The series “Elbrus. Point of no return”

Elbrus. The Point of No Return is the name of a new documentary series that tells about the ascent of Elbrus in September 2021 and the tragic death of the members of that expedition, the release of the film is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the expedition.

It so happened that at the estimated time the group did not descend the mountain. A strong storm turned Elbrus into an ice trap, in which it was no longer necessary to look for beautiful angles, but a way to salvation. In the new series, which can be seen on IVI today, survivors, guides and lifeguards talk about what it’s like to fight for your life and keep a man who no longer seems to be breathing.

Dmitry Dolgov, a participant in that fateful ascent, shares all this with Moskovskaya Pravda. He talks about his experiences, fears, recovery period, and of course, filming the series.

– Dmitry, you apparently had a solid climbing experience behind you by the time of filming?

– Not. I didn’t have much experience in mountaineering, but I had a desire to climb the mountain. The closest thing that was available to me was Elbrus. Last year I finally decided to climb. At first I wanted to go from the north, but since I am new to this business, I chose a simpler option – from the south. Before that, I only went snowboarding in the mountains.

— And what prompted you to take part in the September ascent?

– I broke up with a girl whom I met for about 10 years, the breakup was difficult. She always dissuaded me: “Dima, don’t go, I’m afraid for you.” And then it turned out that my hands were untied, and I could do what I wanted. Parents also did not know that I was going to the mountains.

— How did they react to what happened when they finally found out about everything?

– My parents found out that I was in the mountains at the very last moment – they saw a report on the incident on TV, they found out that I was in a hospital in Nalchik. Dad saw me on the show and recognized me. Before that, my parents didn’t know at all: I didn’t want them to worry once again. I usually don’t tell my parents when I do something dangerous. My friends also learned from the news about where I am.

— How did this ascent begin?

“It all started off really well. At the first meeting at the meeting, all the guys talked about the fact that they go in for sports, some were preparing specifically for the ascent. We went through acclimatization, climbed Cheget, the Maiden’s Braids, nothing foreshadowed trouble. The organization was at a high level, everything that was necessary was done. We had a normal accommodation, a normal transfer, the equipment was in order.

— At what point did you feel that the route did not go according to plan?

– At about two o’clock in the morning we went on snowcats. The weather was very calm and clear. The stars were visible, the sky was clear. We climbed to the very top, the weather remained good. The wind, perhaps, increased, but it was not a problem. The turning point came when we were already at the very top. The weather changed dramatically, the pressure went down, the guys got sick, started to drop down. At that moment, I also became ill.

Did the changing weather scare you?

– Initially, there was no fear, we had already gone down when the guys hung on the railing. For a while I thought everything was under control. I saw that the guys are safe, they keep their composure, hold on to the railing, slowly descend.

But at some point, some fell off the railing, just hung on the insurance. I had to pick them up and hang them back. At this point, all my gloves flew away. There were three sets, left without them at all.

There was no strong fear, but when I was already sitting on the lower railing, I began to gradually freeze. I did not zip up, I was without gloves, there were no rescuers. Then for the first time I got scared.

The fear intensified as we continued our descent, and I saw a man in his forties. Now it seems to me that it was a hallucination, because no one saw it except me. But I remember very well that a shiny thermos was lying near his right leg, the man himself was in a bluish suit, his face was already covered with snow. Then I became scared, I realized that we would not leave here just like that.

— When did the rescuers help?

– The guides gathered in one place everyone who could walk on his own, tried to make attempts to descend. Many of the guys weren’t able to walk, they didn’t feel well, fatigue and the influence of low blood pressure were superimposed. Perhaps they did not even realize, they were in some kind of dope. It was already 19-20 hours. I understood that if I did not leave the mountain in the next hour and a half, convulsions might begin. All this time I walked with the down jacket open, the zipper froze, and I could not fasten the down jacket. Because of this, my chest began to freeze.

I saw that one of the guides of the group, Anton, was calling everyone, trying to go down. Then I asked him: “Can I go with you?”. He asked if I could. Said I could. Anton took me and another member of the ascent, and we went downhill. I understood that it was an adventure. We could get lost, we could fall into the corpse collector, we could just freeze – but we could also find a landmark. We were lucky: the weather improved, the snowfall and the wind subsided a bit. At some point, in the beam of a flashlight, we managed to make out the landmarks. I never thought I’d be so happy with these sticks sticking out of the snow. When I saw them, I just rejoiced, I was overwhelmed with emotions. The pole was a sign that we were on the right track. With each milestone my mood rose and rose. After walking for about an hour and a half, we met rescuers rising to meet us. When I saw the flashlights, I did not know who they were, but I was extremely happy: now they will save us and help us.

We were given tea and we went downstairs. The descent was very difficult, everyone was tired. Fortunately, the rescuers were in good physical shape and helped us.

– How long did it take to recover?

– It took me two days. In the hospital they put me on a drip, we were well looked after. I immediately felt better. Then they did an x-ray, checked his lungs – everything was fine with him. I was very afraid for them, because my chest was wide open all the time on the mountain.

I recovered easily, but it was more difficult for someone: fingers were operated on, a couple of phalanges were cut off for someone, recovery was slowly going on. The doctors tried, but they only offered amputation, I had to go to Moscow to have the operation done there. Everyone recovered health in different ways.

— When you were asked to take part in the filming of the documentary series, how did you react?

– The authors of the project wrote to me, then everyone around was talking about it. I wanted to convey information to people: after that incident, there was a lot of dirt on the Internet, a lot of opinions of couch experts who had never been to the mountains. I wanted to remove all this, dispel the myths, so I willingly agreed to participate.

— Why do you think should i watch this series?

– Climbing the mountain is still for experienced athletes, for those who are in good physical shape. Any ascent is a danger, you have to be aware of it. Because regardless of all factors, the weather can have a plan.

Elena Bulova

Photos courtesy of the film’s PR service