On our first summit attempt we came up short stopping at 17,150 feet just before the saddle between the east and west summits of Mt. Elbrus. Weather turned stormy with increasing snow accumulation and fierce winds.
The following day was clear though and we managed to climb to the highest point on the European continent on a warm and windless day.
A few pictures showing some of the highlights of the trip are below. The entire photo gallery can be viewed here: http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/gallery/8678076_8HFF9/1/573243990_vrdww
![The Team at the Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg L to R: Chuck Raper, Jim Wood, Debbie Wood, Connie Self, Kurt Wedberg](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573315260_8tkwv-M-3.jpg)
L to R: Chuck Raper, Jim Wood, Debbie Wood, Connie Self, Kurt Wedberg
![Peterhof Palace Peterhof Palace, St Petersburg](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573296087_cNPcu-M-2.jpg)
Peterhof Palace, St Petersburg
![Peterhof Palace, St Petersburg Peterhof Palace, St Petersburg](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573289398_K7wmx-M-3.jpg)
Peterhof Palace, St Petersburg
![Church at Peterhof Palace, St. Petersburg Church at Peterhof Palace, St. Petersburg](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573293231_V6erX-M-3.jpg)
Church at Peterhof Palace, St. Petersburg
![Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573324484_joqQA-M-2.jpg)
Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg
![Rembrandts Return of the Prodigal Son The most famous painting in the Hermitage Museum is Rembrandts Return of the Prodigal Son](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573282126_Mq2aW-M-4.jpg)
The most famous painting in the Hermitage Museum is Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son
![Knight armor on display at the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg Knight armor on display at the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. The Hermitage Museum has so many artifacts that if a person viewed each piece for one minute it would take seven years to see everything. Furthermore, only 10% of everything in the museums possession is on display!](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573273387_j9uC8-M-3.jpg)
Knight armor on display at the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. The Hermitage Museum has so many artifacts that if a person viewed each piece for one minute it would take seven years to see everything. Furthermore, only 10% of everything in the museum's possession is on display!
![Boarding a Russian airliner bound for Mineralnye Vody Boarding a Russian airliner bound for Mineralnye Vody](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573335607_yDQaS-M-3.jpg)
Boarding a Russian airliner bound for Mineralnye Vody
![Kurt near the border with Georgia The Mt. Elbrus region is right next to the border with Georgia](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/585049857_VxFdu-XL-1.jpg)
The Mt. Elbrus region is right next to the border with Georgia
![Acclimatization hike on Cheget Mtn in the Baksan Valley Acclimatization hike on Cheget Mtn in the Baksan Valley](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573415227_NifnP-M-3.jpg)
Acclimatization hike on Cheget Mtn in the Baksan Valley
![A beautiful waterfall we passed during an acclimatization hike A beautiful waterfall we passed during an acclimatization hike](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573488799_GVqWR-M-3.jpg)
A beautiful waterfall we passed during an acclimatization hike
![Turskol Glacier on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus Terskol Glacier on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573511394_fYYMu-M-3.jpg)
Turskol Glacier on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus
![The group taking a break above the Turskol Valley on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus The group taking a break above the Turskol Valley on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573501198_unbVd-M-3.jpg)
The group taking a break above the Turskol Valley on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus
![Acclimatization hike on Mt. Elbrus Acclimatization hike on Mt. Elbrus](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573532140_Db7JZ-M-3.jpg)
Acclimatization hike on Mt. ElbrusThe Diesel Hut at approximately 14,000 feet on Mt. Elbrus
![The Diesel Hut at approximately 14,000 feet on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus The Diesel Hut at approximately 14,000 feet on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus](http://kurtwedberg.smugmug.com/photos/573649226_x6Suw-M-1.jpg)
The Diesel Hut at approximately 14,000 feet on the flanks of Mt. Elbrus