lefty wrote:If you stay in one of the huts, the toilets are no worse than on Kilimanjaro. I suppose if you are camping you will find more crap on the mountain. On my summit day, 95% of the people were just using trekking poles for the whole route. I used an axe and one pole, which I think is a safer way to go.
One other piece of advise, if you are going to be in Russia for three or more days before traveling to Mineralye Vody, make sure you have proof of registration stamped on your landing card from where ever you stayed (or you can get it from a post office). The officials at Mineralye Vody airport when you arrive and depart, are looking for foreign climbers without proper registration. Not having proper registration will result in having to pay off the officials, possible multiple times before you can leave Russia.
Pilgrim Tours provided excellent service and even helped us sort out registration problems with the local registration office.
Hey now you have me worried!!!!.....I am arriving in Moscow then transferring the same night to another airport to go straight to Min Vody........Pilgrim organise all that stuff right???