Mountain·Russia

Mount Elbrus

5,642m

Bokovoy Range

Jason Blue-Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation: 5,642m
Prominence: 4,741m
Isolation: 2,473km
Relief: 2,488mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope: 49°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit: All yearSee month by month ↓
First ascent: 1829
Summit: 43.3525°N, 42.4381°E

Highest mountain of the Caucasus and highest mountain in Europe

Mount Elbrus is a mountain in the Bokovoy Range (Russia). Its summit stands 5,642 m above sea level. It is the highest point of Europe and RU. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 4,741 m, and the nearest higher ground is 2,473 km away. It was first climbed in 1829.

From the lowest point within 5 km (3,154 m), it rises 2,488 m. The steepest side is the north-west face: 29° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 49° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Terskol, 12 km away at 2,141 m: 3,501 m below the summit.

Mount Elbrus for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

6.9/10

Difficulty to the top

Alpine climb

Most path sections around the top are T5 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

1.1/2.52 waymarked routes and 17 path sections nearby
1.5/1.523 huts and shelters
2.0/23,501 m of ascent from the valley
1.5/1.54,741 m of prominence
0.5/1.52 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
0.3/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

6.1/10

2.4/428 km of downhill runs
0.4/1.510 ski lifts
0.4/1.5392 m between the lowest and highest lift station
3.0/311 months of snow at about 3,651 m

Runs by difficulty

Easy 5 km
Intermediate 5 km
Freeride 17 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 3,651 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from September to July.

Snow on the ground all month
Snow some of the time
No snow
This month

10 lifts · lift stations from 3,455 to 3,847 m · 0 km cross-country

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

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Snow

When there is snow on Mount Elbrus

At the summit, snow all year round. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Summit5,642 msnow all year round	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month
Halfway up3,892 msnow all year round	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month
Terskol2,141 msnow from November to May	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month

Snow on the ground all month
Snow some of the time
No snow
This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Mount Elbrus, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average August afternoon the summit reaches about -3 °C; on January nights it falls to about -37 °C. Even in the warmest month the summit stays below freezing all day: ice and snow all year round. Even at its highest, in August, the 0 °C line reaches only about 5,160 m: 482 m below the summit. Across the region, February is the driest month (44 mm) and June the wettest (84 mm).

0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit

Month	Summit high °C	Summit low °C	Terskol high °C	0 °C line (m)	Rain & snow (mm)	Wet days	Sun h/day
January	-27	-37	-4	1,510	52	12	3.9
February	-26	-36	-3	1,710	44	10	5.2
March	-22	-32	1	2,280	71	13	5.0
April	-17	-27	6	2,990	58	12	5.6
May	-11	-21	12	3,930	80	14	6.1
June	-6	-17	16	4,670	84	15	7.5
July	-3	-14	19	5,110	68	12	8.0
August	-3	-14	20	5,160	59	12	8.1
September	-7	-19	15	4,500	66	10	7.0
October	-13	-24	9	3,590	73	11	5.5
November	-20	-30	2	2,500	65	10	4.6
December	-25	-35	-2	1,770	54	11	4.1

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 2,236 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. True scale: no vertical exaggeration.

West – east

South – north

Steepness by direction

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Mount Elbrus

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

A lift reaches Гара-Баши at 3,847 m — just 1,795 m below the summit.

23mountain huts and shelters
Бочки (3,710 m), ЯкПриют, Приют Мария, Сердце Эльбруса and 19 more
4cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways
Эльбрус-2, Эльбрус-3
1ski areas
Эльбрус
2waymarked hiking routes
Кавказская тропа - Кабардино-Балкария, не маркировано, Кавказская тропа - Карачаево-Черкесия, не маркировано
—via ferratas
—climbing crags and routes
18named glaciers
Ирик, Малый Азау, Уллучиран, Кюкюртли and 14 more
5viewpoints
Станция Мир (высота 3500), вид на Эльбрус and 3 more
78campsites
Верхние скалы Ленца, 5250м, Штурмовой лагерь 4500, 3600, 4200 and 74 more
35hotels, B&Bs and chalets
Free Ride, Сириус Азау, Зимний рай, Роза Азау and 31 more
42restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

17 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T3T4T5T6

T3 demanding mountain hiking
T4 alpine hiking
T5 demanding alpine hiking
T6 difficult alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

Terskol12 km · 2,141 m
El’brus20 km · 1,792 m

Car hire at KUT airport (Kopitnari)Discover Cars · Affiliate link

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

2015 - Elbrus-2 with www.mountainguide.ru-26 — Wintercyclone · CC BY-SA 4.0

Blick zum Elbrus Russland Ölfässer ("Barrel Huts") 3.800 m - panoramio — Fuchs Robert · CC BY 3.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1991–2020 average	-27	-26	-22	-17	-11	-6	-3	-3	-7	-13	-20	-25
2020	+0.3	+0.5	+3.2	−0.2	+0.8	+1.3	+0.9	−1.4	+3.0	+4.0	+0.1	+1.4
2021	+2.6	+1.0	−3.4	+1.2	+2.2	+1.0	+0.4	+0.4	−2.1	−1.3	+2.3	+1.2
2022	−0.9	+1.3	−4.7	+2.8	−1.1	+0.5	±0.0	+3.4	+1.3	−0.2	+2.0	+2.1
2023	+2.2	−2.3	+3.1	+2.0	−0.1	−0.3	+0.2	+3.0	+0.2	+1.0	+2.8	+3.1
2024	+0.1	+1.5	±0.0	+5.3	−1.7	+1.6	±0.0	+0.7	+0.9	−1.8	−0.5	+0.3
2025	+3.3	−3.2	+2.7	+0.8	+1.4	−0.7	+1.8	+2.4	−1.0	−0.4	+5.4	+0.7

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

Nearby

More mountains nearby

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominence	Wikidata (Q43105) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profiles	Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Climate	NASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain	© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
Images	EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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