At breakfast the next morning. The breakfasts were extremely good and the portions large enough for two some mornings. The weather was warm as hell, and the initial climb of some 200m up to the lower lift station of Asau felt terrible. Preparing to ski down. The sun was incredibly warm and heavy clothing was unnecessary. photo: Toni The snow was awful -- wet and heavy -- but the amazing views and the blazing sun made up for it easily. We did 3 runs on the first day, all in these steep valleys. Much fun. View to the small 'ski lift village' that consisted of small kiosks selling beverages and lunch and some handmade merchandise. Nightlife of Elbrus ;) The Finns in our lodge before us had finished all the beer from the bar, so we had to make a run to Asau to get some more. Toni preparing for the second day. We had gotten all the avalanche gear already (beepers, showels, harnesses). People lining up for the lift. We were waiting for Liza who was late as usual. Here she is, arriving some 20minutes late. In Russia no schedule was ever met, and we got used to it quickly. The weather was again amazing! Notice the Naked Mariachis in the lineup. Skilift safety in Russia. (The benches are wooden) The sign saying something like "no piste" or "good skiing over here", as we interpreted it. Loving the view.. top of the world, 'ma! We got up to 3800m and skied down, all the way to the valley and the Terskol village. The run took over 2h with all the stopping for video and photo shoots, and it was called (named by the Finns before us) "the shit run" because of all the cows / sheep occupying the lower end hiking trail :-) Our guides Liza and Albert (or Allu, as we called him). Samuel in the back. We drank from the crystal clear river, and it was sweet! Although I had an toilet emergency shortly thereafter, I do not know whether the incidents were related. Terskol village down in the valley. It was occupied by some 800 people. After the toilet rush (concrete rush; when we got to Asau, the guys were yelling RUN FORREST RUN - and run I did. Made it in time, though..) I really wasn't feeling confident about going up before my stomach resettled, so I sat on a terrace in the afternoon sun and relaxed. So only 1 run for me today. The other guys did 2 short runs more. I manufactured a beer cooler out of an empty juice carton box, filling it with icy water and snow. The russians watching laughed and pointed at first, but when I was finished they were admiring it. Hah, now YOU drink that warm beer you bastards. We met this Austrian guy who was planning to bring freeriders to Elbrus. He didn't seem very confident about the local service standards or the heliski possibilities (none, at the moment). photo: Toni Our watchdog. Back at the lodge looking at the day's pictures and comparing experiences. And getting shitfaced.