4th-year Tourism student shares her experience of climbing Mount Elbrus with first-year students

On November 25, 2025, Daria Skopina, a 4th-year student of the Tourism educational program, held a motivational meeting with first-year students, where she shared the story of her first high-altitude ascent to the highest point of Europe – Mount Elbrus (5642 m).

Daria spoke about how she began her journey into mountaineering, how she prepared for the ascent, and how training at the Tuyuk-su alpine camp contributed to her development. According to her, the acclimatization went very well, and she decided to climb without using a snowcat. Together with the second guide, they started earlier than the main group and reached the 5000-meter mark, where they met the rest of the climbers. The most challenging part, Dar’ya noted, was adjusting to a different pace, as for many participants this was their first serious ascent.

She also mentioned that she was unable to sleep the night before the climb, and by the time she returned to the 5000-meter mark, she had already spent about 16 hours on the route and had been awake for almost two days. On the way down, Daria chose to descend using a snowcat.

“5642 m – a new milestone in my collection of heights!” she said, expressing gratitude to her guides Alexander Eliseev, Nadezhda Ermakova, and the Mountainguide team for the organization and support.

The first-year students showed great interest in the meeting: they asked many questions about preparation, equipment, physical endurance, and the specifics of high-altitude ascents. At the end, they thanked Daria for her inspiring talk and for motivating them to reach new heights – both in the mountains and in their studies.

Such meetings help students immerse themselves more deeply in the professional environment, understand the real challenges of the tourism industry, and inspire them to grow in their chosen field.