supported it and covered the losses for 5 years.
In 2007, I realized that I could do more and invited Sergei to sell me (or give me, I don’t remember now) 51% of the Alpindustria Adventure Team company. But Sergei refused, and I told him that I would create my own (company), by that time there were clients who had already paid for the next Everest and for Antarctica with my participation. And I paid very decent money, like the cost of an apartment in Mytishchi, so that these clients would join me in the “7 Peaks Club”. In general, the divorce was difficult, but fairly fair, I hope. In general, my principle is not to deceive anyone, neither clients nor partners. And I hate it when people lie to me.
By the way, besides you and Lyuda, who is the most promising guide in your company?
I select guides very carefully. This is the face of the company. They determine how our members perceive our company. I can't hire a bad guide or a guide I'm not confident in. All guides are psychologically compatible with me. I sense people very quickly. If I am not comfortable with communication, I no longer support it and this selection principle works. After all, as they say, every company is a reflection of the character of its leader. Therefore, all employees must be psychologically compatible with the leader. To be, as it were, a continuation of it. A continuation of his ideas and hopes. If this does not happen, then the company begins to shake.
Sergey Larin, Artem Rostovtsev, Volodya Kotlyar are now my leading guides, who spend 6-8 months in the mountains with our clients. I trust them. Very. Plus 10 more guides who work either seasonally or occasionally, but who also cannot be replaced. I trust them. I trust my clients. And clients trust me with their free time and their money and their mood. And I am sure that my guides will do everything for the success of the expedition and will not spoil the mood of my clients. In general, every client is like a precious stone. It cannot be given to any jeweler for processing. I will never hire a guide with whom I have not been in the mountains and with whom I have not felt a comfortable relationship and life approach to this hard work. Therefore, I very often do not even respond to numerous requests to take a guide. And I ask people not to be offended. It is difficult for me to explain this position of mine to everyone.
At Manaslu, I saw how most of the other expeditions left heaps of garbage at the base camp, as well as in intermediate camps. Do you think this is acceptable for large commercial Himalayan projects?
Garbage in the mountains is a complex topic. Wherever people live, there is garbage. In cities there are garbage dumps like this... If in the mountains garbage is more about aesthetics, then in cities garbage is also a health hazard. Of course, we try to take garbage and all waste downstairs, but if something remains for more than a year, then usually nature itself destroys all traces. Glaciers swallow everything. And when it all reaches the bottom of the glacier, it grinds this debris into powder. In the Base Camps, all organic matter is eaten by animals. And we take away all inorganic waste. By the way, mice live in the 6400 m camp on Everest. Imagine what will happen to them if we stop leaving crumbs there.
Of course you can. Who cares? Someone's shoe is rubbing, someone's puff is cold, someone's stomach hurts, someone has run out of oxygen. Down anyway. I understand that this is a play on words – it may not be a “serious achievement”, but it is certainly an achievement.
Does climbing style matter?
For me, mountaineering is reaching the top in any possible way, mountaineering is not rock climbing, where it is forbidden to touch the quickdraws. Mountaineering is a natural way to survive in the mountains and any method is suitable for survival. The smart one uses everything he can, the not very smart one starts coming up with rules. This type is good, this type is bad. So we will soon reach the ban on “meldonium” in mountaineering.
Did I understand you correctly, that if you punched a bolt path of a hundred bolts, drilled the same number of holes for skyhooks, hammered in a ton of hooks, hung a railing and left it to rot, worked on a wall with ten men for 2 months, then this is generally normal if you eventually achieve peaks?
This is not a question for me.
Abramov against the backdrop of the Matterhorn
About PAR.
A few quotes from E. Laletina (facebook): “At the FAR evening on December 2 in Moscow, I didn’t like that the lion’s share of the time was spent honoring commercial climbers on Everest” and “just regular “hugs” between Volkov and the “7 Summits Club” and complete indifference sports affairs raise the question: why do mountaineering athletes even need such a president? How is it useful to them?
I respect Lena very much, but here it looks like she overestimated us a little. In general, we were allocated five minutes out of the entire 3-hour evening for the presentation of medals for Everest, maybe we used six. Lesha Ovchinnikov and I were just good “showmen” and we held it brightly, and this award ceremony was remembered most of all, I think so.
