LISTEN: [RealPlayer] [Windows Media] (Requires a FREE media player to listen) Click for Photos MountainZone.com: That's great, Erik. And now we've got a climbing question from a MountainZone.com subscriber in Florida, who asks: On Everest, Erik, you said the hardest thing for a being a sightless climber was climbing through the Khumbu Icefall, while the easiest was up high on the Summit Ridge. What were the hardest and easiest things you encountered climbing Mt. Elbrus? Weihenmayer: Mount Elbrus isn't as technical as Everest, or it isn't as steep as a mountain like McKinley, but it is quite challenging, and it's like a sort of an endurance alpine climb. The days are pretty easy until you get to the summit day. You get from about 13-and-a-half thousand feet and you climb to 18-and-a-half thousand feet, so it's 5,000 feet above 13,000 feet so it's a long summit day. Be prepared for that. Also, the ski down was, for me I think, the most challenging part. You know up high you get that wind-blown snow, you get really icy conditions, you know, you get big sastrugi waves frozen in the snow and it's sort of like survival skiing. You make two turns and you think "OK, I lived through those" and you take a deep breath and hang your head over your skis. Go to Question 6 » [Top] [Climbing Home] [MountainZone.com Home]