Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountains, Russia, is the highest peak in Europe and also the tenth most prominent peak in the world. The mountain is a dormant volcano and is located on the border with Georgia.
The mountain actually has two summits. The first one being the west one, which is also the tallest, at 5,642m. The east summit is just a bit shorter than the west at 5.621m. Both are dormant volcanoes.
The mountain is home to the Terskol Observatory, which is an astronomical observatory. The mountain also has a collection of accommodations for 6 people, located at the end of each short chairlift.
On the slope of Mount Elbrus, installation of the lower station of the third stage gondola lift was successfully completed on December 27, 2015. It connects the sector from the station “Mir” to “Gara-Bashi”. Today, it is the highest mountain cableway in Europe, higher than the Aiguille du Midi, which is located in the western part of the Mont Blanc Massif, related to French resort of Chamonix. It was holding the palm tree of superiority for two decades.The mountain has many hiking routes, each ascent taking between 6-9 hours. The easiest route is the Normal Route, which is also the quickest as it uses cable cars and chair lifts, which are operated all through the day.
