Ruslan Zaripov

“In the mountains, people become their true selves. There is nothing unnecessary here — just you, your team, and the journey you share.”

My journey into the mountains began in 2011, while I was still in high school. Some classmates were planning a summer hiking trip and invited me along. Back then, I had no idea that a single trip would change my life.

I remember a night beside a mountain lake. A perfectly dark sky, stars scattered overhead, and a feeling inside unlike anything I had known. I think that was the first time I realised I wanted to return to the mountains, again and again.

Many years have passed since then. Of all the friends who set off on that first trip together, I was the only one for whom the mountains became a way of life. And today, I no longer go to the mountains just for myself — I help others discover them too.

When I was young, I joined a small Scout troop in Russia. And although my path has since led me into mountaineering and a career as a mountain guide, the principles of Scouting have stayed with me. One matters to me especially: “A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout.”

In the mountains, that principle means even more. A team is more than a few people following the same route. It is people who trust one another, support one another, and understand that the outcome depends on every person.

I have been involved in mountaineering as a sport since 2018. I hold a Second Sports Rank and climb routes up to Russian grade 5A.

My experience includes technical ascents in the Altai Mountains, the Tian Shan, the Sayan Mountains of Buryatia, Tuva and Khakassia, the Caucasus, and other mountain regions.

I have made around 60 ascents of Elbrus and 5 ascents of Kazbek via different approaches. I also took part in an ascent of Lenin Peak, reaching 6,574 metres — the highest altitude I have reached so far.

Different terrain, different conditions, and many ascents have taught me that no detail is too small in the mountains. A good expedition begins long before you set foot on the route: with preparation, logistics, choosing the right equipment, and understanding what each participant is capable of. Those details are what shape the safety, comfort, and spirit of the whole group.

But for me, guiding is about more than summits.

I want to build a team where conversation comes easily, where there is trust, mutual support, and room for humour. I believe a positive atmosphere within the group is just as much a part of the journey as physical preparation and sound tactics.

I love my work for the people it brings into my life, and for the chance to return, time and again, to a place where everything feels simple and real — whether we are trekking in the warmth of Turkey or climbing above 5,000 metres.

To me, a mountain guide is someone entrusted with more than the route. People place their time, their strength, their fears, and their dreams of a summit in that person's hands.

So I try to be open and honest with everyone in my group. And I believe that this is how people come to the mountains — open, honest, and ready for a true adventure.

I still carry in my heart the fire that first came to life beside that mountain lake in 2011. And now my work is not only to keep walking my own path, but to help others kindle their own fire.

Because I believe the mountains let no others in.