Rita Saliba stood close to the summit of Mount Elbrus, Europe’s highest peak, when she was confronted with an experience that would shake even the most seasoned climber.

As the 30-year-old neared the end of her ascent earlier this month, a scream cut through the cold mountain air. Just metres away, she saw a fellow climber tumble headfirst down the steep incline – a “deeply shocking experience” that left Saliba paralysed with fear.

Despite being only a few steps from the summit, the sight left her rooted to the spot, overcome with terror.

“I was too scared to move my carabiners [climbing clips]… it was a torrent of emotions,” she added.

The victim had just achieved her goal, reaching the 5,642m summit in Russia’s Caucasus mountains. But on her descent, as she navigated a 45-degree incline – considered to be the most dangerous part of the trek – she lost her footing.

Saliba was at the front of her own group at the time and fully focused on the task at hand when the tragedy unfolded.

“The line was moving slowly, likely due to the recent bad weather; it felt like everyone was trying to summit that day,” she recalled. 

As she approached the end of the fixed-ropes section, a pair of climbers caught her eye.

“They were descending a few metres below the fixed ropes, walking unattached,” she noted. Moments later, the fatal fall occurred.

In the face of such a traumatic event, the climbers on the fixed ropes halted, unsure how to respond. Lacking the expertise to help, they could do little but continue their climb, haunted by what they had witnessed.

“Later, we learned it was a girl who had just summited. She did not want to wait in line for the fixed ropes on the way down.” 

“The only way down was up. We had no choice but to cautiously continue our climb,” she said, describing the rest of the expedition as “very emotionally difficult”. 

“I could feel my body shaking, my heart throbbing and my stomach churning. I was completely disorientated. I wanted to go down.” 

Her partner, who was behind her, kept urging her to focus on the next step and keep moving forward.  

Once the fixed ropes ended, Saliba knew only 100m of elevation was left. In that moment, she realised she could reach the summit and achieve the goal she had worked towards. The victory was bittersweet, overshadowed by the tragic event.

Rita Saliba resting before the summit ‘push’, with the dangerous section of the climb in the background.

The woman who lost her life on August 17 was not in Saliba’s group, but the experience has deeply affected her. While the ascent is not considered as technically difficult as other mountains, dozens of climbers die yearly during summit attempts.

However, it has not diminished Saliba’s resolve to conquer the Seven Summits – a challenge to climb the highest peak on each continent. With two summits under her belt, she now has five to go. 

She was the youngest of her group of eight climbers and two guides, with six making it to the top. One reached 4,700m but turned back due to altitude sickness; and another stopped at 5,400m with a severe headache.

Low on food and water

Climbing Mount Elbrus typically takes eight to 12 days, allowing time for acclimatisation and multiple summit attempts. But bad weather delayed Saliba’s group by two days, leaving them low on food and water.

When conditions finally cleared, they made their summit push, starting at 10pm on August 16 and reaching the peak around 12 hours later. Within another three hours, they were back down. 

Saliba is not the only Maltese woman to have summited Mount Elbrus, but as the only female member of her group, she sees her achievement as testament to the growing participation of Maltese women in extreme sports.

She hopes her journey will inspire others to challenge themselves and enter traditionally male-dominated arenas.

Choosing to travel to Russia amid its ongoing war with Ukraine added another layer of complexity to the expedition. The sanctions against Russia meant it was hard to get in, and that if anything went wrong, she could not rely on help from outside.

Rita was the only female and youngest member of her mountaineering group.

The group had to rely entirely on cash, as card payments were not accepted, and they were under pressure to complete the expedition before August 18. 

“We needed to carefully manage our schedule to ensure we did the climb before our visas expired. This meant reaching the summit by August 17 to avoid overstaying. 

“We had heard troubling stories about potential arrest rather than deportation. Such fears can be heavy when undertaking a challenge like this,” Saliba admitted.  

Despite these challenges, she remains undeterred in her quest to climb the Seven Summits. Having already conquered Kilimanjaro in 2023 she sees Mount Elbrus as a crucial step in preparing her for her next challenge: Aconcagua, South America’s highest peak.

“Each peak has pushed me physically and mentally, becoming a milestone of personal growth and self-discovery.”

Yet, the tragedy on Mount Elbrus will remain with her, a stark reminder of the risks inherent in pursuing such lofty goals.