About “hugs”: we went to Manaslu together this fall with Andrey and this was our first meeting after the expedition, a completely natural manifestation of human feelings. Well, in addition to this, the “7 Summits Club” sponsors FAR events and in particular the “Golden Ice Ax” event. Why doesn't FAR do the right work with the sponsor? In general, the dissatisfaction with the friendship between the FAR and the “7 Summits” is not clear.
Regarding sports mountaineering, Andrey Volkov is the last president of the FAR, who is developing it and successfully, trying to preserve and adapt the outdated system of sports mountaineering to modern conditions. The Soviet system of sport mountaineering is a dinosaur that exists in one country. I’m afraid that with Andrey’s departure, sport mountaineering will end, and, like throughout the world, it will turn into a public club, and into a guide, commercial one. Plus festivals for everyone.
FAR gala evening: Abramov, Sivokon, Ovchinnikov, Pelsh
Is mountaineering a sport?
Mountaineering is not a sport, but a lifestyle, any beginner knows this.
How would you, if you were the president of the FAR, prioritize the pyramid: beginners (broad base) – amateurs (middle part of the pyramid) – athletes (top, sports elite)?
The elite must be respected, the masses are following them, but we must think about new people coming to the mountains, so that they feel comfortable, like it, and want to stay.
What should FAR actually do?
Don't know. Everything that contributes to the development of mountaineering in Russia.
Blitz
P.E. Shabalin once said that anyone who has not climbed Aksu is not a climber. Do you think so too?
What is a climber?
Rest after climbing, Chile
What is the most unexpected request from a client that the company has received?
Yes, we have a lot of non-standard requests every day. Well, for example, play the piano on the top of Everest.
I heard that some Foreign citizens oligarchic type, while in another country, at one of your programs they asked for soft drugs and representatives the oldest profession? This is true? Provided?
Why don’t oligarchs use such toys? The job of a guide is to show the way. But we are not involved in educating 50-year-olds and eradicating bad habits.
Three of the strongest climbers in Russia and the World today.
Hell knows, let them raise the bar, so we can determine it more accurately.
So, they don’t exist, or you’re just not interested?
Roma, I really have stopped being interested in other people’s lives in recent years. And other people's achievements. I was no longer interested. I don't care who the strongest climber is. Moreover, this is an absolutely abstract question. And the answer. I'm interested in projects. And projects with difficult logistics. And who climbed where - no. I understand that the athlete climbs only for himself. Satisfies your Ego. I was like that myself. Now I'm interested in who does what for people, not for themselves.
In three words, mountaineering for you is...
About how it all began...
I started mountaineering in 1980, when I entered the Moscow Power Engineering Institute. There was a great section there, we trained, went to the mountains, fell in love and I realized that the mountains are mine. In 1991, I became the champion of the USSR and Master of Sports for one of the first winter ascents of the sixth category of difficulty in the history of the country to the top of Free Korea along the Popenko route. Actually, I always loved to suffer. I never wear gloves in the city in winter, I prepare my hands for the cold. I'm great at climbing (hahaha, climbing) on ice. He was a multiple champion of Moscow and a prize-winner of the Russian ice climbing championships. Also a diverse champion of various mountaineering and rock climbing competitions. It is clear that sporting achievements are in the past, although sometimes the desire to compete still appears, but I suppress it within myself. Why take away the medals they are entitled to from young athletes? Therefore, sometimes our company “7 Summits” sponsors the Moscow, Russian and even World Championships! After all, I, too, did not achieve everything out of nowhere, and decent money was poured into me back in the USSR, taking it away from starving blacks in Africa.
Alexander Abramov and Valery Rozov
Questions: Bryk R.
We meet Alexander Abramov, who we know only from two telephone conversations, in his “7 Summits” office, like old acquaintances (he is such a sociable person, although all climbers are like that!), so we immediately switch to being on a first-name basis. Sasha, the biggest Everest expert in Russia, has been to the top six times, and has no intention of stopping.
About this very high mountain in the world and the conversation began.
