OREANDA-NEWS. On 25 August 2008 was announced, that a very unusual present for the Company’s birthday was made by its five employees: Maxim Kuznetsov, Navigation Database Executive, Natalia Pavlyukova, Purchasing Executive, Georgi Sokolov, Sales Manager, Evgueni Vennikov, Load Planning Engineer, and Mikhail Malakhayev, Operations Support Manager. They succeeded in climbing on Mount Elborus in the Caucasus Mountains and hoisted the Company Flag on its East Summit at 5,621 metres ASL.

During the climb, which took about a week, the mountaineers sustained rain, snow, cold, heat, fog, and severe wind. They had to get used to a rarefied air and learn to use special equipment. Acclimatization was also a big problem. To become accustomed to the next height, the mountaineers undertook graded climb.

They covered the whole route on foot and carried all of the equipment by themselves. The climb to the summit was commenced at about 3 am on 3 August, from a summit camp located at 3,800 metres ASL. For eight hours, our colleagues were making a step by step climb for the target height. But in return, there, on the eastern summit of Mt. Elborus, was brought a white-and-blue flag of the Company which has taken the next height.