(Source: http://forum.d-lan.dp.ua)

Elbrus is the highest mountain in Russia. Its western peak has a height of 5642 m, eastern one - 5621 m. Elbrus is a cone of a dead volcano on a high pedestal of granite and schists.

The Cheget Mountain is located close to Elbrus and has a height of 3650 m. Cheget offers beautiful views of the Baksanskoe Gorge, the village of Terskol, to Elbrus on one side and to Dongus-Orun, Kogutai and Nakra - on the other side.

The trails of Cheget are among the most complex ones among the world ski resorts. The Hood Mountain - its summit offers an amazing view of the nature of the Elbrus region. The Narzanov Valley is located in the Baksanskoe Gorge, outside the village of Baidaevo.

The land on the meadow has a rusty-brown color due to the high content of iron in the water. One of the springs on the meadow is so powerful that the thickness of its jet is comparable with thickness of a hand of an adult. The springs of Gily-Su include two powerful outputs of mineral water and a lot of small ones.

People drink mineral water and take baths here. The water from the springs has healing properties, that’s why these places are visited by many people. Not far from these springs the Valley of “Castles” with morainic remnants of very exotic shapes is situated. There are two waterfalls about 30 meters high above the sources, on the Kyzyl-Kol River. It is clearly visible that the water washed a passage for itself through the lava. The Balyk-Suu River has a two-stage waterfall right before its merging with Kyzyl-Kol. The German Aerodrome is a large flat surface at an altitude of 2900 m.

It is no less than 800 m long, no less than 500 m wide. Local residents say that German planes landed here during the Great Patriotic War. This fact is most likely a myth, but the modern An-2 can land on it and take off from it. Stone “Mushrooms” are the result of exotic erosion that created the stone pillars with flat caps. The “mushrooms” are located at an altitude of 3200 m. In addition, the nature has created many sculptures of lava having most unimaginable shapes at the foot of the Elbrus Mountain.

Any gorge can be accessed from Nalchik by one of the regular buses connecting the city with the alpine villages. They run not so often, but every day and without interruption.

Tourists heading to the Elbrus region prefer a taxi, it is convenient and relatively inexpensive. In order to get to one of the resorts, it is better to call one of the many taxi services of Nalchik in advance and order a car. Buses also regularly go to the Elbrus region, the final stop is the village of Terskol.

If you are going to travel through the gorges and passes by car, you have to imagine the degree of passability of the territory. To be honest, it is rather poor. You can easily pass through the Baksanskoe Gorge by car. The rest of the gorges and passes can be overcome, if desired, but you will completely ruin the car – almost all roads are of natural soil, there are a lot of stones. An UAZ or an SUV is the best option.

You can also access Nalchik, Prokhladnyi, Mayskiy, Terek by railroad. The rest of the territory has only poorly developed railroad transport – the landscape is not suitable for this.

Cheget and Elbrus stand almost opposite each other.

Cheget, of course, is much lower than its greater brother, only about 3422 meters. However, the height difference is not important for skiers - the main thing is the snow. However, Elbrus provides skiing almost 12 months a year, and Cheget – only from November to April.

However, it has excellent trails of all degrees of difficulty, modern lifts and a huge bonus - a perfect view of the Elbrus Mountain. The view from the observation platform at a height of 2750 meters will stay in your memory for a lifetime. At the same place, at an altitude of 2750 meters, there is an iconic cafe “Ai”.

Skiers have gathered in this legendary café already for several decades – they have rest, eat, drink, talk to each other.

On the right they can see Elbrus, on the left - Kogutai, Donguz-Orun, Nakra-Tau. A square in front of the cafe is the place where someone is chatting with new friends, someone is getting suntan, someone is preparing for further ascending - to the extreme point at 3070 meters.

They say, the cafe “Ai” serves the best mulled wine and the best shish-kebab in the neighborhood. Perhaps, the height also affects the taste. By the way, Elbrus has a similar meeting place that cannot be changed - the cafe at the station “Staryi Krugozor”.