Information about the Pure Mountains project

Project history:

This site was created almost twenty years ago on my initiative to cover our first environmental project, carried out in September 2006 - "Garbage removal near Shelter-11". At that time, social networks and messengers did not exist, in which it would be easy to write, informing the general public about environmental initiatives and actions. The design of the site was done by Dima Polsky, the content of the site was and is done by me. The ideas, specific actions and actions, about which information is posted on the site, from me are simple steps to improve the environmental situation in the Elbrus region.

Our philosophy:

We are friends who are passionate about mountains and nature, each of us is a professional in our own field. Among us are mountain guides, athletes, designers, architects, IT specialists, engineers, lawyers, photographers, drivers. What unites us is that we love to spend time in nature, we root for it with our hearts and souls. We are all symbolically united by Elbrus, the highest mountain in the Caucasus and Russia, a dormant volcano located in the very center of the Main Caucasian Range like a pillar around which we all gathered. All of us have already climbed to its summit, gone hiking or skied on its slopes. And we all understand that the most vulnerable thing in nature is the largest.

Each of us has a goal - to do something good in order to preserve the nature of the Elbrus region. These are very simple practical actions: participation in public events, stories during hiking, trekking or mountain climbing about how to protect the environment for the future, helping professionals in extinguishing fires and arranging ecological trails and much more. We show a simple example of how you can help preserve ecosystems and are proud of what we do to promote the development of ecotourism in the region. We are interested in preserving the uniqueness of landscapes and biological diversity, and we also respect the interests of the indigenous population of the region.

Many of us have families and children, and it is very important for us that our children become the same responsible citizens in relation to nature and ecology as we are. From an early age, we walk with them in the mountains, show the beauty of our native land, show an example of careful attitude to nature, tell, show how to make our planet better. Our children participate in environmental campaigns, climbed to the top of Elbrus, feel good in nature. We are very proud that they continue our mission.

Problem statement:

The geographic localization of the project is the Elbrus region in the North Caucasus; it includes the Elbrus mountain range from its southern, eastern and northern sides, the slopes of the Main Caucasian Range, and the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic of the Russian Federation. The Elbrus region also includes the "Elbrus National Park". Elbrus is a land of incredible beauty that captivates everyone who comes here. Elbrus has been one of the main centers of tourism, skiing, mountaineering, trekking and hiking, and other types of extreme sports for many years.

In Russia, mountain landscapes occupy only 6% of the country's total territory, including the Caucasus, Altai, and Sayan Mountains. Mountain landscapes are as amazing as the ecosystems in these territories. A significant part of Elbrus is located in the highlands - a zone of relict species of flora and fauna. As the altitude increases, there is a change in landscape zones, somewhat similar to latitudinal zonality. In mountainous areas, the higher we go, the colder it becomes, plants need more time to grow and develop, and representatives of the animal world are found only up to a certain altitude.

A city dweller, getting here, cannot help but be amazed by the purity of the water, snow, air, grass, earth, stones - everything here is pure by its very nature. However, every year the environmental situation is worsening. This has become noticeable even in the highlands. Existing government programs, unfortunately, do not yet have the expected positive effect on the problem of environmental degradation. The growth of extreme tourism in Russia, as well as the prospects for tourism development in the region, voiced in federal and republican programs, can make this problem even more acute.

The consequences of ignoring environmental safety issues accumulate over time. Their solution in the future may require too much effort. We believe it is necessary to act now, on our own, and we call on everyone who cares about this land to do the same.

Types of environmental threats:

The first obvious problem for everyone in mountainous areas is simple garbage. Unfortunately, there is more and more of it, since neither the local population nor tourists are ready to give up many things, which leads to its increase. And this is not only solid municipal waste (MSW), but also food and human activity leftovers. Information on how to prevent the appearance of garbage is practically not distributed among the population. But this directly depends on consumer habits. Many people think that if you throw garbage in the bins or give it for recycling, this is the only thing you can do for cleanliness and the environment. In fact, you need to start with the understanding that you can simply not buy what will subsequently turn into garbage.

Strangely enough, among the people who come from the cities to the mountains, including tourists and climbers, there are still many who do not hesitate to throw garbage right under their feet, leave it in the forest or at high-altitude overnight stays. This is noticeable both in the valley, where many vacationers, coming for one-day picnics, gradually turn the fabulous meadows into garbage dumps, and on the mountaineering routes, where "high-altitude dumps" have been growing for many years. Garbage in the valley is constantly cleaned up by enthusiasts and local residents, but they cannot cope with the increasing flow. Enthusiasm disappears when volunteers understand that cleaning is pointless, because tomorrow in the cleaned place there will again be the same mountain of garbage.

Garbage collection in the highlands is particularly difficult: these are places inaccessible to ordinary transport, approaches to landfills along mountain paths take many hours and require great effort due to the altitude and difficult weather conditions. And often, collecting and transporting garbage down in such places is completely impossible.

The situation with garbage on Mount Elbrus is a separate problem. Elbrus is the highest peak of the Caucasus and Europe, a dormant volcano towering over all the surrounding mountains with its unique glacial dome. At the same time, climbing it is technically not very difficult, accessible to many without special training. This makes Elbrus popular among citizens, both from Russia and from abroad, especially after the appearance of the international program "7 Summits - 7 Summits" (climbing the highest points of all continents). Recently, in the summer season, an unprecedented number of climbers have been on the mountain.