- No one else in Russia has climbed Everest...
Been to the top six times. Zhenya Vinogradsky talks about five and a half times. Half is to climb 8,000 (meters - editor's note). I have 14 expeditions to Everest and in each I reached 8,000.
- How it all began?
The first time I was taken to Everest was in 1993. There were qualifying camps, January 3 - climbing Elbrus. In winter, Elbrus is a very serious test. In addition, the weather was bad: snow was falling, a strong wind knocked us off our feet. I lay down on the slope, waved my arms and legs - to restore blood circulation. Of the 19 people, five rose. Me included.
- Why didn’t you manage to climb Everest?
Although I had high-altitude experience (Korzhenevskaya Peak, Lenin Peak), it was not sufficient, because seven-thousanders differ from Everest, like ... a Mercedes from a “tens”. We can say that the seven-thousander is a distance of 10 km, and Everest is a marathon, 42 km.
- So what was the mistake?
I was very strong - that was my mistake. I ran throughout the expedition, proving to everyone that I was the strongest, and by the end I really didn’t have enough health. There, by the way, I met Nikolai Cherny, a participant in the Everest-82 expedition. They told us: “You are young! All hope is on you! We are old people, no strength, no health... Grab your things, run upstairs, set up camp! The whole country is proud of you!” And we young people ran up and down like idiots. It ended sadly. I was lying in the base camp with a temperature of 38, and the “old men” were groaning in the tents that we had set up... Then more than half of the expedition climbed in, but I failed. I was very surprised. It’s like... he came, and - time! - I got it in the face! I don’t understand... I thought that this was the end of my high-altitude career - they wouldn’t hire me again.
But two years later, Viktor Kozlov makes a film about Lhotse and takes me on as the main consultant. And this mountain and Everest are neighbors, this is one route that is already familiar to me. I realized that this was a chance to climb Everest. I wanted to take off at the right moment, without any “perm” (permission – editor’s note). I filmed the heroes going to Lhotse, and I myself was carrying twice as much, so I had to secretly lift five oxygen cylinders and other equipment. But bad weather began, no one’s tent flew away, only mine dissolved. I dug all the slopes at 7300. I lost oxygen, one video camera... Maybe that saved me. The Everest idea failed. And the expedition ascended to Lhotse, but the leader, Volodya Bashkirov, died. This season he went to Everest as a guide, rested for two weeks in Kathmandu, but lost acclimatization. Returned to base camp, but bad weather had just begun, and he was unable to recover. He was the last to reach the top, and died on the descent.
- Heart?
The heart is the last thing to fail. Edema of the lungs and brain begins, and tissues gain moisture. The heart removes this moisture, but cannot cope. There is also kidney failure, the liver and spleen may fail. Man is a very complex mechanism. Where it's thin, that's where it breaks. If a person has weak vision, it can fail. Altitude can trigger asthma, epilepsy, ulcers...
- But Bashkirov is an experienced man...
This year was his fifth eight-thousander Lhotse! The body couldn't stand it. Then Volodya... I never saw him without a bottle of beer! Although high-altitude climbers are a specific type of climber, many will not miss an excuse to drink. There are a lot of smokers - they smoke in packs! But there are gods on the mountain! The explanation is quite reasonable. Their body has a constant oxygen deficiency and is trained to cope with it. They may even be people who are oxygen deprived! Just as a fish swims in water, so a mountain climber climbs the mountains. I notice for myself that I feel better in the mountains than below. Maybe it has something to do with the training. But I’m sure that height tolerance is more genetic.
- Third expedition...
After Lhotse, I realized that things wouldn’t work like that - I had to make my own expedition. And in 2000 I succeeded, I had already started the “7 Summits” project and was quite well known as an organizer. I was so confident in myself, but to my great surprise, only one participant climbed Everest, and by accident. We got into bad weather.
- How lucky was that dude?
He was sick throughout the expedition. While we were setting up camp, he was lying down and being treated. And when all the teams went and returned with nothing, he: “I’ll try!” I climbed to the upper camp and, as I said: “At two o’clock in the morning I felt the wind die down, and I went...” At half past two I was at the top, on the descent, however, everything was covered in clouds, but I got there.
