Three cable cars on Elbrus are closed due to wind.
Three of the five cable cars at the Elbrus resort have been shut down due to strong winds.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", on February 1, three of the five cable cars at the Elbrus resort were shut down due to strong winds: Mir-2 - Bashtala, Bashtala - Chiran, and Mir - Garabashi.
According to the resort's website, there are five cable cars at Elbrus: Azau - Krugozor (2,350 m - 3,000 m), Krugozor - Mir (3,000 m - 3,500 m), Mir-2 - Bashtala (3,500 m - 3,560 m), Bashtala - Chiran (3,560 m - 3,300 m) and Mir - Garabashi (3,500 m - 3,847 m).
The Mir 2 - Bashtala and Bashtala - Chiran cable cars "are closed due to weather conditions (winds over 15 m/s)," the Elbrus administration announced on its Telegram channel at 11:29 a.m. Moscow time.
Prior to this, all five cable cars were open from 9:00 a.m. Moscow time, according to posts on the resort's Telegram channel.
At 1:08 p.m. Moscow time, the resort administration announced the closure of another cable car. "The Mir - Garabashi cable car is closed due to weather conditions (winds over 15 m/s)," the statement read. As of 2:00 PM Moscow time, commenting on the resort's Telegram channel has been disabled.
As a reminder, on January 10th, all cable cars and ski slopes at the Elbrus resort were closed due to the risk of avalanches. They reopened the following day.
The official opening of the ski season at the Elbrus resort took place on December 6th, 2025. To mark the opening, the resort launched a new ski area with two cable cars, and 5.2 kilometers of new trails were developed in the eastern sector.
After many countries closed their borders due to the coronavirus pandemic, Russian tourists turned more attention to resorts within the country, particularly in the North Caucasus. Elbrus has become one of the most popular ski resorts. At the same time, vacationers complained about queues for ski lifts and traffic jams.
In 2025, according to authorities, two million tourists visited the resorts of Kabardino-Balkaria, tourist flow increased by 13.7%.
Prielbrusye is a winter resort in Kabardino-Balkaria, which is popular among fans of alpine skiing, freeriding, snowboarding, and other extreme sports.
In September 2025, three people died and several more were injured as a result of a cable car cable break on Mount Elbrus. The director and chief engineer of the cable car company were detained and arrested in connection with the deaths. In January, the case was referred to court.
The prosecutor's office also filed lawsuits on behalf of the sons of two of the deceased men. One of the victims demanded 10 million rubles in compensation for his father's death, while the other demanded 15 million rubles.