 24.06.2002: In memory of Alex Lowe
Below we present some extracts from an expedition diary.
‘Open Caucasus’ – first international experience:
‘Open Caucasus’ was founded as an international project; in internationality is the initial idea of it. After our publications in foreign magazines I received many questions from climbers of different countries. They asked about the Caucasus. For most people outside Russia the Caucasus is a kind of terra incognita (but dangerous nevertheless). Only two parts of this ‘mysterious land’ are well known: Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak of Europe, and ill-famed Chechnya.
The latter casts suspicion on all the great Caucasus territory what is, as Carlos Buhler put it, the same as ‘to brand all New York as a most dangerous town as it contains Harlem’.
I got acquainted with Carlos by correspondence after I took his address at Andrey Volkov (a member of the same Changabang-98 climbing team). I wished to find out some details about the East Face of Everest as Carlos was in the very team that had first-climbed the wall. Than Carlos read our article in ‘Desnivel’ where we reported about the project and our climbs in the Caucasus and Erydag (Syberia), and, in his turn, wrote me. He was interesting in visiting the Caucasus.
After it I invited Carlos to the Caucasus and he agreed. I was very excited, as it was my first ‘international experience’. I felt myself responsible for Carlos, for his friend Huan Rovirosa who came with him and for the event in general… We made a good job and climbed ‘The Caucasus’ peak. I’m sure my colleagues had enjoyed Caucasus climbing!’
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