Getting into Russia

“Getting into the Russian Federation during the currently ongoing political turmoil was the first hurdle and the one which troubled me most, as I could control my training regimen to be in the correct form for the climb but of course, I cannot control the politicians,” Pullicino expressed.

“Somehow I found a way to enter the Russian Federation and I was issued a visa by the Russian Embassy in Malta. Once I got the visa on my passport, I knew that this was going to be happening for real and I was on my way for the first of the Seven Summits,” he said.

“I can say that I received a very warm welcome from all the Russian people that I met during the expedition and also got to make very nice friendships which hopefully will last for a lifetime.

Pullicino had left Malta solo and ended up teaming up with a Russian expedition at the foot of the mountain.

The climb

Pullicino and his group started the acclimatisation routines by climbing up the mountain gradually and returning to sleep at a lower altitude in various huts and other shelters.

“The acclimatisation routines were complete after three days, which saw us gradually go from 1,700 to 4,500 metres. Then there was a day of rest and waiting as a weather window was to open on 9th September,” he explained.

Pullicino detailed how the weather on previous days was quite bad, indicating that the winter season on Mount Elbrus seems to have started much earlier this year.

“Early morning at around 3am on 9th September we set off for the summit. The sky was clear and the wind was low. The pace was steady and fast and I was feeling pretty strong and well acclimatised on that day,” Pullicino expressed. 

They arrived at the saddle, which is the area where the two summit cones start to rise at approximately 5.30am, with the saddle starting at around an elevation of 5,200 metres.

The Blizzard

“Suddenly, during the first rays of dawn, a small cloud approached us quickly from the west and without warning a blizzard hit us. We were standing there like sitting ducks. Winds topped 80 kilometres per hour and mingled with snow pallets as large as baseballs hitting us from all sides.

“I remember moments when I was holding on for dear life, not to be blown away by the wind. In the dim light of the rising sun, I saw one group member in front of me being violently hurled down the slope luckily not sliding down any further.”

Pullicino detailed how a few seconds later, he saw a climber in front of him getting blown away as if he was a toy soldier. He managed to grab him by his backpack and almost got carried away with him. 

“It took almost an agonising hour to advance a few hundred yards ahead and find a rocky patch where we could shelter a bit from the relentless blizzard.”

Pullicino kept himself busy by keeping his parents, who are celebrating their Ruby 40-year anniversary, and friends back home, with temperatures having plummetted to a jittering -35 degrees.

“I remember my phone and go pro camera both got frozen and would not function. Visibility was reduced to zero during the blizzard. Ahead of us there was a group already going up the west summit cone. It was a group of around eight climbers, all roped together. Suddenly we saw them all sliding down the steep face of the mountain. Luckily no one was lost during that day,” he explained.

“We waited for a few minutes to see if this blizzard would stop, but it did not. We comforted ourselves with some warm tea and we made the brave decision to abort, as it was not making any sense to stay there and risk our lives. Getting back to safety was also very hard as the winds kept on getting stronger!”

“We made it to safety and I was feeling as if all the mountain had tumbled upon me. I never felt beaten so badly. Alas, safety is a top priority for the team and I thank again our guides for helping to do the correct decision, even if a heartbreaking one.”

But this was not the end…

“The high winds continued for 48 hours, after which another tiny weather window was predicted to open on 11th September 2022. Luckily my visa would expire on 12 September and so I was the first to say that I will do a second attempt to summit, quickly followed by Sergei and Evgeniy, two other expedition members, who said they will join.”

Pullicino expressed his relief knowing that he will not be attempting by himself, while all the other members decided to return back home.

“We rested for 2 days which seemed to be eternal. Anxiously waited and checked the weather forecast and while we gazed at the summit,” he said. 

The summit

“The wind was dead as a stone! I returned back inside to wake up the others, and I was happily chanting in Russian to the amusement of the Russian team members  ‘khoroshaya pogoda’ – good weather,” Pullicino said.

“We had a quick breakfast and set off at around 1.30 am. My energy levels were much lower this time, mostly due to the good beating we had received during the first attempt.”

“I was continually encouraging my teammates Sergei and Evgeniy who were following just a few metres behind me. The pace was very good and we reached the summit on the 11th of September, 2022 at 5.32am GMT,” he said.

“We got to be called the Maltese and Russian tigers by our competent guides! A big thanks go to our guides Andrey, Boris and Azimath! One of the first to reach the summit on this beautiful day.”

Pullicino expressed how this memory will last forever for him, also marking the first of his seven summits. 

“Also very happy to get a good rare lesson of how to identify the thin fine line between bravery and foolishness which may result in death on any mountain,” he concluded.

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