ACS reaches the summit of Europe's tallest mountain

Ilya, an account manager in the ACS Moscow Executive Jets Division and a couple of university friends had dreamt of climbing Mount Elbrus for the last three years. Earlier this year, they decided to make their dream come true and pursue an exciting, but incredibly challenging journey. However, as is the case with all expeditions of this magnitude, vigorous training is required.

Prior to the actual climb, the trio of friends had to go through an extensive 6-day training camp held by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. This helped with getting to grips with and being able to overcome difficulties of the overall physical challenge, lack of oxygen and excessive humidity. This was a tall order due to the lack of previous experience Ilya had of this kind of physical exertion.

On the day of the final climb to the summit, the three of them had to wake up at 2am to walk through extremely dense fog, whilst being battered by snow and strong winds. The temperature was fluctuating around -15 degrees celecius, but the wind made it feel a lot colder. Once they got through the clouds, the weather changed dramatically with the clear skies offering a magnificent view of the surroundings from the summit.

The mountain, 5,642m (18,510ft) at its highest point, is a real task to conquer which makes this an outstanding achievement made by Ilya and his friends. Ilya commented “The climb was a success and one of the greatest experiences I have ever had”.  Moreover, Edvard Nalbandyan, an Account Manager in the ACS Saint Petersburg Executive Jets Division, said “To get to the top of Elbrus, one has to possess a strong spirit and will. Well done Panda”. Congratulations Ilya from everyone at ACS!