Author: charles.miske

  • Elbrus 2012 – Hiking to the Barrels from Cheget

    On Tuesday, September 4th, I did my first shakeout cruise. My acclimatization hike from the hotel near the market in Cheget, up to the barrels, from 6800′ elevation to 12,300′ elevation. Roughly 5400′ of elevation gain over 7.3 miles. Reverse that for the return home. I walked up the access road from Azau to the…

  • Apply for a Russian Visa – August 2012

    Things have changed a bit in the last couple years. You sent in your App and Document Package via Fedex to a Russian Consulate with a Certified Check or Money Order, waited some period of time, then it appeared on your desk via a return Fedex envelope. Last year, possibly with the intent of the…

  • Elbrus FAQ – Elevations

    While preparing for Elbrus, I made a quick Cheat Card to haul with me. I printed it up and laminated it, much like time splits for a marathon, except marker on the forearm won’t work under layers. Here is what I have, in case you’re interested in planning your own trip to Elbrus from the…

  • Mount Olympus Speed Run

    I have a few days off work so I needed to get some more outdoor training in for Elbrus. You might notice that I haven’t posted any outdoor training in a while because I had to cover for someone on vacation at work, and had a few business meetings I needed to be around for.…

  • Grays Peak Speed Hike

    On July 3 I did a speed hike on 14,270′ Grays Peak, a Colorado 14’er along the Front Range. I haven’t been to the summit of Grays since maybe about ten years ago. I had made a few half-hearted attempts, all stopped by snow or weather, or some other little thing, but today the weather…

  • Quandary Speed Check and Training Run

    On June 25 I did a run up and down 14,265′ Quandary, just South of Breckenridge Colorado, to test my current level of fitness as I get myself psyched about Elbrus Race 2012. When I did the 2010 Race I also ran Quandary a handful of times, and wanted to check my progress to see…

  • Keystone Gulch Training Run

    After deciding to more seriously pursue Elbrus Race 2012, I needed to adjust my training from long slogs of 18 miles or so on the relative flats (former marathon training) to include some vertical. I did a test run on Quandary last week, and did 1:33 up, which is actually my PR for that. I…

  • Elbrus Race 2010

    In September 2010 I attended the Elbrus Race [Blogger Posts]. Below is a gallery of images from the race organizers. I was entered at bib number 24. I was also featured a few times in a promotional video [1:04, 1:13, 1:33] that the event promoters created as a “trailer”. Elbrus Race 2010 in fact was…

  • Horseshoe Basin Training Hike

    I am currently in training for my Aconcagua trip in December, part of which will be via fast hiking on rough terrain at altitude. I selected Horseshoe Basin, a fork of the Peru Creek Road between Keystone and Montezuma Colorado. The entire 15 mile semi-loop I hiked ascends from 10,100′ to over 13,000′ and returns…

  • Aconcagua Higher Now

    According to a cooperative research project report, Aconcagua is now 6966.4 meters tall, about 2.4 meters more than the 6964 meters measured in 1989. Further research is planned to determine if this is due to plate tectonics or more accurate modern equipment. “We know it is moving, but it is millimetres per year, not two…