Kavkaz.RF awarded Nicole Kovalchuk a year's pass to stay at the Elbrus mountaineering hut.
The climber became the second Russian woman to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, following Elbrus ambassador Alina Pekova. The award ceremony took place during the Russian Mountaineering Federation's gala evening in Moscow. Deputy General Director Rustam Tapayev presented the award, along with a giant photo taken from the window of the Liprus mountaineering hut at an altitude of 3,912 meters.
"We read in your interviews that you dream of involving your entire large family in climbing. I'm sure the country's highest resort is the best place for this. I know that you climbed Elbrus in 2022 as part of the Seven Summits program and spoke very warmly of our resort. This annual pass for accommodation at the Liprus mountain hut is an invitation to experience the great mountains not only as a grand goal, but also as an inspiring pastime surrounded by your loved ones. We'll be waiting for you!" Rustam Tapayev addressed the climber.
Nicole Kovalchuk is the wife of Olympic hockey champion Ilya Kovalchuk, a mother of four, a singer, and a blogger. In May of this year, she completed the "Seven Summits" program, which includes the highest peaks on seven continents.
Denis Urubko became the first CIS member to join the "14 Summits Club." Urubko is a professional mountaineer and winner of prestigious awards. It took him nine years to conquer all eight-thousanders.
In 2024, the first Russian representative, Alina Pekova, a native of Kabardino-Balkaria, joined the "Club 14" list. The ambassador of the Elbrus resort began mountaineering in 2017 at her home resort and climbed all eight-thousanders in less than two years. In 2025, Nicole Kovalchuk also joined the list.
It took 16 years for Italian Reinhold Messner, the discoverer of the "Club 14," to achieve his achievement. In general, just a couple of decades ago, professionals needed between eight and fifteen years to achieve this. Many renowned athletes have never been able to climb all the mountains on the list.