How does a truck driver from Wisconsin become a champion of local cultural developing a rural mountain valley in the North Caucasus? Matt Johnson tells us today, not only of his several and often hair-raising ascents of Mt. Elbrus one many of the six routes—including lightning storms, crevasses, and a mountain rescue—but much more about his love for the local culture, and especially a remote valley on the northwest side of the mountain. In the last year he has founded the Elbrus Alpine Project “to partner with the valley’s clans to build, from the ground up, a tourism and climbing economy” that foregrounds the desires and wellness of the local culture and economy. Links for Episode 112 Elbrus Alpine Foundation – https://www.elbrus4alpinists.org/ Matt’s Post on Summitpost.org – https://www.summitpost.org/elbrus-from-the-west-ish-unusual-sw-route/1028210 https://mountainguides.pro – Sergey Baranov The Mountain Worker Initiative – https://www.theuiaa.org/mountain-worker-initiative