Bangladeshi Shakil atop Mount Elbrus

The ascent proved challenging as severe weather disrupted the original summit plan. Shakil was scheduled to make his summit push early on September 25, but the plan was called off by the expedition agency due to adverse weather conditions.

Two consecutive days of snowfall had covered the route to the summit in knee-deep, soft snow. Despite the conditions, Shakil set out for the summit late Friday night with fellow climber Heather and guide Alex.

Two other teams also decided to make a summit push after seeing Shakil’s team head out. However, conditions deteriorated further as they climbed. Freezing winds, snowstorms and heavy snowfall severely reduced visibility, while the climbers repeatedly sank into deep snow and struggled to find the route.

The two teams eventually turned back as the weather worsened. Shakil, Heather and Alex, however, continued their ascent and eventually reached the summit together.

At the top of Mount Elbrus, Shakil unfurled the Bangladesh national flag.

“According to the forecast on September 25, there were indications that the weather might ease somewhat. But forecasts are rarely of much help when climbing Elbrus. Despite Elbrus showing its harsh side, we did not turn back,” Shakil said after the ascent.

He added, “Sometimes a mountain does not measure a person’s strength. It measures how far they are willing to go even when everything tells them to turn back. I am proud to have raised my country’s flag on the summit of Elbrus despite such adverse weather.

The expedition was organised by Russian House in Dhaka and the Bangladesh Mountaineering and Trekking Club. Turkish Airlines and Jibon O Prokriti Foundation sponsored the expedition.

As part of the “Bangladesh-Russia Friendship Expedition,” Shakil was handed the national flag at Russian House in Dhaka on September 11. He left Dhaka for Russia on September 19.

The mountaineer is expected to return to Bangladesh soon via Moscow.

Shakil had previously become the first Bangladeshi to summit Mount Everest, adding the Elbrus ascent to his mountaineering achievements.