- How far did you rise from the assault camp?
We didn’t even get to this camp! Besides, I had a toothache. Indeed, where it’s thin, that’s where it breaks.
- Expedition No. 4...
After the third I think: to hell with this Everest! And in 2002, Sergei Semenovich Zon-Zam, the head of the AlpIndustry company, invited me to become his director. And I proposed to create the project “AlpIndustry Adventure Team”. The first program was made based on my previous trips: Kilimanjaro and so on. And in 2003, we managed to find climbers who paid for an expedition to Everest. The composition is the strongest: out of 12 people there are nine MCs. I thought I’d definitely climb this time! But we had three Sherpas, one got sick, the second didn’t report... In general, we have to go up, but half the camps are gone. There are only five oxygen cylinders at the top, but 25 are needed. But I took it all on myself, I take the first strongest team, and we trudge up. We get caught in bad weather and... we go down. How a curse hangs over me! But again two participants climbed (although three climbed - one was blinded and frozen). That is, by mountaineering standards, the expedition was very successful, the flag is at the top!
In 2004, I again organized an expedition. The situation is strange. Clients: “Have you been to Everest yourself?” "No". Although there have already been four attempts. And now it’s clear that I simply have to climb. And it worked! And then I started making expeditions to Everest every year, it became my profession.
- But the second time you rose only in 2007...
In 2005, on the way to the Tibetan border, Maoists mistakenly threw a grenade into our car. And I have shrapnel in both legs. They take him to the hospital by helicopter. A week later he returned to the team. I even climbed to 8300, but there was insufficient acclimatization - I was asked to leave the oxygen and go down.
In 2006, I didn’t climb because one participant died - there was no time for climbing. The man went to the top, came down, spent the night at 7500, in the morning he was woken up, he could not stand on his feet, they put him on his feet with medication. He walked 10 meters, fell and died. Stayed there. On Everest, those who die below 7,000 can be lowered, but those above cannot. And then, starting in 2007, I climbed to the top on all expeditions.
At the top, the roof can be completely demolished from lack of oxygen. Have you ever had such conditions? And how to deal with this?
There's no way to fight! In 2004 I climbed to the top, I’m going down, there’s still half a tank left. Life is wonderful, the altitude is 8,300. But I hear: “No one has oxygen? The man feels bad." "I have! Here's the balloon! I give it, walk for about five minutes and... sit down. And continuous torment begins: you walk one rope 50 meters and sit down. Power is turned off. Then my consciousness began to float. It seems to me that there are three of us going: me, the director and “the one who puts pressure on the glasses.”
The mask is pressing, but it seems that it is him. “You promised not to push!” “I try, but it doesn’t work!” Then I see it as if in reality: we descend to 7900, climb into the tent. Me: “Should we eat?” They: “No! Let's sleep!" I'm thirsty. And I still had a problem - the lid of the thermos froze (the frost was minus 30), I couldn’t open it and left the thermos on top.
And without water, you can die because the blood is too thick. The heart cannot drive jelly! The hallucinations continue. I climb into the bag, it’s cold. “Let’s zip up the sleeping bag!” They: “No need!” In the morning we wake up.
Me: “I should have some tea!” "No! Let's go down!" This is how I talk to these fairy-tale characters. My friend Dima Moskalev also talked to his legs. At 7900 he woke up and talked as if it were two people. Discusses what shoes to wear.
- Last thing. How much is it worth to climb Everest now?
$55,000 per person. It used to be much cheaper because they saved on Sherpas and oxygen. In 2003 there were three Sherpas for twelve people, now there are twelve. Previously there were three oxygen cylinders per person, now there are six. In general, all these cheap expeditions ended badly. Only lucky people climbed to the top. Now it’s much more comfortable (bathhouse, TV, Internet) and with a huge guarantee of getting up and staying alive.
- Previously, climbers went to Everest, now: pay and go?
Those who have no experience will not climb Everest with me! If they really want it, I’ll give them a dozen addresses of companies that will take them. But we are preparing people for Everest - there is a program of six to ten ascents with our guides.
