On 4 June 2025, at 4 p.m. in the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan, the opening ceremony of the photo exhibition “Anatoli Boukreev: The Ascent” is dedicated to the legendary mountaineer Anatoli Boukreev. He was the only mountaineer in history to have conquered Elbrus in 1 hour 47 minutes (1990) and to have become the guide of the President of Kazakhstan on Abay Peak (1995). The event organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Almaty Mountaineering Federation. It held to coincide with two significant 
anniversaries: the 35th anniversary of the record high-speed ascent of Elbrus (5621 m) and the 30th anniversary of the mass mountaineering on Abay Peak (4010 m) in 1995.
Organizers: The Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the State Historical Museum of the South Urals, and the Breakthrough Development Alliance.
The exhibition of “Anatoli Boukreev. The Ascent” is a project designed to present the heritage and achievements of International Master of Sport Anatoli Boukreev to the public, as well as to expand knowledge about the Soviet school of mountaineering and its importance. The photo exhibition provides an insight into the life of Anatoli Boukreev, including his childhood in a large family, his first ascents in the Urals, his studies and military service. In addition, it details his accomplishments in mountaineering, including his initial ascents to eight-thousand-meter summits, the implementation of innovative climbing tactics, his personal records, and notable occurrences. Anatoli Boukreev is a Soviet mountaineer, mountain guide and conqueror of eleven of the fourteen eight-thousander of the planet. From 1989 to 1997, he successfully ascended to the summits of 21 mountains above 8000 meters. He also made history by becoming the first person to make four ascents in just 80 days, with the last two taking place within a single week. He participated in the Second Himalayan Expedition, which successfully climbed Kanchenjunga.
Anatoli Boukreev was born in the Chelyabinsk region (Korkino), lived and studied in Chelyabinsk. Anatoli Boukreev developed a passion for climbing in his teenage years, when he began to participate in treks of the Korkino geologists’ club and later the mountaineers’ section, travelling through the mountains of his native Urals. During his student years, he successfully completed the first four-thousander peaks in both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Following his military service, Bukreev took up a position in a sports company in Kazakhstan. He then worked as a ski coach before becoming a coach and mountain instructor at CSKA. Anatoli’s first seven-thousanders were Peak Lenin and Peak Communism, passed in 1980. During his 12-year tenure with the national teams of Kazakhstan and the USSR, Anatoly successfully completed over 30 ascents to the seven-thousander of both countries, as well as several other notable mountains worldwide.
Anatoli Boukreev’s name gained widespread recognition in May 1996 following his rescue of three individuals caught in a snowstorm while climbing Everest, which coincided with a significant number of mountaineer fatalities. By Everest standards, this is a remarkable achievement. Anatoli Boukreev passed away on 25 December 1997 while attempting to reach the summit of Mount Annapurna in Nepal. Several documentaries made about the life of the Soviet mountaineer, and memorials erected in his honor all over the world. In January 2023, a monument to the renowned mountaineer Anatoli Boukreev was unveiled in front of the high-altitude mountain skating rink “Medeu”, situated at an elevation of 1691 meters above sea level.
The exhibition includes 100 unique photographs from Boukreev’s personal archive, as well as documents, awards and personal diaries.
