pure mountains

Liza is originally from Munich, grew up in the Bavarian Alps and was fascinated by mountain hikes since childhood. Then she began rock climbing and mountaineering - in the Alps, South America, Japan, Korea. After completing her master's degree in Slavic studies and Japanese in 1996, she moved to live in the Caucasus.

During her student years, she made many ascents, including ski touring, the most memorable of which for her personally were:

— Wilder Kaiser — many rock routes
— Piz Palü (3998 m)
— Piz Bernina (4049 m)
— Grossglockner Stuedlgrat
— Lenin Peak (7134 m)
— 5000-ers: Elbrus (5642 m), Ararat (5137 m), Kilimanjaro (5895 m), Lenana Peak (4985 m), Kazbek (5033 m)
— Morocco: winter ascent to Toubkal (4167 m), as well as ski touring in the High Atlas Mountains
— Cheget Kara (3754 m)
— Dzhantugan (4012 m) and descent from it on snowboard along the Northern slope (on the route 3B cat.)

In addition, she has climbed Elbrus more than 500 times from the South and North, to the Western and Eastern peaks, on foot and on skis and snowboard.

Liza Pahl is one of the strongest athletes, freeride champion of Russia and bronze medalist of the Freeride World Tour (FWT). Since 1999, she has taken part in freeride competitions in Russia, Austria, Switzerland, France, the USA, including twice participating in Verbier Xtreme.

Liza has been working as a guide in Russia since 1997, mainly at her new home in Elbrus area, but also in other areas of the Caucasus (Dombay, Krasnaya Polyana, Svaneti). In winter - freeride, ski touring, in summer - Elbrus, trekking, hiking.
She also works as ski touring guide in the Polar Urals, Mamai, Kamchatka, Georgia, Turkey, Morocco.
In summer and autumn, she climbs with groups in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco), Turkey, Georgia.

Liza speaks Russian, German, English, French, Japanese and Arabic. She cooperates with Alpine clubs from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, USA, Canada, Taiwan and China. She
works mostly as a private guide, leading small individual groups, no more than 1-2 people per guide. If the group is larger, she always hires additional guides.

Liza also pays great attention to ecology:

"... The problem of garbage in the mountains - we are trying to reach a common understanding of what all this is from and how to improve the situation, organizing cleanups, solving existing and upcoming environmental problems" she says.
Currently, she and her team are cleaning up a totally damaged karst lake (the third of the Shadkhurei lakes) from garbage, planning to transfer it into the status of a protected area. She has her own eco-project and website "Puremountains" (PureMountains).

In Elbrus area, Liza and a friend have been running a small eco-hut with the philosophy of "zero impact" (minimal impact on nature) on Elbrus for over 10 years. They built this hut from old ruins that had turned into a garbage dump.

She also guides free hikes on Tourism Day for the everyone who is interested - adults and children, organized by the Ministry of Tourism of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republik. She plans to release ecological souvenirs in support of orphanages and citizens with disabilities (with their participation).

"...Working as a guide is my life!" says Liza. "I don't even have any other clothes except mountain clothes. I've lived in small mountain villages all my life, I can't imagine myself any other way. People ask me how I can climb Elbrus so many times, isn't it boring? But no, the better you know the mountain, the more you can focus on your clients, and thanks to this, almost everyone gets right to the top with me. You understand very well what kind of weather is expected, what tactics to choose for certain conditions and groups/clients. In my entire life, I have never had a single accident on any climb or hike, I make sure that my clients, many of whom are going to the mountains for the first time, go there well prepared."

Our eco-hut on Elbrus at 3700 m is a project that shows how to create comfort and safety in the really high mountains without hazardous impact on the environment. Without large investments of money, but with the investment of our work, care - and love for the mountains!