The main route of the Elbrus ascent from the southern side is littered with garbage, the wind carries it away, the water on the glaciers washes it down, some of it freezes in the ice and can remain there for many years. Today, one of the greatest threats to humanity is microplastic. The "work" of glaciers, rocks and water grinds the remains of plastic garbage into tiny particles, which, together with water, get into the valleys, into groundwater, into fields and thus into the bodies of people and animals.

Other problems are related to the infrastructure of waste transportation and disposal. Today it is clear that the planned further development of the tourist infrastructure of the Elbrus region without significant attention to this problem will lead to an aggravation of the situation, to a catastrophe for the environment. Problems with the sewage system in the valley are already making themselves felt: in several places the forest and alpine meadows are crossed by fetid streams. In recent years, we have seen a surge in construction here, a multiple increase in the flow of tourists; words about the development of the region have appeared in federal and republican programs. The development of tourism in the Elbrus region is certainly good for all those who will be able to visit it, as well as for local residents. But the upcoming changes require close and critical attention to environmental issues in order not to destroy the unique nature of the region.

Possible actions to prevent them:

Let's set an example. We clean up the trash ourselves.

Nothing is as effective as your own example. Many people who go on a picnic, seeing a person collecting trash, will think twice and take their bags and bottles with them. Mountain guides who receive special bags from us throw garbage from mountain routes into them. Their guests, having seen this, always perceive such actions with great enthusiasm and also help to collect and throw garbage. There is a great chance that in the future they themselves will show their friends this positive example.

We organize eco-walks to clean up trash in remote places.

We started our project with a large and technically complex trash cleanup on Elbrus in 2006, in which a team of 10 guides and rescuers, 2 snowcat drivers (snow tractors) and a work team of 10 people from the cable car took part. We all understand that it is easier to clean up trash systematically, little by little and not necessarily in a large team. Today, we all participate in the “trash” campaigns of the “Elbrus Resort” on Mount Elbrus (articles about them in the “campaigns” section), but we continue to collect trash in new places. As before, we collect trash in a small team, each of us has our own ideas about where and how it is necessary. It happens that you went for a walk somewhere, did not collect everything in one go, came back, inviting friends or like-minded people. See the details in the "actions" section.

We strive to attract new people to our events. We organize hiking or trekking in a beautiful place, and along the way or at the end point we collect everything we can with us. Our goal is to convey to people the awareness that they should not leave behind trash. And if it has already been left by someone, then collect it, take it down, and safely dispose of it. This applies to a candy wrapper that a person simply puts in his pocket instead of throwing it away, and to found bottles, cans or bags that he collected along the way and took with him to a place where it can be recycled.

The presence of high-mountain dumps provokes tourists and climbers to leave their garbage in these same dumps. An example of this is the place where our high-mountain hut on Elbrus is located. The old building from which the hut was built was almost completely littered with garbage left by climbers who pitched tents in that area 15 years ago. It is important to completely remove garbage accumulations on Elbrus and at high-mountain overnight stays, at picnic sites and forest trails, on eco-routes. The scattered actions of individual enthusiasts, as well as “garbage” actions, cannot ensure the removal of all the garbage, it will appear again and again. It is necessary to direct all efforts to eco-education of the active population. It is very important during garbage collection not just to take garbage to the landfill, but already during collection to sort it, transport it to collection points as raw materials for further processing.

We come up with and equip the infrastructure.

We intend to carry out actions to equip the correct and necessary infrastructure for garbage collection in the Elbrus region: to install well-thought-out, correctly sized urns and garbage bins only in those places where they are logical and really needed and do not interfere with the appearance of villages or tourist attractions, and where they can be regularly serviced without problems. It is very important to install bins for separate collection and ensure that recyclable materials are taken away in specialized vehicles, and not in a general garbage truck, as was the case before (now there are no such bins in the Elbrus region at all, they were removed in 2023).

Information and educational programs.

In addition to publishing information on this site and other online resources, we plan to print and place information banners at cable car stations, at mountain huts and at the beginning of climbing routes, where we clearly explain what garbage is, how to avoid it and how and why it is necessary to collect it with you, not to burn or bury it. It is necessary to inform about how much and how different types of garbage decompose. We also plan to continue to engage in environmental education of children and adolescents so that the younger generation learns from a young age to protect the nature of their native land and country and the common planet.

Green technologies for the mountains.

We not only search for and collect information on modern environmentally advanced technologies - construction, energy, processing, but also develop new approaches and solutions in our projects taking into account the specifics of high-altitude conditions. We strive to exchange experience on ways to solve specific problems with like-minded people, with specialists and enthusiasts from other countries, because the problem of ecology is a common one. We publish the collected information on the website and share it with everyone who wants it at personal meetings.

Involvement of the indigenous local population and inhabitants of Russia's big cities.

We are proud of our team. Most of them are locals from the village of Terskol at the foot of Elbrus, among them are representatives of the indigenous people - the Balkars. The Balkars, like all highlanders, are very attached to their land and treat it very carefully. The Balkars are peace-loving and famous for their hospitality, and they value the land so much that even spitting on it in their traditions is a nasty crime. Unfortunately, with the advent of "civilization" many good traditions are forgotten, accordingly, it is necessary to remind them, to preserve the old love and respect for the land, traditions and culture. The other part of the team consists of residents of different cities and regions of Russia - Moscow, Nalchik, Surgut, Armavir, Krasnodar. It is they, the inhabitants of megacities, who can often give everyone a good example of how to treat nature with respect, because it is they who most notice how quickly our common ecosystem of the planet is deteriorating.

What unites us all is our love for nature and - especially - for the mountains, where nature has remained more untouched than anywhere else on our common planet!